Lora Jones was found abandoned with no memories. She is
raised in an orphanage until she talks a little too much
about the voices she hears. She hears music when she
concentrates on certain objects and she has vivid dreams of
smoke. From the orphanage she is sent to a hospital where
she learns to suppress the voice and pretend to be normal.
On her release, she is sent to a school as a charity
student.
While there, Lora will learn that her dreams, the music and
the voice are all there for a reason. It is time for her to
learn to be what she truly is. Lora falls in love with
Jesse who tells her wondrous stories and teaches Lora what
she is to become. Armand is a dark and handsome young man
who is fascinated by Lora even as he terrifies her.
The three of them will be forced together in unusual
circumstances that will test the ability of each of them.
When Armand's father sets unfortunate events in motion, they
will be called upon to form an unusual alliance to prevent
the destruction of all they hold dear.
Written against the backdrop of World War I, Ms. Abe has
written a dark tale of mythic creatures who must work
together to prevent the invasion of England by the Germans.
Ms. Abe has a lush style that draws the reader into the
story.
Writing her first young adult book, the author has
incorporated a love story within the horrors attendant with
the war. While I would have liked a faster pace, the story
was interesting and involving for the reader.
For fans of Lauren Kate and Libba Bray, The Sweetest
Dark is filled with thrilling romance, exciting
adventure, and ancient magic. Shana Abé brilliantly captures
the drama of post-Victorian England, while unfolding a
passionate love story that defies time. “With every fiber of my being, I
yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson
without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life
was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d
ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of
reach.” Lora Jones has always
known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to
be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been
keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one
else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives
with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far
more than what she seems.
England, 1915.
Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora
quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid
attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as
the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school
on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle
is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she
meets there will open her eyes and forever change her
destiny.
Jesse is the school’s
groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who
and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and
arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded
secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One
is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her
heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness
the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose
everything she dearly loves.
Filled with lush
atmosphere, thrilling romance, and ancient magic, The
Sweetest Dark brilliantly captures a rich historical era
while unfolding an enchanting love story that defies time.