Darker Still ARC Review

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Darker Still
By Leanna Renee Heiber
Published by Sourcebooks Fire
Published on November 2011







Summary taken from Goodreads:

The Picture of Dorian Gray meets Pride and Prejudice, with a dash of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing...
Jonathan Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul.



Creepy and hauntingly wonderful.  I loved this book!  Darker Still ties in the stories of Dorian Gray and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the late 1800's.  It intertwines the gothic horror stories with a sweet love story befitting of any Austen novel.  The love between the two main characters is pure and innocent and deeply contrasts the eerie surroundings of their circumstances.

I loved that Natalie was mute (is that too much of a spoiler?).  It was so original and added so much to the story.  It was really a main component to what happened to her.  The nightmares that Natalie suffered from dipped over into the horror realm- they were scary!  (Then again I have a VERY overactive imagination!)  The author is a fantastic story teller and really knows how to create a complex and compelling storyline. 

I can't wait for the next book.  The only problem is- unless I commit some sort of breaking and entering- I have to wait a long time for the next book! Do yourself a favor and go read this book!


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