Monday, December 27, 2010

Dark Heart Forever by Lee Monroe

Jane Jonas has never really been a sociable or popular person. She takes comfort in being with her immediate family, like spending time with her younger sister Dot. Then a new boy named Evan starts at her school and suddenly she has not one, but TWO handsome boys after her. Evan's past is as mysterious as his good looks, but Jane can't shake the feeling that there is something darker to him. Luca is the only boy who's ever made Jane feel completely comfortable in her own skin... if only she knew exactly what he was. With so much confusion building in her mind, Jane has to figure out who she can trust. Before someone gets hurt.

This book is out in the UK, but the not the US. Which I only mention because as I was reading it, I kept thinking how it would probably never be released in the States. For one, there is quite a bit of casual underage drinking. Underage for the US, that is. Also, the main character drops out of school because of bullying and switches to a pretty relaxed homeschooling regimen. I'm not sure many teens out there would see this as plausible or be able to identify with it. And then the book itself was just ok. I never connected with any of the characters or felt invested in what was happening at all. I thought Jane made some terrible and naive choices. If it was so obvious to me which boy was the bad one, why couldn't Jane see it as well? I also felt the paranormal elements were thrown in haphazardly. It seemed Monroe wanted the focus to be on the two boys fighting for Jane's affection, and the paranormal bits were an after thought. Perhaps it would have been better to leave them out? Either way, it was interesting to read this debut and I will most likely check out the second in the series, called Dark Heart Rising.

Overall Rating: 3 Stars

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