Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

Reviewed by: Palak
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release date: November 8th, 2011
Pages: 317 (Paperback)
Cover: 5/5 Stars
Plot: 4/5 Stars
  
     There is something about the portrait of Lord Danbury. Something too human.

     Natalie Stewart was restless about her mundane life. But when she sets her eyes on supposed haunted painting of an Englishman, she becomes obsessed. He consumes her thoughts during the day, and haunts her by night. There is something about the painting that reaches out to her. Literally. There is a man trapped in it, and she is the only one that can save him. But she gets much more then she asks for when she delves into the whirlwind world of dark magic.

     Darker Still is a gorgeous tale about an unlikely heroine caught in the dark world of magic. It was a breath of fresh air! Even if this book fits in a popular genre of books, it took its own spin!

     My favorite element of this book is its astonishing originality. I have never read anything like it before! Natalie is a mute girl who lives in New York in the 1800s. When she hears there is a haunted painting coming to town, she knows she has to check it out. What she doesn't know that there is a person trapped inside, and his body is wandering around... being your average demonic jerk. So she tries to find out how to set the love of her life free and get rid of the demon. In all my days of YA reading, I have never come across something like this!

     The romance really bugged me. I saw absolutely no spark, and no development in the relationship! The book could have done without it. I didn't see any progress, or any motive for them to fall in love. My personal choice is relationships that form over time. I don't know if I would be the one falling in love with strangers trapped inside painting that have evil ties to them... just saying.

     Darker Still is a fantastic historic fiction/ paranormal fantasy! If you are a fan of either, I really think you should try it out! A fair warning: the book is an overall slow progresser. If you have any intentions of wanting to put it down, my advice is to stick with it so you can read the fast paced ending and become a fan of the Magic Most Foul series!