Review: The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abé

With every fiber of my being, I love The Sweetest Dark. It was beautiful, magical, dark, and absolutely sweet!

Now, where should I begin? The Sweetest Dark completely took me by surprise with its gorgeous prose. The moment I finished this book, I just went into total lockdown. I don’t want to ever leave this beautiful, shady world of The Sweetest Dark.

The first adjective that came into my mind when I described it is… beautiful. The Sweetest Dark is beautiful in such ethereal way. The writing is flowing and I couldn’t flip through the pages fast enough. The characters are strange and each of them has their own dark side. I felt the harsh, frosty atmosphere that Lora faced as a poor orphan. She grew up in an orphanage and therefore, she learned about the world in hard way. She’s deeply suspicious of people and sometimes I do hope that she would soften a bit. But in spite of her flaws, Lora is a character you can’t hate. Or maybe it’s her flaws that make her feel very real.

I was shivering when I read the romance part. The feelings that each character feel are so tangible that maybe, if I reached my hands enough, I could touch them. Although it is hinted that there would be love triangle, it’s clear which guy Lora falls for. I like both guys although I always have to pick my side. Armand is dangerous, and I could feel the need to possess from him. Jesse is beautiful, undemanding, and special in his quiet way.

I think The Sweetest Dark is truly a hidden gem and it deserves all recognition it can get. This book would appeal most to people who love internal conflicts because of the small amount of action scenes. Lora’s story is the kind that would grip you until you finish reading. It would leave you with honey taste in your mouth. The Sweetest Dark is lovely, magical, and it’s dripping with sweetness. It’s like a bedtime story told in whispering voices… full of magic, enchantment, and beauty.

Shadows swallowed me in slippery black. The air took on a richer, loamy note. The ground crunched with leaves, and ferns slapped at my shins and knees, painless. I splashed through brooks and left footprints in peat. Crickets called in time to my stride, a steady chee, chee that never broke.

I was running swifter than a hart, swifter than even the advancing night, because that was outside the forest and everything surrounding me here was enchanted, as I was. I didn’t know where I was going, but it didn’t matter. Sooner or later I’d run out of land, and then I would turn back.

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I rate this book:

Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.