The Deepest Night (The Sweetest Dark #2)
   by: Shana Abé

Publication Date: Aug. 13, 2013
Publisher: Bantam
Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 320 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4/5 stars

It’s 1915, and sixteen-year-old Lora Jones is finishing up her first year as a charity student at Iverson, a prestigious, gothic boarding school on England’s southern coast. While she’s always felt different from everyone around her, now she finally knows why: She is a drákon, a rare, enchanted being with astonishing magical abilities.

As war hits Britain’s shores, and Lora reels from an unimaginable loss, she finds that her powers come with grave and dangerous responsibilities. At the request of Armand Louis, the darkly mysterious boy whose father owns Iverson, Lora will spend her summer at his lavish estate. To help the war effort—and to keep Lora by his side—Armand turns his home into a military hospital, where Lora will serve as a nurse. For Armand is inescapably drawn to her—bound to her by heart-deep secrets and a supernatural connection that runs thicker than blood.

Yet while Lora tries to sort out her own feelings toward Armand, fate offers an unexpected surprise. Lora discovers there is another drákon, a prisoner of war being held in Germany. And that only she, with her newly honed Gifts, will be able to rescue him.

With Armand, Lora will cross enemy lines on an incredible mission—one that could bond her to Armand forever, or irrevocably tear them apart.

Beautifully written, deeply romantic, and filled with daring adventure and magic, The Deepest Night is a mesmerizing novel of the enduring pull of destiny, and the eternal strength of love.

This is the second book in the Sweetest Dark series, and I really enjoyed it! I wasn’t sure if I would, simply because the first book left me heartbroken.  It was a great read, so don’t let my shattered heart stop you!

The second book picks up as the school year is ending and the headmistress is trying to decide what to do with Lora for the summer.  I feel so bad for Lora. Everyone at the Iverson school treats her like complete crap, and is just awful to her. She does give them some lip back, but still. I would be laying the smackdown on those rich, stuck-up brats!

Armand is back in this book also and together he and Lora are dealing with the aftermath of what happened in the first book, as well as the fact that they are drakon.  I admit, I didn’t care too much for Armand in the first book (probably because I really liked Jesse), but he really grew on me in this one. Ok, he more than grew on me, I love the boy now.  He is the friend that Lora needs to overcome her grief and yet he also doesn’t hide the way he feels about her. You will definitely be rooting for him by the end!

This book did not focus much on the lore of the drakon, but rather on awakening Armand’s dragon.  I still have a lot of questions, that I hope will be answered in the third installment. The ending is definitely bittersweet, which  leaves me wondering what direction Abe will take the next book in the series and if she’s going to shatter my heart again.

We also find out that Armand’s brother Aubrey, is indeed still alive, and together the two must venture into enemy territory to save him. This of course leads both Armand and Lora down a road that they never thought possible.

Shana does a great job of creating likeable characters, who are willing to make the necessary sacrifices, no matter how heartbreaking the outcome.

The Sweetest Dark (The Sweetest Dark #1)
   by: Shana Abé

Publication Date: Apr. 9, 2013
Publisher: Bantam
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-ARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 352 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4/5 stars

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.

                        -goodreads.com description

First of all, I ADORED the time period and location in which this is set and that is what piqued my interest right off the bat. When I first started reading, I admit I felt the writing was a bit disorienting, as I struggled to grasp the overall concept of what was happening. However, the story began to flow and I got used to it, even with the sudden switching of POV's.

We begin the book by meeting Lora, our protagonist. She was orphaned at a young age and was raised in an orphanage, where she was forced to take care of herself and hide her secrets. I really like that Lora is tough as nails, and after she is sent to Iverson, a boarding school for girls, she does not let any of the socialite girls affect her. However, amidst petty elitist girls, ridicule, and pity, Lora finds her bright spot, in my opinion, in Jesse. He is the school's groundskeeper and you can't help but fall in love with him. He is sweet, tender, and loving to Lora and also helps her realize who she truly is and what destiny awaits her, if she surrenders to it.

Armand, on the other hand, the aristrocratic Duke's son, is strangely drawn to Lora, from the moment they first meet as she gets off the train to Iverson. He doesn't understand why he is so drawn to her and neither do any of the other girls at Iverson. What could the poor penniless girl have that the Duke's son could possibly desire? Their banter is quite amusing and I liked how his role wasn't just to serve as a second admirer.

When I first read the synopsis and saw there may be potentially be a love triangle, I thought, 'really, another one?!'. I'm all love-triangled out! Rest assured to those who are like me, I thought the incorporation of both boys in her life worked out really well. I don't want to give anything away, obviously, but they are all destined for something more, together.

The ending of the book definitely ripped my heart open, but it also left me with hope for Lora and her future, as she's just now discovering who she is really is. (I won't say what but it was definitely awesome when it was finally revealed!)

I really enjoyed this book and read through it in no time at all. It was so easy to get swept away to England and pulled in to the magical elements of the story. I can't wait for the second book!

*Thank you to Random House for providing an advanced copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.*