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[(Into the Darkness)] [By (author) V C Andrews] published on
As lovely as one of the precious gems at her parents' jewellery store, Amber Taylor is shy and introspective--qualities misread by others as being stuck-up and superior. Facing a long, lonely summer working at the family shop, Amber's world lights up when the Matthews family suddenly moves in to the house next door, a property that has stood neglected for the longest time. And when she meets Brayden Matthews, Amber soon becomes infatuated with this handsome, quirky young man who seems to know her innermost feelings almost before she does, who takes her places she never knew existed in her small town. Their connection is electrifying, unlike anything Amber's felt before. But as quickly as he appears, Brayden vanishes into the darkness. And finding out the truth about him will push Amber to the edge of madness.
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First published January 1, 2012
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About the author
V.C. Andrews
369 books9,033 followersBooks published under the following names - Virginia Andrews, V. Andrews, Virginia C. Andrews & V.C. Endrius. Books since her death ghost written by Andrew Neiderman, but still attributed to the V.C. Andrews name
Virginia Cleo Andrews (born Cleo Virginia Andrews) was born June 6, 1923 in Portsmouth, Virginia. The youngest child and the only daughter of William Henry Andrews, a career navy man who opened a tool-and-die business after retirement, and Lillian Lilnora Parker Andrews, a telephone operator. She spent her happy childhood years in Portsmouth, Virginia, living briefly in Rochester, New York. The Andrews family returned to Portsmouth while Virginia was in high school.
While a teenager, Virginia suffered a tragic accident, falling down the stairs at her school and incurred severe back injuries. Arthritis and a failed spinal surgical procedure forced her to spend most of her life on crutches or in a wheelchair.
Virginia excelled in school and, at fifteen, won a scholarship for writing a parody of Tennyson's Idylls of the King. She proudly earned her diploma from Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth. After graduation, she nurtured her artistic talent by completing a four-year correspondence art course while living at home with her family.
After William Andrews died in the late 1960s, Virginia helped to support herself and her mother through her extremely successful career as a commercial artist, portrait painter, and fashion illustrator.
Frustrated with the lack of creative satisfaction that her work provided, Virginia sought creative release through writing, which she did in secret. In 1972, she completed her first novel, The Gods of the Green Mountain [sic], a science-fantasy story. It was never published. Between 1972 and 1979, she wrote nine novels and twenty short stories, of which only one was published. "I Slept with My Uncle on My Wedding Night", a short fiction piece, was published in a pulp confession magazine.
Promise gleamed over the horizon for Virginia when she submitted a 290,000-word novel, The Obsessed, to a publishing company. She was told that the story had potential, but needed to be trimmed and spiced up a bit. She drafted a new outline in a single night and added "unspeakable things my mother didn't want me to write about." The ninety-eight-page revision was re-titled Flowers in the Attic and she was paid a $7,500 advance. Her new-generation Gothic novel reached the bestseller lists a mere two weeks after its 1979 paperback publication by Pocket Books.
Petals on the Wind, her sequel to Flowers, was published the next year, earning Virginia a $35,000 advance. The second book remained on the New York Times bestseller list for an unbelievable nineteen weeks (Flowers also returned to the list). These first two novels alone sold over seven million copies in only two years. The third novel of the Dollanganger series, If There Be Thorns, was released in 1981, bringing Virginia a $75,000 advance. It reached No. 2 on many bestseller lists within its first two weeks.
Taking a break from the chronicles of Chris and Cathy Dollanganger, Virginia published her one, and only, stand-alone novel, My Sweet Audrina, in 1982. The book welcomed an immediate success, topping the sales figures of her previous novels. Two years later, a fourth Dollanganger novel was released, Seeds of Yesterday. According to the New York Times, Seeds was the best-selling fiction paperback novel of 1984. Also in 1984, V.C. Andrews was named "Professional Woman of the Year" by the city of Norfolk, Virginia.
Upon Andrews's death in 1986, two final novels—Garden of Shadows and Fallen Hearts—were published. These two novels are considered the last to bear the "V.C. Andrews" name and to be almost completely written by
Virginia Cleo Andrews (born Cleo Virginia Andrews) was born June 6, 1923 in Portsmouth, Virginia. The youngest child and the only daughter of William Henry Andrews, a career navy man who opened a tool-and-die business after retirement, and Lillian Lilnora Parker Andrews, a telephone operator. She spent her happy childhood years in Portsmouth, Virginia, living briefly in Rochester, New York. The Andrews family returned to Portsmouth while Virginia was in high school.
While a teenager, Virginia suffered a tragic accident, falling down the stairs at her school and incurred severe back injuries. Arthritis and a failed spinal surgical procedure forced her to spend most of her life on crutches or in a wheelchair.
Virginia excelled in school and, at fifteen, won a scholarship for writing a parody of Tennyson's Idylls of the King. She proudly earned her diploma from Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth. After graduation, she nurtured her artistic talent by completing a four-year correspondence art course while living at home with her family.
After William Andrews died in the late 1960s, Virginia helped to support herself and her mother through her extremely successful career as a commercial artist, portrait painter, and fashion illustrator.
Frustrated with the lack of creative satisfaction that her work provided, Virginia sought creative release through writing, which she did in secret. In 1972, she completed her first novel, The Gods of the Green Mountain [sic], a science-fantasy story. It was never published. Between 1972 and 1979, she wrote nine novels and twenty short stories, of which only one was published. "I Slept with My Uncle on My Wedding Night", a short fiction piece, was published in a pulp confession magazine.
Promise gleamed over the horizon for Virginia when she submitted a 290,000-word novel, The Obsessed, to a publishing company. She was told that the story had potential, but needed to be trimmed and spiced up a bit. She drafted a new outline in a single night and added "unspeakable things my mother didn't want me to write about." The ninety-eight-page revision was re-titled Flowers in the Attic and she was paid a $7,500 advance. Her new-generation Gothic novel reached the bestseller lists a mere two weeks after its 1979 paperback publication by Pocket Books.
Petals on the Wind, her sequel to Flowers, was published the next year, earning Virginia a $35,000 advance. The second book remained on the New York Times bestseller list for an unbelievable nineteen weeks (Flowers also returned to the list). These first two novels alone sold over seven million copies in only two years. The third novel of the Dollanganger series, If There Be Thorns, was released in 1981, bringing Virginia a $75,000 advance. It reached No. 2 on many bestseller lists within its first two weeks.
Taking a break from the chronicles of Chris and Cathy Dollanganger, Virginia published her one, and only, stand-alone novel, My Sweet Audrina, in 1982. The book welcomed an immediate success, topping the sales figures of her previous novels. Two years later, a fourth Dollanganger novel was released, Seeds of Yesterday. According to the New York Times, Seeds was the best-selling fiction paperback novel of 1984. Also in 1984, V.C. Andrews was named "Professional Woman of the Year" by the city of Norfolk, Virginia.
Upon Andrews's death in 1986, two final novels—Garden of Shadows and Fallen Hearts—were published. These two novels are considered the last to bear the "V.C. Andrews" name and to be almost completely written by
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
March 30, 2012
It's been a while since I read a V.C. Andrews book. I think of her as a guilty pleasure, and occasionally pull out one of the books I read over and over again as a teen and still enjoy them when I'm in the mood for a quick read.
I have not read anything recently written under the name V.C. Andrews, mostly because I don't really enjoy the books written by Andrew Neiderman as much as the old books written by Virginia herself. I picked this newest one up, though, just to see if I'd change my mind.
Right off the bat I decided that I don't really like V.C. Andrews novels in the modern world. It just feels so weird to me. If you are looking for something more modern by all means this has that feel. For me I like the older books written with less detail about the time the characters are living it. Sometimes she did mention the year they were living it just to show how much time has passed, but her older novels seem timeless. I like that the characters don't call their parents mommy and daddy as teenagers anymore like all of her old characters, but to me it pulls me out of the world when current actors are mentioned or someone is complaining about Facebook.
As far as plot goes it's the typical formula here. Girl that's soooo beautiful (just like her mama, of course) that she makes her next door neighbor fall in insta-love with her...some boring stuff happens and a ending simply done for shock value. If you've read any other book from V.C. you probably won't miss much with this one.
*sigh* when will I learn my lesson? These newer ones are nothing like the ones I cherished as a teen, and I need to just stop buying them! For me V.C. Andrews books feel like the rag mags they keep at the checkout counter. I don't need that crap, but it's there, so why not?
January 3, 2014
Bestselling author V.C. Andrews portrays her most romantic couple since Troy and Heaven in the Casteel series... Dude, seriously? Well, that's what it says on the American publisher's page. Yes and no, I say.
Ain't nobody got time for re-reads, so V. C. Andrews books will be my comfort reads, catching up on what I've missed. And because they're comfort reads, they get special treatment rating-wise. Nostalgia, y'all. Don't argue with that.
All the old tropes are here in this stand-alone: purple prose, special snowflake heroine, too good to be true hero, effed-up family, wealthy neighbourhood. It's supposedly contemporary (there's mention of Facebook, but Amber Taylor is too cool for everything and everyone), but the dialogue and communication just don't fit. Example: Amber hatches a scheme to get back at the resident d-bag by spreading a rumour that he's a dud root. And no, she doesn't use that term, because VCA-speak differs from mine. But even as she's claiming he's a dud root, she still refers to their fake encounter as "lovemaking." Texting is mentioned, but if VCA were to go really contemporary, there would be sexting and d-pics. (Ja'mie: Private School Girl, y'all.)
It's hardly ground-breaking or cerebral, but it doesn't try to be. It's just for completist old fans that have trouble letting go, rather than hooking new readers. And that's comfort enough for me.
Ain't nobody got time for re-reads, so V. C. Andrews books will be my comfort reads, catching up on what I've missed. And because they're comfort reads, they get special treatment rating-wise. Nostalgia, y'all. Don't argue with that.
All the old tropes are here in this stand-alone: purple prose, special snowflake heroine, too good to be true hero, effed-up family, wealthy neighbourhood. It's supposedly contemporary (there's mention of Facebook, but Amber Taylor is too cool for everything and everyone), but the dialogue and communication just don't fit. Example: Amber hatches a scheme to get back at the resident d-bag by spreading a rumour that he's a dud root. And no, she doesn't use that term, because VCA-speak differs from mine. But even as she's claiming he's a dud root, she still refers to their fake encounter as "lovemaking." Texting is mentioned, but if VCA were to go really contemporary, there would be sexting and d-pics. (Ja'mie: Private School Girl, y'all.)
It's hardly ground-breaking or cerebral, but it doesn't try to be. It's just for completist old fans that have trouble letting go, rather than hooking new readers. And that's comfort enough for me.
June 22, 2013
I haven't picked up a V.C. Andrews book since I was a teenager so I picked this new book up with guilty pleasure. Minus the cover, it was pretty good. Amber is a girl who lives a prudish "goodgirl" life in a small town when she notices the abandoned house next door is being rented, this time by a reclusive artist mother and her son. Some things are odd and not quit right about this duo. He seems to be able to read her mind and appears out of nowhere sometimes. All is revealed at the end. The ending was well done and didn't disappoint. The only problem I had with this book was that the author kept refering to how beautiful and pretty Amber is. OK, I get it. She's pretty, lets move on. Geez, is that the only reason a boy can fall for her?
September 17, 2012
Crap crap crap! Seriously?? The book would have been ok had it not had vc Andrews name on the cover. Even then it still wouldn't win more than three stars. Most of the book was about the main character and how beautiful she was. Gag me with a fork. Please for the love of all that's holy publishers do NOT try and publish another book like this under vc Andrews name. You simply will not be able to convince me that vc Andrews before she died thought up a few paranormal books. It's bullcrap. It's tryin to make money by jumping on the bandwagon and attaching her name to it. If another book like this comes out that's it. I'm done. They need to go back to the format of dawn and flowers in the attic, seriously.
March 18, 2013
I have been a V.C. Andrews fan since I was a pre-teen. However, I haven't read anything by the ghost writer in a while. I felt that the story was forced. It did not flow very well. Then, when I learned what the mystery was at the end, I was not impressed. Actually, I was disappointed and felt as though I had wasted my time reading. I think the formula has run its course and the novels need to come to an end.
November 28, 2012
When I found this book and I saw who wrote it, "V.C. Andrews," I was really excited because I read the "Flowers in the Attic," series by her in high school and I loved those books, but I knew that V.C. Andrews had passed away in the mid-1980's, so I shouldn't have had high hopes for it.
The plot was very outdated in the sense that it has been used in other books. A new family moves in next door, the only person to see the new neighbors is a teenage girl who lives across the street and every time she asks the boy, Brayden, to come over, he makes some kind of excuse about his mother being sick and that he wouldn't be able to meet her parents at that moment. Brayden is one of those typical characters who shout out to you as you are reading: "CREEPER," or "Ghost."
Honestly, the story line doesn't progress fast enough and the characters remain undeveloped. At the end, when the main character, makes the trip to find the owner of the house to ask about Brayden just simply disappears, the owner tells her that she is sick because Brayden, his grandson, had passed and accused her of being mentally ill. Within the short amount of pages that this book had, a teenager just doesn't simply develop a mental illness to be able to see ghosts.
If you are a true V.C. Andrews fan, I would recommend you to stay away from anything published 10+ years after she had passed.
The plot was very outdated in the sense that it has been used in other books. A new family moves in next door, the only person to see the new neighbors is a teenage girl who lives across the street and every time she asks the boy, Brayden, to come over, he makes some kind of excuse about his mother being sick and that he wouldn't be able to meet her parents at that moment. Brayden is one of those typical characters who shout out to you as you are reading: "CREEPER," or "Ghost."
Honestly, the story line doesn't progress fast enough and the characters remain undeveloped. At the end, when the main character, makes the trip to find the owner of the house to ask about Brayden just simply disappears, the owner tells her that she is sick because Brayden, his grandson, had passed and accused her of being mentally ill. Within the short amount of pages that this book had, a teenager just doesn't simply develop a mental illness to be able to see ghosts.
If you are a true V.C. Andrews fan, I would recommend you to stay away from anything published 10+ years after she had passed.
Want to read
February 24, 2012This book for the contest is not the vampire series (Daughter of Darkness/Daughter of Light book 2) follow up, it's the start of a new series, someone messed up when they posted the contest and its blurb. The description for the new series is listed below:
As lovely as one of the precious gems at her parents' jewellery store, Amber Taylor is shy and introspective -- qualities misread by others as being stuck-up and superior. Facing a long, lonely summer working at the family shop, Amber's world lights up when the Matthews family suddenly moves in to the house next door, a property that has stood neglected for the longest time.
And when she meets Brayden Matthews, an only child just like her, Amber soon becomes infatuated with this handsome, quirky young man who seems to know her innermost feelings almost before she does, who takes her places she never knew existed in her small town. Their connection is electrifying, unlike anything Amber's felt before. But as quickly as he appears, Brayden vanishes into the darkness. And finding out the truth about him will push Amber Taylor to the edge of madness..
As lovely as one of the precious gems at her parents' jewellery store, Amber Taylor is shy and introspective -- qualities misread by others as being stuck-up and superior. Facing a long, lonely summer working at the family shop, Amber's world lights up when the Matthews family suddenly moves in to the house next door, a property that has stood neglected for the longest time.
And when she meets Brayden Matthews, an only child just like her, Amber soon becomes infatuated with this handsome, quirky young man who seems to know her innermost feelings almost before she does, who takes her places she never knew existed in her small town. Their connection is electrifying, unlike anything Amber's felt before. But as quickly as he appears, Brayden vanishes into the darkness. And finding out the truth about him will push Amber Taylor to the edge of madness..
March 4, 2012
I honestly would like to know why I still feel compelled to read these. They haven't been good since the Wildflower series. This one was better than anything Not-So-Mysterious-Ghostwriter John Neiderman has put out in recent years, but it was still ... eh. Creepy and gross, but not in that weird guilty pleasure-ish way.
It burns me that the blurb on the front cover is all "A haunting novel of a mysterious love from the author of Flowers in the Attic." EXCEPT NOT! IT'S ALL LIES! MISINFORMATION! VC Andrews died back in the early 1990s! These aren't even her ideas anymore! Just give it up, Andrews family. Stop releasing new books under her name, please.
It burns me that the blurb on the front cover is all "A haunting novel of a mysterious love from the author of Flowers in the Attic." EXCEPT NOT! IT'S ALL LIES! MISINFORMATION! VC Andrews died back in the early 1990s! These aren't even her ideas anymore! Just give it up, Andrews family. Stop releasing new books under her name, please.
July 21, 2012
This book was not in the style of VC Andrews. It was boring and I found myself falling asleep while reading it. It was not a "haunting novel". In fact the main character was frustrating. She kept saying how intelligent she was, but seemed completely irrational. Seriously, she meets a boy who won't let her meet his parents. He appears out of nowhere, doesn't make a sound as he travels through the woods, leaves her alone in the dark, and she never questions it? She thinks it's normal for someone to appear in her room, and disappear just as quickly? Totally unbelievable. I'm surprised VC Andrews name is attached to such drivel!!
July 24, 2012
This book was terrible!!! The first 2/3 of the book was Amber, the main character, talking about how beautiful she is and was completely narcissistic, all the while, she is seeing this weird new kid that moved in next door. The mystery of the boy was made so obvious by the author that you were sick to death of it by chapter 3. All of the ”reveals” happened in the last 30 pages and, unlike the dragging feeling of the rest of the book, the end was rushed and did not have the effect I am sure the author intended because you are too busy being excited that the book was over. Absolutely one of the worst books I have ever read,and that is bad!
Want to read
January 25, 2012Just seeing a book by VC Andrews brings back memories for me! The first series of books that I can remember being addicted to when I was in junior high school... Flowers in the Attic series..so scandulous!
March 2, 2012
Read My Full Review on Paromantasy
This book in 3 words: Mysterious, Romantic, Different
Into The Darkness is a well-written unconventional love story riddled with mystery, touched by a bittersweet romance and has an ending that will leave you floored.
Amber is a teenage girl who is wise beyond her years. With that sense of maturity comes isolation. Her "friends" and the rest of the school finds her weird and a prude leaving her seeking solace in a world of her own making. She is beautiful with strong ideas on what is right, who to love and how to act. She sees this beauty and her unwillingness to act reckless as must teenagers do as a bit of a weakness on her end. If only she were a little more forthcoming she would be able to have the close friends she dreams of, a boyfriend and less alone time. Her whole life changes when neighbors move in and she meets Braydon.
Braydon is anything but normal. He hardly leaves his house, quotes, Therou, sneaks around the town trying to go unnoticed and seemingly spies on her. When she confronts him she can't help but be pulled to his unualness, his wisdom that is beyond his years, and his ability to just get her. But when she finds that he is unwilling to meet anyone, walks around mostly at night, and disappears at awkward moments, she learn that he is not what he seems. There is a dark secret that she is desperate to uncover, but will finding out the truth bring them closer together or tear her apart?
When the person you love is the one thing that can drive you to madness, could you walk away or be willing to step into the darkness?
This book is a fast read. It is not an action-packed adventure that I am used to. Instead it is an ode to past romances with the tale centering around self-discovery, mind-boggling mystery and forbidden love with a paranormal twist. I loved the characters and the way we peeled back a layer to find the true person within with each page turned. I empathised with both Amber and Brayden, and cheered for them to have the happily ever after ending that they deserved.
The surprise ending left me rereading the pages to make sure I didn't misread the words. The mysteries were there and the twist in the end places the puzzle pieces together in the most astounding way. I truly was in shock and after that I was able to think back to all the clues that pointed to this twist. I loved it!
It is different from the romances of today, but this twist on the classic love stories of yesterday left me eagerly anticipating the release of the next VC Andrews book. I must admit that this is my first "VC Andrews" book so I cannot say if it is better than the others, but I enjoyed it.
This book in 3 words: Mysterious, Romantic, Different
Into The Darkness is a well-written unconventional love story riddled with mystery, touched by a bittersweet romance and has an ending that will leave you floored.
Amber is a teenage girl who is wise beyond her years. With that sense of maturity comes isolation. Her "friends" and the rest of the school finds her weird and a prude leaving her seeking solace in a world of her own making. She is beautiful with strong ideas on what is right, who to love and how to act. She sees this beauty and her unwillingness to act reckless as must teenagers do as a bit of a weakness on her end. If only she were a little more forthcoming she would be able to have the close friends she dreams of, a boyfriend and less alone time. Her whole life changes when neighbors move in and she meets Braydon.
Braydon is anything but normal. He hardly leaves his house, quotes, Therou, sneaks around the town trying to go unnoticed and seemingly spies on her. When she confronts him she can't help but be pulled to his unualness, his wisdom that is beyond his years, and his ability to just get her. But when she finds that he is unwilling to meet anyone, walks around mostly at night, and disappears at awkward moments, she learn that he is not what he seems. There is a dark secret that she is desperate to uncover, but will finding out the truth bring them closer together or tear her apart?
When the person you love is the one thing that can drive you to madness, could you walk away or be willing to step into the darkness?
This book is a fast read. It is not an action-packed adventure that I am used to. Instead it is an ode to past romances with the tale centering around self-discovery, mind-boggling mystery and forbidden love with a paranormal twist. I loved the characters and the way we peeled back a layer to find the true person within with each page turned. I empathised with both Amber and Brayden, and cheered for them to have the happily ever after ending that they deserved.
The surprise ending left me rereading the pages to make sure I didn't misread the words. The mysteries were there and the twist in the end places the puzzle pieces together in the most astounding way. I truly was in shock and after that I was able to think back to all the clues that pointed to this twist. I loved it!
It is different from the romances of today, but this twist on the classic love stories of yesterday left me eagerly anticipating the release of the next VC Andrews book. I must admit that this is my first "VC Andrews" book so I cannot say if it is better than the others, but I enjoyed it.
April 19, 2012
I was disappointed in this book. I thought it was heading in an interesting direction at first, but it was so slow. I couldn't seem to ever fully get into it. I kept reading just to find out if what I thought was going on in the book actually would but I wanted to flip to the end to find out more than once - I never do this and rarely want to. I was hoping to find out sooner, but it took until almost the very end to get to it, and when I did, I was right so there was no surprise. The rest of the end after that was just uneventful. I also found the main character annoying at times. She was too pretty, too perfect, too sweet. Even when she did something "outside" of her character, it still seemed predictable.
May 31, 2012
Ah, I am sort of on the fence with this book. First of all, even though it says so on the cover, V.C Andrews is definately deceased and did not write this book, it was done by a ghost writer. Incidentially, I've read about 80% of V.C. Andrew's work and this book is not like any of her past works. That being said, this book was okay. It wasn't awful, it wasn't great; it was okay. The story and romance was intriguing, and the ending would have been a real surprise, other than the fact that the forshadowing is laid down so heavy throughout the story that I figured out the ending within the first 70 pages. I liked it, but I am glad I only spent $9.99 for this on my Nook, rather than the $25.95 that it was in hardcover.
March 26, 2012
I should have known better after Daughter of Darkness that this was going to make me angry too about the ending. Now don't get me wrong some of this book was beautiful with the scenery descriptions and I even liked the character Amber but I'm the type of person that if the ending is not good than it messes everything up for me. I saw the ending coming earlier in book but didnt want to believe that it would turn out so badly but it did and I alomst want to throw book cause it didnt make any sense and left questions unanswered. So if you invest time to read this rent it like I did.
April 20, 2012
While most V.C.Andrews books are pretty lame, they usually at least have some kind of twist that keeps them a bit entertaining. This one, however, was just lame. After 100 pages, nothing had happened! I read these mostly out of nostalgia since I've been reading V.C. Andrews since she started writing when I was in Jr. High (yes, I know she died a long time ago.) I think the only reason I finished this book was the only other one I had in the house didn't do much for me either. Can't wait to hit the library tomorrow.
August 21, 2012
Mildly diverting trash.
When I was 14 I loved V.C. Andrews and read all her books. I was in a nostalgic mood and picked this up. The plot is tired and I guessed the "shocking twist" in the first chapter. That said, the prose isn't bad and it's a quick read. I read it in two or three days.
I think I would have liked this in junior high though, so I recommend it to 12-14 year olds.
When I was 14 I loved V.C. Andrews and read all her books. I was in a nostalgic mood and picked this up. The plot is tired and I guessed the "shocking twist" in the first chapter. That said, the prose isn't bad and it's a quick read. I read it in two or three days.
I think I would have liked this in junior high though, so I recommend it to 12-14 year olds.
April 11, 2012
i wanted to love it..and for the most part i did. but then the ending. it wasnt a cliffhanger, it was just crazy. the whole book amber is searching for something, but we never even find out if she really got it
May 11, 2012
This definitely was not one of my favorite book by v.c. Andrews. It was very repetitive and the author seemed to just want to drag the book out. I kept on asking myself when is it going to end. When you finally do get into the book it is the last chapter.
February 10, 2013
Honestly, I was bored. I really enjoyed V.C. Andrews earlier books from when she was still alive, but these new series seem contrived and could have been written on a lunch hour. With this said, I think the person who is authoring these books using her name should retire his/her pen.
Read
February 8, 2012Why does it seem like I already read this book? Is it the next book in the series that is coming out?
July 7, 2012
I couldn't connect with the characters and I had difficulty investing in this story.
February 7, 2014
Screening for my kiddo. Plus a hopeful revisit to one of my fave authors of my youth. Not so much.
August 9, 2012
Not sure why I keep reading this.
September 10, 2012
not worth reading. extremely pointless. takes a long time to get nowhere.
March 12, 2015
I'm a big fan of VCA novels. Well, at least I was until the most recent Neiderman books. I'm still trying to give new books a fair chance. We'll see how long that lasts.
Plot:
The plot doesn't make a ton of sense. It had great potential, but just fell really short. I felt like the author wasn't sure where to go so he would quickly abandon one idea and switch to something else. That's how it felt, anyway.
Setting:
This is one of the few things that I actually liked. The setting was neat. Little community with a close-knit neighborhood yet still had nature surrounding it? Sign me up. I'd love to be able to walk to town within minutes as well!
Characters:
None of the characters, except perhaps Amber's parents, were well fleshed out.
I wanted to like Amber so bad but she just kept rubbing me the wrong way. She was all right in the beginning--minus the describing everything in jewel-tones/jewelry terms--but it didn't take long for her to start wearing on my nerves. Mostly her obsessing over the same old things and acting in unexpected ways without an explanation is what did it for me.
Brayden wasn't any more likable. His presence and behavior was confusing, even once the ending sinks in.
Surprisingly Shayne (who the hell uses that spelling, anyway?) was likable for a little bit but then for whatever reason he starts acting really weird as well.
Conclusion: I don't like any of these people and don't care what happens to them.
Relationships:
This book was touted as being the best love story since Heaven and Troy. Ha. What? Did we read the same book? While there was one scene in which Amber and Brayden had great chemistry, for the most part it fell flat. It certainly wasn't even a quarter of the romance portrayed by Heaven and Troy in Dark Angel. Their relationship didn't make me feel anything.
I liked Shayne and Amber's relationship somewhat better until things fell apart. Though the third person thing did get on my nerves after a while.
In a way I liked the relationship Amber had with her parents, but in another sometimes they acted really strange with her as well.
Writing/Voice:
It seems that each time I pick up a new VCA novel, the writing gets worse. I couldn't even feel sorry for Amber at all--that's how little I cared for her POV. I'm glad the jewelry term descriptions stopped after the first chapter, though. It would have been very annoying if that had continued. So I guess that's a plus.
Ending:
I already knew this was a ghost story, so the twist wasn't really much of one for me. Even though I didn't really much care for this book at all, the ending seemed very "Meh."
Overall:
Had potential and a great setting, but I couldn't care for any of the characters, relationships, or writing. I found the book to be boring for the most part.
November 12, 2018
How dare you compare whatever this was with Heaven and Troy. These books are getting worse. The characters are annoying, the gemstone descriptions way too much, and the romance very WTF. What is going on with the ghostwriter? Did they get a new one?
March 22, 2012
This book started off slow and somewhat boring. I wasn't sure I was going to like it. But then, it took a few turns and had me hooked!
So Amber is a 17 yr. old teenager, the daughter of parents who own the town jewlery store. They are successful and Amber helps out at the store a lot. They are a happy family. Her parents only worry that she doesn't really socialize with people her own age, that she keeps to herself and her parents mostly.
Then people move into the house nextdoor that has been vacant forever. Amber meets 17 yr. old Brayden. He lives there with his mother, who is an artist, but is in a very deep depression. His father has a job that keeps him away almost all of the time. Amber becomes very taken with Brayden. He doesn't talk like kids their age and seems very grown up. The odd thing with him though, is that he always seems to come out of nowhere, startling her. And when she asks him to meet her parents or go to a party with her to meet her friends, he always declines.
But nevertheless, these two bond. Brayden takes her to some lake property nearby and they spend a lot of time by the water as well as in a little cabin Brayden has found to be abandoned on the property. He gives her advice after she goes out w/ the most popular boy in school and things go sour only after two dates. He seems very genuine with Amber and she is really into him as well.
Then things take a strange turn. I won't ruin it for anyone who wants to read this book, because its totally not what I expected, especially in a VC Andrews book. This is not a series book either, it is a stand-alone, so the story does have a conclusion. A little slow to start, but definitely worth the read.
So Amber is a 17 yr. old teenager, the daughter of parents who own the town jewlery store. They are successful and Amber helps out at the store a lot. They are a happy family. Her parents only worry that she doesn't really socialize with people her own age, that she keeps to herself and her parents mostly.
Then people move into the house nextdoor that has been vacant forever. Amber meets 17 yr. old Brayden. He lives there with his mother, who is an artist, but is in a very deep depression. His father has a job that keeps him away almost all of the time. Amber becomes very taken with Brayden. He doesn't talk like kids their age and seems very grown up. The odd thing with him though, is that he always seems to come out of nowhere, startling her. And when she asks him to meet her parents or go to a party with her to meet her friends, he always declines.
But nevertheless, these two bond. Brayden takes her to some lake property nearby and they spend a lot of time by the water as well as in a little cabin Brayden has found to be abandoned on the property. He gives her advice after she goes out w/ the most popular boy in school and things go sour only after two dates. He seems very genuine with Amber and she is really into him as well.
Then things take a strange turn. I won't ruin it for anyone who wants to read this book, because its totally not what I expected, especially in a VC Andrews book. This is not a series book either, it is a stand-alone, so the story does have a conclusion. A little slow to start, but definitely worth the read.
April 11, 2012
My first surprise with this book, a GoodReads Giveaway, was the realization that V.C. Andrews was alive! Okay, so she's not really alive, but her name is kept alive through others writing in her stead. I actually haven't read a V.C. Andrews book since I was a teen (I won't tell you how long ago that was!), but this book took me back to those days very easily!
Like a lot of books geared toward girls, the protagonist of Into the Darkness, Amber Taylor, is a misunderstood, but attractive, high school student. She is the "jewel" of her family, who happens to own a jewelry store. One summer a new family moves into the home next door, and interestingly Amber is the only one who seems to ever see them (clude #1 that something is amiss). The family has a teenage son, someone who Amber is able to connect with unlike her high school comrades. Like all good fiction, the book has a twist at the end, and I must admit, I didn't guess what it was. I knew something was coming, but I got it wrong--which was a nice surprise (another one).
Although I'm not the primary audience of this book, I was pleasantly entertained reading it. It took me back to those years of being a teen girl and wishing to find someone who understood me. Of course, like Amber in this book, I had to come back to reality eventually! :)
Like a lot of books geared toward girls, the protagonist of Into the Darkness, Amber Taylor, is a misunderstood, but attractive, high school student. She is the "jewel" of her family, who happens to own a jewelry store. One summer a new family moves into the home next door, and interestingly Amber is the only one who seems to ever see them (clude #1 that something is amiss). The family has a teenage son, someone who Amber is able to connect with unlike her high school comrades. Like all good fiction, the book has a twist at the end, and I must admit, I didn't guess what it was. I knew something was coming, but I got it wrong--which was a nice surprise (another one).
Although I'm not the primary audience of this book, I was pleasantly entertained reading it. It took me back to those years of being a teen girl and wishing to find someone who understood me. Of course, like Amber in this book, I had to come back to reality eventually! :)
January 28, 2023
I liked it though I did find the dialog a bit too detailed and wordy at times. I chose to read this book because I had read different reviews on other websites about it and all of them related how the end was a shocking twist. I am usually quite skeptical of these kinds of statements about books because I almost always find them to be exaggerated and I usually am able to guess to some degree, what the ending is going to be like.
But with this book, I have to admit that the turn the story took in the last 15 or so pages, was indeed quite a shock. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this story ending this way. I didn't have even one clue. And if that wasn't enough, the very last page brought yet another surprise, at least to me though it was clearly intended to offer an explanation for the whole story.
I have never read any of Virginia Andrews' other books but on the copyright page to this book they stated that she started this story but died before she could finish it. The story was finished by an author who was carefully chosen by the Andrews family after her death. Andrews died in 1986 but this story was published in 2012.
The dust jacket mentions another title by Andrews, "Daughter of Darkness" and hints that it is a similar genre.
All in all I think it was worth reading.
But with this book, I have to admit that the turn the story took in the last 15 or so pages, was indeed quite a shock. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this story ending this way. I didn't have even one clue. And if that wasn't enough, the very last page brought yet another surprise, at least to me though it was clearly intended to offer an explanation for the whole story.
I have never read any of Virginia Andrews' other books but on the copyright page to this book they stated that she started this story but died before she could finish it. The story was finished by an author who was carefully chosen by the Andrews family after her death. Andrews died in 1986 but this story was published in 2012.
The dust jacket mentions another title by Andrews, "Daughter of Darkness" and hints that it is a similar genre.
All in all I think it was worth reading.
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