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Gods & Monsters #2
A Beautiful Evil
Ari struggles with a power she can’t deny—and a destiny she’s determined to fight—in this dark and sexy sequel to Darkness Becomes Her .
When Ari first arrived in the dilapidated city of New 2, all she wanted was to figure out who she was. But what she discovered was beyond her worst nightmare. Ari is a descendant of Medusa and can already sense the evil growing inside her—a power the goddess Athena will stop at nothing to possess.
Desperate to hold on to her humanity and protect her loved ones, Ari must fight back. But Athena’s playing mind games, not just with Ari, but with those she cares about most. And Athena has a very special plan for the brooding and sexy Sebastian.
Ari is determined to defeat Athena, but time is running out. With no other options, Ari must unleash the very thing she’s afraid herself.
When Ari first arrived in the dilapidated city of New 2, all she wanted was to figure out who she was. But what she discovered was beyond her worst nightmare. Ari is a descendant of Medusa and can already sense the evil growing inside her—a power the goddess Athena will stop at nothing to possess.
Desperate to hold on to her humanity and protect her loved ones, Ari must fight back. But Athena’s playing mind games, not just with Ari, but with those she cares about most. And Athena has a very special plan for the brooding and sexy Sebastian.
Ari is determined to defeat Athena, but time is running out. With no other options, Ari must unleash the very thing she’s afraid herself.
287 pages, Paperback
First published February 21, 2012
120 people are currently reading
8320 people want to read
About the author
Kelly Keaton
10 books1,335 followersKelly loves ancient history, fantasy, and mythology. She dreams of one day attaining magical powers, discovering the secret to immortality, ridding her home of pet hair, and being crowned Mardi-Gras queen. As Kelly Gay, she writes the popular adult urban fantasy series, Charlie Madigan, for Pocket Books. While she calls Raleigh, NC, home, she can also be found chatting about books and life on Facebook and Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 454 reviews
June 13, 2012
You know things are bad when the heroine of a book wants to die and you want her to die too. I'm usually not too picky about cliched story lines or unlikeable characters in a book as long as something or someone stands out and excites or inspires. Unfortunately, Ari stands aside and lets the people she cares about suffer for her. Ari, who wants to rescue Violet and her father from Athena, charges into situations unprepared, unfocused, and unwilling to use her powers because they make her feel like a monster. Though she in unwilling to save herself, she is willing to turn a friend into a monster for her own benefit and then feel resentful afterwards. Playing the victim and watching others be strong as they are tortured in order to compensate for her weaknesses of character make her a monster in my book. Ari bemoans Athena as a cunning strategist when all Athena has done is torture her friends in front of her, waiting for Ari to respond, react, something....anything. Anything. And the reader gets tortured with a never ending cycle of "poor me, somebody save me." Ari also, at times, shows an aptitude and arrogance that's unearned. She is the classic damsel in distress and should have been given a pretty dress instead of imbued with supernatural abilities.
March 12, 2012
Original review posted on The Book Smugglers
A Beautiful Evil is the sequel to last year’s Darkness Becomes Her and it picks up right where the previous book left off. Ari, our cursed-to-become-a-gorgon-when-she-turns-21 protagonist is training to be able to tap into her dormant powers so she can face the powerful Goddess Athena and rescue her father and her friend Violet. She has also been allowed by the Novem – the supernatural families that run New 2, this world’s futuristic version of New Orleans – to visit their secret library to research the way to Athena’s secret realm and how to break her own curse.
A Beautiful Evil was an extremely frustrating read. I was wary to begin with, given my conflicted thoughts about Darkness Becomes Her and unfortunately ALL of the problems I had with the first book make a return with a vengeance (to the point I could comfortably copy and paste my thoughts from that review). Simply put, this series has an awesome premise and world-building but flawed execution, lacklustre secondary characters and formulaic writing.
First the positives: I like the world building and the main character a LOT. The Greek Mythology reimagining is everything I want from my Greek retellings. By making Athena – the Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy – into a power-hungry lunatic who likes to play with the lives of those who serve her and who has horribly cursed Medusa and her descendants, it competently takes into consideration what immortality and the passage of years can do to someone’s frame of mind. I love this because more often than not, in Fantasy, we come across immortal beings that don’t seem to be affected at all by all the time they have lived and all the things they have seen or endured.
With regards to Ari, our main character, I love that she is a mix of vulnerable and kick-ass, that she lives on that line where she is adamant she doesn’t want to become a gorgon because she doesn’t want to become a monster but is inevitably attracted to the power she has.
That’s about it though, when it comes to the positives. Unfortunately, none of the aforementioned aspects is enough to hold this story together when the execution of the plot is so rushed as to make it ridiculous and even conflicting with what we are told. Athena is – supposedly – one of the cleverest strategists and yet, leaves quite a few things to chance. The location of her temple is – supposedly – one of the most well guarded secrets of the ancient world and yet Ari finds all the clues to find it after a couple of visits to the library with a thoroughly easy way to open its alter-dimensional door.
Although I understand that there is an element of urgency given how Ari’s father is undoubtedly being horribly tortured by Athena, Ari and her friends rush into danger with no back-up, no training (unless you count the couple of sessions she had) and no real plan. Repeat after me:
ONES DOES NOT SIMPLY WALK INTO MORDOR.
And if you do, there has to be real consequences. But in the end, I felt that every single plot point is addressed, Athena was defeated (for now), Ari is sort of comfortable with her powers and has the hope to fight the curse and Ari and love-interest Sebastian walk into the sunset even though Ari does something really fucked up to him when they are taken by Athena. The resolution of that conflict is so rushed and dealt with in such a hand wavy manner as to be problematic (although there are things still left open, I do wonder if this is going to be the last book?).
Furthermore, the secondary characters are one-dimensional including Sebastian – his character is only surface deep, his descriptions don’t go much beyond his looks and even the one thing that might define him in terms of emotional conflict is disregarded with no real consequences. The writing relies on shortcuts (adrenaline that runs through veins to convey excitement; blood pressure rising to convey anger and so on and so forth). Not to mention how weird is it that the book is extremely violent, with horrible, graphic scenes of torture – both emotional and physical – and yet strangely PG when it comes to Sebastian and Ari’s romantic relationship. They pledge themselves to each other but don’t do a lot more than…hold hands.
In my review of the first novel, I said that it felt like reading a prequel. Well, this one reads like an entire series of 10 books condensed in 287 pages. Despite my misgivings with the first book, I still had hopes for the second book. I tried, I really did, to give this series a chance but I really don’t think this is going to get any better. It’s time to say goodbye.
A Beautiful Evil is the sequel to last year’s Darkness Becomes Her and it picks up right where the previous book left off. Ari, our cursed-to-become-a-gorgon-when-she-turns-21 protagonist is training to be able to tap into her dormant powers so she can face the powerful Goddess Athena and rescue her father and her friend Violet. She has also been allowed by the Novem – the supernatural families that run New 2, this world’s futuristic version of New Orleans – to visit their secret library to research the way to Athena’s secret realm and how to break her own curse.
A Beautiful Evil was an extremely frustrating read. I was wary to begin with, given my conflicted thoughts about Darkness Becomes Her and unfortunately ALL of the problems I had with the first book make a return with a vengeance (to the point I could comfortably copy and paste my thoughts from that review). Simply put, this series has an awesome premise and world-building but flawed execution, lacklustre secondary characters and formulaic writing.
First the positives: I like the world building and the main character a LOT. The Greek Mythology reimagining is everything I want from my Greek retellings. By making Athena – the Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy – into a power-hungry lunatic who likes to play with the lives of those who serve her and who has horribly cursed Medusa and her descendants, it competently takes into consideration what immortality and the passage of years can do to someone’s frame of mind. I love this because more often than not, in Fantasy, we come across immortal beings that don’t seem to be affected at all by all the time they have lived and all the things they have seen or endured.
With regards to Ari, our main character, I love that she is a mix of vulnerable and kick-ass, that she lives on that line where she is adamant she doesn’t want to become a gorgon because she doesn’t want to become a monster but is inevitably attracted to the power she has.
That’s about it though, when it comes to the positives. Unfortunately, none of the aforementioned aspects is enough to hold this story together when the execution of the plot is so rushed as to make it ridiculous and even conflicting with what we are told. Athena is – supposedly – one of the cleverest strategists and yet, leaves quite a few things to chance. The location of her temple is – supposedly – one of the most well guarded secrets of the ancient world and yet Ari finds all the clues to find it after a couple of visits to the library with a thoroughly easy way to open its alter-dimensional door.
Although I understand that there is an element of urgency given how Ari’s father is undoubtedly being horribly tortured by Athena, Ari and her friends rush into danger with no back-up, no training (unless you count the couple of sessions she had) and no real plan. Repeat after me:
ONES DOES NOT SIMPLY WALK INTO MORDOR.
And if you do, there has to be real consequences. But in the end, I felt that every single plot point is addressed, Athena was defeated (for now), Ari is sort of comfortable with her powers and has the hope to fight the curse and Ari and love-interest Sebastian walk into the sunset even though Ari does something really fucked up to him when they are taken by Athena. The resolution of that conflict is so rushed and dealt with in such a hand wavy manner as to be problematic (although there are things still left open, I do wonder if this is going to be the last book?).
Furthermore, the secondary characters are one-dimensional including Sebastian – his character is only surface deep, his descriptions don’t go much beyond his looks and even the one thing that might define him in terms of emotional conflict is disregarded with no real consequences. The writing relies on shortcuts (adrenaline that runs through veins to convey excitement; blood pressure rising to convey anger and so on and so forth). Not to mention how weird is it that the book is extremely violent, with horrible, graphic scenes of torture – both emotional and physical – and yet strangely PG when it comes to Sebastian and Ari’s romantic relationship. They pledge themselves to each other but don’t do a lot more than…hold hands.
In my review of the first novel, I said that it felt like reading a prequel. Well, this one reads like an entire series of 10 books condensed in 287 pages. Despite my misgivings with the first book, I still had hopes for the second book. I tried, I really did, to give this series a chance but I really don’t think this is going to get any better. It’s time to say goodbye.
January 17, 2012
Kelly Keaton really knows how to make her characters suffer. I thought Ari had it bad in Darkness Becomes Her, but what she goes through in A Beautiful Evil, if it were me, I would have crumpled into pieces and completely lost myself. Not Ari though. Even when she thought things were completely hopeless she never gave up. She would work her brain until she found a way.
A Beautiful Evil is just as action packed as Darkness Becomes Her and full of lots of twist that I did not see coming at all. My heart broke into a million pieces for Ari. She goes through so much in this book. But with everything she goes through, she learns something new about herself.
There really isn’t anything else I can say without giving away any spoilers. The story definitely progresses and you get to know Ari and all the other characters a little better in this book. Secrets are revealed, the unimaginable happens, and Ari and Sebastian’s romance grows a bit more. It was just non-stop from chapter one, super entertaining, and a definite page-turner. I loved it! I think I enjoyed this one a little more than Darkness Becomes Her to be honest.
I highly recommend this series, especially if you’re one who likes action packed books full of brave characters!
5 out of 5 stars!
A Beautiful Evil is just as action packed as Darkness Becomes Her and full of lots of twist that I did not see coming at all. My heart broke into a million pieces for Ari. She goes through so much in this book. But with everything she goes through, she learns something new about herself.
There really isn’t anything else I can say without giving away any spoilers. The story definitely progresses and you get to know Ari and all the other characters a little better in this book. Secrets are revealed, the unimaginable happens, and Ari and Sebastian’s romance grows a bit more. It was just non-stop from chapter one, super entertaining, and a definite page-turner. I loved it! I think I enjoyed this one a little more than Darkness Becomes Her to be honest.
I highly recommend this series, especially if you’re one who likes action packed books full of brave characters!
5 out of 5 stars!
May 13, 2014
I must say after reading a butt load of books that hold no interest at all I have finally stumbled upon a book that drew me in and left me reeling. With the current books on the shelf it is a relief to find a book that makes me want to read all through the night to see what happens to Aristanae and Sebastian.
It is also a relief to read a book that has a clear and unhampered writing style unlike may of the mediocre writers that roll out the books so fast its like reading a diary with missing pages. Kelly Keaton has a fluid and intriguing book that’s action pact and guaranteed to keep you entertained and wanting more. Finally a writer that tells a story that has you hanging on for more.
Don’t pass up this book, it will have you out of your every day doldrums and into a world filled with adventure, intrigue and danger. Where vampire and warlocks are real, don’t let this one pass you by, take the time to have an adventure dodging Greek gods and falling head long into a world where the impossible may just be the most amazing thing ever.
-Bronwyn ;)
It is also a relief to read a book that has a clear and unhampered writing style unlike may of the mediocre writers that roll out the books so fast its like reading a diary with missing pages. Kelly Keaton has a fluid and intriguing book that’s action pact and guaranteed to keep you entertained and wanting more. Finally a writer that tells a story that has you hanging on for more.
Don’t pass up this book, it will have you out of your every day doldrums and into a world filled with adventure, intrigue and danger. Where vampire and warlocks are real, don’t let this one pass you by, take the time to have an adventure dodging Greek gods and falling head long into a world where the impossible may just be the most amazing thing ever.
-Bronwyn ;)
June 20, 2012
This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between Classes
Cover Impressions: OOOOOOHHHHHH PRETTY! I love the colors and the transition from hair to snake reflecting Ari's pending transformation.
The Gist: Having survived Athena's attack, Ari attempts to learn about her enemy and formulate a plan for rescuing her father and friend, Violet. (Really. That's it. Can you tell that I am less than enthusiastic?)
Review: I love re-tellings of the Greek Myths. I am particularly fond of the Medusa myth and love the concept of following her lineage to modern day. However, this sequel to Darkness Becomes Her, fell flat for me.
Ari was not the kick ass character that I longed for her to be. She is petrified of her own power and constantly fights her abilities (even though she knows that it is her best bet to defeat Athena) and, to make matters worse, she CONSTANTLY reminds the reader of how weak she is - RIGHT, can turn people to stone = weak as shit. Has she even READ the myths?? She bitched and complained fought valiantly for the right to get into the Novem School (I forget what it is called and am not looking it up) but then skips out on the very classes that are supposed to be helping her learn about her enemy. She enters the super secret library, stumbles upon important information, but instead of using it to formulate a plan, Ari just runs in blindly with a bunch of kids while the magical elite sit at home twiddling their thumbs. Right, this is a great plan when you are going up against THE GODDESS OF STRATEGY!
I couldn't keep all of the characters and their powers straight and I didn't remember any of the hierarchy stuff from the last book. And can someone please tell me why there are like 6 different types of vampires in this book?? Most of the secondary characters were flat and/or completely undeveloped. Honestly, I would much rather read a book about Violet than about Ari. I found it difficult to read the motivations behind some of the characters actions and this made me care less about them.
It seemed like I was reading action scene after action scene and I needed time to re-coup and get in touch with the characters. There were some scenes of torture that were pretty disturbing (as they tend to get when you are torturing an immortal) and I didn't feel they fit with the YA theme.
Despite *almost finishing this book in the doctor's office (one of the most boring places on earth) I still couldn't concentrate on the plot and did not emotionally connect with the characters or their suffering. I don't think I will be sticking around for #3.
Teaching/Parental Notes:
Age: 16 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: None
Violence: Swordplay, Knifeplay, Gunplay, Torture, Vampirism
Inappropriate Language: Shit, Blow Me, Bitch, Jesus, Bastard, Fucking
Substance Use/Abuse: Drinking
Cover Impressions: OOOOOOHHHHHH PRETTY! I love the colors and the transition from hair to snake reflecting Ari's pending transformation.
The Gist: Having survived Athena's attack, Ari attempts to learn about her enemy and formulate a plan for rescuing her father and friend, Violet. (Really. That's it. Can you tell that I am less than enthusiastic?)
Review: I love re-tellings of the Greek Myths. I am particularly fond of the Medusa myth and love the concept of following her lineage to modern day. However, this sequel to Darkness Becomes Her, fell flat for me.
Ari was not the kick ass character that I longed for her to be. She is petrified of her own power and constantly fights her abilities (even though she knows that it is her best bet to defeat Athena) and, to make matters worse, she CONSTANTLY reminds the reader of how weak she is - RIGHT, can turn people to stone = weak as shit. Has she even READ the myths?? She bitched and complained fought valiantly for the right to get into the Novem School (I forget what it is called and am not looking it up) but then skips out on the very classes that are supposed to be helping her learn about her enemy. She enters the super secret library, stumbles upon important information, but instead of using it to formulate a plan, Ari just runs in blindly with a bunch of kids while the magical elite sit at home twiddling their thumbs. Right, this is a great plan when you are going up against THE GODDESS OF STRATEGY!
I couldn't keep all of the characters and their powers straight and I didn't remember any of the hierarchy stuff from the last book. And can someone please tell me why there are like 6 different types of vampires in this book?? Most of the secondary characters were flat and/or completely undeveloped. Honestly, I would much rather read a book about Violet than about Ari. I found it difficult to read the motivations behind some of the characters actions and this made me care less about them.
It seemed like I was reading action scene after action scene and I needed time to re-coup and get in touch with the characters. There were some scenes of torture that were pretty disturbing (as they tend to get when you are torturing an immortal) and I didn't feel they fit with the YA theme.
Despite *almost finishing this book in the doctor's office (one of the most boring places on earth) I still couldn't concentrate on the plot and did not emotionally connect with the characters or their suffering. I don't think I will be sticking around for #3.
Teaching/Parental Notes:
Age: 16 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: None
Violence: Swordplay, Knifeplay, Gunplay, Torture, Vampirism
Inappropriate Language: Shit, Blow Me, Bitch, Jesus, Bastard, Fucking
Substance Use/Abuse: Drinking
April 18, 2019
Actual rating 3.5 stars.
This book wasn’t as good as its predecessor both because it’s pacing was slower and I felt that the character development I wanted in the first book wasn’t where it needed to be to make up for the lack of action in the novel’s opening chapters. Ari now grappling with the knowledge that she is cursed to become a Gorgon before her 21st birthday must not only train to defeat the goddess Athena but must rescue Violet, captured in the previous book. The novel picks up at the and of the previous book but I think we spend too much time strategizing, I wouldn’t have minded this except that I didn’t feel that we got to know the characters that much better in watching them prepare for a battle. And while there is a lot of talk about Athena‘s gift for strategy, when we actually see our heroes face off against her that strategizing isn’t shown to any significant degree. I’m admittedly not the target audience for this book and this book is a fun one, it’s simply not one I expect to ever return to.
This book wasn’t as good as its predecessor both because it’s pacing was slower and I felt that the character development I wanted in the first book wasn’t where it needed to be to make up for the lack of action in the novel’s opening chapters. Ari now grappling with the knowledge that she is cursed to become a Gorgon before her 21st birthday must not only train to defeat the goddess Athena but must rescue Violet, captured in the previous book. The novel picks up at the and of the previous book but I think we spend too much time strategizing, I wouldn’t have minded this except that I didn’t feel that we got to know the characters that much better in watching them prepare for a battle. And while there is a lot of talk about Athena‘s gift for strategy, when we actually see our heroes face off against her that strategizing isn’t shown to any significant degree. I’m admittedly not the target audience for this book and this book is a fun one, it’s simply not one I expect to ever return to.
April 27, 2013
Well, where the last one was a 3.5 star that I wanted to round up to 4, this one I just have to round down. I still really like Ari, her voice is clear and I find her easy to relate to. I love the cast of kids supporting her, they really feel like a family. And the sense in the first book of too much of a good thing with all of the differently myths and creatures being pulled into one book worked more smoothly and naturally into this one once they didn't have to be introduced and explained constantly. The author's style is still smooth, and I liked the brisk pace and shorter length of the story for a change.
But. It was hard to feel bad for the kids in their predicament in the middle of the book. What did they think was going to happen? Just because they found a back door into the lair of the goddess of war didn't mean that a few barely trained kids would have any chance against her and her army of minions. It was so ill-conceived and ill-planned, it was kind of irritating. Ari could barely access her powers, their only real edge against Athena or any of her monsters or minions, so what was the point of trying to go up against her at this point? Desperation isn't an excuse for stupidity. The whole thing just felt so silly. At one point Ari even acknowledged how crazy it was, she said it was like a mouse going up against a t-rex. Yes, sure, there was a point, the plot moved on, things played out, but there was a lot of eye-rolling on my part during that whole middle chunk of the book. It's a tricky thing creating this situation where these kids are set up to battle the goddess of war and strategy, who even other gods are all frightened of, and somehow make it plausible. I think it might be more believable now that Ari and Sebastian have grown into their abilities more and gained more knowledge about what they need to do to move the fight forward. By the end I was starting to see where the author was going, and I like the way she writes and the characters enough to definitely stay along for the ride, but this book was a bit tricky for me.
But. It was hard to feel bad for the kids in their predicament in the middle of the book. What did they think was going to happen? Just because they found a back door into the lair of the goddess of war didn't mean that a few barely trained kids would have any chance against her and her army of minions. It was so ill-conceived and ill-planned, it was kind of irritating. Ari could barely access her powers, their only real edge against Athena or any of her monsters or minions, so what was the point of trying to go up against her at this point? Desperation isn't an excuse for stupidity. The whole thing just felt so silly. At one point Ari even acknowledged how crazy it was, she said it was like a mouse going up against a t-rex. Yes, sure, there was a point, the plot moved on, things played out, but there was a lot of eye-rolling on my part during that whole middle chunk of the book. It's a tricky thing creating this situation where these kids are set up to battle the goddess of war and strategy, who even other gods are all frightened of, and somehow make it plausible. I think it might be more believable now that Ari and Sebastian have grown into their abilities more and gained more knowledge about what they need to do to move the fight forward. By the end I was starting to see where the author was going, and I like the way she writes and the characters enough to definitely stay along for the ride, but this book was a bit tricky for me.
September 26, 2011
OMG! Kelly created a more amazing book!! This book answers so many questions and then leaves alot more in its wake!
Obviously Ari is still kicking ass and taking names as she did before but shes even better at it now and getting the answers she needs! She is worrying about everything and still moving forward. Ari doesn't let somethings get to her but Athena knows where to hit, right at the heart! Ari was alone so much she isnt used to caring about people but she doesnt even worry about it, she knows she wants to protect her new friends and get her long lost father back and Violet!
Sebastian again hot and cold! Make up your mind about Ari she has about you! God I wanted to slap him in the face for the games he plays one minute hes all i wont let anything happen to you the next he acts like she doesnt exist. Talk about suspense, but I like it it keeps me wanting more and wanting to know his story and what hes thinking!!
Ari again goes up against Athena and Athena hits her hard where it hurts. She turned Sebastian into the one thing he didnt want to become and then does something unthinkable but I see her point and she was trying her best! In the end it all works out and leaves you with more questions.
Kelly Keaton again you amaze me and write something amazing for us who love your book! I again recommend this to you all who loved Darkness Becomes Her you will be amazed by this book and sucked right in!!!!
Obviously Ari is still kicking ass and taking names as she did before but shes even better at it now and getting the answers she needs! She is worrying about everything and still moving forward. Ari doesn't let somethings get to her but Athena knows where to hit, right at the heart! Ari was alone so much she isnt used to caring about people but she doesnt even worry about it, she knows she wants to protect her new friends and get her long lost father back and Violet!
Sebastian again hot and cold! Make up your mind about Ari she has about you! God I wanted to slap him in the face for the games he plays one minute hes all i wont let anything happen to you the next he acts like she doesnt exist. Talk about suspense, but I like it it keeps me wanting more and wanting to know his story and what hes thinking!!
Ari again goes up against Athena and Athena hits her hard where it hurts. She turned Sebastian into the one thing he didnt want to become and then does something unthinkable but I see her point and she was trying her best! In the end it all works out and leaves you with more questions.
Kelly Keaton again you amaze me and write something amazing for us who love your book! I again recommend this to you all who loved Darkness Becomes Her you will be amazed by this book and sucked right in!!!!
July 10, 2012
We start A Beautiful Evil with Ari learning to fight, because she can’t afford to get whooped by Athena. Again. Not when Athena already has her father, and Violet. So Ari learns to fight.
Then she decides that this waiting thing is for the dogs, she’s going to break into Athena’s domain instead of wondering when (& where) Athena’s going to show. So off she goes, along with Sebastian and Henri. Only, things don’t go quite as Ari imagined they would, and she gets whooped. Again. So now Ari not only hasn’t rescued Violet or her father, she’s gotten more people ensnared in Athena’s web.
A Beautiful Evil is non-stop action, with a crazy villainess and an uncertain heroine. Her sidekicks rock, the adults in the Novem don’t, and you won’t be able to put this down until it’s all over. Upon which you will mutter “where’s the next book?”
Fans of YA urban fantasy (with oodles of mythology) should pick up Darkness Becomes Her if they haven’t already checked out this series from Kelly Keaton (also author of the Charlie Madigan series).
drey’s rating: Excellent!
Then she decides that this waiting thing is for the dogs, she’s going to break into Athena’s domain instead of wondering when (& where) Athena’s going to show. So off she goes, along with Sebastian and Henri. Only, things don’t go quite as Ari imagined they would, and she gets whooped. Again. So now Ari not only hasn’t rescued Violet or her father, she’s gotten more people ensnared in Athena’s web.
A Beautiful Evil is non-stop action, with a crazy villainess and an uncertain heroine. Her sidekicks rock, the adults in the Novem don’t, and you won’t be able to put this down until it’s all over. Upon which you will mutter “where’s the next book?”
Fans of YA urban fantasy (with oodles of mythology) should pick up Darkness Becomes Her if they haven’t already checked out this series from Kelly Keaton (also author of the Charlie Madigan series).
drey’s rating: Excellent!
March 26, 2015
This book was MUCH BETTER than the first one!
Oh God, this book completely drown me in! This book is packed with action since the first till the last chapter. I couldn't put this book down at all today, it's definitely page turner. The story makes me keep guessing what will happen next. I adore Ari, she starts to love herself, to use her ability better to save people. I'd like to see her kick Athena's ass in the next book, lol.
Oh God, this book completely drown me in! This book is packed with action since the first till the last chapter. I couldn't put this book down at all today, it's definitely page turner. The story makes me keep guessing what will happen next. I adore Ari, she starts to love herself, to use her ability better to save people. I'd like to see her kick Athena's ass in the next book, lol.
December 2, 2021
leş gibi sayfa kalitesi ile Dex’li günler geçiriyordu bu yürek be! hey gidi günler hey, tabii sonra kötü komşu ev sahibi yapar hesabı; bu yollardan geçtik geldik diyelim.
toydum, cilt sayısı nedir yazmadığı için bodosloma dalmıştım seriye ama güzeldi o yaşlarda
toydum, cilt sayısı nedir yazmadığı için bodosloma dalmıştım seriye ama güzeldi o yaşlarda
October 30, 2017
Really pleasantly surprised with this read!! Better than the first and had so much fun reading. The world building is fantastic and the adventure is definitely there for you. This book picks up right after the last with Ari and Bastian in New 2 fighting to get her friends and family back from the tyrant Athena.
Where this books falls a bit for me is that the timing was all off. It was rushed and contradictory in a lot of places. We spent days were on training and "researching" while chapters were spent in a cell rolling around. Then the writer built up some big fight coming to New 2 and only paragraph or two went through the battle. I don't like long battle scenes, but man give me something after repeating "shit is going to hit the fan" 4 times before it haha. I wish we got a few more chapters throughout the book to fill in all so much.
I also get really peeved when we are TOLD how hard or amazing people/things are without being shown. Here, we are told Athena is almost impossible to get to and find and after one day in a library and throwing some blood on a wall Ari finds it with no trouble or consequence. And we are told over and over what a strategist Athena is, yet she leaves SO MUCH up to chance and doesn't seem to have much of a plan at all.
While I thought we got to see a lot of Ari and Athena I wish we got a little more dimension from the side characters. They were hardly described outside of their physical attributes and they were used very sparely in the book when you had some really interesting people there!
Over all thought, this was a fast read that I did not put down and an improvement from the original which is always nice to see. I look forward to continuing the series.
Where this books falls a bit for me is that the timing was all off. It was rushed and contradictory in a lot of places. We spent days were on training and "researching" while chapters were spent in a cell rolling around. Then the writer built up some big fight coming to New 2 and only paragraph or two went through the battle. I don't like long battle scenes, but man give me something after repeating "shit is going to hit the fan" 4 times before it haha. I wish we got a few more chapters throughout the book to fill in all so much.
I also get really peeved when we are TOLD how hard or amazing people/things are without being shown. Here, we are told Athena is almost impossible to get to and find and after one day in a library and throwing some blood on a wall Ari finds it with no trouble or consequence. And we are told over and over what a strategist Athena is, yet she leaves SO MUCH up to chance and doesn't seem to have much of a plan at all.
While I thought we got to see a lot of Ari and Athena I wish we got a little more dimension from the side characters. They were hardly described outside of their physical attributes and they were used very sparely in the book when you had some really interesting people there!
Over all thought, this was a fast read that I did not put down and an improvement from the original which is always nice to see. I look forward to continuing the series.
June 27, 2015
I know I didn't write a review for Darkness Becomes Her, but I wanted to write one for this one.
I really liked the first book, although I thought it lacked something. But this one founded that something and showed it, even though I don't know what it is. ^^
What I really loved about this books, and this is not a spoiler if you read the first book, is that the gods are the "bad guys" and the monsters are the "good guys".
We can see a lot more of Ari's power and the stuff she can do when she focuses, just because she is the daughter of a Gorgon and a τέρας Hunter.
What I didn't like very much was the lack of development in Ari and Sebastian's relationship. I mean, what's going on with them? are they friends? lovers? a couple?
A great thing about this book was that we get to see the extension of Athena's bitchiness (if that's even a word). Her character is really well built and developed. We get to understand the inmensity of her power and her cunning. I seriously wanted to punch her every.freaking.time. and that, in my opinion, is one of the two things that makes a really good villain. That, and inspiring real fear from fiction. It's great, but really difficult to achieve, so I take off my hat to Kelly Keaton, great work!!
Sebastian is awesome, but I didn't like very much that he wasn't straight about his feelings for Ari. He is so powerful and so intelligent.
I started thiking about what would happen (because I have a feeling it will happen) if Aristanae and Sebastian had a child. That kid would be freaking powerful!! I mean, Gorgon/τέρας Hunter from mom's side of the family, and Warlock/Vampire from daddy's side. Just awesome! But it would obviously be the conflict of the kid's power being too much of a threat for Athena, the Novem or any new enemy.
My favorite line in the whole book: A smile spread over my face, and I felt it all the way to my toes. I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Said
the warlock vampire to the gorgon.”
All in all, great book, can't wait for The Wicked Within, I read it comes out in about 2 weeks, so... YAY!!
I really liked the first book, although I thought it lacked something. But this one founded that something and showed it, even though I don't know what it is. ^^
What I really loved about this books, and this is not a spoiler if you read the first book, is that the gods are the "bad guys" and the monsters are the "good guys".
We can see a lot more of Ari's power and the stuff she can do when she focuses, just because she is the daughter of a Gorgon and a τέρας Hunter.
What I didn't like very much was the lack of development in Ari and Sebastian's relationship. I mean, what's going on with them? are they friends? lovers? a couple?
A great thing about this book was that we get to see the extension of Athena's bitchiness (if that's even a word). Her character is really well built and developed. We get to understand the inmensity of her power and her cunning. I seriously wanted to punch her every.freaking.time. and that, in my opinion, is one of the two things that makes a really good villain. That, and inspiring real fear from fiction. It's great, but really difficult to achieve, so I take off my hat to Kelly Keaton, great work!!
Sebastian is awesome, but I didn't like very much that he wasn't straight about his feelings for Ari. He is so powerful and so intelligent.
I started thiking about what would happen (because I have a feeling it will happen) if Aristanae and Sebastian had a child. That kid would be freaking powerful!! I mean, Gorgon/τέρας Hunter from mom's side of the family, and Warlock/Vampire from daddy's side. Just awesome! But it would obviously be the conflict of the kid's power being too much of a threat for Athena, the Novem or any new enemy.
My favorite line in the whole book: A smile spread over my face, and I felt it all the way to my toes. I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Said
the warlock vampire to the gorgon.”
All in all, great book, can't wait for The Wicked Within, I read it comes out in about 2 weeks, so... YAY!!
February 4, 2012
I will be the first to admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of DARKNESS BECOMES HER. I knew the story had some serious promise, I just thought that Ari had a bit of growing up to do. I am so so so pleased to say that A BEAUTIFUL EVIL is an AMAZING sequel and far surpasses DARKNESS BECOMES HER in my opinion. The stakes are even higher for Ari and the romance between her and Sebastian even hotter! Even if you didn't like the first novel, you definitely have to at least give A BEAUTIFUL EVIL a shot. I promise that it will be worth it.
Sure, Ari still has a few of her whiny moments, but she is much more likable. She has grown into a much more mature teenager who understandably has a few moments where she can't take it all anymore. I am SO happy with Ari after A BEAUTIFUL EVIL. She kicks butt and takes names, that's no doubt! The best part is she takes even more of an initiative in her almost relationship with Sebastian.
I thought Athena was an awful, disgusting being in DARKNESS BECOMES HER, but boy, she sure proved to be even worse in A BEAUTIFUL EVIL. Her complete disregard for everyone but herself is astounding and I was so thoroughly disgusted with her actions. Keaton has done a phenomenal job in the making of Athena as a villain. I don't think I'll ever be able to think of her in the same way when I read about her in mythology.
The storyline in A BEAUTIFUL EVIL moves at the perfect pace. Not too slow to get bored, but not too fast as to overwhelm the reader. While it has been a year since I read the first novel, I was able to jump right in to A BEAUTIFUL EVIL with Keaton's recaps whenever they were necessary. I'm still trying to recover from the events that occurred in this one! WOW! Keaton sure knows how to write a sequel.
I am SO glad that I picked up A BEAUTIFUL EVIL, even if I wasn't a big fan of the first novel in the series. Keaton picked up the pace and made the character's much more likable. I cannot wait until the third novel, that's for sure!
Sure, Ari still has a few of her whiny moments, but she is much more likable. She has grown into a much more mature teenager who understandably has a few moments where she can't take it all anymore. I am SO happy with Ari after A BEAUTIFUL EVIL. She kicks butt and takes names, that's no doubt! The best part is she takes even more of an initiative in her almost relationship with Sebastian.
I thought Athena was an awful, disgusting being in DARKNESS BECOMES HER, but boy, she sure proved to be even worse in A BEAUTIFUL EVIL. Her complete disregard for everyone but herself is astounding and I was so thoroughly disgusted with her actions. Keaton has done a phenomenal job in the making of Athena as a villain. I don't think I'll ever be able to think of her in the same way when I read about her in mythology.
The storyline in A BEAUTIFUL EVIL moves at the perfect pace. Not too slow to get bored, but not too fast as to overwhelm the reader. While it has been a year since I read the first novel, I was able to jump right in to A BEAUTIFUL EVIL with Keaton's recaps whenever they were necessary. I'm still trying to recover from the events that occurred in this one! WOW! Keaton sure knows how to write a sequel.
I am SO glad that I picked up A BEAUTIFUL EVIL, even if I wasn't a big fan of the first novel in the series. Keaton picked up the pace and made the character's much more likable. I cannot wait until the third novel, that's for sure!
February 24, 2012
This one started out a bit slower for me than the first one did. I was a bit bummed at the distance between Ari and Sebastian in the beginning of this one. There was a lot of things that happened in the first book that was told about in the beginning of this one to catch you up or remind you which is par for the course for sequels. Overall, I found this one a bit boring, but it did read fast.
You can find my official review at the below link:
http://openbooksociety.com/article/ke...
You can find my official review at the below link:
http://openbooksociety.com/article/ke...
August 26, 2016
Realmente no se si me molesta o me agrada la protagonista, de verdad, mis sentimientos son encontrados, ya ella quiere ser valiente pero realmente es un osito de peluche.,... y dioses sebastian es tan sexy... obvio que es debido a lo que es...
May 29, 2016
Holy WOW.
Why am I only reading this wonderful series now?!? I am so lame.
Why am I only reading this wonderful series now?!? I am so lame.
October 15, 2017
This is the second book in the Gods and Monsters series by Keaton. Although I didn't like this book quite as much as the first book in the series, it was still a good addition to this series. I continue to enjoy this YA urban fantasy series and the heavy mythology overtones to it. The characters and world are all very well done.
In this book Ari is learning how to use and control her new powers. We end up venturing into Athena’s realm, as Ari and friends try to rescue those that Athena took at the end of the last book.
I continue to enjoy all the mythological creatures, the interesting world-building, the easy to engage with characters, and all the action in these books. The story is pretty dark and has heavy gothic overtones to it, which I enjoyed.
Overall this was a well done continuation of this YA urban fantasy series. I love the blend of mythology, unique world-building, action, paranormal elements, and light romance. I would recommend to those who enjoy YA urban fantasy with a darker tone to it. This series is similar in tone to the The Demon Trappers series by Jana Oliver.
In this book Ari is learning how to use and control her new powers. We end up venturing into Athena’s realm, as Ari and friends try to rescue those that Athena took at the end of the last book.
I continue to enjoy all the mythological creatures, the interesting world-building, the easy to engage with characters, and all the action in these books. The story is pretty dark and has heavy gothic overtones to it, which I enjoyed.
Overall this was a well done continuation of this YA urban fantasy series. I love the blend of mythology, unique world-building, action, paranormal elements, and light romance. I would recommend to those who enjoy YA urban fantasy with a darker tone to it. This series is similar in tone to the The Demon Trappers series by Jana Oliver.
August 7, 2018
I really love the Gods and Monsters series and the world of New 2... the 9 head families - vampires, witches, and shape-shifters, plus the decadence of New Orleans. I'm pretty sad that I don't have the rest of the books here at The Bookworm. My one complaint - could Ari cry more?! She is supposed to be this girl who is going to take on Athena, and I swear, she must have cried 23 different times in this book. Be the tough, ass kicking warrior we need you to be, Ari! She still gets the job done, but through a veil of tears *eye roll* That's it, other than that, I loved it.
February 9, 2017
ZUR AUFMACHUNG
Also hier finde ich das Original fast schon ein wenig besser als die deutsche Version. Das liegt vor allem daran, dass ihre Haare sich zu einer Schlange winden, was eine tolle Anspielung auf die Medusa-Mythologie ist, die hier eine Rolle spielt.
Die Titel passen eigentlich beide etwa gleich gut. A beautiful Evil trifft ja ohnehin auf Athene und auf Ari zu und Dein göttliches Herz versteinert macht ebenfalls aufgrund des letzten Wortes Sinn... Wobei ich immer noch nicht so ganz verstehe, warum man bei den Titeln wieder einmal das Herz ins Spiel bringen musste...
ZUM BUCH
Ich verstehe wirklich nicht, warum dieser Buchreihe hier in Deutschland so wenig Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt wird. Zumindest nach dem ersten Teil hatte ich das Gefühl, als würden es nur sehr wenige Leute (Vor allem Blogger, bei anderen weiß man ja nie...) lesen. Dabei ist das Thema der griechischen Mythologie doch sehr beliebt hier und die Geschichte ist auch wirklich gut und der Weltenbau ebenfalls beeindruckend. Für mich ein Rätsel.
Weiter geht es mit Ari im Kampf gegen Athene, die abtrünnige Göttin, die all ihre Verwandten getötet oder unterworfen hat. Das Ende des Buches beeindruckt mich noch immer, weil es so rasant von statten ging und so viel passiert ist, das mich mit viel Freude auf Band drei blicken lässt. Die Wenden kamen zum Ende hin überraschend und ich mochte wirklich sehr, wohin die Geschichte hier ging.
Die Charaktere haben mir auch hier wieder sehr gut gefallen, ganz besonders Ari als Hauptcharakter. Leider kam Violet hier ja nur so selten vor, dafür waren die Szenen mit ihr wieder einmal super. Was ich etwas schade fand, dass war die gesamte Vampir-Episode mit Sebastian. Ihr seht, Vampire haben im ersten Band nur eine sehr geringe Rolle gespielt und dafür habe ich das Buch geliebt, weil man davon nun wirklich genug hatte in den letzten paar Jahren. Sebastian ist aber nun einmal halb Vampir und in diesem zweiten Teil ist das ein Thema. Da gibt es dann nämlich diese Szene, in der Ari ihn dazu bringen will, ihr Blut zu trinken. Nicht zum Spaß natürlich, denn das ist schließlich etwas, das die Vampire in dieser Welt komplett verändert, sondern um ihm das Leben zu retten. Da hatte ich dann doch ein ziemliches Dejavu Gefühl, auch wenn sich die Autorin nicht der üblichen Klischees innerhalb der Szene bedient hat.
Auch ist dieser zweite Teil etwa genauso kurz wie der erste. Beim ersten hat mich das noch gar nicht allzu sehr gestört, dass es so schnell vorbei war, aber hier im zweiten war das Problem, dass so etwa ein Fünftel der Geschichte aus Wiederholungen aus dem ersten Band bestand. Da gibt es sicher Romane, bei denen das sehr viel stärker auffällt und stört und wenn die Geschichte etwas länger gewesen wäre, wäre mir das vermutlich nicht einmal aufgefallen, aber so war das etwas schade. Sicher liegt das auch zu großen Teilen daran, dass es bei mir noch nicht allzu lange her ist, dass ich Band eins gelesen haben und die Details noch präsent waren.
Wenn man bedenkt wie actiongeladen die letzten 100 Seiten der Geschichte waren und was hier alles so noch an Informationen dazu gekommen sind, dann kann ich nur sagen: Das Finale der Trilogie wird sicher bombastisch episch und beeindruckend und ich kann nur jedem, der die Reihe noch nicht begonnen hat, dies mal langsam zu tun! Besonders, wenn er oder sie auf griechische Mythologie steht.
FAZIT
Schreibstil: 4 Herzen
Charaktere: 4 Herzen
Emotionale Tiefe: 3,5 Herzen
Spannung: 4 Herzen
Humor: 3,5 Herzen
Originalität: 3,5 Herzen
Auch wenn dieser zweiter Band aufgrund der Wiederholungen zu Beginn ein klein wenig schwächer war als der erste, ist das Buch für alle Mythologiejunkies (wie ich einer bin) ein MUSS. Freue mich schon riesig, wenn The Wicked within dann auf deutsch erscheint...
Also hier finde ich das Original fast schon ein wenig besser als die deutsche Version. Das liegt vor allem daran, dass ihre Haare sich zu einer Schlange winden, was eine tolle Anspielung auf die Medusa-Mythologie ist, die hier eine Rolle spielt.
Die Titel passen eigentlich beide etwa gleich gut. A beautiful Evil trifft ja ohnehin auf Athene und auf Ari zu und Dein göttliches Herz versteinert macht ebenfalls aufgrund des letzten Wortes Sinn... Wobei ich immer noch nicht so ganz verstehe, warum man bei den Titeln wieder einmal das Herz ins Spiel bringen musste...
ZUM BUCH
Ich verstehe wirklich nicht, warum dieser Buchreihe hier in Deutschland so wenig Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt wird. Zumindest nach dem ersten Teil hatte ich das Gefühl, als würden es nur sehr wenige Leute (Vor allem Blogger, bei anderen weiß man ja nie...) lesen. Dabei ist das Thema der griechischen Mythologie doch sehr beliebt hier und die Geschichte ist auch wirklich gut und der Weltenbau ebenfalls beeindruckend. Für mich ein Rätsel.
Weiter geht es mit Ari im Kampf gegen Athene, die abtrünnige Göttin, die all ihre Verwandten getötet oder unterworfen hat. Das Ende des Buches beeindruckt mich noch immer, weil es so rasant von statten ging und so viel passiert ist, das mich mit viel Freude auf Band drei blicken lässt. Die Wenden kamen zum Ende hin überraschend und ich mochte wirklich sehr, wohin die Geschichte hier ging.
Die Charaktere haben mir auch hier wieder sehr gut gefallen, ganz besonders Ari als Hauptcharakter. Leider kam Violet hier ja nur so selten vor, dafür waren die Szenen mit ihr wieder einmal super. Was ich etwas schade fand, dass war die gesamte Vampir-Episode mit Sebastian. Ihr seht, Vampire haben im ersten Band nur eine sehr geringe Rolle gespielt und dafür habe ich das Buch geliebt, weil man davon nun wirklich genug hatte in den letzten paar Jahren. Sebastian ist aber nun einmal halb Vampir und in diesem zweiten Teil ist das ein Thema. Da gibt es dann nämlich diese Szene, in der Ari ihn dazu bringen will, ihr Blut zu trinken. Nicht zum Spaß natürlich, denn das ist schließlich etwas, das die Vampire in dieser Welt komplett verändert, sondern um ihm das Leben zu retten. Da hatte ich dann doch ein ziemliches Dejavu Gefühl, auch wenn sich die Autorin nicht der üblichen Klischees innerhalb der Szene bedient hat.
Auch ist dieser zweite Teil etwa genauso kurz wie der erste. Beim ersten hat mich das noch gar nicht allzu sehr gestört, dass es so schnell vorbei war, aber hier im zweiten war das Problem, dass so etwa ein Fünftel der Geschichte aus Wiederholungen aus dem ersten Band bestand. Da gibt es sicher Romane, bei denen das sehr viel stärker auffällt und stört und wenn die Geschichte etwas länger gewesen wäre, wäre mir das vermutlich nicht einmal aufgefallen, aber so war das etwas schade. Sicher liegt das auch zu großen Teilen daran, dass es bei mir noch nicht allzu lange her ist, dass ich Band eins gelesen haben und die Details noch präsent waren.
Wenn man bedenkt wie actiongeladen die letzten 100 Seiten der Geschichte waren und was hier alles so noch an Informationen dazu gekommen sind, dann kann ich nur sagen: Das Finale der Trilogie wird sicher bombastisch episch und beeindruckend und ich kann nur jedem, der die Reihe noch nicht begonnen hat, dies mal langsam zu tun! Besonders, wenn er oder sie auf griechische Mythologie steht.
FAZIT
Schreibstil: 4 Herzen
Charaktere: 4 Herzen
Emotionale Tiefe: 3,5 Herzen
Spannung: 4 Herzen
Humor: 3,5 Herzen
Originalität: 3,5 Herzen
Auch wenn dieser zweiter Band aufgrund der Wiederholungen zu Beginn ein klein wenig schwächer war als der erste, ist das Buch für alle Mythologiejunkies (wie ich einer bin) ein MUSS. Freue mich schon riesig, wenn The Wicked within dann auf deutsch erscheint...
January 27, 2013
This is one of those occasions where I really would love Goodreads to have a half star rating as I really feel that I would prefer to give this novel, a sequel to Darkness Becomes Her, 3.5 stars rather than just 3. I did have to go away after I finished this book though and really think about my feelings towards it because they are somewhat mixed.
So here's what I liked about this story. I liked the characters. I think Ari and Sebastian are really great as the main protagonists. Their back stories are engaging as are their struggles, and their relationship is nicely developed as it's more of a shy, paced romance with a certain sweetness as opposed to instances where the couple meets and falls in love almost instantly. Keaton has successfully avoided this trap and I applaud her for it. I would've liked to see more Violet in the story, especially given how often she was mentioned, but that's just because she was one of my favourite characters from the first in this series.
I also love the world building that the author has done and the twists in mythology that have been created around it. The world of New 2 and the Novem are wonderfully described and despite never have seen New Orleans, it really gives you a sense of the city while twisting what you already know about it. I also think that Keaton is really at her best when writing action scenes as this is where the novel came most alive to me, especially towards the end of the book.
So here's what I wasn't a fan of, the middle of the story. Whereas in the beginning, Keaton sets up Ari's training and what she learns in Pandora's Box brilliantly, the plot then descends into a kind of repetitive madness which I can only assume comes from either the writer or her editors thinking that there wasn't enough action. Instead of letting the pace of the story unfurl naturally as at the beginning and end of this book, the characters suddenly, and for no discernible good reason, decide to confront the villain of the piece, Athena, with no plan and no thought whatsoever. Not only is this jarringly out of character it also left me as a reader scratching my head as to what they thought they were doing. And not only does this happen once, but twice, each time with the same disastrous result. I almost didn't want to carry on reading the second time it happened. It just reads like a really cheap and badly planned plot device, and does Keaton's brilliant characters absolutely no credit.
Despite this, however, I still liked this book, although not as much as the first in the Gods and Monsters series, and I'm looking forward to the next novel. I just hope that it follows the example of the first book in plot style, rather than this one.
Veers off course in the middle, but push through that and the end is well worth sticking around for.
So here's what I liked about this story. I liked the characters. I think Ari and Sebastian are really great as the main protagonists. Their back stories are engaging as are their struggles, and their relationship is nicely developed as it's more of a shy, paced romance with a certain sweetness as opposed to instances where the couple meets and falls in love almost instantly. Keaton has successfully avoided this trap and I applaud her for it. I would've liked to see more Violet in the story, especially given how often she was mentioned, but that's just because she was one of my favourite characters from the first in this series.
I also love the world building that the author has done and the twists in mythology that have been created around it. The world of New 2 and the Novem are wonderfully described and despite never have seen New Orleans, it really gives you a sense of the city while twisting what you already know about it. I also think that Keaton is really at her best when writing action scenes as this is where the novel came most alive to me, especially towards the end of the book.
So here's what I wasn't a fan of, the middle of the story. Whereas in the beginning, Keaton sets up Ari's training and what she learns in Pandora's Box brilliantly, the plot then descends into a kind of repetitive madness which I can only assume comes from either the writer or her editors thinking that there wasn't enough action. Instead of letting the pace of the story unfurl naturally as at the beginning and end of this book, the characters suddenly, and for no discernible good reason, decide to confront the villain of the piece, Athena, with no plan and no thought whatsoever. Not only is this jarringly out of character it also left me as a reader scratching my head as to what they thought they were doing. And not only does this happen once, but twice, each time with the same disastrous result. I almost didn't want to carry on reading the second time it happened. It just reads like a really cheap and badly planned plot device, and does Keaton's brilliant characters absolutely no credit.
Despite this, however, I still liked this book, although not as much as the first in the Gods and Monsters series, and I'm looking forward to the next novel. I just hope that it follows the example of the first book in plot style, rather than this one.
Veers off course in the middle, but push through that and the end is well worth sticking around for.
September 1, 2013
Als Ari zum ersten Mal in das verfallene New Orleans kam, trieb sie nur eins: der Wunsch zu wissen, wer sie ist. Doch was sie entdeckte, übertraf ihre schlimmsten Alpträume. Mittlerweile spürt Ari, wie das Böse in ihr immer stärker wird, und mit ihm wächst auch ihre Macht. Eine Macht, die Athene um alles in der Welt besitzen will und die die Medusa-Tochter in größte Gefahr bringt. Doch Ari kennt keine Angst. Für sie zählt nur eins: Sie will Rache. Die Zeit dafür wird knapp und sie hat nur eine Chance. Um die Göttin zu besiegen, muss Ari sich dem stellen, was sie am meisten fürchtet: sich selbst.
"Dein göttliches Herz versteinert" ist der zweite Teil der "Gods & Monsters"-Trilogie von Kelly Keaton.
Auch mit ihrem zweiten Band schafft es die Autorin eine eigene Welt zu konstruieren, die eine bunte Mischung aus griechischer Mythologie, übersinnlichen Wesen und einer gehörigen Portion Magie darstellt, in welche man sofort gefangenen genommen wird und in ein einzigartiges Abenteuer eintaucht.
Die Handlung knüpft kurze Zeit nach den Begebenheiten des ersten Bandes an, führt die Handlungsstränge weiter und bekommt zusätzlich noch weitere hinzugefügt, um die Gesamtheit der Geschichte zu vertiefen und sie immer stärker dem großen Finale zuzuführen.
Spannungselemente finden sich auf den knapp 300 Seiten in Hülle und Fülle und werden dabei nur selten von gemächlicheren Passagen abgelöst. Dadurch entsteht ein fulminantes Tempo, das den Leser durch die Seiten rauschen lässt und ihn Seite um Seite bis zum Schluss begeistert umblättern lässt.
Kelly Keaton hat mit ihrer Trilogie etwas Einmaliges und so noch nicht Dagewesenes geschaffen, was sich positiv in seiner Raffinesse und Ausgeklügeltheit von anderen Romanen abhebt und in einer komplexen Welt endet, die man einfach miterleben muss.
Während Band 1 einen starken Fokus auf Voodoo gelegt hatte, so steht in "Dein göttliches Herz versteinert" die griechische Mythologie stärker im Vordergrund. Man erfährt das eine oder andere Detail über die Gottheiten und erlebt einen Strudel aus Intrigen und Machtkämpfen.
Im Vergleich zum ersten Teil dieser Trilogie ist die Atmosphäre nun noch etwas düsterer gehalten. Man merkt sofort, dass es mittlerweile ums große Ganze geht und sich die Handlung dementsprechend entwickelt; denn das spektakuläre Finale ist nun nicht mehr fern.
Auch dieser zweite Band hat mir wieder phänomenale und magische Lesestunden beschert, mich voller Kurzweil durch die Seiten getragen und mir durch den bildhaften Schreibstil der Autorin ihre Welt vor Augen treten lassen.
Diese Trilogie macht einfach Spaß und ich bin nun sehr auf den finalen Band gespannt, der einiges verspricht auch wenn sich in "Dein göttliches Herz versteinert" glücklicherweise kein Cliffhanger am Ende befindet.
"Dein göttliches Herz versteinert" ist der zweite Teil der "Gods & Monsters"-Trilogie von Kelly Keaton.
Auch mit ihrem zweiten Band schafft es die Autorin eine eigene Welt zu konstruieren, die eine bunte Mischung aus griechischer Mythologie, übersinnlichen Wesen und einer gehörigen Portion Magie darstellt, in welche man sofort gefangenen genommen wird und in ein einzigartiges Abenteuer eintaucht.
Die Handlung knüpft kurze Zeit nach den Begebenheiten des ersten Bandes an, führt die Handlungsstränge weiter und bekommt zusätzlich noch weitere hinzugefügt, um die Gesamtheit der Geschichte zu vertiefen und sie immer stärker dem großen Finale zuzuführen.
Spannungselemente finden sich auf den knapp 300 Seiten in Hülle und Fülle und werden dabei nur selten von gemächlicheren Passagen abgelöst. Dadurch entsteht ein fulminantes Tempo, das den Leser durch die Seiten rauschen lässt und ihn Seite um Seite bis zum Schluss begeistert umblättern lässt.
Kelly Keaton hat mit ihrer Trilogie etwas Einmaliges und so noch nicht Dagewesenes geschaffen, was sich positiv in seiner Raffinesse und Ausgeklügeltheit von anderen Romanen abhebt und in einer komplexen Welt endet, die man einfach miterleben muss.
Während Band 1 einen starken Fokus auf Voodoo gelegt hatte, so steht in "Dein göttliches Herz versteinert" die griechische Mythologie stärker im Vordergrund. Man erfährt das eine oder andere Detail über die Gottheiten und erlebt einen Strudel aus Intrigen und Machtkämpfen.
Im Vergleich zum ersten Teil dieser Trilogie ist die Atmosphäre nun noch etwas düsterer gehalten. Man merkt sofort, dass es mittlerweile ums große Ganze geht und sich die Handlung dementsprechend entwickelt; denn das spektakuläre Finale ist nun nicht mehr fern.
Auch dieser zweite Band hat mir wieder phänomenale und magische Lesestunden beschert, mich voller Kurzweil durch die Seiten getragen und mir durch den bildhaften Schreibstil der Autorin ihre Welt vor Augen treten lassen.
Diese Trilogie macht einfach Spaß und ich bin nun sehr auf den finalen Band gespannt, der einiges verspricht auch wenn sich in "Dein göttliches Herz versteinert" glücklicherweise kein Cliffhanger am Ende befindet.
February 10, 2012
In this sequel to Darkness Becomes Her Keaton continues to weave together mythology and fantasy to tell a gothic YA tale. The story begins almost right where we left off in the last one. Ari has begun at Presby upon her own request and is training for her eventual match up against queen evil bitch Athena. For the first one-third of the book that's pretty much all Ari does, and I was afraid that the slow pacing would continue. As I reached the book's middle, the action started to pick up a little and I was relieved that I became much more interested in the story. I still find myself a little iffy on the chemistry between Ari and Sebastian though, I just want more. More heat, more flirting, more something. Sebastian experiences some changes in this installment they might hopefully lead to him becoming more intense and a little sexier in the next one (sexy for YA, I mean).
I do love the world Keaton has created for this series, and as I said about book one, the world building and setting of the story are the biggest stars here. A ruined, future New Orleans provides an awesome backdrop for a place where vampires, shifters, and ancestors of gods reside. I would like to see a little more fleshing out of those paranormal and mythological characters. There are so many different types of paranormal characters that they can't all be fully developed in one or two books, so I'm hoping to get more background as the series goes on.
Ari continues to be a really great young adult heroine. She is strong, doesn't make decisions that don't make any sense, and she cares about her friends and family. Ari's driving force is to get her people back and avoid giving into her curse. In book one I really enjoyed the friendship between Ari and the odd little Violet, and she is absent for quite a lot of time in this one. I can't wait to hopefully read more about their special connection in the next book.
Athena is a pretty awesome bad guy, or bad girl I guess. She is evil and mean and will make you hate her. We finally get a little more information on her backstory, and that helps the reader to understand her anger and her motives.
All in all, I still enjoyed this series after reading book two and I will certainly keep an eye out for book three!
July 7, 2012
You can read all of my reviews at Alluring Reads.
A Beautiful Evil is the much anticipated follow up to Kelly Keaton's A Darkness Becomes her. I read the first installment in the Gods & Monsters trilogy recently and immediately rushed out to get the second. I was blown away with the setting as well as the imaginative blend of dystopian/mythological elements and while I did feel that a lot of that was a bit lacking compared to the first it is still a worthy follow up. I do think that this one suffers from second book syndrome a bit and was definitely not as impressed as I was with the first.
A Beautiful Evil starts off immediately where A Darkness Becomes her ends as Ari is faced with attending the Novem school Presby in order to harness her gift and utilize the not-so-secret library within. We are treated to her intense training sessions with the vigorous Novem Bran and enter the illusive library within Pandora's Box. Of course she finds out all sorts of useful information and becomes quite strong so she heads off on her quest to save her father and Violet from the evil Goddess Athena.
One of my favorite characters from the first, the essence of the city of New Orleans definitely took a back seat in this novel. There were minor street names in this but I felt like, where the first one flourished in the rich descriptions of the landscape this one definitely held back. But all of the other characters that I came to love were back in full force. Ari was still as strong and kick ass as ever (although a bit whiny and desperate at times, but I'll look past that.) Her love with Sebastian goes to a whole new level in this one and makes for an intense story arc that really spiced up the novel. The family dynamic created at their delapidated house in the Garden District is also escalated in this novel and something that I enjoyed very much.
While I definitely have a lot more issues with this one I still really enjoyed it. I think it could have stuck to its roots more but I will definitely be back for more in the next one.
A Beautiful Evil is the much anticipated follow up to Kelly Keaton's A Darkness Becomes her. I read the first installment in the Gods & Monsters trilogy recently and immediately rushed out to get the second. I was blown away with the setting as well as the imaginative blend of dystopian/mythological elements and while I did feel that a lot of that was a bit lacking compared to the first it is still a worthy follow up. I do think that this one suffers from second book syndrome a bit and was definitely not as impressed as I was with the first.
A Beautiful Evil starts off immediately where A Darkness Becomes her ends as Ari is faced with attending the Novem school Presby in order to harness her gift and utilize the not-so-secret library within. We are treated to her intense training sessions with the vigorous Novem Bran and enter the illusive library within Pandora's Box. Of course she finds out all sorts of useful information and becomes quite strong so she heads off on her quest to save her father and Violet from the evil Goddess Athena.
One of my favorite characters from the first, the essence of the city of New Orleans definitely took a back seat in this novel. There were minor street names in this but I felt like, where the first one flourished in the rich descriptions of the landscape this one definitely held back. But all of the other characters that I came to love were back in full force. Ari was still as strong and kick ass as ever (although a bit whiny and desperate at times, but I'll look past that.) Her love with Sebastian goes to a whole new level in this one and makes for an intense story arc that really spiced up the novel. The family dynamic created at their delapidated house in the Garden District is also escalated in this novel and something that I enjoyed very much.
While I definitely have a lot more issues with this one I still really enjoyed it. I think it could have stuck to its roots more but I will definitely be back for more in the next one.
January 3, 2018
The medusa story of it was amazing!
May 16, 2012
This is the second book in the Monster and Gods series by Kelly Keaton. I was entranced by the first book and could not wait for the next installment and this one did not disappoint either. This book starts with Ari attempting to hone her new found abilities without turning into the monster she fears she's becoming. She is also on the hunt for her friend Violet and her father, both of whom were taken by Athena and are probably being put through untold horrors at the Goddesses hands. Aside from the unpleasantness of her life, Ari is also trying to discover where her relationship with Sebastian is going and whether there is even a relationship to be called thus.
This book was action packed, maybe overly so in some cases. While the story did show us what Ari was capable of it also showed many of her weaknesses and her inability to make intelligent decisions. More than once she makes the decision to go after her friend and her father without even acknowledging the fact that she has absolutely NO idea how to defeat Athena or even wound her. Not only does she put herself in harms way but others as well. Those sections of the book frustrated me to no end.
Otherwise the book was really good. I am completely in lust with Sebastian now. What can I say? I have a thing for uber bad asses and Sebastian just hit that mark in this book. Cannot wait to see what is to come for him in the rest of the series. Also curious to see how Ari's last blow at Athena affects the goddess overall. Also curious to know how this whole curse of Ari's is going to play out now that she can use her gift whenever she wants not just when she 'hulks out.'
I don't believe this book was as awesome as the first one but it has large amounts of potential. Really looking forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.
This book was action packed, maybe overly so in some cases. While the story did show us what Ari was capable of it also showed many of her weaknesses and her inability to make intelligent decisions. More than once she makes the decision to go after her friend and her father without even acknowledging the fact that she has absolutely NO idea how to defeat Athena or even wound her. Not only does she put herself in harms way but others as well. Those sections of the book frustrated me to no end.
Otherwise the book was really good. I am completely in lust with Sebastian now. What can I say? I have a thing for uber bad asses and Sebastian just hit that mark in this book. Cannot wait to see what is to come for him in the rest of the series. Also curious to see how Ari's last blow at Athena affects the goddess overall. Also curious to know how this whole curse of Ari's is going to play out now that she can use her gift whenever she wants not just when she 'hulks out.'
I don't believe this book was as awesome as the first one but it has large amounts of potential. Really looking forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2014
That moment I flipped to the last page of the book, I knew I had to write the review down straight away because it was that amazing! Everything was rad and I hadn't thought it would have more actions in A Beautiful Evil.
Darkness Becomes Her had a last minute action at the ending which I didn't expect but it was good though it was short like they were at masquerade party and the next thing you know, Athena appear looking all pretty and stuff and then Ari had a glimpsed of her own powers and what she was capable of doing that led everything to the ruins and poor Violet disappeared with Athena when she attack that fucking bitch (P.s. I am just being carried away by the book)
In A Beautiful Evil, I was constantly kept on my toes like every single move Ari, Sebastian and Henri made is like... I can't even decide. Henri just seems much more an interesting character after knowing that he is a hawk. How Ari had accessed to the Novem's library to do her research on Athena and find Athena's realms. It was nerve wrecking and I couldn't put the book down. I have never been into this Gothic style books my whole life because some could really be a waste of time but then again boon covers plays a role in som point of time and this book cover pulled me in. I love the lilac hair and the snake at the lower part of the neck, plus the title! A beautiful evil... It sounds very classic and I love it.
If you think Ari is just a normal girl who acts tough but is weak, you have to re-evaluate on that! Because people, this girl is the bomb! Her combat skills is that good, the fact that she could throw punches and blades at the Bitch (Athena) herself. Though at times she gets weak but I admit, the pain they gave her, no one can withstand and that is realistic.
So yes, I'll give this book 5 stars!
Darkness Becomes Her had a last minute action at the ending which I didn't expect but it was good though it was short like they were at masquerade party and the next thing you know, Athena appear looking all pretty and stuff and then Ari had a glimpsed of her own powers and what she was capable of doing that led everything to the ruins and poor Violet disappeared with Athena when she attack that fucking bitch (P.s. I am just being carried away by the book)
In A Beautiful Evil, I was constantly kept on my toes like every single move Ari, Sebastian and Henri made is like... I can't even decide. Henri just seems much more an interesting character after knowing that he is a hawk. How Ari had accessed to the Novem's library to do her research on Athena and find Athena's realms. It was nerve wrecking and I couldn't put the book down. I have never been into this Gothic style books my whole life because some could really be a waste of time but then again boon covers plays a role in som point of time and this book cover pulled me in. I love the lilac hair and the snake at the lower part of the neck, plus the title! A beautiful evil... It sounds very classic and I love it.
If you think Ari is just a normal girl who acts tough but is weak, you have to re-evaluate on that! Because people, this girl is the bomb! Her combat skills is that good, the fact that she could throw punches and blades at the Bitch (Athena) herself. Though at times she gets weak but I admit, the pain they gave her, no one can withstand and that is realistic.
So yes, I'll give this book 5 stars!
February 25, 2012
I gave it 3.5 stars
Ari now knows what she is and has started her training and research in hopes of saving her Dad and Violet as well as beating Athena.
I didn't enjoy A BEAUTIFUL EVIL as much as I enjoyed book 1 DARKNESS BECOMES HER. The story dragged for half the book, there were quite a bit of depressing circumstances and It was a bit predictable at times. I did enjoy the action scenes and the general plot. Ari was still an interesting character. She is unique in her bloodline because of what her father is. I'm hoping now that he is in the story, book 3 will give us a bit more insight on what will happen to her when she is supposed to turn fully into a gorgon. I still really like the setting of New 2 and the different class of characters that come with it. Ari and Sebastian's relationship is interesting. They are definitely tested throughout A BEAUTIFUL THING but they seem to hold strong to each other. I loved Bran, he is proving to be fully on Ari's side and he seems to truly care about her.
I actually loved the ending. I'm excited to find out more about what Sebastian can do now and what that will mean for Ari in her fight against Athena. I'm also loving the fact that her Dad will be a bigger part of the story, it will be interesting to see what he brings to the situation. I will still be reading book 3 when it arrives.
Ari now knows what she is and has started her training and research in hopes of saving her Dad and Violet as well as beating Athena.
I didn't enjoy A BEAUTIFUL EVIL as much as I enjoyed book 1 DARKNESS BECOMES HER. The story dragged for half the book, there were quite a bit of depressing circumstances and It was a bit predictable at times. I did enjoy the action scenes and the general plot. Ari was still an interesting character. She is unique in her bloodline because of what her father is. I'm hoping now that he is in the story, book 3 will give us a bit more insight on what will happen to her when she is supposed to turn fully into a gorgon. I still really like the setting of New 2 and the different class of characters that come with it. Ari and Sebastian's relationship is interesting. They are definitely tested throughout A BEAUTIFUL THING but they seem to hold strong to each other. I loved Bran, he is proving to be fully on Ari's side and he seems to truly care about her.
I actually loved the ending. I'm excited to find out more about what Sebastian can do now and what that will mean for Ari in her fight against Athena. I'm also loving the fact that her Dad will be a bigger part of the story, it will be interesting to see what he brings to the situation. I will still be reading book 3 when it arrives.
February 29, 2012
I was so excited when this book came to my doorstep! Not only was it a surprise but I knew I would love it! Sure enough, this book captured me gluing my eyes to the pages.
What I liked most about this book is the characters growth in the book. I love it when an author can change a character so significantly right before your eyes. Ari is now in training and learning to use her powers. I loved that Ari had to be pushed, that so she can break that human barrier. I still love that Ari is so determined. It really showed Ari heart in who she is meant to be.
The love interest really tore at my heart. Though I did love the struggle in it. Ari fought for who she loved and even made some really tough decisions. Despite what is done to her, she made sure everyone is taken care of before herself. While her selflessness is admiring, it is also her very weakness.
There were also a few plot surprised that really took me by surprise. I love that Ms. Keaton drew me so much into the book that I didn't even realize what is coming at me. The plot pacing with every turn of the page is perfect!!
A Beautiful Evil is an undeniably entertaining story. A fast moving driven action drama, Ms. Keaton present a great sequel. A fresh, invigorating spin on Greek mythology, A Beautiful Evil leaves you jaw dropped!
What I liked most about this book is the characters growth in the book. I love it when an author can change a character so significantly right before your eyes. Ari is now in training and learning to use her powers. I loved that Ari had to be pushed, that so she can break that human barrier. I still love that Ari is so determined. It really showed Ari heart in who she is meant to be.
The love interest really tore at my heart. Though I did love the struggle in it. Ari fought for who she loved and even made some really tough decisions. Despite what is done to her, she made sure everyone is taken care of before herself. While her selflessness is admiring, it is also her very weakness.
There were also a few plot surprised that really took me by surprise. I love that Ms. Keaton drew me so much into the book that I didn't even realize what is coming at me. The plot pacing with every turn of the page is perfect!!
A Beautiful Evil is an undeniably entertaining story. A fast moving driven action drama, Ms. Keaton present a great sequel. A fresh, invigorating spin on Greek mythology, A Beautiful Evil leaves you jaw dropped!
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