What do you think?
Rate this book
Darkling
How far would you go to save your family?Midsummer used to be a day of feasts and bonfires. A day when cares were set aside for the joy of grass between our toes, warm hands in our palms, laughter in our hearts. Our celebrations dimmed with the light. Something upset the balance of our woods. Something so deep that even our bonfires can’t lure the sun back. And he has something to do with it. Of that we’re sure, which is why I’m being given to him.DARKLING is K.M. Rice's suspenseful debut novel about a young woman's sacrifice to save her village and the unexpected strength that comes from first love.K.M. Rice is a national award-winning screenwriter and author who defies literary convention. Darkling now has a companion novel titled The Watcher.
186 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 2013
22 people are currently reading
2122 people want to read
About the author
K.M. Rice
12 books127 followersK.M. RICE is a national award-winning screenwriter and author who has worked for both Magic Leap and Weta Workshop, the latter being responsible for such cinematic epics as The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Her first novel, Darkling, is a young adult fantastical thriller.
Her novella The Wild Frontier is an ode to the American spirit of adventure and seeks to awaken the wildish nature in all of us.
As the producer of the webseries Happy Hobbit, she was also a contributor to J.W. Braun's book Middle-earth Madness.
Her work has recently been featured in the literary journal Passing Through: Stories and Art About the Road Less Traveled.
In the past, she has had her work published in the literary journal Reed Magazine and was also the focus of a feature article in the August 2009 issue of Script Magazine. Her most recent release, The Country Beyond the Forests, is a short story and selected poetry collection showcasing a range of genres and styles.
When not working on her novels or hiking in the woods, she can be found enjoying the company of the many animals on her family ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Her books can be found online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and in-store at Bookshop Santa Cruz.
Several years in the making, her upcoming Afterworld series is set to debut with the first book, Ophelia.
Her novella The Wild Frontier is an ode to the American spirit of adventure and seeks to awaken the wildish nature in all of us.
As the producer of the webseries Happy Hobbit, she was also a contributor to J.W. Braun's book Middle-earth Madness.
Her work has recently been featured in the literary journal Passing Through: Stories and Art About the Road Less Traveled.
In the past, she has had her work published in the literary journal Reed Magazine and was also the focus of a feature article in the August 2009 issue of Script Magazine. Her most recent release, The Country Beyond the Forests, is a short story and selected poetry collection showcasing a range of genres and styles.
When not working on her novels or hiking in the woods, she can be found enjoying the company of the many animals on her family ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Her books can be found online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and in-store at Bookshop Santa Cruz.
Several years in the making, her upcoming Afterworld series is set to debut with the first book, Ophelia.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 84 reviews
July 18, 2017
That ending......This book was so good. I loved the writing style and the setting. It reminded me of Uprooted but for me was better. I loved the characters but the ending... No no no no!!!!! A beautiful story with shocking twists where the protagonist tries to return light to the land in order to survive. She certainly didn't imagine it would be in such a way...
November 10, 2015
Stunning, dark, and deep.
This is one of those books that held me captivated from the moment I opened it until the very end, so of course all my schoolwork was pushed aside and my priorities shifted, but it was worth it! What’s really troubling me now is the aftereffect: how I am still lost in a haze of complex thoughts and ignited emotions, basically a book hangover.
Aside from the overall amazing story (love & hauntings), the writing makes it easy to just continue reading without ever seeing a need to stop; the flow is very smooth and addicting. Many of the passages are poetic and meaningful without it ever seeming like it’s trying too hard. I can walk away from this novel with gained perspectives of love, loss, and the importance of living.
The short length was perfect for me since I have reduced free time, but those pages were all complete and timed well. I noticed that K.M. Rice is a screenwriter, so I wonder if her skills in that field allowed for this story to become the short masterpiece that it is. I'm wondering why it isn't more popular.
Overall, I would definitely recommend reading!
This is one of those books that held me captivated from the moment I opened it until the very end, so of course all my schoolwork was pushed aside and my priorities shifted, but it was worth it! What’s really troubling me now is the aftereffect: how I am still lost in a haze of complex thoughts and ignited emotions, basically a book hangover.
Aside from the overall amazing story (love & hauntings), the writing makes it easy to just continue reading without ever seeing a need to stop; the flow is very smooth and addicting. Many of the passages are poetic and meaningful without it ever seeming like it’s trying too hard. I can walk away from this novel with gained perspectives of love, loss, and the importance of living.
The short length was perfect for me since I have reduced free time, but those pages were all complete and timed well. I noticed that K.M. Rice is a screenwriter, so I wonder if her skills in that field allowed for this story to become the short masterpiece that it is. I'm wondering why it isn't more popular.
Overall, I would definitely recommend reading!
October 13, 2015
Darkling is exactly what I've been in the mood to read lately and I knew it from the very first page. It had that gothic quality to it that I love and the writing style was beautifully dark and lyrical. It was a little reminiscent of "Beauty and the Beast", but more tragic and with greater depth and more prominent supernatural elements. It's part ghost story, part love story and had moments that were chilling, as well as moments that brought tears to my eyes. I'll keep this review short and sweet and forego any real discussion of the plot... Here are my five stars: ☆☆☆☆☆ BOOM.
August 2, 2015
Not as amazing as the reviews make one believe. It was kind of a horror book, which I don't particularly get into. The writing was choppy, which I think was intentional, but I didn't like it. I think the main character fell in love much too quickly. It ends happy, which is nice after reading about such horrible things from page 1. And I felt lots of the supernatural things were left unexplained, which bothered me.
May 19, 2019
2.5 stars
Darkling started out so atmospheric, a proper spooky ghost story. I really loved the first few chapters.
Add in some insta-love and some difficult-to-accept, under-developed ideas and that's how you get from 'OMG, I love this' to 'meh'.
I really couldn't grasp the concept of Tristan being alive but not really. How did that work? The idea of the darkness, while great, also didn't have a proper (believable) explanation.
I kept hoping for a twist, but the story followed a pretty predictable line until just before the ending,
Still, I really enjoyed the beginning, so I'm rounding up to 3 stars.
Darkling started out so atmospheric, a proper spooky ghost story. I really loved the first few chapters.
Add in some insta-love and some difficult-to-accept, under-developed ideas and that's how you get from 'OMG, I love this' to 'meh'.
I really couldn't grasp the concept of Tristan being alive but not really. How did that work? The idea of the darkness, while great, also didn't have a proper (believable) explanation.
I kept hoping for a twist, but the story followed a pretty predictable line until just before the ending,
Still, I really enjoyed the beginning, so I'm rounding up to 3 stars.
January 17, 2016
Loved the ending. This is the sort of bittersweet, yet uplifting, story that stays with you for days afterwards. It was also impressively creepy and shockingly gory. Truly a gem. ;)
Reading soundtrack:
-Overture -- The Hateful Eight Soundtrack by Ennio Morricone (Most scenes in the house)
-Casadh an Tsúgáin / Frankie's Song -- Brooklyn Soundtrack by Iarla Ó Lionáird (Singing/dancing scenes)
-Time For Bed -- Anna Karenina Soundtrack by Dario Marianelli (The occasional quiet scene)
-The Rest of My Life -- The Amazing Spider-man 2 Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and The Magnificent Six (Ending scenes)
Reading soundtrack:
-Overture -- The Hateful Eight Soundtrack by Ennio Morricone (Most scenes in the house)
-Casadh an Tsúgáin / Frankie's Song -- Brooklyn Soundtrack by Iarla Ó Lionáird (Singing/dancing scenes)
-Time For Bed -- Anna Karenina Soundtrack by Dario Marianelli (The occasional quiet scene)
-The Rest of My Life -- The Amazing Spider-man 2 Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and The Magnificent Six (Ending scenes)
October 18, 2014
I found out about this book when I came to know its amazing author Kellie (Kili from their phenomenal webseries Happy Hobbit) she recommended it to me and I decided to order an autographed copy. It was absolutely incredible!!!! I highly recommend this lovely novel and while you are at it go check out their amazing webseries on YouTube called Happy Hobbit!! They teach you how to bring Middle Earth into your daily lives!!
November 16, 2015
I love books that swoop you into the story right from the first page. And this book did exactly that. I love spooky and dark fantasy/romance books, and Darkling is amongst my favourites in that genre. Not only is the setting of the story really enticing (a spooky house in the woods) but the characters themselves are really interesting and as the story develops, you really start caring about what happens to them. I really recommend this book if you love haunted houses.
Read
October 20, 2015I love a good spooky story, especially this time of year! The story has a little of everything: misery, love, patience, revenge, rage, and regret. I found myself crying at times, and grinning like a fool at other times. It's an easy, comfortable read, and well written. It would have been an excellent audiobook, and if it ever becomes one, I will happily throw down money to hear it!
DARKLING is K.M. Rice's debut novel. Well done!
DARKLING is K.M. Rice's debut novel. Well done!
April 2, 2023
I picked this book solely for SOS Bingo. But, it was an interesting read and I enjoyed it!
The plot is a dark, twisted one with a bit of self sacrifice thrown. There are lots of things happening and the ending and the true villain just might catch you by surprise!
It is has touch of Beauty and the Beast with the Heroine goes to sacrifice herself to a dark creature in a mansion which happens to be overgrown with roses and ends up having a relationship with the creature instead.
The plot is a dark, twisted one with a bit of self sacrifice thrown. There are lots of things happening and the ending and the true villain just might catch you by surprise!
It is has touch of Beauty and the Beast with the Heroine goes to sacrifice herself to a dark creature in a mansion which happens to be overgrown with roses and ends up having a relationship with the creature instead.
October 14, 2014
This gothic horror thriller hooks you on the first page and carries you all the way through with suspense and intrigue. Rice clearly knows what she's doing, writing with a poise and confidence you'd expect from a more established author. It will be interesting to see what more she comes up with.
August 2, 2018
Creepy, and sad, and lovely, this short book is all that and more. The writing is simple, but captivating and you fly through pages and chapters effortlessly. A bit not what I expected, perhaps too preachy or parable-like at times, but still definitely worth a read.
November 23, 2015
Why did it have to end like that? WHY?
October 4, 2015
Dark, Engaging & Moving! An Excellent Read!
November 14, 2015
Did not finish at 30%
December 27, 2015
Finish this book! This book was amazing! I loved the writing and the set up of the book!
February 10, 2018
Most people who know me already know I read with an editor’s eye. I can’t help it since I spend a lot of time writing and editing business copy for my day job. I don’t believe in giving reviews simply saying: 'This was brilliant!' or 'It was terrible!' That helps no-one. When I review a work of fiction, I will point out good things, and I will point out bad things. If I point out bad things, I will say why they caused a problem for me and offer a possible solution. It is also a way to vicariously improve my own writing.
This style of reading means I struggle to find novels that sweep me away or drag me fully into the story, especially indie novels. K.M Rice’s debut YA dark fantasy/romance, for the most part, managed to do the job. If I hadn’t started reading it at 10pm and needed to get up for work in the morning, I would have read it in one sitting rather than two.
I don’t normally read YA novels, but I had watched a few of the author’s writing vlogs and was impressed by her passion for the craft of writing so I decided to give her a read. I have a Kobo e-reader, so for this book, I bought the Kindle version from AmazonUK and read it using the Kindle app on my phone.
Darkling tells the story of an isolated mountain village plunged into perpetual darkness by an unknown source. On the verge of starvation, the villagers decide to make sacrifices to the Bringer (of darkness) they believe must be in the woods as that is where the darkness began. When animals fail to satisfy, a young girl, Willow, steps forward to act as a human sacrifice, to give herself to the Bringer hoping to lift the darkness. Willow is different. She is a Listener, she can hear the dead. She feels she has the best chance to save the village because of her unique talent. What follows is an inspiring tale of love, grief, horror, and fear of the ‘other’.
K.M.Rice has a unique way with words, almost poetic in their cadence and style. This isn’t surprising since she also writes poetry. For example:
p.25: …to hunt out his pupils.
p.41: …so she can continue to stalk about as a carcass in a gross mockery of life.
p.46: …when we die we become the most important parts of ourselves.
p.109: …a necklace of bruises.
p.118: …the way his lips sort of frown…
This expressive word use is refreshing and certainly paints images in the reader’s mind. The pace of the novel was well kept, with suspense and intrigue weaving their way through the plot. K.M. Rice engages multiple senses in her writing. We not only see things, but we smell them, feel them creeping on our skin, and hear them whispering in our ear. Entire scenes blossom before us and the world becomes real. By the conclusion of the novel, the reader (or at least this reader) feels they are reading a series of undulating emotional waves which set us up perfectly for the conclusion.
There were, however, a few issues that pulled me out of the story at times. These included word repetition, POV/author leakage, and a few erroneous words affecting style.
To elaborate on these points:
The author seemed fixated on the word ‘yank’ and its conjugations. The majority of times something was pulled at with force in an action sequence, it was yanked. I counted at least thirty-six instances. Between pages 84 and 85, it was used a total of six times. This might sound like I’m pulling up the author on a triviality, but when the reader is left thinking, “argh, that word again!” rather than being in the character’s shoes, it’s a problem. There were a few other words used repeatedly but not to the extent of yank, such as hobble and shove.
These multiple word use instances are easy to clear up. A program like Scrivener from Literature and Latte has a word instance checker to hunt them down. It crawls through the text and spits out a list of repeated words and the number of times they are used. A writer could simply do a find in Word if they feel they keep repeating themselves, but unlike Scrivener, you have to flag the issue yourself in the first place.
The next issue of POV/author leakage may simply be because I am UK based and not American. It might slide right by American readers, but it leapt off the page for me to the point where I put the book down for a moment to figure out whether it was possible. The story is told from Willow’s POV the majority of the time, with some flashbacks into other character’s memories. Willow’s world is completely different to our world. She lives in a time and place where things are bought with gold and silver or bartered. So when I read,
p.125: "…he turned on a dime for Victoria.”,
I was jolted from the story. How did Willow know the word dime and in what context it should be used? She shouldn’t. In her world without dimes, this sentence shouldn’t exist. This kind of thing is easy enough for authors to do. If an expression is so common to them they might not stop and think if it is appropriate for their story.
I did spot another POV issue on page 60 where Willow is locked inside a room, yet says, the lamps in the hall are suddenly all lit. How does she know if she is locked in a room? This could be rewritten, light suddenly flares beneath the door from the lamps in the hall, or something similar.
The only way to get around these slips is a thorough line edit or author vigilance.
Regarding words affecting style, there were a few instances of what I think were typos that escaped the spell checker. This included the use of ‘healing’ instead of heal, and ‘peaked’ instead of piqued, although the latter might be American use (forgive my English English).
There were also several cases of erroneous THATs making sentences clunky, e.g.:
p.31: I imagine that the warmth I feel…
I imagine the warmth I feel…
p.35: …here on the hearth it’s hard to imagine that this is the same house that tormented me yesterday.
…here on the hearth it’s hard to imagine this is the same house that tormented me yesterday.
p.47: I realise that this isn’t so bad.
I realise this isn’t so bad.
p.155: I’m sorry that this happened to you.
I’m sorry this happened to you.
If a writer can remove that without changing the meaning of a sentence, it is best practice to do so in my opinion, for the sake of smooth reading. Others feel differently, so I suppose it is down to the individual and their own writing style.
In conclusion, aside from the instances mentioned above, this was an excellent read. I can actually see it as a Tim Burton production, the atmosphere suits his style of animation perfectly. I would definitely recommend this to readers who enjoy dark fantasy, the paranormal and things with a metaphysical bent. There is a companion book to Darkling called The Watcher so I will read more by K.M. Rice.
This style of reading means I struggle to find novels that sweep me away or drag me fully into the story, especially indie novels. K.M Rice’s debut YA dark fantasy/romance, for the most part, managed to do the job. If I hadn’t started reading it at 10pm and needed to get up for work in the morning, I would have read it in one sitting rather than two.
I don’t normally read YA novels, but I had watched a few of the author’s writing vlogs and was impressed by her passion for the craft of writing so I decided to give her a read. I have a Kobo e-reader, so for this book, I bought the Kindle version from AmazonUK and read it using the Kindle app on my phone.
Darkling tells the story of an isolated mountain village plunged into perpetual darkness by an unknown source. On the verge of starvation, the villagers decide to make sacrifices to the Bringer (of darkness) they believe must be in the woods as that is where the darkness began. When animals fail to satisfy, a young girl, Willow, steps forward to act as a human sacrifice, to give herself to the Bringer hoping to lift the darkness. Willow is different. She is a Listener, she can hear the dead. She feels she has the best chance to save the village because of her unique talent. What follows is an inspiring tale of love, grief, horror, and fear of the ‘other’.
K.M.Rice has a unique way with words, almost poetic in their cadence and style. This isn’t surprising since she also writes poetry. For example:
p.25: …to hunt out his pupils.
p.41: …so she can continue to stalk about as a carcass in a gross mockery of life.
p.46: …when we die we become the most important parts of ourselves.
p.109: …a necklace of bruises.
p.118: …the way his lips sort of frown…
This expressive word use is refreshing and certainly paints images in the reader’s mind. The pace of the novel was well kept, with suspense and intrigue weaving their way through the plot. K.M. Rice engages multiple senses in her writing. We not only see things, but we smell them, feel them creeping on our skin, and hear them whispering in our ear. Entire scenes blossom before us and the world becomes real. By the conclusion of the novel, the reader (or at least this reader) feels they are reading a series of undulating emotional waves which set us up perfectly for the conclusion.
There were, however, a few issues that pulled me out of the story at times. These included word repetition, POV/author leakage, and a few erroneous words affecting style.
To elaborate on these points:
The author seemed fixated on the word ‘yank’ and its conjugations. The majority of times something was pulled at with force in an action sequence, it was yanked. I counted at least thirty-six instances. Between pages 84 and 85, it was used a total of six times. This might sound like I’m pulling up the author on a triviality, but when the reader is left thinking, “argh, that word again!” rather than being in the character’s shoes, it’s a problem. There were a few other words used repeatedly but not to the extent of yank, such as hobble and shove.
These multiple word use instances are easy to clear up. A program like Scrivener from Literature and Latte has a word instance checker to hunt them down. It crawls through the text and spits out a list of repeated words and the number of times they are used. A writer could simply do a find in Word if they feel they keep repeating themselves, but unlike Scrivener, you have to flag the issue yourself in the first place.
The next issue of POV/author leakage may simply be because I am UK based and not American. It might slide right by American readers, but it leapt off the page for me to the point where I put the book down for a moment to figure out whether it was possible. The story is told from Willow’s POV the majority of the time, with some flashbacks into other character’s memories. Willow’s world is completely different to our world. She lives in a time and place where things are bought with gold and silver or bartered. So when I read,
p.125: "…he turned on a dime for Victoria.”,
I was jolted from the story. How did Willow know the word dime and in what context it should be used? She shouldn’t. In her world without dimes, this sentence shouldn’t exist. This kind of thing is easy enough for authors to do. If an expression is so common to them they might not stop and think if it is appropriate for their story.
I did spot another POV issue on page 60 where Willow is locked inside a room, yet says, the lamps in the hall are suddenly all lit. How does she know if she is locked in a room? This could be rewritten, light suddenly flares beneath the door from the lamps in the hall, or something similar.
The only way to get around these slips is a thorough line edit or author vigilance.
Regarding words affecting style, there were a few instances of what I think were typos that escaped the spell checker. This included the use of ‘healing’ instead of heal, and ‘peaked’ instead of piqued, although the latter might be American use (forgive my English English).
There were also several cases of erroneous THATs making sentences clunky, e.g.:
p.31: I imagine that the warmth I feel…
I imagine the warmth I feel…
p.35: …here on the hearth it’s hard to imagine that this is the same house that tormented me yesterday.
…here on the hearth it’s hard to imagine this is the same house that tormented me yesterday.
p.47: I realise that this isn’t so bad.
I realise this isn’t so bad.
p.155: I’m sorry that this happened to you.
I’m sorry this happened to you.
If a writer can remove that without changing the meaning of a sentence, it is best practice to do so in my opinion, for the sake of smooth reading. Others feel differently, so I suppose it is down to the individual and their own writing style.
In conclusion, aside from the instances mentioned above, this was an excellent read. I can actually see it as a Tim Burton production, the atmosphere suits his style of animation perfectly. I would definitely recommend this to readers who enjoy dark fantasy, the paranormal and things with a metaphysical bent. There is a companion book to Darkling called The Watcher so I will read more by K.M. Rice.
June 4, 2018
I loved so many things about this book BUT I did not root for Tristan to be with Willow. So much of who Willow is is her roots in her family and village. Her love for them is what really made me connect with her. Draven was a part of that but Tristan wasn't. I adored Tristan, of course, but I didn't really understand why he was drawn to Willow. Their chemistry was just off. I hated to see him die but I was glad that it meant Willow ended up with Draven instead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2022
Dnf 50% (plus i read the last chapter. Meh anyway)
Such a disappointment!
Maybe i have overhyped this book in my head a bit too much, but I expected something truly amazing... And it was barely readable! The pacing was all over the place, the story was messy and overall "Darkling" gave me a lovely combination of anger and boredom.
I am so so glad i haven't bought the sequel/companion.
Such a disappointment!
Maybe i have overhyped this book in my head a bit too much, but I expected something truly amazing... And it was barely readable! The pacing was all over the place, the story was messy and overall "Darkling" gave me a lovely combination of anger and boredom.
I am so so glad i haven't bought the sequel/companion.
February 10, 2023
This book just had me on my edge the entire time! It was so intense and totally didn't think it would be like it was.
November 11, 2021
I love this book. But the ending 😭
January 24, 2018
This book was absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed it every chance I got to sit down and read it. It was beautiful, dark, haunting, enchanting; and alluring. The pace of the story is absolutely perfect. It made me feel like a dust particle floating in some memory as everything plays out. Almost as if in her own confusion of time, I too lost time with the main character. The writing style created such beautiful and vivid imagery in my head that made reading this all the more pleasant. I am definitely glad I got this for Christmas.
February 10, 2018
3.5 stars, actually for me and my personal tastes
This is kind of a beauty and the beast retelling where a girl goes to sacrifice herself to a mysterious "dark creature" in a mansion (overgrown with roses) near her village and ends up having a strong emotional relationship with the creature instead.
Willow has a falconer best friend, a mysteriously absent adored older sister, and as the book starts, a mother who is dressing her for a "sacrifice." Willow lives in a village in the woods that has no sun...thus plants and herds are dying.
They think a mysterious forest creature is the cause of this, and have tried sacrificing animals, but now have upped the ante to humans. (And here begins the fuzziness that lead me to 3.5 stars despite the strong, compelling voice of Willow, our plucky narrator. The village is sacrificing her? Her parents go along with this after the mysterious loss of their other daughter? If the animals didn't work, why humans? If the mansion is so close, why haven't the hunters checked it out before?)
The dark creature turns out to be a tormented soul, and of course Willow must save him.
There's more fuzziness in the exact nature of what the darkling is, and how he controls his appearance, and how he is supposed to fight off the thing tormenting him. There's alot of creepiness in the way Willow goes around the house in constant danger, and most of the book is Willow and the darkling finding out about each other's histories.
But the biggest fuzziness for me was the darkling. He was very.....unsolid for me as a character. He kind of just reacted to Willow's demands and the tormentor's demands and had little say for himself other than explaining his backstory. And so for me the emotional connection between Willow and the darkling fell flat. I like beta heroes, but he was super-beta.
So not to my taste.
This is kind of a beauty and the beast retelling where a girl goes to sacrifice herself to a mysterious "dark creature" in a mansion (overgrown with roses) near her village and ends up having a strong emotional relationship with the creature instead.
Willow has a falconer best friend, a mysteriously absent adored older sister, and as the book starts, a mother who is dressing her for a "sacrifice." Willow lives in a village in the woods that has no sun...thus plants and herds are dying.
They think a mysterious forest creature is the cause of this, and have tried sacrificing animals, but now have upped the ante to humans. (And here begins the fuzziness that lead me to 3.5 stars despite the strong, compelling voice of Willow, our plucky narrator. The village is sacrificing her? Her parents go along with this after the mysterious loss of their other daughter? If the animals didn't work, why humans? If the mansion is so close, why haven't the hunters checked it out before?)
The dark creature turns out to be a tormented soul, and of course Willow must save him.
There's more fuzziness in the exact nature of what the darkling is, and how he controls his appearance, and how he is supposed to fight off the thing tormenting him. There's alot of creepiness in the way Willow goes around the house in constant danger, and most of the book is Willow and the darkling finding out about each other's histories.
But the biggest fuzziness for me was the darkling. He was very.....unsolid for me as a character. He kind of just reacted to Willow's demands and the tormentor's demands and had little say for himself other than explaining his backstory. And so for me the emotional connection between Willow and the darkling fell flat. I like beta heroes, but he was super-beta.
So not to my taste.
August 16, 2013
In her About the Author section, K.M. Rice divulges that Darkling was inspired by a dream. I found this to be both the novel's strength and weakness. On the one hand, it is incredibly imaginative and ranges widely from the grotesque to the romantic. On the other, the setting at times feels vague--not so much the main character's immediate surroundings but more so the World itself. I think I would have preferred it to start in a way akin to the Hunger Games, wherein you are given an immediate illustration of the world in which Katniss lives before she is whisked off to the games. It seems important to establish the foundation before building the (literal and figurative) house. But this was really my only complaint.
Willow is a strong female character--her immediate sacrifice of her freedom and safety makes her both likable and sympathetic. Tristan won me over with his kindness, sense of mystery, and good looks (as described). But the character I found most intriguing was definitely Victoria. So often, I have read a passionate love story that is either one-sided, or both people are equally madly in love with one another. But in this case, a man happens to be in love with a woman who is bat-shit crazy, at least for awhile. Her behavior absolutely fascinated me and the gothic nature her part of the story added made the book all the more delightful. I was amazed at how the novel could go from terrifying or viscerally disgusting one minute to grievous or sexy the next.
Darkling is a story of love (both romantic and familial), obsession, grief, sacrifice, and forgiveness, feeling at once fantastical and historical. How Rice fit so many themes into such a short book is beyond me, but I will certainly be anxiously awaiting her next project.
Willow is a strong female character--her immediate sacrifice of her freedom and safety makes her both likable and sympathetic. Tristan won me over with his kindness, sense of mystery, and good looks (as described). But the character I found most intriguing was definitely Victoria. So often, I have read a passionate love story that is either one-sided, or both people are equally madly in love with one another. But in this case, a man happens to be in love with a woman who is bat-shit crazy, at least for awhile. Her behavior absolutely fascinated me and the gothic nature her part of the story added made the book all the more delightful. I was amazed at how the novel could go from terrifying or viscerally disgusting one minute to grievous or sexy the next.
Darkling is a story of love (both romantic and familial), obsession, grief, sacrifice, and forgiveness, feeling at once fantastical and historical. How Rice fit so many themes into such a short book is beyond me, but I will certainly be anxiously awaiting her next project.
October 16, 2021
Visto che non c’è nessuna recensione in italiano… eccomi
Diciamocelo subito, è tutta colpa del titolo e della copertina, cioè... DARKLING, come potevo non leggerlo? in più pensavo che la ragazza nella copertina avesse i capelli bianchi… e niente, non supererò mai questa mia ossessione. (Leigh Bardugo è tutta colpa tua)
Comunque, mi aspettavo molto di più ma questa volta non è colpa mia, tutto ti lascia pensare che il genere per cui protende questo libro è il gotico/horror… e invece no, o meglio; all’inizio l'atmosfera gotica è molto presente (sacrifici nei boschi, carestia, il sole è scomparso e al suo posto c’è una perpetua oscurità). Poi dopo il quarto capitolo (più o meno) cambia… in peggio, e tutto perché conosciamo l’altro protagonista; Tristan, è a questo punto che il libro passa dall’essere un horror/gotico al diventare un romance. Almeno in ogni pagina la protagonista deve farci sapere che Tristan è bello, che ha dei bei occhi, zigomi perfetti…
Ma perché? C’era veramente questa necessità? Io non credo. Ma la cosa che mi ha fatto esasperare più di tutte è che Willow (la protagonista) si innamora in un minuto. Dannato insta love.
Raggiunta la metà del libro diventa noiosissimo, non ho smesso di leggerlo solo perché il libro è corto.
Quindi si, ho messo due stelle perché mi piace la copertina, il titolo e l’idea dietro la trama.
Diciamocelo subito, è tutta colpa del titolo e della copertina, cioè... DARKLING, come potevo non leggerlo? in più pensavo che la ragazza nella copertina avesse i capelli bianchi… e niente, non supererò mai questa mia ossessione. (Leigh Bardugo è tutta colpa tua)
Comunque, mi aspettavo molto di più ma questa volta non è colpa mia, tutto ti lascia pensare che il genere per cui protende questo libro è il gotico/horror… e invece no, o meglio; all’inizio l'atmosfera gotica è molto presente (sacrifici nei boschi, carestia, il sole è scomparso e al suo posto c’è una perpetua oscurità). Poi dopo il quarto capitolo (più o meno) cambia… in peggio, e tutto perché conosciamo l’altro protagonista; Tristan, è a questo punto che il libro passa dall’essere un horror/gotico al diventare un romance. Almeno in ogni pagina la protagonista deve farci sapere che Tristan è bello, che ha dei bei occhi, zigomi perfetti…
Ma perché? C’era veramente questa necessità? Io non credo. Ma la cosa che mi ha fatto esasperare più di tutte è che Willow (la protagonista) si innamora in un minuto. Dannato insta love.
Raggiunta la metà del libro diventa noiosissimo, non ho smesso di leggerlo solo perché il libro è corto.
Quindi si, ho messo due stelle perché mi piace la copertina, il titolo e l’idea dietro la trama.
September 14, 2015
This was a very compelling story in the beginning and I enjoyed the spookiness of the plot. I really like the characters in the world. The reader is introduced to a teenage girl who lives in a small poor village without any moderate conveniences. The back drop of the story is sun deprived village and noone knows why. They all remember having sunlight, flowers, animals, but the lack of sun destroys all the living things. Soon after this is established the plot is fastly moving on.
This book was kind of creepy and I was thinking I would need to read something lighter before bed. lol. However the book mellows out and the creep factor turns into a love story and its not as scary.
I will say the book is sort of simple and could use a little more depth but overall an interesting read.
This book was kind of creepy and I was thinking I would need to read something lighter before bed. lol. However the book mellows out and the creep factor turns into a love story and its not as scary.
I will say the book is sort of simple and could use a little more depth but overall an interesting read.
September 15, 2019
Oh boy this book started out so well. The Audiobook was amazing especially the song. But after a few chapters in the story took a big nosedive. Just with the answer to one question "Who is doing all this?" as soon as I found out I immediately became uninterested. I had 2 hours left and almost quit until I saw comments about the big twist. I never found the twist it was all pretty predictable and they mentioned one person near the end who was the cause and I was like.........who? So it was not set up very well for any kind of twist to occur. About the only thing I enjoyed about the book was the narrator and the spookiness of it all but overall a very predictable story and not well structured.
December 15, 2015
Wow, umm what can I a say other than wow. This book was so full of emotion and longing and written in such a good way that it made me sad with longing and teary with happiness. K.M Rice writes in a way that makes you forget that you have to actually eat, drink, and sleep. There is only the reading of the book that is important. That is how this book made me feel.
I found this book on a "dark fantasy" shelf and was thinking to myself, why? Then I got about a third in and realized why lol. There are times in this book that make you cry, a lot of times actually. This will definitely be going in my best reads in recent years pile that's for sure.
I found this book on a "dark fantasy" shelf and was thinking to myself, why? Then I got about a third in and realized why lol. There are times in this book that make you cry, a lot of times actually. This will definitely be going in my best reads in recent years pile that's for sure.
February 26, 2016
Gothic and Dark. I thought it was a pretty good read. Lots of emotions. Touches on relationships, abuse, love and death. For Young Adults I think this is a great read for them. There is horror and you get into the story. She does do a great job with the story the characters and the ending. I give 4 stars because there were some grammatical errors, which is quite an annoyance to me. Some things could have been explained more. And it wasn't as scary as everyone makes it out to be. Again, for Young Adults this would be great.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 84 reviews