Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber review

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

Egalley thanks to Sourcebooks Fire


Synopsis from Goodreads
The Picture of Dorian Gray meets Pride and Prejudice, with a dash of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing...

Jonathan Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul.
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As I was reading this book I couldn't shake off the feeling of familiarity. The voice very much reminds me of Bram Stoker's Dracula.



Beautiful Gothic novel, full of charm and eery events. Natalie's descriptions of what's happening around her create a unique atmosphere....

A beautiful young man trapped in a portrait, an evil demon stalking the darkest alleys of New York and killing prostitutes, empty corridors of the Metropolitan Museum, secret societies, arcane knowledge and a sense of urgency in deciphering a puzzle of Jonathan Denbury's curse, - Leanna has certainly written one of a kind YA novel.

Jonathan and Natalie are very sweet together, and Natalie is definitely not your average girl. She is brave, smart and very resourceful.

Because of the nature of the book, it's a slow read. I kept putting it away to read something different, but in the end I was enormously glad I didn't give up on this book. It's well worth it.

* * *

Красивый готический роман, которыми славится Леанна. Очень мне его голос напомнил Дракулу Брэма Стокера в перемежку с Портретом Дориана Грэя.

Из Джонатана и Натали вышла славная пара, книга наполнена дневниками немой девушки, мистикой, пустыми коридорами Музея Метрополитэна, грязными аллеями Нью-Йорка, демоном, убивающим проституток, спиритуализмом, тайными знаниями и секретными сообществами, а акже погующими кошмарами Натали.

Из-за своеобразного слога книга читается медленно, отрывками, но не спешите её бросать, концовка стоит того, что довести её до конца.

8.5/10