Review - The Dark Heroine By Abigail Gibbs

"One moment can change your life forever…

For Violet Lee, a chance encounter on a darkened street draws her into a world beyond her wildest imaginings, a timeless place of vast elegance and immeasurable wealth – of beautiful mansions and lavish parties – where a decadent group of friends live for pleasure alone. A place from which there is no escape… no matter how hard Violet tries.

Yet all the riches in the world can’t mask the darkness that lies beneath the gilded surface, embodied in the charismatic but dangerous Kaspar Varn.

Violet and Kaspar surrender to a passion that transcends their separate worlds – but it’s a passion that comes at a price…" taken from Goodreads

The first I actually saw of this book was in a tweet from DarkReaders, saying they had been sent a copy and were loving it.  A few days later I got an email telling me about the release and wondering if I would like to review it.  After a very brief conversation with Casey over at DR I was advised to say a HELL YES!!

The cover is very cool.  Understated, but effective.  I love the key details like the bite marks.  I think maybe more elegant writing would have been better for the title though.

This has to have one of the most exhilarating starts to a book ever.  Seriously so much happens and not at all pretty I have to say.  I was pulled in straight away and was desperate to know more.  The writing is so incredibly descriptive and vivid that it was so easy to paint the picture of what was happening.  This could be helped slightly by the use of very local locations for me, being used in the book.  I read Rochester and had a little excited dance (I don't get out often obviously)

The story shifts incredibly quickly that kept me on my toes.  In just a few pages I read Creepy stuff, sexy stuff and down right sinister stuff.  It was done in a way that flowed well though, so didn't feel out of place or anything.

I found some of the wording to be very 'Americanised' which I found strange seeing as it was a London / Kent set book.  I can't say I hear people saying words like 'Jerk' or 'News Anchor' very often.

The thing that surprises me so much with this book is the fact that the author was just 15 when she started to write this book.  There are things that happen in this story that I barely know now let alone back in my teens.  Its a real eye opener!

Although Kaspar is the lead male character, I found him particularly annoying and not all that appealing.  His constant nickname for Violet was a HUGE turn off too.  I really wouldn't find it attractive to be called that all the time.  His character does mellow somewhat, but I don't know if the damage had already been done for me as a reader?  I guess I will know more in the next book.

This book takes some really intriguing twists that makes it very absorbing.  Its so addictive that it had me constantly saying just one more chapter.

Rating 4 Out Of 5

Published In The UK By Harper Voyager

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from good book retailers