Dark Heart Forever (Dark Heart #1)-Lee Monroe
Grade: YA
Rating: 4/5 stars
Jane Jonas is nearing her 16th birthday and troubled by unsettling recurring dreams where the same mysterious boy her age comes to her, telling Jane that they are each other's destiny. Her mother is increasingly anxious about Jane's disruptive sleepwalking episodes, but for Jane her dream world and reality are about to collide ...
When she develops a friendship with an enigmatic stranger in town, the blond, uber-cool Evan, it's exciting, it's new, and Jane wants him more than she's ever wanted anybody - until her mystery dream boy gets in the way.
Now Jane is caught between two worlds: one familiar, but tinged with romance and excitement; the other dark and dangerous, where angels, werewolves, and an irresistible stranger are trying to seduce her ...
~ * ~ * ~
I want to start off by saying that ‘Dark Heart Forever’ was a book I really needed last weekend. I was in the mood for something fun and I didn’t know what to expect from it, but the simplicity of it, the mystery, the romance! It was exactly what I needed and I just adored losing myself in such an enjoyable story.
‘Dark Heart Forever’ is definitely a romance novel. Jane spends a lot of the book trying to work out her feelings for Evan and Luca and boy does she have a tough choice. I have to say I was torn at the start. Luca’s this mysterious dream guy who seems to understand Jane without any effort and who comforts her and makes her feel safe and loved. But Evan’s Australian and also gives Jane shivers with just a look. I’ll admit I was swayed a bit by Evan’s nationality. Got to love an Aussie (or they might kick me out of the country). But Luca is more suited for Jane, and I loved him just a bit more than Evan, especially towards the end. I love that he wasn’t pushy; that he was gentle and kind. And while jealous at times, yes; he was willing to step aside if Jane’s preference was Evan.
I love the worlds Monroe has created; the idea that there are other realms in existence travelling parallel to ours that contain supernatural beings, beings that can travel to the human world at will; it just made things more interesting. I found that even though I wasn’t physically jumping between worlds, Jane and Luca’s favourite spot (the Water Path), had a calming effect on me. It made me feel like I was really there.
I really enjoyed all the opposing scenes throughout the book. We’d see Jane interacting with Luca and notice how free she could be discussing her dreams and the supernatural world; and then be thrown back into the human world with Evan and her family and normal human situations, like dates, shopping and driving lessons. I particularly liked seeing the different “meet the parents” scenes. Evan coming over for lunch and being all charming with Jane’s family followed shortly by Jane’s lunch with Luca’s family. This constant back and forth between the two paths Jane could take made the story really interesting.
My only issue is with the dialogue. At times, the words seemed very formal. I understand why Luca is not with-the-times in terms of slang and relaxed conversation, being that he comes from a world that appears to be a lot more traditional and contained. But Jane, despite her lack of social skills and limited use technology would still have experienced casual conversations, so her falling into a structured speech pattern was a little strange. But not enough to turn me off the story.
Looking forward to seeing what happens to Jane next.
4/5 stars
Kim
(Originally posted on Goodreads)
0 comments:
Post a Comment