The Deepest Night (The Sweetest Dark #2)
by Shana Abe
Summary: A rich portrait of post-Victorian England, The Deepest Night seamlessly blends thrilling romance with riveting history and adventure—perfect for fans of Libba Bray and Lauren Kate.
It’s 1915, and sixteen-year-old Lora Jones is finishing up her first year as a charity student at Iverson, a prestigious, gothic boarding school on England’s southern coast. While she’s always felt different from everyone around her, now she finally knows why: She is a drákon, a rare, enchanted being with astonishing magical abilities.
As war hits Britain’s shores, and Lora reels from an unimaginable loss, she finds that her powers come with grave and dangerous responsibilities. At the request of Armand Louis, the darkly mysterious boy whose father owns Iverson, Lora will spend her summer at his lavish estate. To help the war effort—and to keep Lora by his side—Armand turns his home into a military hospital, where Lora will serve as a nurse. For Armand is inescapably drawn to her—bound to her by heart-deep secrets and a supernatural connection that runs thicker than blood.
Yet while Lora tries to sort out her own feelings toward Armand, fate offers an unexpected surprise. Lora discovers there is another drákon, a prisoner of war being held in Germany. And that only she, with her newly honed Gifts, will be able to rescue him.
With Armand, Lora will cross enemy lines on an incredible mission—one that could bond her to Armand forever, or irrevocably tear them apart.
Beautifully written, deeply romantic, and filled with daring adventure and magic, The Deepest Night is a mesmerizing novel of the enduring pull of destiny, and the eternal strength of love.
Source: Netgalley
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Review:
There are not enough words to convey how much I love this series. I cannot begin to do the series justice in any review. It is such a beautifully written story that has elements of fantasy, romance, and history blended together in a flawless way.
I wasn’t sure where the series would go after the events of The Sweetest Dark. Everything was turned upside down and I didn’t know how it would affect Lora. I love her character. Her backstory is incredibly interesting and, until meeting Armand, she was the only person of her kind that she knew. She was an outcast in just about every way. I did not like Armand all that much in The Sweetest Dark. I remember being terrified that the story would become a love triangle, what with Armand being a dragon like Lora and his determination to woo her. Fortunately, his character grew on me throughout the book and I liked him a lot in this sequel. I loved the way his bond with Lora grew. I felt like their connection was deep and meaningful, as both of them were complex characters who were more than what they appeared to be. T
he Deepest Night was full of adventure and action. Armand and Lora were injured, in danger, and desperate many times, but they had an important mission and they kept going through it all. I loved the way the dragon plot collided with the historical events of the time period the novel was set in. I absolutely love the dragon fantasy aspects of the novel because I rarely encounter books with dragons anymore and certainly none with dragon shifters. The way they turn from person to dragon and sometimes to smoke is quite a unique idea and I think the uniqueness of the fantasy plot sets it apart from other paranormal fantasy novels.
Most importantly, the book was very well written. The language just flowed off the page and enchanted me instantly. The writing is my favorite part about the story. It’s hauntingly romantic, sad, beautiful, hopeful, and terrifying all at once. And so are the characters. I think this series stands separately from other YA fantasies because of the rich writing and elegance. But if it sounds like it’s too serious and deep, it has it’s hilarious moments, too. Armand and Lora had a wonderfully sarcastic relationship and their witty retorts were enjoyable.
I highly recommend the series and The Deepest Night was even better than The Sweetest Dark. If you love paranormal books, you will love this one, even if you typically don’t like YA. And if you love YA, then you’ll love this, too, because it’s beautiful. I can’t imagine anyone not loving this story.
**The summary mentions that these books are perfect for fans of Lauren Kate. Please do not take that to mean that these books are YA love triangles. I'm not the biggest fan of Lauren Kate because I find her novels to be epic ideas with teenage executions and The Sweetest Dark series is in NO WAY similar in that respect.**
Labels: Fantasy, paranormal romance, Review, YA
