Review: A Beautiful Evil (Gods & Monsters #2) by Kelly Keaton

Ari is back, and this time she seeks vengeance.

Title: A Beautiful Evil (Gods & Monsters #2) by Kelly Keaton
Pages: 285
Release Date: February 21st 2012
Published by: Simon Pulse
Source: Publisher (thanks Frances!)
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository


Summary:

Myth and mayhem inhabit a richly reimagined New Orleans in this sequel to Darkness Becomes Her.After the epic graveyard battle at the end of Darkness Becomes Her, Ari and her friends know what they’re up against: Ari is facing the Medusa curse and is haunted by the image of what she will become. To make matters worse, the heinous goddess Athena has kidnapped young Violet and is threatening to destroy Ari.

Ari, along with the superhot Sebastian, is doing everything she can to learn more about Athena and to get Violet back. But the battle of good and evil is bigger than she realizes, and she’s about to be pulled into a world more horrific than she could ever imagine....

If you think the Greek Gods are demented, then I take it you haven't met Athena?

World, meet a Goddess who has gone off the deep end. The Goddess of War, Athena. And she really does mean war.

Let me just say this: Athena is one disturbing Goddess. You read stories where Gods and Goddess are supposedly detached from a lot of things and emotions, but Athena just brings the word disturbing to a whole new level. She's cunning, cruel and pure evil inside out, but her character stayed true to being a Goddess of Warfare, Strategy and Culture, which unfortunately made her almost infallible. Almost, but not quite. I hated her for all the ways and means she can break down a person, and for all the holds she has on even the most powerful people in existence. She's the perfect antagonist, and she's a Goddess!

I loved Ari then, I loved her even more now. The true strength of Ari's character was brought out in A Beautiful Evil. She was broken and put back together in the most horrific and painful of ways. There was only suffering and despair waiting for her throughout the novel, so I can only imagine how strong she had to be mentally and emotionally to get through all of it. How she was able to endure the physical, emotional and mental assault of Athena was astounding and admirable, and just made her one of my most favorite heroine ever. Ari's the perfect blend of a kick-ass heroine who can also be emotional when she needs to. Ari doesn't pretend to be strong, in fact she spends quite a lot of time worrying about her powers, feeling lost and confused and fearing what Fate has in store for her when she turns twenty one. But she's persistent and she would do anything for those she loved, even if it means sacrificing herself. She knows how to fight back and she's not one to go down without a fight!

Ah, Sebastian... Sebastian. How can I describe you without letting out a sigh and swooning? His character finally unraveled in this book, and I am impressed with what I saw. Sweet, caring Sebastian who stayed by Ari's side even when he was fully aware what Ari is and will become. I loved his 'we'll face it together when the time comes' attitude and he's a steady force and a rock to lean on when Ari gets lost. One of the reasons I loath Athena in this book is seeing the way she manipulated and tortured everyone into the brink of death, robbing them of their choices to become what they want to, and that includes Sebastian. He went through A LOT for Ari and for New 2 and what he has become in the process makes me feel a little bit skeptical but then again, I loved this warlock-vampire from the first time I've read of him. Let's see what happens.

Ari has found great allies in this book, new and old and I loved all of them! Violet is making a comeback, and Henri is still his surly, French self. I want to see more of Menai, and a few Greek Gods and Goddess made appearances which gave the book more of a mythological feel to it. The few but heart warming scenes between Ari and her father, Therion, gave me a little bit of hope while reading through. It wasn't easy to continue reading especially when you think Athena is single handedly destroying everything and it all seemed like a big part of entertainment for her.

Once again, Kelly Keaton impressed me with the way she was able to blend bits and pieces of mythology to the present, making New 2 and GD a very fascinating backdrop against the war between the Gods and the monsters they have created. New Orleans was reinvented into a place where Gods walk among people, where the aftermath of destruction gave birth to an otherworldly place and bewitching inhabitants of all kinds, both dangerous and harmless, live alongside each other.

With epic battle scenes and countless fleeting romantic moments, Kelly mastered the craft of creating scenes where one moment I feel terrified and angry and sighing with love and contentment the next. Filled with explosive, heart stopping action scenes and numerous twists and turns that made me devour this book in a flash, A Beautiful Evil is a great follow up to Darkness Becomes Her. Characters you loved in Darkness you will love all the more in this sequel, and you will be wishing the characters you hated in the first book completely dead in this second book. Kelly Keaton re-invented mythologies and wrote a rich, captivating story the second time around! The first book was good, but the sequel is even better!

My rating:

Content (plot, story flow, character):

Visit a re-imagined New Orleans and prepare to be enthralled by the myth and the intrigue surrounding such a captivating place!

Stunning: Worthy of a Goddess' Praise!

Book Cover:

A Gorgon? It's Ari!

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

ARC Review: Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

What is up with books about Greek Mythology and why are they so good? This is the second book I have read this week that has Gods and Goddess in it and there's just something in them that makes it an irresistible, exhilarating read.

Title: Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton
Pages: 288
Release Date: February 22nd 2011
Published by: Simon Pulse
Source: Publisher
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

Darkness Becomes Her just took my breath away, literally.

Everyone, please welcome the newest kick-ass heroine in town, Ari. At last, after meeting a handful of Young Adult books heroines that are strong and can stand up on their own, Ari by far outshines all of them by a mile. She's frank, she's fierce, she's a fighter, and she protects those she loves with all she's got. She's not one to be pushed around, and Ari definitely would not take such a destructive destiny sitting down. She'll fight and she'll seek revenge for what has happened to her family. What I do not like about her? She curses. A lot. I don't think its necessary to do it to make the character look tough, but I gradually got used to it as I discover more about Ari.

Sebastian join the ranks of hot, brooding and silent type male leads who can pack a punch. Although Darkness Becomes Her's story mainly focuses on Ari, Sebastian's story is worth looking at as well. Like Ari, Sebastian is unique. Different. He is the only one of his kind in New 2, and he doesn't know what kind of threat he poses on the people around him because they don't know what he is. There's a lot more room for development of Sebastian's character as well as his back story, and I can't wait to read more about him.

I'm trying hard not to compare characters to those in other books, but I can't help but reminisce about Katniss and Rue's relationship in The Hunger Games trilogy reflected on Ari and Violet's. Of all the children that was with Ari and Sebastian at GD, Violet is by far the most interesting. I didn't know what to make out of her character, but Violet is intriguing. I'm guessing she will be part of the story more prominently in the next book, and I'm looking forward to it.

Just when I thought this was just another paranormal story with vampires, witches and shifters on it, I was presented with the Gods and Goddess story arc and I have to say that I'm impressed with how the story just seem to blend and incorporate all of these mythical elements and have them co-exist in one novel without one overpowering any parts needed to complete the story.

Also, I have to give Kelly Keaton a great pat in the back. Even with such an action packed novel, Kelly did not fail to create the perfect backdrop for the story, a devastated New Orleans, closed off to the rest of the United States. Reading the descriptions about every street, every corner of the ravaged city helps create a rich, wonderful setting for this dark book.

Darkness Becomes Her made me catch my breath a few times. You'll feel the adrenaline rush that comes along with the action packed scenes in almost every chapter. I was surprised with how well the plot developed and flowed smoothly even with action scenes peppered throughout the book. Darkness becomes her's got all the necessary ingredients to make a breath-taking book. It's got a healthy amount of action, great story arc and vibrant characters!

My rating:

Content (plot, story flow, character):

Stunning: Worthy of a Goddess' Praise!

Book Cover:

Book cover crush alert! Have you all seen what the hardcover looks like? It's beautiful!