Title: Dark Kiss
Author: Michelle Rowen
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication date: May 29th 2012
Source: NetGalley
My rating: 2 stars
After
reading several glowing reviews for Dark Kiss, I decided spur of the moment to
make a last minute request, I was hoping to find a fun adventurous read full
with snarky and enigmatic characters. But unfortunately Dark Kiss fell a long
way short from my expectations.
Out
one night in the up and coming club Crave with her best friend Carly, Sam’s
unexpectedly approached by Stephen, she’s had crush on him for as long as she
can remember, she always knew she never had a chance with him, he was hot and
hung round with the popular crowd, so it comes as a bit of a surprise when she
spots him in the club when he should be away in college and he insists on
talking to her in private. However what was meant to be a chat turns out into a
full blown make out session. And then to top it off he just leaves her there
referring her to as a kid and with no explanation what so ever.
The
next few days get weirder by the minute; Sam finds guys are paying attention to
her more than usual, even her best friend’s ex-boyfriend! She also finds that she’s
constantly hungry all the time and nothing can quench her appetite. Then she
bumps into Bishop, a guy so confused he has no idea what’s going on, just that
he has to complete some sort of mission. Also when Sam touches him there’s this
sort of spark between them. Sam can also see these “bright lights” that Bishop
was meant to see. So they decide to help each other out, Sam will lead Bishop
to each “bright light” she comes across and he will help her get down to the
bottom of her problem.
What
I enjoyed about Dark Kiss.
Kraven
(Bishop’s brother) a demon badass and probably the funniest character in the
entire book. He was a proper wind-up merchant, always had a witty, snarky come
back, and knew how to get under your skin. Even though Kraven was meant to be
the “bad guy” as he was a demon we didn’t get to see much of that side. I think
I would have liked to see more of a darker side to him.
Bishop;
he was so adorable, he fell down to earth all confused with no idea how to
complete his mission. He was always dedicated even though he was completely
weak most of the time. I also loved the banter between him and Kraven.
What
I didn’t enjoy;
The
forbidden relationship between Bishop and Sam felt like insta-love. As soon as
Sam saw him she just knew he was the one. I understand that she couldn’t be apart
from him as her touch helped Bishop clear his thoughts, but the constant
brooding about him really began to irritate me.
The
meant to be surprises didn’t feel like surprises at all, I was able to guess
what was going to happen before it actually did and so Dark Kiss wasn’t really
an enthralling read as I’d hoped it would be. By the second half of this book,
I felt I was just reading for the sake of reading, the initial enjoyment I had
started off with had quickly disappeared and it soon became a draining read.
The
amount of times someone referred to Sam as “special” without any elaboration as
to why she was special made me want to thump someone.
By the end of the book Kraven and Bishop hugely reminded me of Stefan and Damon from the Vampire Diaries.
So
overall Dark Kiss was not my cup of tea, however I think I may be in the
minority as most people I know thoroughly enjoyed this book. So don’t let my
review put you off from reading it. I know dedicated fans of paranormal romance
would love this.
I agree with all your points, Jasprit. I personally wasn't a fan of this book either. The instant love annoyed the heck out of me and Sam was a bland character according to me. Like you, I did enjoy Kraven, but I was sad to see his demonic side was not detailed.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Jasprit. You made some very good points.
It's a shame this wasn't really your cup of tea. I felt the same way for the exact reasons Nick just mentioned. Great review! =)
ReplyDeleteAww, it seems this book is maybe not so awesome as it looks. I'll give it a try, but I definitely won't go in with high expectations. I think when I read it the character I'll look forward to the most is Kraven. ;) Wonderful review, Jasprit. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry you didn't enjoy this one Jasprit! I'm surprised it's been getting such raving reviews though! I know for a fact that I hate when a novel is predictable and insta-love has gotten so old, so I know exactly what you mean! I think this is one paranormal romance I'll definitely be skipping, so thanks for the insightful review Jasprit! :D
ReplyDelete~Keertana
Ivy Book Bindings
I'm sorry this didn't met your expectation Jasprit. Kraven and Bishop do sounds like awesome and fun characters though. I'm still giving this a try but I guess I'll be a little cautious and wouldn't put too much expectations. Great review! :)
ReplyDeleteBummer you didn't like this one that much. I'm still excited to check it out as I HAVE heard mostly good things, and I really just want to meet this Kraven. He sounds hilarious!
ReplyDelete-Lauren
Sorry this book was not as enthralling as you would like. I enjoyed reading your negatory and truthful review. I also would probably be annoyed by repetitive "special" reminders. Fabulous review Jasprit!
ReplyDeleteI'm seen too many negative reviews for this book to want to read it now. :( I hate leaving NetGalley books to rot, but it looks like that might happen here. Kraven does sounds like a very entertaining character but it's a shame the rest is so disappointing. Lovely review, Jasprit!
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame; I've seen so many negative reviews, that I'm a bit hesistant to start reading this one :( And the blurb sounds so great and I like the cover. Oh well.. I think I'll go to the libary for this one, just to take a peek inside ^^ Thanks for your honest, great review!
ReplyDeleteKraven WAS the best part of this book, wasn't he?? I seriously wanted to jump into this book just to jump HIM! x) LOL and Bishop was really sweet too, and the brotherly banter was a definite plus. And oh my gosh, I though of Stefan and Damon from TVD TV show too!!! Which, of course, means I'm rooting for the Damon/Kraven side of the table LOL... :')
ReplyDeleteBut still, wonderful review, J! I'm sorry you didn't like this one as much as I did, but I'm glad you didn't completely hate it ;) <3
I've had this one on my TBR for a while now, i like your review it's very honest. I'd still like to read the book and see how i'll feel towards the story.
ReplyDeleteFrom the 'SPECIAL' heroine to the insta-love, this novel sounds like every other YA paranormal romance out there. Stefan and Damon from Vampire Diaries? Yah, I have a feeling this won't be my cup of tea either.
ReplyDeleteLovely review, Jasprit. :) I admire your honesty, even though your going against the grain with this one.