Published by Simon Pulse
Released February 22, 2011
288 pages
Where I got it: Public library
Rating: 4 stars

Ari has never known her family.  She seeks out her maternal history at the mental health facility where her mother was put away, only to find out that her mother killed herself soon after being admitted.  Ari isn’t looking just out of curiosity: she’s searching for the reasons why she’s so different.  Her hair is long and moon-white, and her eyes are a strange teal color.  Ari decides to search for answers in New 2, the dangerous, rebuilt city of New Orleans, sold to nine private families by the U.S. government following a series of catastrophic hurricanes.  There she meets a cast of odd but charming characters, and tries to learn who, and what, she really is.

Darkness Becomes Her is a dark, Southern Gothic story with a Greek twist.  I love paranormal novels that take place in New Orleans, so I knew that this book would be a must-read for me.  It pulls you in immediately: from the first scene I wanted to know more about Ari and the reason why her mother committed suicide while institutionalized.  Throw in a random assassin, and the story is rolling.

I did think that the first half of this book was stronger than the second, however.  I love the intrigue, and the introduction to new characters and new worlds.  I was a bit disappointed with the Greek mythology turn, but hey, it’s not my story so I can’t really complain.  The romance between Ari and Sebastian also seemed really sudden.  Even with those minor negative points, I still had a fun time reading this book, and devoured it in one day.  It’s a must-read for fans of YA paranormal fiction.