Bel Reviews: Kelly Keaton's - "God and Monsters 1 & 2"
I was looking aimlessly through the library shelves again when I came upon two books by Kelly Keaton. I was gripped by the covers. They are beautiful with their serpent-like overlays and purple, black and white colour schemes.
Darkness Becomes Her has a blonde female face with vivid green eyes glaring out from it. A Beautiful Evil has the back of a blonde woman’s head and shoulders; her hair is morphing into a snake.
Darkness Becomes Her
Ari has always stood out with her silver hair and teal-coloured eyes. After 13 years in the foster care system, Aristanae Selkirk finally catches a break on finding her birth mother. Life for 17 year old Ari is suddenly pulled into razor-sharp focus when she is handed the box containing the personal effects of her deceased Mum. Inside she finds a letter telling her to run.
Upon further sleuthing the trail leads to New 2; the now privately owned New Orleans. As luck would have it she finds a group of misfit kids, not unlike her, and her new friends will do anything to help Ari and make her feel at home.
Will Ari find the answers she is looking for before the evil her mother told her to run from, catches up with her? Can Ari handle the truth of her family heritage? What will she do next?
A Beautiful Evil
Ari has answers to her questions, but its lead to some unwelcome outcomes. Now it’s up to her to fight to bring back the youngest of her friends and
overpower the person responsible for wiping out New Orleans 13 years ago.
Will the Novem stand together to help her in her quest, or will they turn their backs on what she will become?
Aspects of this alternate reality book cut a little close to our reality with the destruction of New Orleans and the political powers of the time not really working as hard as they could to rebuild it. Though in this reality, the Novem Council of nine rich families (made up of shape shifters, witches and vampires) have bought the place from the government and have worked at creating a haven for those not of the norm.
There are many strong points to enjoy, including the supernatural themes and a pleasant twist found in Ari’s family tree that I won’t ruin for you. The romance is smouldering, the action is quick and well-staged and the bad guys are monstrous.
Give Ari a chance. She kicks ass, even when she’s got every reason to curl up and hide from the world.
If you like Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series you will adore Kelly Keaton’s spin on New Orleans.
Kelly also writes the adult fantasy Charlie Madigan series under the pen name Kelly Gay.
Darkness Becomes Her (Gods & Monsters #1)
Paperback, 273 pages
Published June 9th 2011 by Simon & Schuster Ltd (first published February 22nd 2011)
ISBN 0857071459 (ISBN13: 9780857071453)
A Beautiful Evil (Gods & Monsters #2)
Paperback, 288 pages
Published February 2nd 2012 by Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
ISBN 0857074091 (ISBN13: 9780857074096)
