Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

Darkness Becomes Her

Kelly Keaton

288 pages

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: February 22nd, 2011

Source: Publisher

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.

    From its gorgeously dark cover to the mysteriously dark summary, Darkness Becomes Her is undoubtedly a must-read debut. I loved the premise of the story, the characters, and the dark, easy to picture setting.


    Young-adult debut author Kelly Keaton weaves a dark tale with ancient Greek mythology and a futuristic, rebuilt New Orleans. The main character, Ari Selkirk, is not your typical female protagonist. For one thing, her hair is silvery-white, her eyes teal, but what really makes her different from your typical female protagonist - she carries a pistol and a wicked blade.


    I would have given Darkness Becomes Her a full 5 stars for all the awesome that it was. What disturbed me from the very first pages and onto the very last...was the language. There were a lot of bad words, too many for my liking. But if you can ignore all the curse-words, you're in for an unforgettable story.

    The story begins with seventeen year old Ari trying to find out more about her mother and why she killed herself at the young age of 21. Her search brings her to the mental center her mother spent the last few days of her life in. She gathers her mother's belongings from the asylum and heads to her hotel room. When she finally brings herself to open the light shoebox holding her mother's belongings, she doesn't find much more than a letter and a few small possessions.


    The letter is what starts it all. It doesn't say much, except that Ari should run. Run and don't trust anyone. She immediately leaves the hotel and climbs into her car to read a second letter. She catches movement in her side mirror. They're already after her. Already trying to kill her. But why?

    Ari ends up in New 2, the new New Orleans, which no longer belongs to the United States, where all freaks live and supernatural sightings occur. She's on an incredible journey, a journey you just can't miss.

-Would I recommend this to anyone? Probably ages 14 and up
-Is there a second book? Yes
-Will I be looking forward to book two? Definitely

Personally, I like covers without models. Some are pretty, but sometimes they throw me off. I love this cover. It's dark and haunting, much like the book.