Review: Some fun Buffy similarities but an immature protagonist and the worst case of insta-love all year
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 08 30, 2013
The best moments of DARKER DAYS, the first book in Jus Accardo's The Darker Agency, are like an early episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with snappy one-liners, balancing supernatural smackdowns with homework, and impossible romance. The weaker moments, however, are a little more prevalent and reveal Jessie's grating immaturity and the worst case of insta-love I've read all year.Mom and daughter supernatural P.I. business? Sounds like a mix between Buffy and Veronica Mars, how awesome would that be? DARKER DAYS may have the premise down, and even the particular case which involves tracking down and capturing the seven deadly sins that have possessed innocent people, but the characters and tone are a miss. Jessie, in particular, was irritatingly bossy and flippant. She makes rash decisions and talks constantly, not the most appealing mix, but the romantic lead is immediately captivated. And when I say immediately, I mean it.Insta-love. Does anyone like it? Why do we see it over and over again in YA? In this case, they are dropping the L word in four days! And these aren't spend-all-day-talking-and-sharing-our-souls days. They are filled with school and sleuthing and fighting demons and learning HUGE secrets about each other. As the start of a series, why couldn't this romance be given time to breath and develop gradually? If only.There is some fun to be had in DARKER DAYS due to the entertaining premise and basic plot. This could have been a much better book if the romance was more realistically portrayed and Jessie's personality toned down a notch or two. Hopefully, the next book in The Darker Agency series will find a better balance.Sexual Content:Kissing