Review: Overall Entertaining
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 3, 2012
The book begins with a discovery of a body, leading to more bodies, until Caylen, a young member of the Nomads, finds Logan, an injured man who has survived despite the odds. The mystery surrounding who he is, as well as his connection to Caylen and her mother, Nora, adds intrigue. About a third of the way through the book I started to wonder - where are they going, what is their destination and are they ever going to get there? It wasn't clear yet what their goal was and why they were on guard all the time.The second-third of the book take place in the town of Yorkton, where Logan is from, and Caylen quickly becomes swept up in the political posturing and plotting going on in town due to her heritage. Finally we learn about the Dark House, a place where the government tortures and imprisons citizens, basically according to whim. In my opinion this is where the book becomes interesting. I think the first part is important to set up the relationship between Caylen and Logan, as well as the mother/daughter relationship between Nora and Caylen, but I think there should have been more focus on the action in town.Dark Houses is billed as YA but I didn't get a particularly YA feel from it - it seems like the politics in play would appeal more to adults than teens. Caylen and Logan's relationship is complicated, and could possibly blossom into romance, but there's an element of mistrust that makes them an interesting pair. The "fish out of water" element with Caylen coming into the town, not dressing or speaking like the townspeople, makes her stand out and also helps to further establish that she is not a typical young woman. I really like her character - she's strong, a good shot with a bow, not afraid to confront or ask tough questions, and also quite caring and wants to champion the underdog.Overall I'd say this is an entertaining read. The strong female heroine is easy to rally behind, the plot moves along at a decent pace and the writing is nearly flawless. It's got kind of a medieval flavor to it, although it may be taking place in a post-societal world. Give it a shot if this sounds like it would be up your alley!(Review written by Kathy, a Literary R&R; book review blog team member)