Review: Good paranormal YA read!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 15, 2013
******3.5 stars*****As a fan of the Denazen series, I was really looking forward to this latest YA series by Jus Accardo.  She's brilliant with plot twists and original storylines, and I loved Dez and Kale, so I went into this expecting nothing less. Again, she's created something unlike anything I've every come across with this unique supernatural world, and she kept me guessing right to the end. Was I blown away by this first installment of the Darker Agency series?  Not like I'd hoped.  But it was definitely a unique and action-packed story that left me intrigued!Jessie was most definitely not your typical teen; working with her mom at the Darker Agency solving cases about everything from stolen objects to pool-hopping zombies, she lives a crazy and often dangerous life outside of high school.  But when hottie-with-an-attitude Lukas Scott comes knocking on their door, asking for help finding a missing box and locating the seven deadly sins that it housed, things officially got strange...even for her.  The sins had been released and were running amok, ready to leave utter chaos in their wake until they were recalled into the box in 5 days.  Lukas had firsthand knowledge of the box and its inhabitants, seeing as how a witch had bound him to Wrath all those years ago.  But there was more to him than he was willing to admit, and as he and Jessie worked together trying to get control of the seriously pesky sin-possessed, he morphed into this strong and devoted hero that was so easy to love.  He beat himself up for his past but wanted freedom from the ties of the sins and the box, especially when he finally had something worth fighting for in Jessie.I really liked Jessie and Lukas together, even if their relationship was a bit insta-love. Given the situation for him, it made sense that when he'd finally found someone to make him feel that strongly, he'd pounce on it.  Yes, it could have been toned down a bit, but it made my heart happy seeing Lukas being so very human. He and Jessie seemed destined for an unhappy ending throughout this whole story, and I hated that for him.  But Jus Accardo keeps you on your toes as always, and twist after twist had Jessie falling deeper into a dark and twisted world.  I'm very nervous about where this will lead her as the series goes on, because things could get very ugly for the Darker gals!There were moments as I was reading where some of the narration and dialogue lacked the polished feel I'd hoped for.  Jessie had several quirky slang phrases that are repeated quite often, and I didn't feel like there was a lot of personality that came out through the conversations the characters had.  But overall, Jessie was a strong and clever heroine to Lukas' determined hero, and this was a fun thrill-ride that I enjoyed escaping into!Quotes:It was silly, really--my issue with zombies.  They were generally harmless.  More annoying than anything else.  That whole thing about eating brains and craving flesh? Bunch of crap.  Zombies smelled bad. They had that whole creeptastic, stare-right-through-you thing going on. ~p. 7Unfortunately, I'd overdone the jump.  Sailing over the grill--that was my plan.  Crashing through the wooden fence and hitting the ground hard enough to knock a few teeth loose--not so much. ~p. 11Lukas tilted his head back, watching the sky for a moment.  Fine by me.  This presented the opportunity to give him a nice, long, appreciative once over.  That Meredith girl must have been nuts.  I don't know what the standards for hot were in 1882, but in 2013, Lukas was serious real estate. ~ p. 80