The Sweetest Dark
Abe’s YA debut takes place in 1915 England in the same alternate world as her adult paranormal romances about the drákon, beings who can shift forms from human to smoke to dragon. After being committed to a mental institution for almost a year, 16-year-old Lora has learned to ignore the voices and music only she can hear. After her Dickensian orphanage is bombed, she is inexplicably invited to become a charity student at Iverson, a wealthy coastal boarding school. The high-society students are disdainful, but she captures the attention of two very different (but equally mesmerizing) boys: Jesse, the gentle school groundskeeper, and Armand, the arrogant aristocrat, both of whom are key in unlocking Lora’s drákon powers. A sudden side plot involving a German air raid at Iverson is unconvincing, and the supernatural elements, particularly Jesse’s powers as a “starman,” are mystifying though intriguing. Abe has more success when focused on Lora’s starry-eyed romance with Jesse, related in gossamer, leisurely prose. This will appeal most to fans of ardent but gentle romance. Grades 9-12. --Krista Hutley