"Dark Heart Forever" ReviewI have decided to write a review on a book I have just read. *contains spoilers*
The official sypnosis of the book is:
"Jane Jonas is nearing her 16th birthday and troubled by unsettling recurring dreams where the same mysterious boy her age comes to her, telling Jane that they are each other's destiny. Her mother is increasingly anxious about Jane's disruptive sleepwalking episodes, but for Jane her dream world and reality are about to collide ...
When she develops a friendship with an enigmatic stranger in town, the blond, uber-cool Evan, it's exciting, it's new, and Jane wants him more than she's ever wanted anybody - until her mystery dream boy gets in the way.
Now Jane is caught between two worlds: one familiar, but tinged with romance and excitement; the other dark and dangerous, where angels, werewolves, and an irresistible stranger are trying to seduce her ..."
I had a lot of trouble with the narrative because it jumps into the story without a back story at all. I expected some flesh to Luca's storyline (how long had she been having these dreams? What happened in the dreams?) but there was nothing. In it's entirety, the narrative just left me confused. i also found that in the sypnosis "Jane Jonas is nearing her 16th birthday" can be slightly misleading because the reader would hink that the character is 15 in the duration of the book whereas in fact she turns 16 in one of the very first chapters.
Luca started appearing in her real life almost instantly but we never saw that he was in her dreams. I was confused as to if he was in her real life and no one could see him or if she was in a dream when she saw him. I had no back story on Jane either, aside from the apparently fundamental 'I'm a freak' thread that so many YA authors fall into the trap of. Usually I can go along with it but I found it startlingly painful to digest in Dark Heart Forever.
Jane mentions several times outright that she is a freak and that she was terribly bullied, but aside from the fact that she doesn't dress well, I see little to support this fact. True, she could be bullied for that but I feel the point was overdone. It was a typical 'downplay the girl to make it even more miraculous that the boy wants her in her eyes, but she's actually beautiful anyway', which leads me to the point about her hair. At least twice her "long glossy hair" was mentioned as her redeeming factor. For someone who claims to not care much for her appearance, her vanity is obvious here.
I couldn't believe how these two boys were suddenly 'in love' with her when she had just met them both, but this thread was dealt with on Evan's side - he wasn't - and Luca knew her in his dreams (I guess he had got to know her a bit) so it wasn't much of a shock that he loves her.
Luca, our male lead was gentle and sweet - he really couldn't bring himself to hurt anyone or anything. A lot of times in YA books the male leads are emo jerks and it was refreshing that Luca was the complete opposite of that. I liked Jane's family (Her little sister "Dot" is adorable!), I liked meeting Luca's family as well ( I just wanted to hit his younger brother Lowe at times!!!).
Jane doesn't end up with whom you think she does right at the beginning - far from it. When you read a book nowadays you can tell almost instantly whom our main character will choose; It wasn't like that in Dark Heart Forever, but It seemed like she used both of the boys when the other wasn't around, to fill the gap. She accepts Luca's world without a second thought, barely questioning it, which did not seem entirely realistic. Maybe this young novel could grow into something amazing. We need a brilliant British paranormal YA series in the bookworld.
Overall I like the book but it could have been better in some places.
I have given the rating 3/5 stars.
Sorry Lee Monroe!
