lakecake's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really interesting paranormal mystery and a very good (albeit very chaste) romance as well. The characters are well-developed, the setting feels legitimate, and the story is compelling. It's a series, with the next book coming this November, I believe, but you could easily end with this one and not read the rest if you'd like.
decafplease's review
3.0
The writing was satisfactory, the plot predictable. Somehow Oscar Wilde seemed wasted as an inspiration. I admit I was fascinated with the element of elective mutism in the protagonist's profile, but again, it was a novel idea that dwindled over time and became superfluous and even somewhat irritable. After making it such a dominant trait of the protagonist, she just decided that she would start speaking one day all of a sudden. What's up with that?!
tjasap's review
5.0
This was an amazing story...I coudnt put it down...it was scary at the times. I loved Natalie, she was strong and she was fearless :)
It ends with you wanting more...to know more..to maybe experience more of the book...
Sooo...I cant wait for the second book :)
It ends with you wanting more...to know more..to maybe experience more of the book...
Sooo...I cant wait for the second book :)
bookishnicole's review
4.0
I really liked the concept of this book. The whole idea behind someone being trapped in a picture frame was really great because of how it paralleled with the idea that photographs could steal your soul when they first come to light. I also really liked that it reminded me of the Season One Charmed episode where Prue is appraising a painting that has people stuck in it.
I really enjoyed Natalie and how she struggled with her muteness. I was a little curious how they were going to include her in dialogue at first, but Hieber does a great job in adding the signing that Natalie and Evelyn use to communicate. Within that bond, I love how Evelyn seemed to become like a surrogate mother to Natalie in the absence of her own mother.
As a historian, I appreciated being brought into this wonderful age of Manhattan with the carriages and the beautiful ornate dresses. As I was reading this, I kept thinking that this was the perfect holdover until I get to the next Something Strange and Deadly book. All of the mysticism and the wonderful dresses and strong females, I loved it.
I loved how strong Natalies voice was when it came to trying to figure out what got Lord Denbury stuck in the image and how she wasn't afraid to fight back against the bad guy in this book. I love how she tried to make new friends and how she did her best. I enjoyed this book a lot.
I really enjoyed Natalie and how she struggled with her muteness. I was a little curious how they were going to include her in dialogue at first, but Hieber does a great job in adding the signing that Natalie and Evelyn use to communicate. Within that bond, I love how Evelyn seemed to become like a surrogate mother to Natalie in the absence of her own mother.
As a historian, I appreciated being brought into this wonderful age of Manhattan with the carriages and the beautiful ornate dresses. As I was reading this, I kept thinking that this was the perfect holdover until I get to the next Something Strange and Deadly book. All of the mysticism and the wonderful dresses and strong females, I loved it.
I loved how strong Natalies voice was when it came to trying to figure out what got Lord Denbury stuck in the image and how she wasn't afraid to fight back against the bad guy in this book. I love how she tried to make new friends and how she did her best. I enjoyed this book a lot.
amarylissw's review
1.0
With a very interesting premise and a good beginning, I thought this was going to be a nice read. Yeah, I was disappointed.
We quickly descend into . . . well, how do you describe it? Shallow? Yeah, that'll work. So we quickly descend into this very shallow romance — seriously. So disappointing.
And maybe it's just me, but I just stopped caring around halfway through and flipped my way through the rest of the book rather quickly.
We quickly descend into . . . well, how do you describe it? Shallow? Yeah, that'll work. So we quickly descend into this very shallow romance — seriously. So disappointing.
And maybe it's just me, but I just stopped caring around halfway through and flipped my way through the rest of the book rather quickly.
onceuponasarah's review
3.0
I was a little disappointed truthfully. The writing was a little bland. It was just ok, but still a worthwhile read.
katherina_lei's review
3.0
This book was okay. The story was intriguing but all the dark magic was a little much for me. It was very clever however, and I do look forward to reading the next one.
missprint_'s review
3.0
Oddities have always clung to Natalie Stewart. Some are tame like the art objects her father collects for the new Metropolitan Museum. Some are stranger like the Whisper that sometimes tugs at the edge of her hearing.
Some are so terrifying that they took Natalie's voice, leaving her Mute from a young age.
Then there are the things that defy all description like the portrait of Lord Denbury--a painting seems to call to her, changing as if Lord Denbury himself were beckoning Natalie.
Stranger still, when Natalie answers the call of the portrait she finds much more than a painting. Soon she is drawn into the uneasy world of magic and possession where paintings can act as traps and a body can be stolen with the right words.
In this dangerous word Natalie may love and even her voice. But other, darker things, may find her as well in Darker Still (2011) by Leanna Renee Hieber.
Darker Still is the first in Hieber's Darker Still trilogy, followed by The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart and The Double Life of Incorporate Things which is currently being presented in serialized form on Hieber's blog (and will culminate with the publication of the complete novel).
For obvious reasons, Darker Still is an epistolary novel--written as Natalie's diary. The format makes sense and provides opportunities for interesting passages of time and an interplay between "present" moments and Natalie's narrative asides. However during high action sequences the journal entry form does stretch the limits of believability as Natalie rushes to jot down key scenes.
Hieber's writing is delightful with Natalie's breezy, sometimes even impertinent, tone. Natalie is refreshingly brash and independent as she does a lot of the wrong things throughout the plot (for all of the right reasons). Being Mute, Natalie's narration also offers a unique perspective on life in general and specifically 1880 New York.
While Natalie shines as a heroine, the format and pacing of Darker Still did not leave much room to build up the setting as a backdrop for the story. The journal also created limitations in pacing as Natalie "rushes" to write everything down.
While Denbury is an admirable male lead in terms of looks and personality, his immediate connection with Natalie felt almost too immediate. It works because the entire novel is a bit of a whirlwind but if you think too much about their connection it starts to fall apart.
Darker Still is a fun, generally satisfying, riff on themes found in many a gothic classic with obvious nods to The Picture of Dorian Gray. A great read for anyone eager to try reading historical fantasy, gothic tales of suspense and even steampunk.
Possible Pairings: The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron, Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, Dracula by Bram Stoker
Some are so terrifying that they took Natalie's voice, leaving her Mute from a young age.
Then there are the things that defy all description like the portrait of Lord Denbury--a painting seems to call to her, changing as if Lord Denbury himself were beckoning Natalie.
Stranger still, when Natalie answers the call of the portrait she finds much more than a painting. Soon she is drawn into the uneasy world of magic and possession where paintings can act as traps and a body can be stolen with the right words.
In this dangerous word Natalie may love and even her voice. But other, darker things, may find her as well in Darker Still (2011) by Leanna Renee Hieber.
Darker Still is the first in Hieber's Darker Still trilogy, followed by The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart and The Double Life of Incorporate Things which is currently being presented in serialized form on Hieber's blog (and will culminate with the publication of the complete novel).
For obvious reasons, Darker Still is an epistolary novel--written as Natalie's diary. The format makes sense and provides opportunities for interesting passages of time and an interplay between "present" moments and Natalie's narrative asides. However during high action sequences the journal entry form does stretch the limits of believability as Natalie rushes to jot down key scenes.
Hieber's writing is delightful with Natalie's breezy, sometimes even impertinent, tone. Natalie is refreshingly brash and independent as she does a lot of the wrong things throughout the plot (for all of the right reasons). Being Mute, Natalie's narration also offers a unique perspective on life in general and specifically 1880 New York.
While Natalie shines as a heroine, the format and pacing of Darker Still did not leave much room to build up the setting as a backdrop for the story. The journal also created limitations in pacing as Natalie "rushes" to write everything down.
While Denbury is an admirable male lead in terms of looks and personality, his immediate connection with Natalie felt almost too immediate. It works because the entire novel is a bit of a whirlwind but if you think too much about their connection it starts to fall apart.
Darker Still is a fun, generally satisfying, riff on themes found in many a gothic classic with obvious nods to The Picture of Dorian Gray. A great read for anyone eager to try reading historical fantasy, gothic tales of suspense and even steampunk.
Possible Pairings: The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron, Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, Dracula by Bram Stoker
sarah_nestler's review against another edition
3.5
The ending is definitely leading into the rest of the series, but I’m not planning on hunting down the next books. It was a good enough ending for me. :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Classism, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, Death, Gore, Sexism, Murder, Mental illness, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Racial slurs
Racial slurs were minor and probably used to be “historically accurate.” Not important to the storyline at all, but they were there. The terms used were “n*gro” and “g*psy.”