Dark One’s Bride

GOTHIC FANTASY:  Five months ago, Clarabella Weaver saved the life of the infamous Dark Lord. When he proposed marriage to her, she accepted. Now, their wedding is less than a week away, and Clara must travel beyond the border of her village to the world of nobility and riches, Lucias’ world. But marriage will certainly not solve Clara’s problems, only bring her more of them. Clara will need to prove to the nobles that she’s worthy for the role fate has crafted for her, which will mean navigating court intrigue and surviving several assassination attempts… 

Clara is a complicated character with inner strength many readers may not give her credit for. In the beginning, she seems a bit dull, sometimes a bit haughty even, and often acts like a petulant child. But as the plot progresses, so does she, shedding several of these parts of herself, until she reveals underneath it all is the kind of the person who would actually make an excellent “Great Lady”. The writing is mediocre; there are a lot of adverbs used throughout, and while they give the book a “fantasy-like” feel, they also make the writing a tad heavy. The pacing is slow at the start but improves throughout. The reader will have some trouble keeping up with this book without having read the first book, though there is some recap in the beginning. 

Despite these hiccups, “Dark One’s Bride” is an interesting sequel, introducing the reader to a vast, well-crafted fantasy realm with an intriguing heroine and a mysterious, captivating love interest.   

Majanka Verstraete