Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

MRowen-Dark Kiss

MRowen-Dark KissThere are some authors whose books I know I’m going to always love; Michelle Rowen is one such author. I jump for joy every time she releases a new book. It was no different when Dark Kiss, the first book in her newest young adult series, came out. One girl caught in the middle of an ongoing war with sexy angels and deadly demons working together to save the world from evil, soul-eating grays. Oh yeah, Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen was beyond amazing.

I don’t do dangerous, Smart, ü ber-careful, ordinary Samantha-that’s me. But I just couldn’t pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me…something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It’s like part of me is missing-and I don’t know if I can get it back. Then there’s Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he’s keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he’s what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me….

Sam wasn’t a typical heroine. She was cautious and careful; and after her life was turned upside down when she was changed into a gray, she didn’t just roll over and accept it. No, she fought it. When she learned what it meant to be a gray, that eating now meant she had to steal a person’s soul through a kiss, she flat-out refused. Of course, it wasn’t easy to forgo eating, she constantly had to battle with her cravings, which were especially difficult to deal with when she was at school, surrounded by people.

I liked Bishop. He was that perfect mix of tall, dark, beautiful and mysterious that I like. However, he had this problem where he would lose his mind and all his memories unless Sam was around him. Therefore, personality wise, he wasn’t exactly in the forefront of Dark Kiss. Because of that, I’d have to say that Kraven was my favorite. A demon forced to work with the angels, he had a bit of an attitude. Okay, a huge attitude. He was sarcastic, gruff and not afraid to say just how much he hated Sam. Yet, underneath that, he had a softer side. It only came out once but it was enough for me to realize that my love for him was justified.

The plot wasn’t exactly what I would call action-packed. As in, there weren’t constant battles between good and evil. Instead, the angels and demons had to work together to rid the world of grays. That being said, the plot never dragged, never stopped moving. Sam was either working with Bishop and his gang towards finding the base of the gray encampment; working on solving her own problem of becoming human again; or in school, because she was a bit of a nerd and didn’t want to fail her classes. But even those scenes of her in school were intense because that was when her cravings for souls would become the most desperate.

The only problem I had with Dark Kiss was Sam and Carly’s friendship. Sam kept going on and on about how close they were but all they ever talked about was boys. Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with talking about hot guys. But because that was all they talked about, their friendship came off as fairly superficial with none of the depth that Sam was constantly talking about.

Dark Kiss was by far one of my favorite young adult novels of the year. The perfect blend of dark and gritty with angsty teenage love, it sucked me in and never let me go. Hot, dangerous angels and deadly, sexy demons teaming up to save the world and save the girl. What’s not to love?! Well, maybe having a certain demon all for myself.

Read Order for the Nightwatchers
Dark Kiss
Wicked Kiss (February 26, 2013)

About Casey 203 Articles
Casey is the founder of Heart Full of Ink, Director at Reading Until Dawn Con, and a full time cheese addict. She's been ranting and reviewing for Literary Escapism since 2010, and is part of the trio #3Bloggers1Series podcast. When she's not reading, looking for new books, or stalking authors online (waiting for more books), she can be found binge watching Netflix. But really, her life is all about DEM BOOKS!