Angie
Written on Oct 12, 2013
I had to read Dark Angel as soon as I got it, because it sounded like it would be a great, dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast. And it was for the most part. Catherine is washed ashore of an island that supposedly is unreachable, and only the dead or dying can even see it. She's brought to the castle where "the master" Gerard resides, being magically healed by him. Gerard uses her near death experience as an excuse to keep her confined to her room, or only allowed out for short times in the company of multiple footman. In reality, he has a dark secret that he feels he cannot let Catherine know for fear of her rejection. However, Catherine is not one to sit about idly, and she knows something strange is going on with Gerard, and she's set to find out.
I loved the set up of Dark Angel. The island is "somewhere in the Irish sea" and completely cut off from the rest of civilization, but it hasn't always been that way. It's also suspended in time, so its inhabitants have barely aged in their 100 years of isolation. They're also inexplicably immortal, although they can still be injured and feel pain. Do these same rules apply to Catherine? No one knows, since no one has landed on the island in all that time, so maybe the magic only works on natives. There are also other odd happenings about the island, which I won't mention, since they lead up to a spoiler, but they are interesting.
The romance is where I became conflicted about Dark Angel. There's no denying that Catherine and Gerard have an insane amount of sexual chemistry. Some of this is explained by what Gerard is, since he's super attractive to all of the women, not just Catherine. But for the most part, it's all Gerard and Catherine! They have several run ins with steamy make out sessions, but Catherine refuses to go further without being married. She's strong willed and stubborn, so while I wanted them to get together, I also wanted her to stand her ground. I certainly don't mind a lot of sexual tension and build up before the big finale! Unfortunately, Gerard becomes quite domineering and forceful, going as far as telling Catherine what she really wants and demanding that she give in to her desires (and his). Which she does. I like a dominant hero, but in specific contexts. This was not it.
Dark Angel was still a good, gothic twist on my favorite fairy tale, despite my disappointments in some aspects of the romance. In addition to the awesome, magical island, I also loved how the beast was incorporated into the story. Usually, the hero is ugly or has some kind of deformity, but that isn't the case here. It's another one of those strange happenings that I mentioned earlier. The ending was a little weird and info-dumpy, but it was an interesting twist. So while not perfect, Dark Angel was still an enjoyable read.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.