Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul

by Leanna Renee Hieber

A lush gothic tale that begs for reading...I couldn't put it down." —New York Times bestselling author Sarah Maclean
I was obssessed.
It was as if he called to me, demanding I reach out and touch the brushstrokes of color swirled onto the canvas. It was the most exquisite portrait I'd ever seen—everything about Lord Denbury was unbelievable...utterly breathtaking and eerily lifelike.
There was a reason for that. Because despite what everyone said, Denbury never had committed suicide. He was alive. Trapped within his golden frame.
I've crossed over into his world within the painting, and I've seen what dreams haunt him. They haunt me too. He and I are inextricably linked—bound together to watch the darkness seeping through the gas-lit cobblestone strets of Manhattan. And unless I can free him soon, things will only get Darker Still.
Magic Most Foul Series:
Darker Still (Book 1)
The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart (Book 2)

• ISBN10: 1402260520
• ISBN13: 9781402260520
• Publish Date: 8 November 2011 (first published 1 November 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Sourcebooks Fire
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Darker Still was weird, but in a good way! It's the diary of one Miss Natalie Stewart. The actual diary was a gift for her upon leaving the asylum for deaf, mute, and blind girls. Natalie hasn't been able to speak for the past 13 years after her mother died, but she has lots to say. When a painting reported to be haunted is on its way to New York, she must see it! She's intrigued by the handsome man depicted, and then he summons her! Lord Denbury has been cursed and is trapped in the painting, while a demon wears his face and roams the city.

I absolutely loved the premise of Darker Still. It's this historical, paranormal mystery and lots of fun. Natalie falling in insta-love with the painting was a bit odd and random, but other than that, I totally believed her enthusiasm in wanting to help him. I mean, who wouldn't at least be curious if a painting was trying to get your attention? Then there's the fact that Natalie is able to speak to Lord Denbury when she enters the painting. She's been trying to find her voice for years, but now she believes it's possible. I also wasn't totally behind her being healed by the power of love, but since there was no physical reason for her being unable to speak, I think it was just a matter of time and will.

Because Darker Still is mostly a mystery, I don't want to say too much and give anything away. I really liked Natalie as a character. She's an oddball and she owns it! Her muteness does keep her from fitting into society, but she doesn't want to, so there's no loss there. Although she does wish people weren't so ignorant as to assume she must also be deaf and talk about her like she's not there! In the end, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read and left me excited to see what comes next for Natalie and Jonathon.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[wyvernfriend]

I did enjoy this story of a girl and her adventures with the occult or paranormal. I call it occult because she does have to deal with the side effects of dark magic and work against it, reminding me of some of the stories of Dion Fortune, among others. The story of someone being trapped in a painting is an obvious homage to Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray, and this is an interesting variation on the story without being slavish.

Natalie Stewart is not long out of school, a school for deaf mutes, as she is mute since her mother died. There is no physiological reason for her to be mute, but she is. She can communicate using sign language and notes, this book is written as a diary.

When Natalie happens on the painting of Lord Denbury, a supposed suicide, she's attracted to it and is surprised when she discovers that he's alive inside it, while his body commits terrible murders, with someone or something else inhabiting it. This is her journey to rescue her prince and herself.

I loved it, loved the characters and their interaction and wanted a bit more from it. It could have done with a bit more, a little more of a feeling of peril, a bit more growth of the relationship with the characters and a bit more work on Mrs. Northe's part to convince Natalie of her credentials. Still I did enjoy the read and look forward to more by this author.

[rakesandrogues]

This is how you write a historical novel, people. Most historical YA I’ve picked up lately sound like contemporary teens transplanted into another time. Their voices are the voices of today’s teens. I get that authors are trying to appeal to teen readers, but to me it seems historically inaccurate. However, Leanne Renee Hieber does not do this in DARKER STILL. On the contrary, Hieber’s character Natalie writes in her diary from her perspective and captures the voice of a seventeen-year-old living at the end of the 1880s. The writing style is still easily accessible to teen readers but still has the feel of being a bit dated.

Natalie Stewart is a girl rendered mute after a traumatic experience witnessing her mother’s deadly accident. A recent graduate from a school for the mute, deaf, and the blind, Natalie goes back home to live with her father in Manhattan. Despite her lack of voice, Natalie’s father loves her unconditionally and dotes on her by allowing her to apprentice at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he works. And this is where the drama all starts … Natalie hears about the striking portrait of Lord Denbury.

Natalie was a fairly likeable character and she did experience a lot of growth in her character throughout the novel. It has been a while since I read a novel in the form of a diary, and the experience was made interesting because for the most part, the written word is the only way Natalie can communicate with most people.

Everyone online is all the rage about Lord Denbury, but he really did not leave me with a strong lasting impression. What stuck out most about him was his very handsome look, but nothing about his personality quite stuck with me. I guess it’s a bit hard to know him as a character when he is effectively stuck in a painting, so I will cut Lord Denbury a bit of slack. However, I wish I heard more about his experiences studying medicine.

One of my favorite places to read about in novels is historical New York City. However, one thing did strike me as unfamiliar: the neighborhood called Five Points. For those who do not live in the City or even those like me who need to brush up on their NYC history, the neighborhood of Five Points is where the Civic Center now stands downtown. The Five Points had a reputation of being ridden with disease and violence. The area had once been where the Collect Pond, a fresh water resevoir, stood before it had been reclaimed for land. For the movie buffs, the Five Points was the setting of the film The Gangs of New York.

DARKER STILL does quite push the boundaries when it comes to romance – get ready for some steamy scenes between Natalie and Lord Denbury. Hieber writes some amazing kissing scenes. I’d say that the romance gets a little bit risqué for a younger teen, but as Natalie puts it, she remains a lady and Denbury, a gentleman, all the way until the end of the book. There’s nothing past kissing and a bit of rumpled clothes. Totally PG-13.

DARKER STILL concludes nicely but does have openings for future subsequent novels featuring Natalie and Jonathon. I like Hieber’s writing style and I look forward to reading more of her work. The young adult genre definitely needs more historical fiction from writers like Hieber.

Why I’m Biased: CURSE YOU READING SLUMP. Also, I really, really wanted to like that book because the gown that the model is wearing on the cover is my prom dress! Eeeeeep.