A Darkness Absolute (Rockton, #2)

by Kelley Armstrong

[Chelsea]

Kelley Armstrong is not one to disappoint and A Darkness Absolute was no exception. It's different from a lot of other books she writes because usually they're focus on paranormal. I think it's great that she can write books like this one that involve lots of mystery with her usual hint of romance.

I love the whole concept of Rockton in A Darkness Absolute (and the previous book of course). It's a secret town that's run by everyone in it and (lucky us) we get to see more of how it works in A Darkness Absolute. Everyone has to work to support the community or they get kicked out. Generally, it all goes smoothly. That wouldn't make for a good book though so, in this case, a woman is found half starving in a hole hidden in a cave. She says that someone kidnapped her years ago and that she's been there ever since. It's quite sad actually so this book is about Casey solving the mystery of which town member could it be, similar to how the first went. As I was reading, I assumed the plot was going to go in the typical route. I don't know why I always think this because Kelley's books never go in the direction you think they are. I thought I had this one figure out only to be proven wrong, as per usual.

One of the reasons why I can't get enough of Kelley Armstrong is that I love how she writes her characters. Everything we learn about them is relevant at the time and there's no boring parts you skim over. She writes to the point while still giving you lots of the details you need. In this case, I loved learning about Casey's new relationship. They're still getting to know each other but they understand one another. There's no point where the trust is broken because the main character is insecure or the moment where something is misunderstood because the characters are incapable of communication or any of the usual tropes. These characters have always felt realistic to me, like they could be living in our world right now, and that's why I always get sucked into Kelley's books.

I think A Darkness Absolute was a lot of fun because there's a ton of twists and turns. Just when you think you've got it figured out, something else happens and you're proven wrong. If you liked the first book in this series (City of the Lost) then chances are you'll love this one just as much.

Nothing disappointing about this sequel. It'll keep you on the edge of your seat just as well as the first did.