Review: Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

I don't do dangerous.

Smart, über-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….

Review:

I have been having a reading slump for the past month or so. No matter what book I pick up (one from a favorite author or a new interesting debut) I couldn't get hooked. I would read the first chapter, and then just give up, finding something else to do instead. Thankfully, Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen was finally able to break this horrible trend, as not only was it an attention-grabbing read from the start, but it was enough to make me remember why I love reading in the first place.

Dark Kiss begins the story of Samantha, a girl's who's always fallen under the radar at school and at home with the exception of a few tiny incidents. Therefore, when the uber-hot and mysterious Stephen takes an interest in her one night at the local all ages club, she instantly falls under his spell. She soon finds out, though, that she's made a horrible decision, because after one kiss from him, she's transformed into a gray, a soulless supernatural being who steals the souls of others through a kiss. However, as she's soon to find out due to the help of the mysterious and utterly charming Bishop, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, as she's not the average gray. Instead, she may just posses what it takes to kick the grays and their leader out for good. Filled with forbidden romance, a fight of evil vs good, and plenty more, Dark Kiss has enough to keep any reader hooked for a few hours!

From the start, I was instantly hooked by Samantha's voice. There was something so innocent and ordinary about it that made me want to read more, especially when plot began taking twisty turns and new characters were introduced. What I liked most about Samantha, though, was how she was always ready to help a friend or even a frenemy, no matter what the situation. It showed how unselfish she was, and the events that usually followed had her transform from an everyday, ordinary girl into a girl whose bad side you don't want to be on. I also enjoyed the addition of Bishop, because not only did he manage to be a swoon worthy love interest, but he was pretty interesting as well. The other wide variety of side characters (from the super villain to the loyal best friend to Bishop's team) all managed to add something special and occasionally snarky to the story.

The plot in this was also interesting. The idea of grays was enough to attach my attention from the get go. I wanted to learn more about them and they're world as well as what it mean for Samantha being turned into one. I also enjoyed seeing Bishop's angel/demon team attempt to rescue everyone from them. It never was an easy journey due to all the problems and dilemmas that popped up but that's what made it so good. The romance at this was the definition of star crossed lovers, which made me enjoy it all the more. I can't wait to see what turns Bishop and Samantha's relationship takes in the sequels.

Michelle Rowen's writing was also up to par. I thought she did a great job of getting a teen's voice across in her writing as well as creating an interesting and descriptive world. The only problem I had was that I felt that everything was sometimes a little too predictable, but the shocking ending managed to make that problem minuscule overall.

In all, Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen is a great start to a new paranormal series! I simply can't wait to see what happens next.

Grade: B+

Dark Kiss (Amazon/ Barnes and Noble/ Goodreads) is now out in paperback!

Source: Publisher via Netgalley