I have had this book on my to read list for months now. I went to look at the reviews, ready to read it at last, and was a little disappointed to see relatively low ratings for all the hype that it had gotten. As I made my way through the book, I was more and more confused as to the low ratings because the book is fascinating and well written. I will get more into these other reviews in just a bit.
Born to Darkness by Suzanne Brockmann is definitely not her first novel, but the first time she dabbles in the paranormal. She introduces several very interesting characters called Greater-Thans, including Mac, Diaz, and Joseph. These characters can use a larger percentile of their brains at a time, allowing them to develop "supernatural" powers such as telekinesis. This group is using their powers for good but a drug called Destiny allows Fractions (those who use the normal 10 percent of their brain at a time) to elevate themselves to higher levels-- but at a great cost. After the gang meets Anna, whose sister has been kidnapped, a sinister underworld of evil is revealed.
I rate this book 4.5 stars. I had fully intended to rate it five stars until the end because the characters are fully developed and the description rich, and the relationships even richer (I will get to the reasoning of the rating soon). Halfway through the book, I took a look closer at some of the negative or less than happy reviews. First issue: this book is too dark. I disagree. The whole intent of this book is to be dark. Perhaps coming from a medical background, I see the dark underbelly of society more than I would like. Just yesterday, I helped interview a mom whose 6 month old was sexually abused. How is this possible? Unfortunately, it is, and evil like this exists in our world. I admired that Brockmann looked at this darkness in the face and put it starkly on the page. Second, this book is not like her usual navy SEAL romance novel and has paranormal elements. I really don't like when people pan a book because they detest a whole genre or because it isn't exactly what the author has done before. I admit I have not read her other books, but I do love that Brockmann has tried something new-- she is taking a risk, and I feel she does a wonderful job at creating this atmosphere and supernatural world. At the same time, this creation of the new world does not detract from the development of her characters. Third, some people were very turned off by the character Mac because she is a very angry character with a terrible past. I get that. However, after having read two books in the recent past in FIRST PERSON of an angry person like this, I actually had no problem with Mac. This book is written in third person and she is one of 6 (or 7) main characters, which balance her out. And it's quite clear to me why she is the way she is. Lastly, some people are very against homosexual relationships being written about in books. The fact people had such a problem with this to the point of not reading this part of the book (which is a third of the book) was actually quite disturbing, especially since to me, this relationship was a very integral part of the book, as well as probably the sweetest and most moving one.
The reason I docked it at all is because there didn't seem to be as nice of a resolution of that particular relationship-- we barely get to see them in the final pages, which would have been nice since every other character gets space to end their respective stories.
This said, this novel is extremely compelling, a worthwhile read with fantastic characters that will stay in your memory for a long time. I can't wait to see the next in this series.
Born to Darkness by Suzanne Brockmann is definitely not her first novel, but the first time she dabbles in the paranormal. She introduces several very interesting characters called Greater-Thans, including Mac, Diaz, and Joseph. These characters can use a larger percentile of their brains at a time, allowing them to develop "supernatural" powers such as telekinesis. This group is using their powers for good but a drug called Destiny allows Fractions (those who use the normal 10 percent of their brain at a time) to elevate themselves to higher levels-- but at a great cost. After the gang meets Anna, whose sister has been kidnapped, a sinister underworld of evil is revealed.
I rate this book 4.5 stars. I had fully intended to rate it five stars until the end because the characters are fully developed and the description rich, and the relationships even richer (I will get to the reasoning of the rating soon). Halfway through the book, I took a look closer at some of the negative or less than happy reviews. First issue: this book is too dark. I disagree. The whole intent of this book is to be dark. Perhaps coming from a medical background, I see the dark underbelly of society more than I would like. Just yesterday, I helped interview a mom whose 6 month old was sexually abused. How is this possible? Unfortunately, it is, and evil like this exists in our world. I admired that Brockmann looked at this darkness in the face and put it starkly on the page. Second, this book is not like her usual navy SEAL romance novel and has paranormal elements. I really don't like when people pan a book because they detest a whole genre or because it isn't exactly what the author has done before. I admit I have not read her other books, but I do love that Brockmann has tried something new-- she is taking a risk, and I feel she does a wonderful job at creating this atmosphere and supernatural world. At the same time, this creation of the new world does not detract from the development of her characters. Third, some people were very turned off by the character Mac because she is a very angry character with a terrible past. I get that. However, after having read two books in the recent past in FIRST PERSON of an angry person like this, I actually had no problem with Mac. This book is written in third person and she is one of 6 (or 7) main characters, which balance her out. And it's quite clear to me why she is the way she is. Lastly, some people are very against homosexual relationships being written about in books. The fact people had such a problem with this to the point of not reading this part of the book (which is a third of the book) was actually quite disturbing, especially since to me, this relationship was a very integral part of the book, as well as probably the sweetest and most moving one.
The reason I docked it at all is because there didn't seem to be as nice of a resolution of that particular relationship-- we barely get to see them in the final pages, which would have been nice since every other character gets space to end their respective stories.
This said, this novel is extremely compelling, a worthwhile read with fantastic characters that will stay in your memory for a long time. I can't wait to see the next in this series.
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