Review: Darkness Watching (Darkworld #1) by Emma L. Adams

Title: Darkness Watching

Series: Darkworld #1

Author: Emma L. Adams

Genre: YA, fantasy, paranormal

Publication date: October 2013

Published by: Curiosity Quills Press

Source: E-copy from author for review

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Synopsis:

Eighteen-year-old Ashlyn is one interview away from her future when she first sees the demons. She thinks she's losing her mind, but the truth is far more frightening: she can see into the Darkworld, the home of spirits– and the darkness is staring back.

Desperate to escape the demons, Ash accepts a place at a university in the small town of Blackstone, in the middle of nowhere - little knowing that it isn't coincidence that led her there but the pull of the Venantium, the sorcerers who maintain the barrier keeping demons from crossing from the Darkworld into our own world.

All-night parties, new friendships and a life without rules or limits are all part of the package of student life - but demons never give up, and their focus on Ash has attracted the attention of every sorcerer in the area. Ash is soon caught between her new life and a group of other students with a connection to the Darkworld, who could offer the answers she's looking for. The demons want something from her, and someone is determined to kill her before she can find out what it is.

In a world where darkness lurks beneath the surface, not everyone is what they appear to be...

My rating: ★★★☆☆

When I first saw what Darkness Watching was about, I thought it sounded very interesting! Especially since I've been obsessively watching Supernatural! The whole demon thing really caught my attention! And I really loved that aspect of the book! The magic and the whole demon thing in this book was very different from anything I've read before! The Darkworld, too, was very interesting. Plus I really loved the setting! It had this creepy feel to it... I don't know how else to describe it.

Unfortunately the story itself didn't really wow me. I mean it was a fast read and I liked it well enough, but there wasn't really anything in it that stood out to me a grabbed my attention. The story itself was a little bit slow paced and the action scenes were very simple and not too action-y. Plus the whole Venantium thing... I'm still not sure what that is all about! A little bit more info and further explanation on these people would've probably helped me understand better. But there were a couple of twists I did not see coming, and you know how much I love surprises ;)

Darkness Watching had lots of characters, introduced almost all at once. I had a hard time distinguishing one from another, especially the flatmates, since the descriptions were far and few between. Not to mention that these characters were kind of bland and not too memorable. A couple of characters I did like, though, were Claudia and Leo! They were a lot of fun! Cara too! She was very quirky, but we didn't get to see her all that much. As for the love interest David... it just didn't work for me. I don't know what spark Ash saw, 'cause I saw nothin'! And I didn't really like him all that much, to begin with. I'm really hoping for more Leo in the later books ;) And our main character Ash, overall I thought she was great. She was believable and very likable.

Overall, I thought this book was a pretty good read. The addition of the magic and demons was intriguing enough to keep me interested throughout the book. I really loved the world Emma L. Adams created and I am really wanting to find out what will happen next with Ash! If you like magic and demon-type books that are fast reads, you might want to check out this one! ;)

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a link to your review or comment below! :)