Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

“I was obsessed.

It was as if he called to me, demanding I reach out and touch the brush strokes of color swirled into the canvas. He 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. He was trapped within his golden painting.

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 – bond together to watch the darkness seeping through the gas-lit cobblestone streets of Manhattan. And unless I can free him soon, things will only get darker still.”

Lord Denbury’s portrait was the talk of the town. Everyone was curious to see the mysterious lifelike portrait of Lord Denbury. Everybody including Natalie Stewart.

Natalie never uttered a word after her mother’s death. All she had was a journal which she uses to collect her thoughts and communicate to others.

When Natalie heard about Lord Denbury’s painting she was as curious as everybody else was about what the portrait would be like. She was not a firm believer of the supernatural until she sees the portrait. A very strong urge to touch the portrait overwhelmed her. When she finally did touch the painting she found herself tumbling over to a room different from where she was moments before she touched the painting. She was inside the portrait with no other than Lord Derbury himself.

I loved Dorian Gray. It was one of the reasons why I got extremely excited to read this book. Darker Still was a very beautiful and engaging read. A novel like this was not something that you come across every day. It was very unique but not entirely original. I still loved reading every moment of it. Ms. Hieber’s writing was incredible.

The characters were very likeable.

Natalie was my kind of heroine. I’ve mentioned in all of my previous reviews that I admire girls who ooze with girl power and Natalie was a perfect example. Despite her inability to speak (at first) she did not let people talk down on her. She wanted to prove to everyone that she has the capability to do things even if she can’t speak. She was brave and daring. We usually read about girls being saved by the guys but here it was the other way around. Natalie was determined to find a way to save Lord Denbury and she did of course with the help of Mrs. Northe who I adore as well.

I admit it. I have a thing for English guys. Hahaha. Jonathon Whitby, Lord Denbury. *Sigh*. The gentleman in distress. Obviously if I was in Natalie’s shoes I’m sure I would have done the same thing. I would have risked everything if the price would be the blue-eyed Lord Denbury. Hahaha. Way to go Natalie!

The whole book was an amazing read. The setting, the story, the characters, the plot, the pacing of the story was perfect for me.

Five stars!!! :)