[REVIEW] Devouring Dark - by Alan Baxter

DEVOURING DARK by Alan Baxter

When I went to read Alan Baxter for the first time, I ended up choosing Devouring Darkbecause its premise reminded me of a comic series I enjoyed when I was growing up: The Darkness. You have your anti-hero with a shadow-like power surging inside him that can be unleashed in horrific ways. Thereโ€™s a lot than can be done with this idea, but for now this is a standalone novel and not a series (though Baxter has several others, so maybe thereโ€™s hope yet for Devouring Dark to continue).

Though I definitely enjoyed this book, I had a few issues that nagged me along the way. Thereโ€™s a surprising amount of slow sequences for what should be an action-fueled story. Thereโ€™s also the matter of Mattโ€™s guilt (which powers his darkness); what he did as a child is absolutely terrible, and yet Amy (the character he falls for with a similar power) is very easygoing about the whole thing. She basically tells him not to worry, itโ€™s no big deal, and he should confess it to his parents and smooth things over. Iโ€™m sorry, but that was unbelievable โ€“ if my kid came and told me they had done such a thing, we would not be able to โ€œsmooth it over.โ€ What Matt did is unforgiveable, even if he was just a kid when he did it.

I would have liked to see more action โ€“ though I get Mattโ€™s condition keeps it from showing up hardly at all in the story โ€“ as well as some different interaction between his character and the others to gain sympathy from me. I was interested in our anti-hero up until I learned the cause of his guilt; I didnโ€™t care about him after that, and felt Amy was just blinded by her interest in him and willing to overlook his evil.

My complaints aside, I did enjoy the majority of this book, enough so that I would like to read a sequel. I also found Baxterโ€™s writing comfortable and inviting, so I will look into his other work in the coming months. So, overall, this is a recommended title (especially for comic fans). โ€“ by Andrew Redman

3.5/5.0

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