Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. JamesMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I must say, I do quite enjoy this book. The characters are extremely well developed, like I wouldn't have believed. From some of the one-star reviews, I was under the understanding that this would be a stale version of Twilight, which is already pretty stale. I like Twilight, in spite of its flaws, but the Fifty Shades series is no stale version of anything. There are plots, and they are exciting. There are characters who actually evolve and grow throughout the story.
As a reader, I appreciate the romance between Ana and Christian. Not because they love each other so much, or because they fell for each other in such a small time frame. I appreciate their love because it is raw. Despite the biggest secrets, Ana and Christian are unusually open and honest with one another, saying things to one another that most couples hide for years (maybe thinking it will soften the blow). They may argue a lot, but they put their feelings on the table, and they get stuff done. I have a deep respect for their relationship because words left unsaid will always be one of my biggest pet peeves.
Despite the fact that this is a fan fic of Twilight, I am in awe that James pulled this, from that. I expected overly libidinous sex scenes, and forcing things into canon territory, but I did not expect James to be so truthful. She is not trying to hide the fact that her main male character is creepy, possessive, controlling, 10 miles of messed up, and 20 miles of crazy. She is also not trying to force her main female to ignore those details. Things are dealt with, not just explained away, in this book. Harsh realities are met, not just dodged with a quick "I Love You", and because harsh realities are met head on, it makes the story so much more believable, the romance so much more passionate.
I don't read much exotic literature, and I am only 19, so I wouldn't know how to rate the sex scenes. They were pretty hot to me. If the writing was inadequate, I didn't notice, I hardly ever do. The small details pulled from Twilight were indeed "eye-roll worthy" but often enough made me giggle, and did nothing to detract from my reading experience. Sure, I felt that some of the character personalities were annoying at times, but honestly, show me a perfect character, and I'll show you five people who think otherwise. It's all in the eye of the beholder.
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