Review: Resisting Darkness

Resisting Darkness by Kate Wendley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Resisting Darkness, the third book in the Forest of Darkness series, is my favourite of the first three books. Each book seems to get a little stronger than the last, and the story that played out in this one hit me in the feels so hard.

Although each book in the series can be read as a standalone novel, I really do recommend you read the prior books in the series. This one hits us hard in following up on the shocking twist at the end of book one. Since finishing the last page of Mastering Darkness, I was begging for the story that was told in Resisting Darkness. Believe me when I say, this story will pack an even harder punch if you’ve read the other books in the series. The storyline that exists throughout the series is wonderful, and you will appreciate certain elements of this story even more if you’ve read the prior books. Of course, should you wish to read this as a standalone novel you’re welcome to – it will still be a beast of a story – but I’m of the firm belief that this series is one that can be enjoyed all the more if you read the books in order.

Resisting Darkness takes us back to the storyline that threatened to rip me apart at the end of book one. I positively adored Abandoned Darkness, the second book in the series, yet I couldn’t stop myself from begging for more about the Mastering Darkness ending. The synopsis of this one alone was enough to threaten combustion. Ethan’s story – hell yes, sign me up! I loved him and hated him so much in the first book, for very different reasons, yet no matter what end of the spectrum my feels were, I wanted more of him. Therefore, knowing Ethan’s story was to come left me extremely eager to devour this book.

At first, I was a little bit tentative. Was the story giving me what I had expected? Not quite. It was good, yes, but it wasn’t what I had been hoping it would be. Any Ethan story was liable to please me, though, so it wasn’t long until I was pulled into the story. Once I was pulled in, and once the events started to come together, this book wiggled deeper into my heart than the two prior books. The reason for this is that it took slightly longer for us to reach the big bang that the first book had promised us. I’d been hoping to be thrown straight into the story of revenge, yet things slowly build up throughout. This made the story even better, of course, but my initial impatience had me worried things wouldn’t play out in the dramatic way I’d been hoping for.

Fear not, fans of the series, because this one really does move us forward. The supernatural elements seem to be growing stronger with each book, with more and more coming to light, and this one contains the most explanation towards the supernatural world to date. Numerous new elements are introduced in this story, elements that leave you with so much anticipation of where things are going. You’ll have lots of questions, I cannot deny that, but the promise of things to come will leave you dying of anticipating regarding where the series will go in the future. Honestly, the development of the supernatural world in this one was wonderful. When I stop and think about it, there’s even more introduced than there appears on the surface, as there are so many subtle elements hidden when you stop and take in all that was introduced.

As ever, my little epiphany of the romance in this story feeling almost contemporary hit me. It was less obvious in this book, as we’re falling deeper into the supernatural world, but it was still there. This time we have the issue of moving forward, the issue of trauma, and the issue of accepting a new future, to name a few. It really wasn’t quite the story I had anticipated for Ethan, yet it worked wonderfully. It added so much depth to his character, and despite my initial trepidation I really did love what it did for his story arc. Not to mention, it plays in so well with the overall storyline of the series. This really is one of those series where the little elements play a much larger role for the bigger story than you’ll initially imagine when reading – it’s not until you’ve read a few of the stories, when you stop and bring things together, that you realise how beautifully interwoven the series is.

Honestly, without a doubt, Resisting Darkness is my favourite of the first three books. It really wasn’t the story I had anticipated, yet it was all I could have hoped for it to be. It gave us so much, and the promises made for the rest of the series have left me so amped up.

Obsession, meet new heights.

View all my reviews