Pamela Sparkman's writing is like a song. Lyrical, melodic, colorful, descriptive, eloquent. And when she puts that in a fantasy story you bet it's phenomenal. A MONSTER LIKE ME is the second in the Heart of Darkness series and if you haven't read The Moon Shines Red you definitely should do that before diving into this one.
A Monster Like Me starts where we left Zeph, Elin, Arwyn and Lochlan. As I dug deeper into Zeph's story understanding for his antagonistic, aggressive behavior came to me. I didn't want to love him, the things he did, how he treated pretty much every one around him, I couldn't see how I would ever forgive him. But then I found out what a tragic character he really is, that no punishment somebody else could deal was nearly as bad as the one he inflicted on himself. Zeph didn't feel worthy of anything good.
Healing a broken soul like that takes a special person and Arwyn definitely is that. She's tenacious, thoughtful, compassionate, fiercely loyal and deeply in love with Zeph. She was the constant in his life, his rock and the balm that soothed his soul.
But it's also Elin's forgiving heart and the budding friendship between Zeph, Searly, Lochlan and Favian that gives this tortured man peace. I loved their friendship so much - these scenes gave me some much needed comic relief when emotions had been running rampant. This group of people made him see that he wasn't beyond saving and that he deserved happiness. Every time one of them managed to weaken Zeph's grip on his guilt it felt like a reward.
Don't expect that the romance between Arwyn and Zeph will be on the forefront of the story. While it is undeniably romantic and beautiful, it's Zeph's path to redemption, his own forgiveness you will be routing for. Maybe because despite Zeph's struggles to accept love, theirs was inevitable.
Scattered throughout the story there are action scenes that will leave you breathless.
The Moon Shines Red and A Monster Like me are fantasy at its finest. These books will wrap you in a magical and wondrous world full of adventure. The characters will break your heart and you will root for every single one of them. With her narrative Pamela Sparkman makes sure of that - she gives us fully fleshed out side characters. To say goodbye to them all is my own struggle because they have taken up a little space in my heart. I hope the author keeps writing fantasy in the future - she definitely has a talent for it.
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Five redeemed stars! Because darkness has its own kind of beauty.
Five redeemed stars! Because darkness has its own kind of beauty.Oh wow! A Monster Like Me by Pamela Sparkman is a definite must read. I fell irrevocably in love with Zeph. My heart still aches for him. I love his peculiar broken soul. He really intrigued me after reading The Moon Shines Red. His dark heart and his tortured soul made him the perfect example of an anti-hero. His darkness draw me to him. He endured the worst as a child. The monsters violated his innocence although in the shadows he found a little comfort. He is a strong and complex character. He’s a survivor and a fighter. His heart is hard as stone but deep inside him lives hope.This is a brilliant paranormal fantasy full of hopelessness, revenge, lies, secrets, fate, action, drama, adventure, forgiveness and redemption. It is flawlessly addictive and I can't put the right words to describe how much I loved it. It is everything and more. Fantasy never felt so real until I read this stunning masterpiece. The plot is thrilling and wonderful. The pacing is fast. You can read this book as a stand alone but I urge you to read the first one in the series because there is some background information you won't want to miss.There are some sensitive details that the author uses to bring reality to the main male character of this book. There are also emotional and touching scenes that had me fearing to finish the book because good books like this make me crave more. The tension and suspense had me at the edge of my seat. I keep turning pages like a maniac.Pamela Sparkman’s writing is engaging and she managed to give to her stories a good balance between dark and light, good and evil, corruption and hope. I am totally addicted to her books.Zeph and Arwyn’s story is a journey of forgiveness and redemption. Their connection is everything. At the beginning we could think that Zeph is a dark monster without heart, incapable of loving, but he saved Arwyn. That will make Arwyn his redemption. He is given a second chance.Arwyn has been drawn to Zeph since the begging. His heartbeats are hers and her heartbeats are his. She knows him like no other. She felt his pain and she is willing to heal him because the darkness inside him could extinguish the light in his heart. Both will find a way to fight the demons that threaten them.The battles, the adventure and everything made this book so wonderful. Pamela penned a bittersweet, lyrical and poetic oeuvre d’art. There is nothing forced or rushed, everything felt right and my heart still hurting. I highly recommend you this book. It will consume you slowly until you burn into flames. Because darkness has its own kind of beauty.
