1 out of 4 stars
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The Dark Beginning by RaJean Anderson tells the story of Leveta Coxwell, an ambitious and strong-willed woman who moves to Colorado in search for a new beginning beyond the confinements of her past. There, she finds comfort in new friendships and a possible serious relationship, a luxury she couldn’t enjoy before due to a broken family. However, it doesn’t take long for the ghosts of the past to return. Leveta finds herself at a war between her heart and mind once again, but she’ll be adamant to lose the battle a second time. Can she succeed in taking full and permanent control of her life?
To start off, I would like to warn the readers that the book discusses very sensitive topics such as rape, assault, abuse, gun violence and so on. Sadly, the author doesn’t cover such topics with the caution and thoughtfulness needed, to the point where the heaviness of the subjects is completely brushed off during some scenes – which could be triggering for some.
Second of all, the book contains an immense number of grammatical mistakes, misspelled words and a constant confusion between the past and present tense. For many instances, I was left wondering whether I was reading a flashback or a moment of the present. It was obvious that the author hadn't invested in a professional editor, because the story felt more like a rough draft rather than a published book.
To add to it, the plot was extremely fast-paced and rushed. I felt like the characters were emotionless, almost like parrots repeating what was told to them. There was absolutely no room for growth nor development - especially for Leveta, who I expected a lot from considering her tough upbringing and background. In fact, I thought she was very full of herself at times, and her reactions to certain issues didn't quite match her personality. She goes from having trust issues in the past, due to her father’s betrayal, to going on a date with a complete stranger just because he was “hot.” I think the author cared too much about showing the emotional turmoil Leveta was experiencing on the daily, that they forgot to show a proper, smooth transition between such intense emotions.
Also, the conversations were very awkward and a bit cringy to read. As hard as I tried, I couldn't bring myself to imagine such scenarios occurring in real life, nor could I keep up with the characters' random and misplaced thoughts – especially when such thoughts weren't justified. Also, it seemed like the author was too focused on making Leveta stand out, that they failed to add depth and personality to the rest of the individuals in the book. The only main traits that they all shared was that they were “sexy,” they loved Leveta without an acceptable reason, and they all fought for her attention. That is why it became very boring to read about them after a few chapters – especially when I became aware that no development will occur for the rest of the book.
For the reasons above, I will rate this book 1 out of 4 stars. The book should be read by ages above 18 since it contains explicit sexual content and graphic scenes. Sadly, I would not recommend this book to anyone because it lacks a solid plot, strong characterization, and an emotional connection that should have been established with such a "tragic" storyline.
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The Dark Beginning
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