The Deepest Night (The Sweetest Dark #2) by Shana Abé

Series: The Sweetest Dark #2
320p.
Publisher: Bantam
Available: 8/13/13
Source: eARC from NetGalley and the publisher for review

It’s 1915, and sixteen-year-old Lora Jones is finishing up her first year as a charity student at Iverson, a prestigious, gothic boarding school on England’s southern coast. While she’s always felt different from everyone around her, now she finally knows why: She is a drákon, a rare, enchanted being with astonishing magical abilities. 

As war hits Britain’s shores, and Lora reels from an unimaginable loss, she finds that her powers come with grave and dangerous responsibilities. At the request of Armand Louis, the darkly mysterious boy whose father owns Iverson, Lora will spend her summer at his lavish estate. To help the war effort—and to keep Lora by his side—Armand turns his home into a military hospital, where Lora will serve as a nurse. For Armand is inescapably drawn to her—bound to her by heart-deep secrets and a supernatural connection that runs thicker than blood. 

Yet while Lora tries to sort out her own feelings toward Armand, fate offers an unexpected surprise. Lora discovers there is another drákon, a prisoner of war being held in Germany. And that only she, with her newly honed Gifts, will be able to rescue him.
With Armand, Lora will cross enemy lines on an incredible mission—one that could bond her to Armand forever, or irrevocably tear them apart. 

Beautifully written, deeply romantic, and filled with daring adventure and magic, The Deepest Night is a mesmerizing novel of the enduring pull of destiny, and the eternal strength of love.

My thoughts:
The book starts out with thoughts from our Jesse and then leads into the the life of Lora and how she is dealing with what happened in the book past. We do get some recap which helps those of us who feel like they have been too long without this world to get caught up. I don't think it is done for those that haven't read the first book. I don't think you would be completely at a loss if you didn't read that first book, but I do think the second book will be richer for you if you did. Besides, I enjoyed The Sweetest Dark and do suggest it to those that love a good PNR YA.

I have to admit while going through the recaps (which I was glad to have) and Lora's refections on school life and what happened before I expected to be a bit bored, longing for action of the last book. I kept expecting that feeling but it never really came. I did want more action than just talk as we were getting, but I still found myself caught up within what was going on with the characters. I was perhaps slightly less enthralled than I was in the last book, but interested nonetheless.

The last half of the book gave me all the action I craved. It was what I expected and what I wanted. It kept me riveted until the end. In some ways I would have liked a bit more action sooner, but it still satisfied and gave me what I expected after reading the first book.

In the end I give this book 4 stars. It didn't seem to shine as brightly as the first but still managed to captivate my attention. I suggest this series for those that enjoy YA PNR and dragons. I enjoy this author's writing and do plan on looking out for her other books to add to my tbr.