Eve of Darkness
S.J. Day
368 pp. Tor. $6.99
Pub. Date: 4/28/2009
ISBN-13: 978-0765360410
Reviewed by Paul Stotts
There must be an unwritten law that all urban fantasy heroines must be attractive. And not just the everyday kind of attractive, but the causing-men-to-lose-all-self-control-and-self-respect-set-your-phasers-on-stunner type of attractive. The better-than-Viagra type of woman. Forget the other non-genetically blessed ladies who already struggle with a negative body image, and don’t even mention women who fell out of the ugly tree, hitting every branch on the way down—they could never be heroines in the genre. Because they’re not hot. And chicks kicking butt have to be hot.
Do you find that offensive? Because it is.
Super-attractive urban fantasy heroines isn’t just a bad cliché, it’s a damaging one, a terrible message, a knife in the heart to the female empowerment vibe underlying these books. So much of the protagonist’s worth is related to her looks, to her ability to attract that dark, brooding—and very sexy—guy. That’s not empowering, that’s limiting, objectifying. Because what happens if you can’t attract the sexy guy? And why is attracting him such a crucial objective? Is saving the world not as important without the nookie on the side?
Which brings us to the latest in hot little fantasy packages, Eve, the perky protagonist in S.J. Day’s Eve of Darkness. She’s smart, sexy and personable; spunky like a hyperactive barista with a triple espresso IV. Entirely normal. Until some illicit sex changes her life. No, it’s not the kind of life change that requires going to a clinic for some ointment to treat a bothersome itch. Her happy carnal congress has left a different mark on her: the mark of Cain, turning her into a supernatural Dog the Bounty Hunter. Got a gargoyle urinating on you outside your local church? Better call Eve.
Suddenly, she transforms from the Kryptonian Kal-El into Superman, manifesting a slew of handy-dandy super-abilities. Like super-hearing. Super-sight. Super-agility. And—oh yeah—being super-horny. (I exaggerate often; this is not one of those times, though. Who knew superpowers could be so encouraging to one’s love life.) Talk about your teenage boy wish fulfillment; Day just became their favorite writer. With such an overactive libido, it is amazing Eve has time to fight the baddies and unravel mysteries. But she does; she’s a trooper like that, a team player. Luckily, she has some help, an ex-boyfriend serving as her Obi-Wan, teaching her about her new super-abilities, even helping with that being super-horny problem. What a guy!
The sex is gratuitous in Eve of Darkness, entirely unnecessary in furthering the plot. Like an urban fantasy got mated with a late night Cinemax flick, killing creatures of the night fills the time between bedroom excursions. Even worse, it’s boring. The narrative is consistently interrupted by incongruous and dull soft porn moments, distracting the reader from an otherwise well-executed storyline. If Day had removed all the sex scenes from the book, she would have been left with a pretty good yarn. It’s a shame, and a missed opportunity.
Maybe the sex scenes wouldn’t have been so frivolous if there was emotion and love behind them. But the chemistry between Eve and her ex-boyfriend is also lacking. Day tries to convince us of this great connection, this deep bond, a romantic intensity between the two, but I never saw it, never believed it. Both act as if the other is the love of their life, but I couldn’t figure out why that was the case aside from pure animal lust. I didn’t believe they had respect for each other. Even worse, I didn’t think they had any self-respect. There is no connection, no emotion. Like watching animals mate on the Discovery Channel, or two self-absorbed twenty-something attempt a relationship. Uninteresting and depressing.
Eve of Darkness isn’t a bad book. With more focus on the fantasy narrative and less on the romance aspects, it might’ve even been a good book. It’s just not the book for me. Those who love their urban fantasy with truckloads of sex should love it, though.
Final Grade: 60 out of 100
4 comments:
After reading your good review I know this is not a book for me. I'm not keen to read truckloads of sex. I will read a Harry Dresden novel instead.
I would have to agree with you - only made it about half way then gave up...like you said, not bad just not for me.
I'm a new-ish visitor, but I just wanted to leave a note saying I really think you hit the nail on the head with this one. I liked Eve, but I really got bored in the sex scenes, and actually lost respect for all the main characters' inability to think with anything outside of their pants. I'm hoping this issue works itself out more in later installments of the series, because I do feel it has potential, if they ease up on the sex.
I have book 2 but not book one, so I haven't started them yet. I This is one of my favorite authors I want to give this one a try. Its so different it seems and I love a challenge! Thanks for your review and heads up! Its been that way for me. Sometimes a book works great for one and not the other.
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