Step Into Fiction: Black City by Elizabeth Richards Review + Giveaway

Black City by Elizabeth Richards
(Black City, #1)
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons BYR; 384 pages

A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war.

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.

When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

This was definitely one of those books at BEA that everyone wanted. I am so glad I was able to get one because this book was just amazing. It made me cry. A book hasn't made me cry for awhile so it was refreshing. Sadly refreshing. If an author is able to make you cry it means they did their job with their characters. You've become attached and you can't imagine the worst happening but it is. Amazing.

Ash Fisher, he's different than every single person inside Black City. He's a twin-blood and you're probably wondering what that is? He's half human and half Darkling. The best way to describe a Darkling is they're kind of a like a vampire. The sun burns their skins, their hearts don't beat (actually, they have two hearts), they're pale, they have fangs (which have venom that gives humans a high), and survive off of blood. There are different breeds of darklings, though. Some have wings which kind of remind me of like a mix of a vampire and fae, which is kind of awesome. He's not liked because he's different and to everyone, he's the enemy. He's broody and has a hard outter layer but you peel that away, and he's certainly not the monster people make him out to be.

Natalie Buchanan is a human and daughter of the Emissary. Though Natalie is the daughter of the Emissary, she is a very damaged, normal teenage girl. Minus the fact that he ex-boyfriend is her personal bodyguard. She witnessed her beautiful sister to get beaten just so the government could get information out of her father. After they got what they wanted, they let a darkling have at him. In front of Natalie. It's forever scarred her and made her afraid of darklings. But something very strange happens when she meets half-blood darkling, Ash...her world is turned upside down.

I absolutely loved this book. I love Ash, like I want him for myself, darkling and all. He is amazing. He's so dark, mysterious, addicting and yet so warm, caring and loving. He is like a drug, which is ironic since that is what he used for a lot inside Black City. The venom in his fangs give humans a high so he's like a drug dealer in a sense. He is like the venom in his system. It's like every page, he's biting the reader - making them fall more and more addicting to him. Read this book and tell me you don't feel the same way.

Not only do I love him but I love all of his relationships. All of them. Natalie, his father, his best friend, his darkling family, every single one of them. I am just so excited to see more but please, please don't make me cry again. I cried such an ugly cry at the end of Black City. Like one of those cries I was thankful I was alone because it was that ugly. I have not cried like that over a book in a VERY long time. So kudos to Elizabeth Richards because I know it's what authors strive to do. You were successful but please, no more ugly cries! ;)

Read this book. It comes out November 13 and you don't want to miss it. Actually, you could win it early from me! Enter below (US residents only) for your chance to win an advance copy of Black City! You could read it before everyone else!