This review originally posted at Christa's Hooked on Books 
 I wanted to read this book form the moment I read the following description " The Picture of Dorian Gray meets Pride and Prejudice, with a dash of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Dorian Gray and Jekyll & Hyde are two of my favourite books. Plus the inclusion of Pride and Prejudice indicated a classic love story was hiding in this book too. After hearing this phrase I could not get this book out of my head. 
 When I was finally able to dive into it, I was understandably nervous, what if all those months of thinking about this book only led to disappointment? 
 Thankfully this was not the case. It's true that this book does have elements of Jekyll & Hyde and Pride & Prejudice but it's real inspiration is The Picture of Dorian Gray. If you were a fan of Wilde's classic you are going to want to pick up this book. All my favourite elements of that novel were here, the mystery, the dangers of desire, the supernatural - all of these things made sure I was good and interested in the story. Leanna Renee Hieber then took all of those elements and added a beautiful romance and a strong female figure. It were those elements that really got me hooked. 
 Darker Still is told in the form of Natalie's diary. I thought this was a strange choice at first because it provides such a narrow perspective for such a (figuratively) large story. However, as the story progressed I understood that this was the right choice. The setting is grand, and the story is enchanting but this book is really all about Natalie. She's the heroine and she's pretty darn awesome! She's brave, she selfless, she can cross into other worlds (I can't do that, can you?). Having the story come out in the form of her diary really helps the reader connect with this amazing girl. You know everything she's thinking and feeling, it's very intimate and I think it works perfectly. Oh and as a nice twist, she's mute, which provides a nice break from the typical, perfect-in-everyway female protagonist. 
 This book will be enjoyable for a variety of readers. It has so many elements. Dorian Gray provided the perfect foundation, but Darker Still takes on a life of it's own. Romance, mystery, intrigue, magic, adventure. It's all here! I think this is a start of a series you won't want to miss!