An Incredible Blend of Science and Magic

The Darkness by Crystal Connor

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review.

Summary: Artemisia, a scientist who also practices alchemy, is wealthy beyond imagination. She is one of the founding members of the Skyward Group, a privately funded, secret, research facility conducting experiments that ease what tradition has established as the boundaries separating the realm of man from the realm of God. Artemisia has everything she wants - money, fame, knowledge and power - except for a child. Inanna is a powerful and dangerous witch, also wealthy beyond imagination. Her powers are greater and more deadly than any in the long tradition before her. Inanna has everything she wants - money, knowledge and God-like power - except for a child.The Child has nothing. At three months of age, he knows only what he has experienced through the bars of his locked cage. He has nothing. He doesn't have a mommy. He doesn't have a daddy. He doesn't have a name. The scientists who created him do not handle him, because they know The Child is dangerous.In The Darkness, Two women clash in a vicious battle that has been fought since the days of King Solomon - the fight over a child. One woman unleashes the nightmarish arsenal of modern science while the other dispatches the weaponries of witchcraft. And as The Child grows up, his love for one and resentment for the other will change the fate of both these women, forever.

Review: A book that blends science and magic seamlessly and has a gut puncher for an ending.

I loved the premise of this book and The Darkness balances magic and science perfectly. I had this quote in the back of my head while reading this book: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic - Arthur C. Clarke. It took me a little to get used to the switching first and third person perspectives. The first person was told from Artemisia's view and the third person involved Inanna. At first I thought that the scientist and Artemisia were different because Artemisia focuses on how she is an alchemist and a jeweler. I had a tendency to want to think of Inanna as evil due to her dealings with dark magic, but I couldn't manage to think of her that way for long. 

This book does a very good job of painting everything in shades of grey, especially with Adam. He is incredibly powerful and does some terrible things, but he is just a child. Despite his physical age, mentally he acts like a young, spoiled child. You want to hate, but you just can't. This book did lose some steam in the middle of the book although it was still a good read. The ending was utterly unexpected and had me exclaiming in shock and surprise. I loved this book and can't wait to read the second.

Rating:

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to fans of fantasy and science fiction.