Fifty Shades Darker - Book Review

After reading the first book out of pure peer pressure, I must admit that it took me a good year to muster up the courage to read another E. L. James novel. 

I had been told that I should just push through and find my way into her second novel because the improvement is drastic.

In all honest, I wasn't going to listen to people. Her writing irritated me so much so that I could have literally gagged while walking past copies of her books in the bookstore.

...Then I got Fifty Shades Darker as a present...

 

Without getting too in depth about it, I knew someone who reminds me a lot of Christian Grey. OK, so he didn't have the whole 'Red Room of Pain' thing going on, but he was still extremely controlling, domineering and just plain creepy.

I was reminded so much of him through Christian Grey's character in the first few pages of the second book that I literally had to put it down on a number of occasions.

 

Ana, the main character, still irritates the hell out of me. So does her subconcious and her 'Inner Goddess...'

One thing that I detested about the first book were all of the 'Holy Shits!' and 'Oh My's' written in italics. Well, let me tell you, in the second book they are still very much their in black and white catastrophic lettering.

One thing that I did appreciate however was only one description of Christian Grey 'cocking his head to one side' by 150 pages in.

 

Just as I was starting to enjoy it, the whole bloody book was cocking its head to one side!!!

 

Now... enough of the ranting. Lets try and be positive.

 

What I did enjoy about Fifty Shades Darker:

 

• The more 'romantic' side to it. Discovering a different side to the fictional character that seems to have every women in a frenzy lately.
• I hate admitting it, I really do... but I caught myself smiling every so often at little descriptions of the love that the characters, Ana and Christian, feel for each other. E. L. James described  their moments of intimacy with much more meaning than she seemed to do in the first book and I realise that is because they grew closer - but this was more relatable.
• The book was without a doubt more relatable and 'normal.' I know that this book is supposed to be scandalous and different... something new; but it was good to find more than carnal fucking hidden in the depths of the pages.

 

It is better than the first book. There is more to the story-line, more to Christian Grey and more that kept me turning the pages and picking it up after work.

 

Somewhere along the line, I got hooked. I don't know how it happened... three phsycopaths and two or three predictable twists and turns later managed to just salvage her second book.

 

E. L. James threw every possible dilemma in life towards Ana and Christian. Seriously... NO ONE has that many issues and complications without winding up in a mental institute. It was an exhausting read trying to keep up with the never-ending drama but I finally got through it all last night.

 

And of couse, as in the first book, there is a cliff-hanger which annoyingly enough has you sprinting out of your front door to find a copy of the final book in the trilogy: Fifty Shades Freed.