Book Review: Darkness Hidden by Zoë Marriott

 I received copies of Darkness Hidden and The Night Itself (see below) by Zoë Marriott from Walker Books and was so excited because she is one of my all-time favorite authors.

In the electrifying second volume of Zoë Marriott's The Name of the Blade Trilogy, Mio, Jack and Shinobu have defeated the terrifying Nekomata against all odds, and brought Jack's sister home alive. But Mio is still compelled to protect the katana, her family's ancestral sword, and now the Underworld has spawned a worse monster – one carrying a devastating plague that sweeps through London like wildfire. As Mio struggles to protect the city and control the sword’s deadly powers, she realises that this time there is no way she can keep everyone she loves alive... and she must make a terrible sacrifice to save the world.

Marriott certainly had a lot to live up to after the whirlwind that was The Night Itself and Darkness Hidden certainly didn’t disappoint it was an emotional roller coaster ride from start to finish.

Mio developed immensely over the course of the book. I love Mio, because while some YA heroines make rash decisions and stand around waiting to be rescued, Mio was the complete opposite; she was fast thinking and decisive and fought her own battles. And even though she struggled to deal with the fact that the katana had a mind of its own, she was hilarious, sassy and cared deeply about those closest to her. Rachel developed to, no longer was she Jack’s bossy sister, she used the trauma she had suffered from being kidnapped by the Nekomata and turned her character right around and became a main driving force for the plot.

This story is one of nail-biting suspense, thanks to the combination of deadly Shikome flying around and the mysterious plague storming across London. As with The Night Itself I enjoyed the combination of Japanese folklore and modern day England.

The ending broke my heart (which was already mostly made of tape and superglue). I won’t say anymore because of spoilers but this book is well worth a read.

Overall the pace and action of Darkness Hidden combined with emotional depth and heartbreak was overwhelmingly good. I give this book four out of five stars and I cannot literally wait to read the final book in the trilogy, Frail Mortal Heart, which will hit the shelves in 2015.