Book Review: Treasure, Darkly by Jordan Elizabeth

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Clark Treasure assumes the drink he stole off the captain is absinthe… until the chemicals in the liquid give him the ability to awaken the dead.

A great invention for creating perfect soldiers, yes, but Clark wants to live as a miner, not a slave to the army—or the deceased. On the run, Clark turns to his estranged, mining tycoon father for help. The Treasures welcome Clark with open arms, so he jumps at the chance to help them protect their ranch against Senator Horan, a man who hates anyone more powerful than he.

Sixteen-year-old Amethyst Treasure loathes the idea of spending the summer away from her bustling city life to rot on her father’s ranch, but when a handsome young man shows up claiming to be her secret half-brother, her curiosity is piqued. He’s clever, street smart, and has no qualms jumping into the brawl between the Treasures and Horans. Caught in the middle, Horan kidnaps Amethyst, and all she gets is this lousy bullet through her heart.

When Clark brings her back to life, however, the real action starts, and Amethyst joins him in his fight against the Horan clan—whatever the cost. Defeating the Horans may seem easy at first, but going up against men with the same fighting vengeance as Clark, and a Senator with power he’s obtained by brainwashing the masses?

Well, Amethyst’s boring summer at home has turned into an adventure on the run, chock full of intrigue, danger, love, and a mysterious boy named Clark.

DNF at pg 106 of 255

I’ve said this a million times: I’m super drawn to great covers. That was really the whole reason I requested Treasure, Darkly from NetGalley; this cover is awesome and looks like a dark, badass Steampunk adventure, which I am ALWAYS in the mood for.

Covers lie, sometimes.

I would say the biggest problem for me with Treasure, Darkly (aside from the misleading cover) is that it felt like the author wasn’t 100% sure what kind of book she was writing. Is it a Western? I suppose. More so than a Steampunk. Romance? In a very creepy way. Steampunk? Not really (though I really wanted it to be). Paranormal? Only because of a random and unnecessary side plot.

Treasure, Darkly starts out great; we have a solid Western vibe with the whole saloon/brothel setting, and Clark Treasure, our main man, steals a vial of unknown liquid, which he proceeds to drink (he obviously hasn’t gotten the “don’t drink anything you don’t pour yourself” speech). This liquid gives him the ability to bring people back to life.

But then for the next 100 pages, we get no explanation; Clark can see ghosts walking around? This was sort of unclear, the author would randomly mention spirits in the middle of a scene and I was like, wait, are the spirits important? Apparently not.

The storyline of Clark finding his “family” (The Treasures) was a mess as well.  Clark shows up and they are like “Oh Yeah, long lost bastard son, please join the family, here’s an inheritance we had saved just for you, you lucky dog!” It was too quick, too weird.

And that’s not even mentioning his creepy attraction to his new half-sister. Aside from the fact that Amethyst is quite possibly the most annoying female character I have ever read, Clark is constantly consumed with lust for her. And she is constantly trying to turn him on. People have been comparing this to City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, and I feel that is a very unfair comparison. Clary and Jace didn’t even know they were related until well after they had developed feelings for each other. From the moment Clark and Amethyst met, they knew they were related, and they were STILL thinking about doing the deed.

I don’t even know what the main, driving plot of this book is supposed to be. It felt like a bunch of random vignettes thrown together. I kept thinking that maybe if I just read one more chapter, then I would get it, but if I’m struggling to find a plot at 100 pages in, there’s something wrong.

I guess if you like Westerns with a tiny hint of Steampunk, random Paranormal elements, and with a perverse romance, than maybe this book is for you.