Darkhaven by A.F.E. Smith

*ARC received for an honest review, thank you!

Ayla nightshade never wanted to rule Darkhaven. But her half-brother Myrren-true heir to the throne-hasn't inherited her family's gift, forcing her to take his place. When this gift leads Ayla to being accused of killing her father, Myrren is the only one to be believe her innocence. Does something more sinister than the power to shapeshift lie at the heart of the Nightshade family line? Now on the run, Ayla must fight to clear her name if she is to ever wear the crown she never wanted and be allowed to return to a home she has always loved. 

Told through different point of views, Darkhaven was an intriguing read of mystery and fantasy. Although the author kind of just throws you into this new and confusing world, leaving you to scramble to catch up and to understand, most of it is left to your own imagination, which I enjoyed more than long descriptions of buildings and such in most books. Arkanaan is a magical world which I loved reading about, but unfortunately, the main character didn't do much for me. Ayla is contemptuous and allows the other characters to fight her battles for her while she sits in a room complaining about the plumbing. It also annoyed me that whenever she was attacked all she managed was a few lousy hits while hoping that someone else will help her, you have the power to shapeshift what are you doing slapping people?! Thank god for Sorrow, a female assassin and total badass, because if she hadn't turned up when she did I would have thrown the book down in total annoyance. While the mystery of the murders around the city kept me interested and trying to guess who was responsible, I guessed it half way through and had to drag myself to the end. I really wanted this book to succeed in getting me to like it because it had so much potential, and my high hopes for it might be why I'm a bit disappointed. 

Rating: 3/5