3.5 stars rounded up

Many thanks to Netgalley and Disney Audiobooks for the free audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I have enjoyed books from Rick Riordan Presents before, so I was very intrigued to see how those types of books would translate in the YA market. In my opinion, the result is in the middle.

I felt that this YA Fantasy Horror book was placed correctly in YA with a high school student as the main character. The book included romance in the plot that felt close but not quite akin to insta love. I didn't think most of the emotions the main character was experiencing aside from anger and fear registered much from the book. There was also a pacing issue to the book where things sped up, slowed down, and repeated, repeated, repeated until I was getting a bit bored. There was a "I know where this is going" hunch and feeling that I had early on that didn't feel redeemed by the writing. This book had some truly disturbing and tragic things happened, but I was not very emotionally invested.

What I do think worked well was the cultural, historical, and folktale elements of the story. There is a magical depth to the Canadian Chinatown that I appreciated hearing about. I found the descriptions of gods, demons, and wardens very interesting. Actually, I think I would have liked even more of that. In my opinion, some of the connections for the MC to finding out more about what was going on could have happened earlier in the book. I think that would have helped me be more invested in the outcome of the book.

I can see this being the first book in a potential series with the ending setting up more plot lines to follow. Sadly, I will not be following them. With that said, I am very interested in reading more from this author.

I read this book first and enjoyed it, but I would encourage everyone to listen to the audio book, it was absolutely amazing. The Taiwanese culture and language is expressed beautifully, especially for those who don't speak the language and understand what is being said, you are able to hear the language spoken and I personally loved that, because I while reading the text you don't understand you typically skip over it. I also enjoyed learning more about the culture dynamics between parents and children, especially from the perspective of parents who moved to another country for a better life and how that effects the children's relationship as well.

Delightfully creepy! I don't read horror often, but I do enjoy horror films. The visuals, atmosphere, and lore in this reminded me of Asian horror films. The conflict driven by academic/social/familial pressures that are relatable a lot of children in Asian immigrant families. This is creepy horror mixed with adventure and social commentary.

Educator perspective: It has similar themes to I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, but I thought The Dark Becomes Her is WAY more engaging. However, the graphic imagery makes this better as a self selected read for high school. The book does come with trigger warnings at the beginning. I think this would be a great read for kids who want something gritty and creepy, or for reluctant readers.

Loved the audiobook because I could hear how the words are supposed to be pronounced. Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC!