**REVIEW** DESOLATE by Ali Cross

Where darkness lives, all becomes desolate . . .
It’s been two months since sixteen-year-old Desolation Black chose Earth over Hell and her friend Miri over her eternal love, Michael. 
Desi goes through the motions of life: school, training, remaining vigilant against the forces of darkness, but her dreams are full of the choices she wishes she could change. When she’s injured by a strange demon, old temptations arise, and the lines between good and evil blur. Desi discovers those choices aren’t so final after all.
And this time, the power of love—for a friend, for a lover—may not be enough to save her from the darkness that lurks within.

**REVIEW**

  Hear that?  The silence, the complete void of anything.  That is me in shock and still trying to scramble to recover from this one.  I mean I loved it but there is so much to digest, process and hope for.  Ali brings her same riveting writing style to the table but throws a much darker and harder spin on this book.  This is a place where the evil draws strength and the light struggles to go.  *sigh*  Nightmares and darkness that makes even the best of people in this one see the shadows and question their own purity.  

Would my grief over my many sins never cease?  No.  I didn't deserve them to
release me.  I deserve this pain.- Desi

  Desi is fighting a large amount of guilt and resentment in this novel.  With due reason of course, you can't go through all she had gone through in BECOME and not feel anything.  Unfortunately she seems to no longer be sure of her decision and that drags on her.  Her love for Michael is still as strong as ever but the fear of loosing it or it fading is pushing her to the limit.  Knowing that all that made you feel good, made you feel like you were worth more could possibly be slipping out from between your fingers...  It's a trial of its own and Desolation is harbouring this feeling on her own.  Her inner battle of dark and light is wavering and my heart went out to her and all she was dealing with.  Even though there is people now surrounding her that care it's like a world removed from where Desi is at the moment.

He had no idea how his nickname for me cut, how it reminded me- every.
single. time.- of the duties Father demanded of me and the choices I'd made.
  Including the wrong choice.- Desi

    A tremendous amount of growth happens in this novel.  Not just for Desi but the other characters I truely love as well.  James did like a 360 from what he was before.  From the dark and alluring guy he was in book  one to something completely different.  His love for Desi is clear but not in the sense of anything more than a friend and sister.  He cares for her but ultimately his heart and loyalty lays with Miri.  My affection and attraction for James is just as strong as it was in BECOME but I think it kind of developed with him.  Miri is a beautiful soul.  I love that she has become such a developed and anchoring part in Desi's life most of the time.  Her friendship and affection for Desi means so much and it becomes very apparent that she is extremely perceptive when it comes to Desi and it's very important.  

"You are loved, Des.  Whether you like like it or not."- James

  Ali really does make the lines between dark and light blur a little in this one.  There are bridges removed and bridges built that really bring a lot of light to how we all have battles to fight.  The fact that no one person is perfect but we all have to fight the darkness within to be a part of the light.  What happens though if the light just doesn't seem worth it?  What if a free fall into darkness would feel like a relief, a release?  The way that both Michael and Desi deal with the inner battle between light and dark is powerful and emotional every page of the way.  However I feel that they balance each other better this way and maybe Desi will be able to settle into a sense of being worthy instead of feeling undeserving of the love everyone has for her.

There was only us.  Only this.  And nothing else.  No one else. Notthe past, the future, none of it.- Michael

Ali does not skip a beat on the awesome meter with Desolate.  The world, the characters, the growth and the emotions that run high in this one will have you glued to the pages from the start.  My heart was pulled in the end and I am left in wanting for the next novel in this series.  Ali has obviously put so much into this one and it shows.  The hope that everyone has is put to the test but some loyalties are just stronger than others and in the end I hope that this is not the start of the end.  With dark turns, brief glimpses and shimmers of light this was definitely the start of something but what I don`t know.  This was a wonderfully written addition to the Desolation series and I can`t wait for more!!