Child of Darkness

This has to stop, seriously. When Neiderman first ghostwrote for VCA, he did a decent job. I liked the Cutler series, and he did a good job of finishing up the books that VCA had started but didn't finish for the Dollanganger and Casteel series. The Landry and Logan series, while not the best, were still very decent, and I enjoyed them. However, it all started to go downhill with Orphans. That was not what VCA would have written. I endured the Hudson and DeBeers series with disgust. Mr. Neriderman, please stop writing for VCA and go back to your own work. You're a old man, stop writing as if you were a young girl, it's getting repetitive and creepy.

I found myself confused and frustrated with this series. You know that you should feel show more sorry for the first Celeste, but after reading Black Cat, you don't. She is GROWN, yet she let her mother push her around, and Mom is one VERY fucked up person. And this third book in Gemini just... left things hanging, without satisfaction or questions answered. Celeste (Sr.) is given bare mention in this book. Celeste Jr. doesn't help her mom or anything like that. It's like Neiderman lost interest in this series and slapped this third book together out of random ideas he got from soap operas.

Just garbage. show less

I was disappointed by this book. It's not really the book's fault, though. It was decently written with an interesting plot and moderately well-developed characters. What disappointed me was the direction the series took. The first two books set up this fascinating world where the family members are either seeing their dead ancestors or schizophrenic. The mother is classic V.C. Andrews-style abusive, and I was looking forward to this story being fleshed out, having an explanation for the visions, seeing the repercussions of Baby Celeste growing up in that family, reading about the older Celeste's therapy after masquerading as a boy for many years, finding out what happened to Panther... None of that is in this book. Baby Celeste is a 17 show more year old orphan at the beginning of this book, and then she gets adopted by some creepy rich people who have secrets of their own (which don't have anything to do with Celeste). It's almost like an entirely different series. I don't care about this other family's weird crap. That's not why I picked up this book. The elder Celeste barely even makes an appearance in these pages and it's frustrating as hell. The series also ends here. Usually an Andrews series (before the ghostwriter ran out of outlines left by the real Virginia Andrews) featured 3 books about a girl, one about her daughter, then a prequel about the mother or grandmother. Yes, it's formulaic, but it works. It satisfies the reader. The fourth book wraps things up, then the fifth book explains how they got to be all messed up in the first place. There is enough information to make you care about these people. I'm just....this makes me sad is all. I feel like I could have done a better job finishing out the series myself, and that shouldn't be the case. I'm not an author and I don't pretend to be, so for me to say that....it's pretty crappy.
However, none of that has anything to do with the book that is. The book as it exists is an entertaining read, I just expected better from this author. show less

Awesome. It has been awhile since I have read a series that made me hunger for the next one. I could hardly pull myself away while reading this series. Having praised the series this book out of the 3 is my least favorite. I can't really put my finger on why just didn't have the same bite and won't let go feel. Even so... Still one of the best Andrews series books I have read.

Third in the Gemini series. I was so sad there was not a 4th or 5th in the series. Reminded me of VC Andrews first books. One of my favorites from her ghost writer. I would recommend.