REVIEW: #44 Scarlett & Crimson – A Light in the Darq

Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)

Scarlett, Crimson, and Pepper need to step things up a notch in order to blow the Leetz (a clique of popular, know-it-all girls who rule the school) out of the water and win the Battle of the Bands on Halloween night. So Crimson enlists ex-rocker Aunt Roxie to help them find a fourth band member to round out their sound. But when her help leads them toward the least likely candidate, they find they have a whole lot of work cut out for them. With costumes to design, a new band member to train, and the Leetz on their tail, will DarqStarz be able to rise to the occasion?

Scarlett & Crimson is a property about two 13-year-old best friends who see the world differently than other girls their age. They love the color black; their favorite time is nighttime; and their favorite mood is DARQ – which they define on their website as ‘a way of looking at the world and making sense of it from the inside out’. These girls hold confidence, individuality, love, respect, and friendship at the top of their priority lists. Learn more about the world of Darq at http://www.scarlettandcrimson.com.

Review:

I was very happy to continue right away and read the second book in the Scarlett & Crimson Series, A Light in the Darq. In this second installment, we are introduced more to some of their friends who are on the side – but manage to play an important role in the series. Winslow, the class tech-geek, has a huge crush on their friend Emzie. So much so, that it causes him to get sick to his stomach and run panicking every time she comes near! Emzie takes this very personally and is heartbroken that Winslow runs away every time she’s near, she thinks he must hate her! How can Scarlett & Crimson get two painfully shy friends together and juggle pulling their band together just in time?

Mac, a new character in A Light in the Darq, is a Leetz Pet. They do not treat him well, but he is sort of grandfathered into the group because of his brother. Immensely talented, they take advantage of his rockin’ skills and sensitive nature. Scarlett, Crimson, & Pepper are determined to pull him away from the Leetz and show him what truly monstrous people they are and that if he entered The Darq, he’d be accepted for who he is, not who he knows! But the thing is – Mac is TERRIFIED of leaving the Leetz. They have the power to make his life miserable and he knows it! On top of teaching Mac a thing about what true friends are, Crimson and Scarlett really need him to complete their band and blow the Leetz out of the water during the Battle of the Bands competition.

A Light in the Darq is a great story about friendship, music, fashion, and acceptance. Truly a great read for preteens teaching them what truly matters.