The Dark Lady

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I'll resist ranting about the historical innaccuracy inherent in a fifteen year old's attempting to compose Shakespearean sonnets at that time.) I think there is definitely people out there who will absolutely love this book, I am just sad that I am not one of them

Henry looses his temper with mathew and punches him, after the fight he travels to Graham’s needle making shop. Throughout ‘Sonnet 127,’the poet engages with themes of beauty and transformation. He considers the past and the present and decides that the way women are today is less natural and less genuine than they were in the past. Before, it was easy to tell who was beautiful and who wasn’t. But, today, women wear make-up and make it much more difficult. They all darken their complexions in a way that resembles the natural beauty of his mistress. The poet also spends lines alluding to how what’s considered beautiful can change over time. He has chosen to use slang from Tudor times, but as the rest of his prose bears little or no resemblance to how people spoke at that time, the inserted slang just feels jarring and confusing. Seeing as the prose is also interspersed with obviously modern phrases and idioms, the result is a linguistic mess that puts you in doubt whether English is in fact Akala's native language. In fact, the prose bears a similarity to that frequently written by confused Americans attempting to sound English. Given that Akala actually is British, I find this rather impressive. Bate, Jonathan (2008). "The dark lady". The genius of Shakespeare. Oxford: Picador. p.94. ISBN 9780330458436.The main character's thought process and self-reflection was great, superb depth of complicated emotions displayed and felt. I also thought the poems were very iffy, but then again they are just meant to be the musings of a 15 year old? Edmondson, Paul; Wells, Stanley, eds. (2004). Shakespeare's sonnets. Oxford University Press. pp.141–142. ISBN 978-0199256105.

I was a bit disappointed the reader didn't get to see the protagonist's mother properly. Didn't really clarify the role of Agnes and Joan and I'm not a fan of the ending but I still enjoyed it in places. I especially enjoyed what it was trying to do.

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Metaphor: a comparison between two unlike things using like or as. For example, Shakespeare compares his mistress’s eyes to the dark feathers of a raven. He has an intense pride in his low status one moment, and then he is suddenly magically adapted to noble life in the next. The slang was over use. Again. A way to slap you with Shakespeare. I understand that it was crucial to the time and somewhat for the story but I can’t help but feel that if all the Shakespeare elements were withdrawn from the story it would have been better. O'Connor, Desmond (3 January 2008). "Florio, John (1553–1625)". ODNB. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (onlineed.). Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/ref:odnb/9758. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

I think this book isn’t a young YA book but more of an adult kinda books. I seriously will buy ice-cream to the younger generation that read this book.My only disappointment was the realisation this book was not a standalone but had a sequel, meaning it would leave loose ends or a cliffhanger However, the disappointment turns to excitement when you realise the sequel will be just as fascinating. A brutally slow, meandering tale with little discernible plot, awkward prose, and thoroughly unlikable characters, "The Dark Lady" was an absolute chore to read. Readers who enjoyed ‘Sonnet 127’should also consider reading some of the other William Shakespeare poems. For example: It baffles me that an editor would let this go to print without pointing out the fact that the story is quite literally buried under anecdotes depicting the everyday.

Yet despite all my praise, it definitely had its flaws that were unignorable - flaws outside of the constant slow-pacing that made getting into this story very difficult. If you're looking to read a story that isn't necessarily a life changing one to read, but is an impactful one nevertheless - one about growth, mistakes, race and poverty, and finding power in words - then you should definitely give The Dark Lady a go. It has its flaws (as I've mentioned in this review), but overall, it is an amazing story to read, and I'm now so excited to see what it is Akala delivers next when it comes to Henry's journey. The book is, I am sorry to say, incredibly poorly written. Occasionally, Akala has some truly beautiful descriptive passages (these seem to be his forte), but apart from these limited paragraphs, the writing is awkward, repetitive, and contrived.

Cyber incident

He's presented as clever, and yet he's constantly gullible enough to believe things he's told by complete strangers. Additionally, he changes his mind at the drop of a hat, and often several times during a single conversation or internal monologue. Rowse, A. L. (1974). The case books of Simon Forman: sex and society in Shakespeare's age. London: Cox & Wyman. p.110. ISBN 9780330247849.