50 Shades Darker

**edit a few weeks after writing this**

I've received quite a few comments on this post and also the original post about the first book regarding common grammar and writing practices. I think a lot of the people commenting are coming here from somewhere in Britain. This means that your understanding of how English works will vary greatly from mine, and we most likely will not read a book like this the same way. For instance, a recent commenter harped on me for using the wrong form of the word "practice." Read the comments to see what I mean, but in American English, there is only one form of the word "practice." So get up out of here with your snooty attitude.

"In British English and most other varieties of English from outside North America, practice is the noun, and practise is the verb. There is no such distinction in American English..." - from Grammarist.com

Also, the author of these books is British, which is why I think fellow Brits are so quick to jump to her defense. Now before I get attacked for being an ignorant American, I would like to put it out there that I lived in London for well over 6 years.

*** end edit ***

Alright. I read the 2nd book. And I didn't hate it as much as the first.

In fact, I was quite pleased with how quickly James picked up from where she left off without much hesitation. This might be troublesome for people who haven't read the first book, but it's clearly not meant to be a stand alone novel, so I can't find fault there.

The writing is still haphazard and the grammar is still cringe-inducing, but I've decided that I quite enjoy the love story (kinky-f*ckery aside), and I don't let it bother me anymore. Also, at this point, Christian has essentially thrown his creepy S&M stuff out the window and agreed to pursue a "normal" relationship (YAYSIES). And much to my dismay, I'm growing fond of the ridiculously cheesy "laters, baby" expression. All of his annoying qualities have suddenly become endearing in the second book. I am mad at the author for accomplishing this.

I read the 2nd book quite a bit faster than the first because I found myself skipping over the sex scenes. They're repetitive.  And after I've read the first five, I found I've read them all. I really enjoy the core of the story - learning more about Christian, the turmoil between the two of them, etc.

My biggest problems with book two were James' hideous attempts to build suspense and thicken the plot. I laughed out loud while reading numerous times, simply because I could not believe how downright SILLY some of it was. Especially the ending. BUT this time, I do not have ANY interest in reading the 3rd book.

Christian and Ana are engaged, which as of right now, leads me to believe they will live happily ever after, no matter what some crazy ex-boss tries to do. I have already learned that Christian is all powerful - so it seems like her "plot twist" in the last chapter has failed itself. I am perfectly content to pretend that the last few pages don't exist, and that Christian and Ana live in bliss forever. THE END.

So yes, the 2nd book was much better than the 1st, although neither will go on the list of books I recommend to people.

Final Verdict: Easy reads, good for time wasting if you're not picky about how a book is written, and I would say the vast majority of people probably wouldn't even notice the problems I mentioned in my original review. I'm sad to admit that I will probably go watch the movies.