Seventeen-year-old Clark Treasure assumes the drink he stole off the captain is absinthe… until the chemicals in the liquid give him the ability to awaken the dead. A great invention for creating perfect soldiers, yes, but Clark wants to live as a miner, not a slave to the army-or the deceased. On the run, Clark turns to his estranged, mining tycoon father for help. The Treasures welcome Clark … Clark with open arms, so he jumps at the chance to help them protect their ranch against Senator Horan, a man who hates anyone more powerful than he. Sixteen-year-old Amethyst Treasure loathes the idea of spending the summer away from her bustling city life to rot on her father’s ranch, but when a handsome young man shows up claiming to be her secret half-brother, her curiosity is piqued. He’s clever, street smart, and has no qualms jumping into the brawl between the Treasures and Horans. Caught in the middle, Horan kidnaps Amethyst, and all she gets is this lousy bullet through her heart. When Clark brings her back to life, however, the real action starts, and Amethyst joins him in his fight against the Horan clan-whatever the cost. Defeating the Horans may seem easy at first, but going up against men with the same fighting vengeance as Clark, and a Senator with power he’s obtained by brainwashing the masses? Well, Amethyst’s boring summer at home has turned into an adventure on the run, chock full of intrigue, danger, love, and a mysterious boy named Clark.
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When Clark steals a drink, he doesn’t know exactly what it is but assumes it’s alcohol. When it turns out that it gives him powers, a whole new world opens up for him. When Clark turns to his father for help, he’s put in charge of protecting their ranch. When he crosses paths with Amethyst Treasure, things change.
An interesting mix of genres—western and steampunk—this was the first book like this that I’ve read. I loved it though. The characters were real, and the plot was suspenseful. I’ll admit that I didn’t really care much for Amethyst. After a little while, her antics got on my nerves, but Clark was a solid one.
Narration was well done.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
This is the second book of Jordan Elizabeth’s that I have had the pleasure to read and review. The one thing I absolutely adore about this author is how diverse she is. Treasure Darkly is a steam punk themed book. This is soooo not my thing. OR so I thought. Once again Elizabeth has opened my eyes to a totally new genre, one that I probably would never have thought to try.
Jordan Elizabeth’s writing is so freaking amazing. I seriously cannot stress that enough. When you open up one of her books you are literally thrust into a whole new world (cue Aladdin music). She makes you open your eyes and mind to possibilities you never would have even thought of.
Treasure Darkly is the story of Clark Treasure, an young man who is on the run from the law. Dang this is hard to not put out spoilers. Uggggg….. Okay so Clark has developed the ability to save life and take life due to a potion that he drink. This of course makes him of great interest to the military. After his mother is murdered and he is on the run trying to stay ahead of everyone who is head hunting him, he decides to find the family of his father.
I can’t seem to write this without letting major plot points out. Trust me I keep typing and deleting my review. This to me is a 10 star out of 5 star book. It is that good. Let Clark keep you company as you read his adventure. I simply cannot do this book justice in a review. But I will promise if you don’t get drug in and feel the hot wind blow in your face as you ride along with Clark I will be shocked.
This was an entertaining read that introduced several intriguing story lines and potential enemies. As it is the first book in a series, I’m hoping some of these get more fully explored in further installments. There is definitely a lot of potential there.
I liked the world Elizabeth created in Runners and Riders with a paranormal overlay to a steampunk-infused mid-1800’s type world. While this book seemed to start in a similar vein, albeit with a heavier western feel, it lost some of the magic of the steampunk and paranormal elements. Overall, most of this book felt more like a historical romance with the mystery and adventure elements added in to move the romance ahead. In fact, the only plot line in this book that was resolved was the romantic one.
The idea of the quest to collect missing inventions, or the generational vendetta, or the complications of Clark’s powers all could have made an excellent stories and I wanted to see more of those elements. There were a few cool steampunk inventions, and quite a bit of steampunk inspired fashion.
This was a light, fast, and fun read for my last book of 2019. The premise was really interesting, as far as what initially happened to Clark, and the plot from there carried me along despite a morphing into mostly a romance (a somewhat risqué one, luckily without too many steamy details) at about the halfway point. The pacing and plotline soon picked up again after they got their hormones out of their systems, and even though the ending felt a bit abrupt, the conclusion was satisfying. I assume the rest of the plotline dilemma will be continued in the next book. Some nice twists, turns, and reveals throughout kept things perking, and I liked the two main characters. The anachronistic mish-mash of Wild West and advanced steampunk (sci-fi flavored) inventions made me chuckle—it’s a crazy blend, but it seemed to work.
This is a fantastic facinating story that the Author really brings to life. Clark shows up to claim hes the son of the Treasure father. He has a past hes trying to stay away from, he also has a power that no one knows about. Amethyst is the treasures Daughter that wants for nothing. They are in a war against the Horan clan that wants everyones land. Who will win this war. I love the characters personalities. And how the Author brought out the Surroundings. This is definitely a must read.
Shauna Joesten
This was an interesting book. Clark gets into a bit a trouble when he steals something from one of his Mother’s clients and then his life is never the same. He now has affects from drinking what he stole and now he can resurrect the dead. He’s on the run until he meets his real Father Garth Treasure. He’s welcomed there but then he meets Amethyst who is his half-sister. She’s definitely a piece of work and very bratty. I didnt like her so much. There’s always that one character that you dislike and she’s it for me. Its hard to root for any kind of romantic relationship between her and Clark. She’s kinda vile and a HUGE snob. This is YA and an Old West steampunk flare. Very entertaining. I liked it but I am not sure enough to continue…we’ll give it time and see. 🙂
I wish I could say I loved this book, but I can only say that I tolerated it and finished it.
I’ve read very few books in the steampunk genre, so I can’t really know for sure if this story does that genre justice. However, what I can say is for me it seemed more like a bodice ripping western more than anything else.
There seemed to be many different storylines trying to be told to, I’m assuming, come together to show the corruption of the government in Hedlund. There’s the story of Clark trying to run from the Army for drinking a tonic that has given him power over the dead, the story of the Horans trying to take over and become the richest family in the city, lastly you have the budding romance between Amethyst and Clark.
Every think just kind of muddles together and becomes a bit too much. I couldn’t stand Amethyst. I’m assuming the author purposely wrote her as a spoiled damsel in distress to show how she grows with throughout the story. But that was not what happened. She stays the spoiled little girl and is only worried about her looks and what the newspapers will say rather than anything or anyone else in the story it’s rather annoying.
I am loving steampunk! This is my first book of this genre and I love the mix of modern conveniences and Old West style living/mannerisms come together. Amethyst and Clark are having some incredible adventures while truths are revealed. I love the touch of paranormal integrated into the story as well. Will be reading more of this author.
This was a hard one for me to rate. It was different, a blend of steampunk and Wild West. I actually didn’t mind the overall story and actually liked the main character Clark. The biggest problem I had was Amethyst. This is one of the first times I can honestly say that I actually hated her character. It kind of ruined the whole story for me.
I did like the fast pace with the shorter chapters and hope to see more of Clark and the dangers that pledge him.
This was a very interesting premise. I really enjoyed this story of Clark and the things he has to go through after drinking that little vial of liquid. There were a lot of elements to this story. I was intrigued and it held my interest. I’ll definitely be reading the next in the series to see how it continues.
Very interesting alternate reality.
I found Clark’s plight to be easy to have sympathy for. Although Amethyst in the beginning appalled me. Her insipid unaware perspective was very grating on my nerves. The melding of science and mysticism adds a original twist. Had to go read second book just to settle my opinion before reviewing first.
It is an interesting fantasy/steampunk novel, full of intrigue and adventure. Clark and Amethyst are both very interesting characters. I liked this story and hope to read more of it.
Clark’s mother is dead and he is now a wanted man. The army is after him so the only way he can protect himself is to become someone else. He tries to hide for a while then decides to seek out his father who is a very wealthy man and his name will protect him from becoming an “experiment”. It turns out that he has half-siblings too. His brothers are not happy to see their fathers bastard but his sister becomes instantly interested in him. She craves adventure and gets bored easily. To her, Clark is amusement in dull western life.
Things get more interesting after their encounter with the Horans. Apparently, there is a lot more going on than they realized and now it’s up to Clark and Amethyst to not only defeat the Horans but also protect themselves.
There are many things I liked about this book. The story is very entertaining, well-written and amusing in many ways. Amethyst is quite a character, not easy to like but she grows on you after a while. Many things don’t make sense in the beginning but as the story progresses things start to get more clear and it becomes more and more difficult to put it down. And the best thing is that there is more to come. I can’t wait for the next book.
Title: Treasure, Darkly
Author: Jordan Elizabeth
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-fi, Steampunk, Fantasy
Format: Ebook
Pages: 289
Rating: 4
Heat: 1
Thoughts: Interesting story, it was like old time western meets steampunk with fantasy and paranormal. Many twists and turns with shocking revelations. A fun read! I look forward to reading more of the series and finding out what happens next.
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work and chose to write a review.