Pello Island: Darius by A.L. Jambor

Pello Island: Darius
by A.L. Jambor
Website | Facebook | TwitterSeries: Pello Isand { 1 } { 2 }
Published: August 26, 2012 by Woofie Publications
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Group: Young Adult
Get It: Amazon

Darius, a Roman nobleman, has been sentenced to Pello Island, a Roman penal colony, for a murder he didn’t commit. Upon his arrival, he is taken under the wing of Livia, who teaches him how to survive the harsh conditions of Pello Island. With Livia's help, Darius becomes a better man. When she tragically dies, Darius reverts to his former dissolute ways, and when his young bride Cassia arrives to be with him for the duration of his sentence, he abandons her for the arms of a sultry prostitute named Antonia. Darius suffers from an unknown malady, and as his mind deteriorates, Cassia finds solace in the arms of her old, dear friend Amatus, and struggles to keep her infant daughter safe from her father’s escalating madness.
Darius is the second book in the Pello Island series. It is the story of four people, bound together by events they cannot control, and one man’s inability to accept his destiny.

~synopsis provided by Goodreads
I like that A.L. took a little bit of a different direction with Darius than she did with Cassia in terms of narration. While Cassia gave us a back-and-forth point of view to set up the story, Darius mainly took place in Ancient Rome. Initially, I wasn’t fond of this, but A.L. spent just enough time in Ancient Rome and present day for me to be satisfied with the outcome.
Character wise, this book made me dislike Darius all the more. I didn’t like him in Cassia, so this really came as no surprise. He was selfish and full of self-pity – in both times. He completely abandons Cassia and their daughter once they arrive on Pello Island and concerns himself with only what he wants. He doesn’t even recognize her daughter when he sees her. A.L. adds a plot point that is supposed to make us pity him to a degree, but it didn’t make me feel for him at all. He’s an unlikable character, yes, but he is a well written one.
I feel like Cassia grew up a little bit on the island – which was a relief – but there were times I still had to remind myself that she was a very young character. Despite the fact she was married and with a child. Different times, folks. I would have liked to see more of the relationship between her and Amatus, but I understand that A.L. had to fit in a bunch of things into one book without dragging it out.
I really liked that A.L. included the side story with the Roman gods. While Cassia didn’t give us all the information necessary to fully understand why these people were doomed to repeat their lives until Darius got his act together (which I liked), this novel filled in the holes.
I thought A.L.’s conclusion was very well done. It was an obvious solution, but not until I read the last few chapters did it click. Once of those “Oh, yeah! Duh, it’s so simple why didn’t I see that before?” moments.

Bottom Line
Darius was an enjoyable and quick read that I would recommend other pick up.