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lauren_soderberg's review
4.0
Green presents a darkly decadent decent into murder that is as compelling as it is creepy. A must-read for fans of novels like 'American Psycho.'
jessjade's review against another edition
5.0
THIS BOOK.
I’m still shocked at myself for loving such a dark and twisted book but my god was it good.
I had a massive love hate relationship with Aidan throughout this book because my god is he a psycho but I just couldn’t stop reading and no matter what he did I couldn’t be put off finding out what was going to happen next, and Maria did such a bloody good job at making a serial killer bearable too!
I did see the ending coming but only because I thought it would make a brilliant story for the next book, which it is for sure going to and I CANNOT wait to get my hands on it! It’s going to be incredible.
If you love a dark thriller you need to read this book.
Seriously.
I’m still shocked at myself for loving such a dark and twisted book but my god was it good.
I had a massive love hate relationship with Aidan throughout this book because my god is he a psycho but I just couldn’t stop reading and no matter what he did I couldn’t be put off finding out what was going to happen next, and Maria did such a bloody good job at making a serial killer bearable too!
I did see the ending coming but only because I thought it would make a brilliant story for the next book, which it is for sure going to and I CANNOT wait to get my hands on it! It’s going to be incredible.
If you love a dark thriller you need to read this book.
Seriously.
andreanourse's review against another edition
5.0
Holy. Shit.
I had a conversation with the author of Nothing but Darkness before I started reading. I’d mentioned how much I despised Gone Girl (legit, hatred). She commented I might not like her book.
She was wrong. And right. Aidan, the main character, is completely hate worthy. He’s a superficial, chauvinistic, judgmental asshole. Oh, and a complete psychopath. Textbook psychopath.
From the first page, you know Aidan is going to do something horrific. He has zero respect for women or men, for that matter. But he hold a special disdain for women, seeing nearly all of them as an object to meet his desire.
Aidan’s nightmares soon become reality when he awakes to find his latest conquest fulfilled more than one of his fantasies.
I’m not usually one to enjoy dark thrillers. I’m especially freaked out when the content is something that could have been ripped from the headlines. (If I have nightmares, I’m coming for you @mariainmadness.) But this book was so well written that I couldn’t put it down. The very definition of a page turner.
It should go without saying, but there are plenty of triggers in this book and it won’t be for everyone. If you love intense thrillers where you actively root for the main character to be caught and thrown into a dark cell for their crimes, you will devour Nothing but Darkness.
I had a conversation with the author of Nothing but Darkness before I started reading. I’d mentioned how much I despised Gone Girl (legit, hatred). She commented I might not like her book.
She was wrong. And right. Aidan, the main character, is completely hate worthy. He’s a superficial, chauvinistic, judgmental asshole. Oh, and a complete psychopath. Textbook psychopath.
From the first page, you know Aidan is going to do something horrific. He has zero respect for women or men, for that matter. But he hold a special disdain for women, seeing nearly all of them as an object to meet his desire.
Aidan’s nightmares soon become reality when he awakes to find his latest conquest fulfilled more than one of his fantasies.
I’m not usually one to enjoy dark thrillers. I’m especially freaked out when the content is something that could have been ripped from the headlines. (If I have nightmares, I’m coming for you @mariainmadness.) But this book was so well written that I couldn’t put it down. The very definition of a page turner.
It should go without saying, but there are plenty of triggers in this book and it won’t be for everyone. If you love intense thrillers where you actively root for the main character to be caught and thrown into a dark cell for their crimes, you will devour Nothing but Darkness.
bookishchaos's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
This started out great, then the story became very cliche. Especially the ending. It felt like I was reading a retelling of the show You on netlfix. Don't get me wrong it wasn't EXACTLY like You by Caroline Kepnes, but there was lots of similarities. The main character in this is without a doubt way more messed up then Joe from You. The narrative, writing style and plot twist all felt the same though. However this was still an okay book, and makes an interesting start to a series. It's just not original.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Torture, and Sexual content
Moderate: Murder, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Violence
rmphyllis's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Alcohol, Death, Torture, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, and Stalking
matterofmichael's review against another edition
5.0
++Dark, blunt, sexy, disturbing and keeps you wanting to turn the page. Can you really ask for more?
+Got American Psycho vibes in the best of ways.
+Being trapped inside of Aidan's mind for a little over 300 pages was a joy.
+Super excited to read what's coming next from Maria.
+Got American Psycho vibes in the best of ways.
+Being trapped inside of Aidan's mind for a little over 300 pages was a joy.
+Super excited to read what's coming next from Maria.
exorcismofemilyreed's review against another edition
3.0
"No, I need to be in charge of my own bad decisions."
Nothing but Darkness is an American Psycho-esque story about a guy who develops serial killer urges & begins diving into the darkness of his desires. As always, this is a very intriguing concept, and it's fun to read stories from the point of view of the villain.
It took a while for this story to get going, and it's a bit of a slow burn. I had a hard time believing that these urges would randomly appear when the main character was an adult, and it kind of messed with my enjoyment of the story. There's normally some sort of build-up to this behavior, and in this book, it was like the main character just decided he wanted to torture and kill people one day. It didn't feel very natural.
I didn't really find the main character compelling enough to spend this much time in his head. I feel like I've read too many similar books, and I really need something else to make one stand out from the others. I had a hard time buying that every woman in his life wanted to sleep with him.
The second half of this book was much more interesting than the first half, but I found the ending to be predictable and a little bit far-fetched based on the character. However, I guess he deals with things in extremes, so there you go. I don't think that this was a bad book; I just had trouble connecting with it & it didn't have that spark that I need to really enjoy a book like this.
Nothing but Darkness is an American Psycho-esque story about a guy who develops serial killer urges & begins diving into the darkness of his desires. As always, this is a very intriguing concept, and it's fun to read stories from the point of view of the villain.
It took a while for this story to get going, and it's a bit of a slow burn. I had a hard time believing that these urges would randomly appear when the main character was an adult, and it kind of messed with my enjoyment of the story. There's normally some sort of build-up to this behavior, and in this book, it was like the main character just decided he wanted to torture and kill people one day. It didn't feel very natural.
I didn't really find the main character compelling enough to spend this much time in his head. I feel like I've read too many similar books, and I really need something else to make one stand out from the others. I had a hard time buying that every woman in his life wanted to sleep with him.
The second half of this book was much more interesting than the first half, but I found the ending to be predictable and a little bit far-fetched based on the character. However, I guess he deals with things in extremes, so there you go. I don't think that this was a bad book; I just had trouble connecting with it & it didn't have that spark that I need to really enjoy a book like this.
mstorialvarez's review against another edition
4.0
Serial Killer? Check ✅ Normal functioning person? Check ✅ Best friend? Check ✅ Romance? Check ✅ Sex? Check ✅ Predictability? Nope! ❎
This story contained so much. I went in knowing I was going to read a dark book and was ready. I didn't expect so much more. The author does not only take you on a journey of murders, but insight as well. We were able to live in his head and watch the inner turmoil as decisions were made. It was interesting watching how he justified his actions.
Aiden is a ladies man, never settling down with any of his female conquests. That's what women are to him, conquests, he has fun with and forgets. He lives his life for immediate pleasure. He only respects two things in his life, his job and his friendship with his best friend Jason.
I did begin to suspect the twist at the end. So much could happen.
If you like suspense and serial killers I recommend to jump in.
This story contained so much. I went in knowing I was going to read a dark book and was ready. I didn't expect so much more. The author does not only take you on a journey of murders, but insight as well. We were able to live in his head and watch the inner turmoil as decisions were made. It was interesting watching how he justified his actions.
Aiden is a ladies man, never settling down with any of his female conquests. That's what women are to him, conquests, he has fun with and forgets. He lives his life for immediate pleasure. He only respects two things in his life, his job and his friendship with his best friend Jason.
I did begin to suspect the twist at the end. So much could happen.
If you like suspense and serial killers I recommend to jump in.
theliteraryhooker's review
4.0
**Full review HERE at The Literary Hooker.**
Review Excerpt:
I fully admit, I was apprehensive about starting this book. The more I learned about it, the less it sounded like something that would be up my alley: I’m not a huge fan of serial killers, or gore, or romance. Not to mention those don’t really sound like things that would mix particularly well. But somehow, the author manages to take these very, VERY different elements and combine them into a thoroughly engrossing, supremely disturbing thriller.
I really didn’t have many issues with this novel. Sure, Aidan’s thoughts on women are pretty horrifying, but it fits with his character. It definitely made me make my “ick” face more than once, but it was overall well done. The writing is great, with good pacing and complex characters. I did find the ending to be a little bit abrupt, but knowing there’s a sequel coming, it didn’t bother me much. This was a really solid thriller, and a great take on showing things from the killer’s perspective. I’m very much looking forward to seeing where Aidan and Bee will end up in the next book!
Review Excerpt:
I fully admit, I was apprehensive about starting this book. The more I learned about it, the less it sounded like something that would be up my alley: I’m not a huge fan of serial killers, or gore, or romance. Not to mention those don’t really sound like things that would mix particularly well. But somehow, the author manages to take these very, VERY different elements and combine them into a thoroughly engrossing, supremely disturbing thriller.
I really didn’t have many issues with this novel. Sure, Aidan’s thoughts on women are pretty horrifying, but it fits with his character. It definitely made me make my “ick” face more than once, but it was overall well done. The writing is great, with good pacing and complex characters. I did find the ending to be a little bit abrupt, but knowing there’s a sequel coming, it didn’t bother me much. This was a really solid thriller, and a great take on showing things from the killer’s perspective. I’m very much looking forward to seeing where Aidan and Bee will end up in the next book!