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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
It took me a couple of days to get into this book, but once I did I found it hard to put it down. My only complaint with this book is the same complaint I have with a lot of books that seem to be marketed as YA: in depth character development. It may just be because everything is a series now instead of a stand alone book. Just when I start getting into the characters the story ends.
This book certainly got me thinking. Before I was even a quarter of the way through I started to examine all the disaster films I have ever seen, and being born in the 70's that makes quite a lot. But my quest was to identify what made me enjoy them, or like the absolutely dreadful Deep Impact made me want to cheer with joy as practically all the mains got blown or washed away. That's right you got it, character. You have to care that Robert Neville in I am Ledgend makes it, hell you even have to shed tears when Sam the dog dies (What? Sorry, you didn't know that?) And then there is one more element that has to be just right. There has to be some little glimmer of hope. Now be it Sean of the Dead or 28 days later, each of these films raised the stakes so it seemed like there was no way out and then provided a little bit of hope. The Road by Cormac MacCarthy also does this brilliantly. So after analysing the disaster genre - and let me get this straight, I've got a pretty wide ranging definition of this genre - I felt I could then get to grips with this book.
Star parts: And Roberts pretty much sticks to the formula. It's a nice sunny day, nobody suspects anything can possibly go wrong, then boom bad things start to happen. The first chapter is particularly interesting, because something bad has already happened, but we are so in Mason's head, taken over by his feelings of grief and numbness, that we don't even realise that bad things are happening. Then Aries is on the bus, what can go wrong on a bus? Well, (touch wood, despite two years in Mexico and always being in a car or asleep when there were tremors), I don't know what an earthquake feels like, but Roberts description is brilliant. Clementine's nightmare is even worse because she finds herself completely alone and by the time we get to Michael we just know that the beep is going to hit the fan. Throughout the book Roberts' action and horror scenes didn't miss a beat, but in true disaster style, at different points throughout the book the characters are saved through selfless acts of kindness. Yay.
Black clouds: The biggest problem I had was that I didn't find the characters different enough. Aries was in a group whereas Clementine was mostly on her own. Likewise Michael was mostly in a group, whereas Mason mostly went solo. I also found that having the four characters was maybe one too many. The chapters tended to follow a formula, so that by the fourth character the element of surprise was gone. OK, then you may have heard this beef before, but this is part of a series, so although there was that element of hope at the end, the bigger thing, the 'nothing', for me it wasn't addressed enough.
Do I recommend it: I think Roberts has hit upon what teenagers like to read and she's written it well. So if you are a teenager who likes to read scary, zombie (who are not zombies) like thing than this is the book for you. Me, I just get scared *runs away screaming waving my hands over my head*
Star parts: And Roberts pretty much sticks to the formula. It's a nice sunny day, nobody suspects anything can possibly go wrong, then boom bad things start to happen. The first chapter is particularly interesting, because something bad has already happened, but we are so in Mason's head, taken over by his feelings of grief and numbness, that we don't even realise that bad things are happening. Then Aries is on the bus, what can go wrong on a bus? Well, (touch wood, despite two years in Mexico and always being in a car or asleep when there were tremors), I don't know what an earthquake feels like, but Roberts description is brilliant. Clementine's nightmare is even worse because she finds herself completely alone and by the time we get to Michael we just know that the beep is going to hit the fan. Throughout the book Roberts' action and horror scenes didn't miss a beat, but in true disaster style, at different points throughout the book the characters are saved through selfless acts of kindness. Yay.
Black clouds: The biggest problem I had was that I didn't find the characters different enough. Aries was in a group whereas Clementine was mostly on her own. Likewise Michael was mostly in a group, whereas Mason mostly went solo. I also found that having the four characters was maybe one too many. The chapters tended to follow a formula, so that by the fourth character the element of surprise was gone. OK, then you may have heard this beef before, but this is part of a series, so although there was that element of hope at the end, the bigger thing, the 'nothing', for me it wasn't addressed enough.
Do I recommend it: I think Roberts has hit upon what teenagers like to read and she's written it well. So if you are a teenager who likes to read scary, zombie (who are not zombies) like thing than this is the book for you. Me, I just get scared *runs away screaming waving my hands over my head*
This cover might have been cool without the giant floating eyes at the top. The huge crack in the barren earth from the earthquakes, the hazy ruined city in the background, and the indistinct people walking all work with the story (though it reminds me a little bit of the end of a music video), and I like the title rising up out of the fog, too. Even though black-veined eyes are a thing in the story, they don't really mesh here and are in fact really distracting. Why are publishers so enamored with close-ups of eyeballs anyway? Gross.
Actual thoughts on the book to come later. This one didn't fully work for me for a lot of reasons (too many narrators with indistinct voices; no explanation of what's actually happening to change people except some vague, portentous comments about evil always lurking within humanity and how we maybe deserve to die out) but it's a decent, action-filled debut with a compelling enough premise that I'd like to at least see where it's going. It's a mix of a ton of other apocalypse/post-apocalypse novels and movies, some of which I mentioned in a status update, but it's at least putting them together well, and I hope there is more character definition in the sequel.
Actual thoughts on the book to come later. This one didn't fully work for me for a lot of reasons (too many narrators with indistinct voices; no explanation of what's actually happening to change people except some vague, portentous comments about evil always lurking within humanity and how we maybe deserve to die out) but it's a decent, action-filled debut with a compelling enough premise that I'd like to at least see where it's going. It's a mix of a ton of other apocalypse/post-apocalypse novels and movies, some of which I mentioned in a status update, but it's at least putting them together well, and I hope there is more character definition in the sequel.
This novel's energy does not let up for a second. Jeyn Roberts has created a fascinating story of desperation and terror. The modern-day tale opens with the unleashing of something unexplainable across the world where normal people suddenly turn into killers, murdering their children, students and neighbours. As the story unfolds, we learn that some people (seemingly immune) are trying desperately to find a safe place. However, who can they trust? The book's chapters are categorized by the names of four main characters: Aries, Mason, Clementine and Michael. As each person faces unspeakable horror, the reader is also exposed to the realities of what humanity is capable of doing to one another. Is this time any different than genocides and wars perpetrated by people in the past? The goal among these characters is to reach the University of British Columbia, where survivors have managed to gather. As each person gets closer to the west, they travel through towns and cities, ravaged and emptied by this unknown force. This novel storyline is a race against time; I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!
More reviews at Rondo of a Possible World: YA Book Reviews
There are people whom I know or that I have seen that bash YA books for being "to morbid" or "to violent" or "to dark" or "kids shouldn't read this because the content is too mature for teenagers." Well, if you're someone who's like that then just leave this review because Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts was a fantastic novel of teenagers going through the drastic change as humanity crumbles before them like the earthquakes that rock the plant.
The pace of the book drew me in from the start. Ms. Roberts brings the action to the first chapter and keeps pumping every cent of it through to the remaining pages. You watch five teens strip from their clothes of normalcy and step into a world of survival where humanity is put to the test. Everything about this premise just excited me; the characters survival kept my eyes glued to my computer screen, and the mystery of who Nothing is during his scenes of the book. I have my own inferences but I am dying to find out.
Dark Inside doesn't cover up anything, what you read is what you get. Graphic details disgusting scenes, raw emotions. These things I enjoy in YA novels, to see the other sides of characters, a more prominent and realistic view to the fight of human nature and humanity. The adoration I had towards this novel was somewhat like what I had to Mike Mullin's Ashfall, another novel that should be check out. The intensity sparked through the characters showed a hidden side to YA literature.
Dark Inside is definitely a novel worthy of being purchased for anyone that happens to be a fan of Mike Mullin or just adventure involving paranormal induced humans destroying everything on God's green Earth. Either way, you're likely to enjoy the world that Jeyn Robert's had created.
There are people whom I know or that I have seen that bash YA books for being "to morbid" or "to violent" or "to dark" or "kids shouldn't read this because the content is too mature for teenagers." Well, if you're someone who's like that then just leave this review because Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts was a fantastic novel of teenagers going through the drastic change as humanity crumbles before them like the earthquakes that rock the plant.
The pace of the book drew me in from the start. Ms. Roberts brings the action to the first chapter and keeps pumping every cent of it through to the remaining pages. You watch five teens strip from their clothes of normalcy and step into a world of survival where humanity is put to the test. Everything about this premise just excited me; the characters survival kept my eyes glued to my computer screen, and the mystery of who Nothing is during his scenes of the book. I have my own inferences but I am dying to find out.
Dark Inside doesn't cover up anything, what you read is what you get. Graphic details disgusting scenes, raw emotions. These things I enjoy in YA novels, to see the other sides of characters, a more prominent and realistic view to the fight of human nature and humanity. The adoration I had towards this novel was somewhat like what I had to Mike Mullin's Ashfall, another novel that should be check out. The intensity sparked through the characters showed a hidden side to YA literature.
Dark Inside is definitely a novel worthy of being purchased for anyone that happens to be a fan of Mike Mullin or just adventure involving paranormal induced humans destroying everything on God's green Earth. Either way, you're likely to enjoy the world that Jeyn Robert's had created.
Sometimes the most frightening things aren’t ghouls and goblins, but the thoughts lurking behind the veneer of civilization. Humans are the most violent of the species, and this story explores what might happen if most of humanity were consumed by that darkness…
Full review @ Dark Side of the Covers
Full review @ Dark Side of the Covers
2.5 stars. There were moments that were really engaging and interesting. But mixed in with grammatical errors and detail errors made it a frustrating read.
It's interesting to see the very mixed reviews on this book. Anyway, here we go...
The Good
- Super creepy premise. Love how the characters can never know who to trust, because the people who have become murderously crazy can appear normal. That's a great set up that provided some genuinely scary scenes.
The Bad
- Nothing else happens. Run and hide, run and hide.
- Multiple POVs for no reason. They weren't distinct. They were all teenagers doing more or less the same thing.
In Conclusion
I got halfway through this story and lost faith that it was going anywhere. Then I read a couple reviews and learned that what is going on is never answered in this first book - my pet peeve. So glad I decided to stop reading it. However, a lot of people gave this book great reviews. Maybe all they care about is the creepy factor, which I'll admit is very high. But if you are looking for a plot and a story that gets to an enlightening conclusion, skip this one.
The Good
- Super creepy premise. Love how the characters can never know who to trust, because the people who have become murderously crazy can appear normal. That's a great set up that provided some genuinely scary scenes.
The Bad
- Nothing else happens. Run and hide, run and hide.
- Multiple POVs for no reason. They weren't distinct. They were all teenagers doing more or less the same thing.
In Conclusion
I got halfway through this story and lost faith that it was going anywhere. Then I read a couple reviews and learned that what is going on is never answered in this first book - my pet peeve. So glad I decided to stop reading it. However, a lot of people gave this book great reviews. Maybe all they care about is the creepy factor, which I'll admit is very high. But if you are looking for a plot and a story that gets to an enlightening conclusion, skip this one.
A brief synopsis of Dark Inside: Something something survival something humanity is bad something something darkness and death something something evil something killers something something something.
Yeah, it was basically a half-assed, sloppy, boring, poorly written stock apocalypse novel. So stale and uneventful, in fact, that I DNF'd about 65% of the way through.
Yeah, it was basically a half-assed, sloppy, boring, poorly written stock apocalypse novel. So stale and uneventful, in fact, that I DNF'd about 65% of the way through.