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A review by alyssadokusho
Shades of Darkness by Nicky James
4.0
[3.8] First things first, Adam Gold. *squeals* THE VOICE OF A GOD.
Ahem. ANYWAY.
Once again, Nicky James crafts a compelling story centering around mental health, this time about heliophobia—the fear of the sun, or in some cases, any bright light—which is a very real phobia Rory faces every single day. I absolutely loved how the condition was explained and described through his lifestyle and routine. Rory's a bit of a grumpy pants but he's also such a sweetheart, and when he reveals his vulnerable side, I'm- 😭💖💖
The whole "counselor-client relationship seeping into romantic territory" thing did have me a lil nervous when I first laid eyes on the blurb (there's just so many ways this uneven power dynamic could go wrong and my former healthcare experience had alarms blaring in my head), but thankfully it was dealt with pretty decently.
So why the 3.8 rating? Because Adrian's situation had me FUMING , and as I mentioned in another review, I've been reading too many stories lately with doormat MCs (it appears my patience has run thin 🤪) so listening to my heart and rating this close to 4* but not quite.
His parents were the first perpetrators, caring only about his grades in school and nothing about their son's actual well-being, and laid the groundwork for Adrian's silent tolerance of bullies who seem to be out to get him every chance they get—in this case, his evil roommates 🙄 Poor Adrian's bullied in so many ways, and witnessing how he endured this torture for 4+ years was horrific (although I can't completely fathom why he never snapped and left because that shiz was traumatizing af).
The mere thought of Adrian's roommates now has me ready to throw fists and spit literal fire so hearing about their so-called "pranks" in real time? I was full on LIVID .
Nothing quite like listening to an audiobook in bed to "wind down" for the night and instead stay up until 3am punching the pillow you should be resting your head on because certain despicable pieces of scum are treating your fictional child like trash 😤
Besides the very visceral reaction I had to the sheer cruelty of these bullies, I loved the ending (so touching and beautiful!), the sense of hope, and Krew's role in the book, especially toward the end with that whole cruel fiasco. Can't wait to read more from this series!
Ahem. ANYWAY.
Once again, Nicky James crafts a compelling story centering around mental health, this time about heliophobia—the fear of the sun, or in some cases, any bright light—which is a very real phobia Rory faces every single day. I absolutely loved how the condition was explained and described through his lifestyle and routine. Rory's a bit of a grumpy pants but he's also such a sweetheart, and when he reveals his vulnerable side, I'm- 😭💖💖
The whole "counselor-client relationship seeping into romantic territory" thing did have me a lil nervous when I first laid eyes on the blurb (there's just so many ways this uneven power dynamic could go wrong and my former healthcare experience had alarms blaring in my head), but thankfully it was dealt with pretty decently.
So why the 3.8 rating? Because Adrian's situation had me FUMING , and as I mentioned in another review, I've been reading too many stories lately with doormat MCs (it appears my patience has run thin 🤪) so listening to my heart and rating this close to 4* but not quite.
His parents were the first perpetrators, caring only about his grades in school and nothing about their son's actual well-being, and laid the groundwork for Adrian's silent tolerance of bullies who seem to be out to get him every chance they get—in this case, his evil roommates 🙄 Poor Adrian's bullied in so many ways, and witnessing how he endured this torture for 4+ years was horrific (although I can't completely fathom why he never snapped and left because that shiz was traumatizing af).
The mere thought of Adrian's roommates now has me ready to throw fists and spit literal fire so hearing about their so-called "pranks" in real time? I was full on LIVID .
Nothing quite like listening to an audiobook in bed to "wind down" for the night and instead stay up until 3am punching the pillow you should be resting your head on because certain despicable pieces of scum are treating your fictional child like trash 😤
Besides the very visceral reaction I had to the sheer cruelty of these bullies, I loved the ending (so touching and beautiful!), the sense of hope, and Krew's role in the book, especially toward the end with that whole cruel fiasco. Can't wait to read more from this series!