A review by thereadingraccoon
Darkly by Marisha Pessl

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Darkly is a young adult mystery and thriller about a group of teens recruited as interns at the company of a long-deceased game designer.

Dia Gannon is a teenager who helps run her mother’s antique store, dresses like she’s going to a sock hop, and counts her octogenarian coworkers as her best friends. On a whim, she sends off an application to join other young people from around the world as summer interns for Darkly, a board game design company renowned for its immersive, dark-themed games created by the enigmatic late Louisiana Veda. But when Dia is selected and meets the other applicants in England, they discover the job has much higher stakes than they ever imagined. They’ll be expected to uncover the origins of the legendary game master herself—and play to win.

Marisha Pessl has an incredible way with words and a knack for writing unique teen voices that somehow still feel authentic. This was a fun, twisty novel with excellent pacing and memorable characters. I really enjoyed Dia and would love to see more of her in the future.

Rating: 4.5 stars 

Disclosure: an advanced copy was provided by Delacorte Press for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.