The New Dark

The Dark Times Trilogy #1

by Lorraine Thomson

She thought she knew who she was and where she came from. Then her home was destroyed. Her little brother gone. Her boyfriend taken. She owed her own survival to a mutant - the very forces behind the destruction that has ripped her life apart. Now Sorrel will never be the same again.

There is no "Before", there is only "Now". Because now there's no internet, no TV, no power grid. Food is scarce, and the world's a hostile place. But Sorrel lives a quiet life in the tiny settlement of Amat. It's all she's ever known ...

Until a gang of marauding mutants destroys the village, snatching her brother Eli, and David, the boy she loves. Sorrel sets out after them, embarking on a journey fraught with danger, spurred on by the thought of Eli and David out there somewhere, desperate for her help ...

THE NEW DARK is the first book in a scintillating new YA trilogy.

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Post Apocalyptic, Fiction

221 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2017

About the author

Lorraine Thomson was born in Glasgow. She won a UK writing competition and was short-listed for the Dundee Book Prize. She now lives in Ullapool on the rugged north-west coast of Scotland.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The New Dark by Lorraine Thomson is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. I found this an interesting read with mutants that are treated poorly, but at the same time they raid and kill villages. This is about a girl that survives a raid and is looking for her boyfriend and her brother, they got separated after the raid. The girl befriends a mutant and he helps her. It is interesting, it got slow in a couple of places but immediately picked back up. Enjoyed it. Love the cover!

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.4⭐️

Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
After Mutants raid Amat and take Sorrels little brother and her friend and love David with them, Sorrel starts to search for them, only to find people who call themselves "the free people". There she learns that not all mutants are bad and not all people are nice and good.
Even if sometimes I knew what would happen, I still found the story to be entertaining and I can't wait to read the second book.

Characters ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I liked the main character Sorrel, because next to her being smart and good at fighting, she also had her faults. So she wasn't that typical (super-)main character.
David seemed really strong and rebellious in some way, because even when everyone gave up, he still fought. I really liked that about him.
I had the feeling that the other characters were flat, because we only get to know them all little bit.

World ⭐️⭐️⭐️
There was a before with cars and free people all around, but now the world is different.
It's kind of a typical after-the-world-ends story, because all civilization is gone and the world is in misery and only one can help to change and save the people. The young main character, who lost her parents.

Relationships ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The most important relationship was the friendship Sorrel made and how that changed her view of the world.

Writing style ⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was good, really fluent and nice to read.

[Sophie "Beware Of The Reader" · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been given an ARC by Bastei Entertainment via NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is embarrassing as it’s the first ARC I’ve got from NetGalley that did not really float my boat.
Hell I can guess there is always a first time to everything!

So honestly here: I liked the concept, I liked that it made me think about who’s right and who’s wrong in general BUT I did not like the main characters.
I did not dislike them either but I had difficulties to really walk in their shoes and I’ll get there later.

Just know that characters are of the utmost importance to me.
I can read a book with nearly no plot if the characters are so well built and relatable that I can eat, drink and breathe with them.

This story is a dystopian story happening in a future where cars and planes are things from the past. The metal is a rarity and mutants are feared by humans.

What happened? What are the mutants exactly? We don’t know. And here I found it a missed opportunity as I would have loved some explanations about this new era and new people.

Sorrel is human and lives in a village with her mom her little brother and sister. Her dad left to hunt one day and never came back. Her mom stopped living somehow from that moment on or at least stopped being carefree. Now her face is marred by deep lines of concern and sorrow.
Sorrel has been secretly in love with her childhood friend David but never dared acting up on her feelings.

One day her village is attacked by mutants, her mom and sister are slaughtered and Eli her little brother disappears with David.
Sorrel escapes and will have one goal: find Eli and David.

The journey will be filled with dangers, betrayals, shocking truths…

I liked the concept of the “new era” and mutants.
I really loved how the author made me ponder on my perception. Mutants are seen as monsters but humans are the one acting as monsters in the first place. It made me think about our modern world and about my beliefs. Of course I think my religion, my culture, my way of life are the right choices. But what then? Are the others in the wrong? They believe that they are in the right…
So yes everything good or bad is a question of perception.

I also loved the joke the author played in choosing one mutant's first name. It says it all and goes back to my previous comment about perceptions.

BUT

I found Sorrel immature and childish. Impulsive, being angered easily and behaving like a brat with her mother. I know she is young and a teen. I know teens can be spoiled and hormonal. Childish one moment mature the other. Trust me being the mom of a sweet sixteen I know the ropes. Knowing this does not equal to loving to read about it. Not when it comes down to the main character.

Even David was childish somehow and even behaved like a coward at some point in the book. Inadvertently a coward as he did not know all the facts but it resulted in the death of a good character.

So now I’m in a predicament as I wanted to love this book so bad but can’t give it more than 3 stars based on the elements here above.

Again what did not work for me could very well work for you. We are all differents so maybe give this book a chance and make your own opinion.

Anyway I’m grateful to Bastei Entertainment for their trust.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

They came thundering through her village, killing, kidnapping and destroying all that remained. Mutants, a product of a post-apocalyptic world. Somehow Sorrel survived and escaped, a girl now alone in a hostile world berating herself for her failure to save her family, for feeling fear and for surviving the monsters her peaceful village was no match for.

Sorrel is now determined to somehow find and rescue her baby brother and hopefully the boy she loves. When she is “rescued” by a fanatical religious cult who consider the mutants to be physical proof of all that is evil. They have proof, they regularly torture one they keep chained in the town square. To avoid becoming a baby factory, she escapes, but she does not go alone and so begins Sorrel’s education into of the world around her.

THE NEW DARK by Lorraine Thomson tells of a world where the lines of good and evil are blurred, where truths are hidden in propaganda, lack of knowledge and fear-mongering. Being different doesn’t mean one is a monster and being “normal” or not deformed doesn’t make a person trustworthy or honorable.

While so many background questions remain unanswered and there isn’t the depth of an adult read, this tale appears to be the perfect read for middlegrade and young adults who want the “now” of a story, and there is a lot of “now” to tell. There is a message about thinking for one’s self, being responsible for one’s actions and to question what one doesn’t think is right, as well as looking deeper than the surface.

The pace is fantastic, Sorrel’s characterization is well-done and the feeling that these people became so isolated and so polarized from not thinking for themselves, but following like sheep and drinking the “Kool-aid” fed to them, it actually mimics our own society in terrifying ways.

I received an ARC edition from Bastei Entertainment in exchange for my honest review. I am voluntarily reviewing this complimentary copy!

Trilogy: The Dark Times Trilogy - Book 1
Publisher: Bastei Entertainment (November 1, 2017)
Publication Date: November 1, 2017
Genre: YA Dystopian
Print Length: 221 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Fafa's Book Corner]

Mini review:

I received this E-ARC via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

DNF

I was really looking forward to reading this! It sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately it didn't work for me.

The beginning totally turned me off. And I just couldn't get back into it.

I do still recommend.

[Scrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from Netgalley for a fair review

In a post-modern society, Sorrel barely escapes after her village is raided by mutants. She finds that young brother Eli and beloved David were captured by the band of mutants and finds herself in a dangerous pursuit to get them back. As she progresses on her journey she learns more about the world outside of her village and the dangers that it holds. Everything she thinks she knows about the “before” could actually be real and she learns that not all mutants are as savage she those that had attacked her village.

The Story-While the book was really easy to read and flowed well enough, there wasn’t really much that made me excited to be reading it. I didn’t really like the alternating points of view between Sorrel and David. I thought it would have been better to just sum up what happened to the survivors as hearsay later – it would have been enough to get the idea of the brutality of the mutants and the overall story of their suffering.

Now while the book itself isn’t explicit, it might be beneficial to point out a slight trigger warning to those who may be affected by reading about a forced or abusive relationship.

The World Building-The setting wasn’t very thoroughly described, but is to be understood that it is in the future where modern day society has fallen, and mankind has regressed to live without technology and it’s advancements. Things such as plumbing and heat are unheard of just as much as a car or telephone. They are all parts of the “before” time.

There are also mutated creatures, plants & humans that are larger, stronger, and overall more dangerous than they would have been in the “before” time.

The Characters-I found the characters a little flat. However, I did appreciate the fact that Sorrel wasn’t some perfect angel with magnificent skills. She had skills yes, but was overtaken by more power people or made choices that showed her to be someone who could be considered selfish or mean because of her sense of self preservation.

I was really glad that the story wasn’t driven by some instalove between some characters that grinned and eyed each other every few pages as well. The fact that her resolve was fueled by family and comradery was definitely a reason why I stepped up from 2 stars to 3 stars.

More reviews can be found at:

[Amy Burrows · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found The New Dark to be a surprisingly captivating read!

It tells the story of a girl called Sorrel, who lives in a small village called Amat with her mother, younger brother - Eli & new baby sibling. What seems to be a normal day in Amat soon turns to a horrific turn of events when Mutants show up to pillage, murder and kidnap the village folk. Sorrel witnesses all of these events, and whilst luckily managing to escape with her life and freedom, but her love interest, David, is kidnapped along with her brother Eli.
Sorrel finds herself on a wild goose-chase, trying to track down the Mutants that hold her love ones captive.
On this journey she gets taken and finds herself among the 'Free'. At first Sorrel thinks she has landed on her feet but events turn sour again when she uncovers the 'Free-folks' real agenda.

The story is full of betrayal and definitely a few triggers in there with sexual abuse, it comes in the form of unwanted touches and forced marriage but not much further.

I thought it was a really good start to the trilogy and it ended on a huge cliffhanger which makes me want to read on. I look forward to seeing how this story progresses and how the little hints/prophesies expand further.

[DaJa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich muss gestehen am Anfang hatte ich wirklich so Schwierigkeiten mit diesem Buch. Allerdings ist es etwa ab der Hälfte so richtig spannend geworden. Einstein hat mir am besten gefallen er ist irgendwie der Hammer. Jetzt muss ich eigentlich wissen wie es weitergeht und ich werde mir auf jeden Fall das nächste Band auch noch holen. Der Schreibstil war eigentlich ganz angenehm aber wie gesagt anfangs auch ein bisschen holprig. Ich glaube ich musste mich erst mal an diese neue Welt gewöhnen.

[TJ]

I guess growing up also means your taste in books changes too. This is not for me anymore :(

[Jess (BookObsessedJess) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not even sure where to begin. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it, or even really like it. I wasn't disappointed. I'm not angry. I just feel a lot of....nothing towards this book.



WARNING: This book contains themes of slavery, oppression, racism, sexual assault, and prejudices against disabilities. To name a few.

I understand that this book was trying to point out the wrongness of all of these issues. I do "get" that, but it just fell so flat to me. If you are going to take on such issues as these, maybe take more than 221 pages to do so...or focus on one issue at a time. It ended up just coming across as glossing over several issues without a true focus.

The New Dark follows Sorrel and David after the attack and destruction of their homeland, Amat. Sorrel and David are the "meant to be" stereotype with the typical "mean girl" Mara, who tries everything in her power to split them up. There is a lot of female backstabbing on the side of Mara and a lot of hatred on the side of Sorrel. Again, so so so tired of this trope. Can't we just have a solid female friendship? Why can't we have nice things? Sorrel also falls under the typical "special snowflake" category because of her birthmark . I KID YOU NOT. BECAUSE. OF. HER. BIRTHMARK. SHE. IS. "SPECIAL." Sexual predator Martin, of the "Free" decides to force her into marriage because of the birthmark. Nevin and Yolanda make her into a symbol of freedom in Dinawal because of her birthmark. Her grandmother filled her special snowflake head with tales of how she was special because of her birthmark. Also...what was the point of the mutants? Why did people think they were "unviable" and "wrong"? I don't understand.

WHY?

In the end I was left with one resounding question:

What was the point of it all?

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book.

[Dee/ bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was so much that went into this novel. I honestly think it was one of the best novels I have read in a while. It had sadness, despair, hope, a hint of romance, revulsion, friendship.. it had a little of everything. And while in the beginning I was wondering if the book had any redeemable qualities, I kept going and it was definitely worth it!!
Now I have to wait for the next one :(

Wonderful book!!

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, Netgalley and publishers, for an advanced e-book copy of this story! All opinions are still my own and are not influenced in any way.

The New Dark by Lorraine Thomson is about a dystopian/sci-fi book about a girl named Sorrel whose town gets raided by mutants. She barely escapes, but is now on an adventure to find her little brother and childhood crush. Along the way, there are many dangers. Will Sorrel ever find David and Eli?

This started and ended strangely. It dives right in, and you sort of learn about the characters through Sorrel's thoughts, but a lot of it you have to piece together yourself. You also don't get a real feel for the relationships between characters (since you learn about them in a small first chapter). This made me not as excited to go find Eli and David as I probably should have been. The ending was very abrupt. The book definitely should have been longer, as I was trying to figure out if I got a janky e-copy or if it literally ends right where it does.

The character development was great. The writing style was very plain and simple, but it didn't bother me. Even though it was pretty plain, I still feel like I was there along with Sorrel having this adventure too, which is always fun instead of feeling like just the audience.

This is a pretty good book. It was only ~180-190 pages on the nook, so it's a relatively quick read if you just sit down and read it (which I did not do). I'm definitely interested in seeing what happens next!

[Belu Ruiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4 stars* ARC kindly received in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoy this book!! I loved the post-apocalyptic story line, Sorrel firceness and courage, David's feelings and how Lorraine Thomson managed to show us that good people does not only come in human form.
This is a book I highly recomend and can't wait to read the following ones.

[Naty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Check out my blog for more reviews and bookish stuff! https://natysbookshelf.wordpress.com/

I have received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had to battle through this book to get it finished. It’s 221 pages long, but to me it felt like it would never be over. I wanted to give this book the fairest chance possible, but it didn’t work too well.

The New Dark tells the story of Sorrel, a girl living in a post-apocalyptic settlement of Amat, where there is no electrical energy, no currency, no internet. Those things are from the time Before. When she survives an attack by mutants and hides from them, a chain of events gets started – and she must be brave and face dangers if she wants to see her little brother Eli and her friend David ever again.

As I read the first pages of the book, I frowned, deeper and deeper. I sincerely couldn’t believe this was the post-editing version of the book – The New Dark felt amateurish in its writing from the very beginning, but to its credit it does get better as the book goes – which is why it got 2 stars instead of 1.

Sorrel is so absolutely impossible to cheer for – a brat with little talent for anything except being “special” because she has a birthmark. Literally, that is all. Throughout the whole book, it’s hammered into our brains how people think she’s special because she has a birthmark.

I also didn’t appreciate the girl-hate in the book, nor the pacing. It went way too fast, throwing names of characters that we hardly could care about before they were killed. The romance between Sorrel and David is also hardly more than some flirting in the beginning of the book, and then at some point he seems to become “the man she loves” although nothing really pointed to that at all.

I will end my rant-view here, because really, I could go on and on, but I think my point is made. With so many sci-fis, post-apocalyptic worlds, so many cool dystopian YAs, I think it’s not worth reading this series.

I do think the author has potential, she clearly has creativity, and a tendency to write dark stories, which I really like, so I don’t completely discard reading more from her in the future.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love fantasy, and on the whole, I love sci-fi as well, so this YA book should have been a winning cocktail, angst and all. In the end, though, despite some interesting comments on mutants and society, I wasn’t completely hooked.
Similarly to Michelle Kenney’s great Book of Fire, a post-apocalyptic novel about people living wild in the forest facing off against a more civilised (and invariably slightly evil) post-apocalyptic society, The New Dark is about Sorrel, a girl from Amat, a community that is attacked by mutants, a new strain of people who have been affected by what I imagined was the radiation from the accident that wiped out our society in the first place. With her brother stolen by mutants, and the man she loves, David, trafficked into slavery, Sorrel sets off to track them down- and save them- without being captured herself.
Though apocalyptic fiction has massive scope for invention- the amazing Dustlands series is a personal favourite of mine- Thompson’s world didn’t seem particularly new or fresh to me: a bog-standard dystopian world, with mutants seemingly the only new addition to the fray. Though Sorrel is an interesting heroine- more importantly, she’s not perfect, which I really liked- she always seems to be at the mercy of other people, and she didn’t have an engaging personality for me to root for (she forgot about her missing brother for good chunks of the novel). What was interesting was Thompson’s bold decision to split her and David, her star-crossed lover, apart at the very start: there was no insta-love, or teenage angst, here, which was a refreshing change, and gave you something to root for as they tried to make their way back to each other.
Thompson’s use of the mutants also had a lot of potential. The mutants in Sorrel’s world are often treated as second-class citizens, who are abused and killed at birth by a good deal of the human population; as a result, her arc over the course of the book is less about finding her way back to David and more about her developing friendship with the mutants, overcoming her prejudice. Despite some sometimes-clunky comparisons, it was definitely an interesting twist on the story, but overall it felt like a bit of an add-on to what was meant to be the main plot to feel overly relevant.
The plot was also a little confusing. Apart from Sorrel and David, quite a few of the characters seemed quite one-dimensional, and so their actions and motivations sometimes seemed rather obscure- several betrayals, or plot twists, came out of the blue and left me reeling. That, combined with Sorrel’s completely unorchestrated rise to freedom fighter by the end of the book, left me scratching my head and flicking back a few chapters to see if I’d missed anything.
All this adds up to an uneven, but interesting, book. Thompson has a way with words that does make for engaging reading, and Sorrel’s character journey through the novel is genuinely heartwarming. For people who want a YA novel with something different to offer, then curl up with this- but it wasn’t for me.

[Traci Ashbe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Talk II 1/19/18
Traci Kenworth

The New Dark Lorraine Thompson. Bastei Entertainment. Nov. 2017. Netgalley. YA Dystopian.

As always, blurb from GoodReads: "She thought she knew who she was and where she came from. Then her home was destroyed. Her brother lost amongst the ashes. And the boy she loves vanished. She owed her own survival to a mutant — the very forces behind the destruction. Now Sorrel will never be the same again."



There is no "Before", there is only "Now". Because now there’s no internet, no TV, no power grid. Food is scarce, and the world’s a hostile place. But Sorrel lives a quiet life in the tiny settlement of Amat. It’s all she’s ever known ...

Until a gang of marauding mutants destroys the village, snatching her brother Eli, and David, her boyfriend. Sorrel sets out after them, embarking on a journey fraught with danger. Can she survive? The only thing that keeps her going is Eli and David. They are out there somewhere. They must be alive. And if she has her way, she will find them.



THE NEW DARK is the first book in a new YA-trilogy and will be published in November 2017. The second and third books in the series (THE NEW DAWN & THE NEW DAY) will be released in 2018.

My review: Sorrel’s village is raided after a fight with her mother. Her mother is killed and her brother stolen by mutants. Her boyfriend, David, is also taken with Eli. Sorrel determines to free them. On her way to save the day, she is bitten and falls ill. She wakes up in the camp of the Free, a weird, religious cult. They want to marry her off to their leader. Though she fights to be free, the only one who will help her is a mutant.
She tries to go off on her on, but there is a hunting party of the Free searching for her. Will she make it to Dinawl to free her brother and David? Will she learn that some mutants can be trusted? Or will a more sinister plot await them?

The characters could use a little more defining. I’m not sure I got a good grasp on them. The setting was bleak and unforgiving, exactly what a Dystopian should be. The plot went together well. I would read more of the series, just to see what happens. I felt that they cut things off a bit too soon in the end.

***

[Paige · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rating: 1.5

Genre: YA Dystopian

Recommended Age: 15+ (mentions of rape, gore, violence, slavery, etc.)

Pages: 221

Author Website

Amazon Link

I received this book for review from NetGalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Summary: "She thought she knew who she was and where she came from.Then her home was destroyed. Her brother lost amongst the ashes. And the boy she loves vanished. She owed her own survival to a mutant — the very forces behind the destruction. Now Sorrel will never be the same again."

There is no "Before", there is only "Now". Because now there’s no internet, no TV, no power grid. Food is scarce, and the world’s a hostile place. But Sorrel lives a quiet life in the tiny settlement of Amat. It’s all she’s ever known ...

Until a gang of marauding mutants destroys the village, snatching her brother Eli, and David, her boyfriend. Sorrel sets out after them, embarking on a journey fraught with danger. Can she survive? The only thing that keeps her going is Eli and David. They are out there somewhere. They must be alive. And if she has her way, she will find them.



I actually had to DNF this book, but I made it about 57% of the way through before I did so. While I couldn’t finish the book I do feel like I read enough of it to make a well informed opinion about the book. So I will say that this book was interesting plot wise. The storyline was really cool and nothing that I had really heard about before. The story really made me want to read more of it, but I had a lot of issues with it sadly.

The issues I had with a lot of things in the book. The character development was non-existent and the characters actually didn’t have a set pattern to follow. They just did whatever the plot called for instead of what the characters would actually do. The characters were also incredibly stupid. Like seriously, they made very dumb decisions they shouldn’t have made otherwise. The pacing was way too fast-paced for this type of book. The world-building was also non-existent and the reader is left wondering what the hell is happening throughout the book.

Verdict: I prefer books that explain the world around it, especially if it’s set in the future post-dystopian world.

[Robyyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I was given a copy of this ARC from Baseti Entertainment via Netgalley for an honest review**

Sorrel and her family live in the small village of Amat. She spends her days hunting, fishing, and dreaming about the before times and her secret love David. One day Amat is attacked by a group of brutal mutants and entire world is taken away from her. Trying to escape and save the ones she loves she ends up a criminal on the run with a mutant from a brutal man and his soldiers. She continues to search for her loved ones and ends up befriending a group trying to bring the before times back again. They claim she is special and need her to help their cause. But there seems to be more that they are unwilling to disclose.


I found myself sitting on the fence about The New Dark when I was finished. I really enjoyed the concept. I love that they are living in a distopia that is actually our world, not somewhere completely imaginary. My favorite character by a long shot is Einstein. Despite being the typical looking mutant he complete tests and changes Sorrels whole world view. He becomes the standard that she holds everyone else to. I also really like Brig, I feel like there is another side to him as well, and his relationship with Eli. This book kept me guessing about who is really good and who is really not.

On the other hand, I hate Sorrel. She's immature and a spaz. The amount of disrespect she shows her mother at the beginning of the book and then her running away was so childish. If I were David witnessing that scene I would have lost all interest in her. And she continues to act that way all through the book. I also found the book lacking in explanation about what actually happened in the world. I want to know about how it got that way, and how the mutants came into existence. It jumps right into the attack on Amat and I think it missed an opportunity to really bring the reader into the world.


I would probably continue the series because of the elements I loved, but I hope Sorrel grows as a character.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Buch ist keine bahnbrechende Dystopie.
Aber eine nette Unterhaltung für kleines Geld (4,99€ als eBook).

**In einer dunklen Welt ist Liebe die einzige Rettung.**

Keine Schulen, keine Supermärkte, kein Internet – eine globale Katastrophe hat die Zivilisation vernichtet.
Klappentext:
Für die 16-jährige Sorrel gibt es nur ihre Familie, ihr Dorf und einige unglaubliche Geschichten aus der ‚Zeit Davor‘. Eines Tages greifen Mutanten das Dorf an und metzeln fast alle Bewohner nieder. Sorrels kleiner Bruder Eli und ihre große Liebe David werden verschleppt. Wild entschlossen, die beiden zu retten, macht Sorrel sich auf die Suche. Doch die einzige Möglichkeit, ihre Lieben zu retten, führt sie direkt in die Arme eines skrupellosen Rebellenanführers, der Sorrel für seine Zwecke instrumentalisieren will. Aber welcher Weg ist schon zu weit für die wahre Liebe?

(Quelle: Verlag)

Die Story ist sehr temporeich angelegt.
Kampf folgt auf Kampf, Überfall auf Überfall. Leider erfährt man wenig, über die Zeit davor. Es gibt immer wieder nur kleine Andeutungen, gerade was Gegenstände von damals betrifft. So ist z.B. ein Bügeleisen ein fremdes Haushaltsgerät für die Menschen. In dieser heutigen Welt leben die Leute wesentlich abgeschiedener und einfacher.

Die Geschichte wird aus der Sicht von Sorrel und David erzählt.
Zwei junge Menschen, die auf dem Weg sind sich gerade zu finden - als ein Überfall von Mutanten passiert.
Die Protagonisten werden getrennt, gehen jeder durch ihre persönliche Hölle. Eigentlich würden junge Menschen daran zerbrechen. Hier scheint es zum Alltag zu gehören.

Es gibt auch nervige Nebenspieler, wie Mara, die unbedingt mit David eine Beziehung eingehen will. Dessen Herz gehört aber per se Sorrel.

Man wird auch nie ganz klar, wie die Mutanten eigentlich aussehen. Dass es intelligente Wesen sind, wird nach und nach klar. Aber wer oder was sie zu diesem Leben verbannt hat, konnte nicht wirklich vermittelt werden.

Der zweite Teil erscheint im nächsten Jahr. Vielleicht bin ich dann ja schlauer.

[Mridula Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

The New Dark is about the Village of Amat and Sorrel. Sorrel runs away from her village when it is attacked by the mutants. When she comes back she finds almost everyone lying dead on the ground. But her brother Eli and her love interest David are missing. That's when she sets a journey to find them and rescue them. Will she find them or are they dead?

The journey is definitely not an easy one for Sorrel. She faces enemies both as nature and as humans. David and Eli, on the other hand, are taken as prisoners by the mutants and they have hardships of their own.
The Mutants have been shown in two different light. One is their harsh, violent nature and the other as the sad, pathetic breed who are tortured by humans for fun.

The plot is fast-paced and the writing is fairly simple. The author takes time to describe the world she has created. A sci-fi world which is so much different from the one we live in or can possibly imagine. The plot tends to get boring at times, but it gets better again. This keeps happening throughout the plot.
It took me really long to finish this book. Maybe because there's a vivid description of almost everything and random events keep happening.

Interesting, descriptive and highly imaginative.

[*Layali* · Rating 2 out of 5]

The New Dark is a new dystopian series centered around our main character, Sorrel. We are very briefly introduced to her and her village, where she lives with her young brother (Eli) and her "boyfriend" (David). The story begins with her village being completely destroyed by invading mutants.

Honestly, this book was just confusing and distasteful. The whole novel has this sense of hopelessness and depression. I felt like the author threw in a bunch of shocking events just because. There was no real rhyme or reason to why these things happened, and they didn't contribute to the plot or the background of the world.

There wasn't enough world building. We were introduced to so many different things at once. There are different areas of the world, different societies, different people, different histories... All of these are introduced but with little or no background to them. It left me feeling confused, rather than intrigued.

One thing that I can appreciate about the book though, is the author's intent to show how judging someone on their looks or race is not a way to really understand someone's character or intentions.

I don't have plans on continuing on with the series, and this wouldn't be something that I would recommend if asked.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Becky Armstrong · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is no "Before", there is only "Now". Because now there’s no internet, no TV, no power grid. Food is scarce, and the world’s a hostile place. But Sorrel lives a quiet life in the tiny settlement of Amat. It’s all she’s ever known... Until a gang of marauding mutants destroys the village, snatching her brother Eli, and David, her boyfriend. Sorrel sets out after them, embarking on a journey fraught with danger. Can she survive? The only thing that keeps her going is Eli and David. They are out there somewhere. They must be alive. And if she has her way, she will find them.



Right off the bat I realised that The New Dark was going to be a clusterfuck of tropes common to YA. In my opinion anyway. It starts off rough as main character describes the typically hot guy and fantasises about kissing him... as he skins bats. Then we have some lovely female on female hate... for no reason other than the fact they like the same boy (yes, the one that is skinning bats). So we also have a bit of a love triangle going on. Basically, within the first chapter I am already annoyed with this book. 

The New Dark tries really hard to make points about prejudice and racism as mutants are treated differently because they look different. In this world which is the future of our world, we kill babies if they are 'unviable' aka a mutant. The points made really fall flat as apart from one or two mutants, they're all made out to be monsters. The beginning of the book literally shows them kill everyone except the young ones who they then sell into slavery. 

This is of course ridiculous as you would think they would look back on history and realise that it's wrong to have slaves and be discriminatory. But apparently no one remembers the 'before' time even though the eldest people in the village were alive then. Sorrel's grandmother remembers cars and malls and tells Sorrel about these, so why aren't they rebuilding their lives and talking about history? It just seems so dumb that after only 50ish years this village reverts back to the dark ages.

There were a lot of problematic things about The New Dark but it was in fact quite a good paced book. As you go between Sorrel and Davids POV's you get to see quite a lot of action and there's not many dull moments. It felt very much like a good plot, it just needs more in depth world and character building to make it a good book. Speaking of characters, Sorrel is your typical female YA main character. She doesn't really have much depth and is special because she has a weird birth mark. It is never explained why it's special but obviously it throws her into situations head first. The politics of her being used by a faction of people felt extremely similar to other books like The Hunger Games.

The New Dark I think suffered a bit too much from being too much like other books. Because look at Snow Like Ashes? Is it just me or are these covers a little bit too similar? Then there's the tropes and it's just didn't feel original or unique. 


I received The New Dark* by Lorraine Thomson from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an unbiased and honest review.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

So...... this book half so much promise but just fell short for me. Sorrell (sorry if I butchered the name) was very two dementional for me. I could not relate to her at all which is very important for me. Even if I hate a character, I connect with their personality on some level, which makes books great for me. But it wasn't the case with this book.
I loves the idea about a dystopian society with mutants/ evolved humans but..... THEY WERE NOT EXPLAINED! like that is a huge part of the story and I just wanted to know how they came to be but that never happened. It was so frustrating.
It was a good try but fell short in details and character development for me.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd probably consider this to be more of a 2.5 star read but since I can't do half stars I'm settling with 2. There were just too many unanswered questions and convenient plot points.

Further review to come later since this was a NetGalley read.

[Jessica Parsons · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of The New Dark through Netgalley for an honest review of this book.

SPOILERS.

Everything about this book confused me and jarred me. The concept for this book hooked me at once, mutants and post apocalyptic elements sound great. The world itself was underdeveloped; not explaining to the reader how the world came to be as it was created confusion. We begin the book with a possible romantic interest story and within moments the entire village is dead without warning. After this jarring moment I was skeptical to continue. This could have been done better by letting the reader know more about the world and its possible threats beforehand so there was a sense of loss and kinship with the main character when this happens. The rest of the novel dragged by in several different places, and with a few intertwining plots.

The world is so confusingly crafted I never had any idea where anyone was or how much time had passed. The three main places the story takes place are: Sorrel's village, Ulbroom (the Free), and the mutant city. These places are all night and day to each other and switching between them seems like the story had changed to a completely different world. Despite the fact that all of these places are so close, none of them have any knowledge of the others. The readers are given no back story on how the world got to be where it is at and therefore, much of what is happening is confusing and jarring. These places may not interact with one another but they share the same general language and movements, which made me think that the world must be recently apocalyptic, but nothing was explained, so I couldn't really infer why the members of each society did what they did.

Sorrel was not a character I was rooting for. She is suppose to come off as a bad-ass female heroine but I found her to be a childish and naive character through her actions. I felt that her "strength" was supposed to be gathered through her ruthlessness and bravado, but that only made her seem more underdeveloped. Her and David's dramatic ties to each other made them seem co-dependant and made them both seem like damsels in distress waiting for the other to save them.

I had a very difficult time reading this book and thought it could have been handled a lot better. The characters were not ones I thought were strong or dynamic and the world was not explained very well. This book was lost potential and what ever the author decides to follow up to this series I hope these holes will be filled as there is plenty of possibility.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Sorrel and her village of Amat are attacked by a group of people called mutants. Her mother is killed, but her little brother and the boy she likes are taken by the mutants. Sorrel then tries to go after them to rescue them.

While this book was interesting, and the writing was good, there was somethings that I thought were missing. For one thing there really wasn't any background information. What caused their world to what it is today? There were some vague references of the past, but nothing more. Nothing is really explained about the mutants. How did mutants come to be? I found it really annoying that Sorrel seemed to care more about David, the guy who isn't really her boyfriend, just some boy that she almost kissed but didn't, rather than her own brother Eli. Like at the end of the book she's all like "oh noooo I can't remember what Eli looks like..." That isn't an exact quote, but you get my meaning. Lastly there was no satisfying conclusion at the end. Yes it was setting up for another book, but there really wasn't much to make me want to continue the next book. Overall, I liked the writing, but the story could use some work.

[Ivy_Lost_inside_Pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inhalt/Einleitung


Sie dachte sie wusste wer sie war, wo sie war und woher sie kommt, Sorrel die Protagonistin dieser Geschichte, die in einer Trilogie gegliedert ist. Als Mutanten in ihr Dorf Amat einfallen, zerstören sie alles. Sie bringen die Bewohner um und sie verliert ihren kleinen Bruder Eli. Auch ist der Junge David , in den sich die junge 16 jährige Sorrel verliebt hat, auf einmal spurlos verschwunden.


Abgekämpft und geschädigt, von dem was ihr zugestoßen ist, macht sie sich auf die Suche nach ihrem kleinen Bruder und ihrer großen Liebe David.


Nichts ist nach der Katastrophe geblieben, kein Internet, TV oder Strom ..die Welt ist nicht mehr so wie sie einmal war und Nahrung ist nicht wirklich reichlich vorhanden.


Auf ihren Weg, ihren Bruder und ihre Liebe zu retten, gerät sie in die Fänge einer skurrilen Vereinigung, die sie für ihre Zwecke und Ansichten missbrauchen will.


Was wird sie alles tun, um ihren Bruder und ihre Liebe David zu finden? Wird sie überleben und werden die Menschen überleben die sie liebt?


Schreibstil und Cover


Ich bin super schnell in die ersten Kapitel eingestiegen und habe sie regelrecht verschlungen. Ich habe darüber nachgedacht, ob das Schreibtempo und der Spannungsgehalt gleich bleiben wird oder ob es nachlassen wird. Bei manch anderen Buch muss man sich bereits am Anfang quälen, was hier absolut nicht der Fall ist. Der Schreibstil sagt mir von daher sehr zu.


Das Cover hat mich auf dieses Buch so aufmerksam gemacht, dass ich es unbedingt lesen musste. Es ist phantasievoll und ansprechend. Die Farben sind für einen dystopischen Roman sehr gut ausgewählt. Nachdem ich weiter in die Geschichte um Sorrel eingetaucht bin, konnte ich nun auch mehr Rückschlüsse auf das Cover bilden. Besonders was die drei gleich gestalten Symbole anbelangt, die mit einer Besonderheit an Sorrels Körper in Verbindung stehen.


Meinung


„The New Dark“ ist der Auftakt zur dystopischen Trilogie von Lorraine Thomson. Das Buch ist aus Sicht der Protagonistin Sorrel geschrieben. Von Zeit zu Zeit lesen wir auch Dinge aus Sicht von David, ihrer großen Liebe. Den Anfang von Sorrels Abenteuer fand ich wirklich schon sehr blutrünstig, aber da habe ich bereits schlimmeres gelesen.


Wir erfahren zunächst nicht wirklich viel über die Zeit DAVOR, was einen dazu bringt, dass man nun umso neugieriger wird und unbedingt weiterlesen muss. Ihr kleiner Bruder entwickelt derweilen eine Beziehung zu einem der Mutanten. Auch hier erfährt man noch nicht wirklich sehr viel, auch warum es doch schon Wesensunterschiede bei den Mutanten gibt. Warum sie sich entwickelt haben, und warum viele überlebt haben, dazu fehlt noch die Erklärung.


Auf Sorrels Reise wird sie aufgrund eines Unglücks in ein Dorf gebracht, wo die sogenannten „Freien“ leben und begegnet da einen der von ihr so gehassten Mutanten, zu dem sie im Laufe der Geschichte eine besondere Bindung aufbaut. Der Aufenthalt bei dieser, nennen wir es mal Sekte, schadet Sorrel erheblich, treibt aber die Geschichte am Ende um einiges voran, obwohl es sich zwischendurch mal langatmig anfühlte. Auch David hat ein schweres Los gezogen, jedoch verliert er nicht den Mut und Glauben, dass Sorrel noch am Leben ist. Er macht sich auf die Suche nach ihr und muss einige Hürden überwinden, die nicht immer leicht sind, mit denen er kämpfen muss.


Trotz allem wirft der Handlungsverlauf immer wieder Fragen auf, die noch nicht wirklich beantwortet sind, was einen dazu bringt auch die restlichen Seiten regelrecht zu verschlingen. Zeitepochen lassen sich im Buch zunächst schwer zuordnen, obwohl es immer mal Hinweise darauf gibt, die ich jedoch sehr spärlich in der Umsetzung finde. Spannung pur die dann auf einmal konsequent beendet wird. Der Leser wird hier auf eine harte Probe gestellt, was jedoch Sinn macht, da es eine Trilogie werden soll. Man kann demnach nicht viel an Auflösung im ersten Teil erwarten und fiebert sozusagen auf den zweiten Teil hin. Von daher hat hier die Autorin alles richtig gemacht.


Fazit


Eigentlich ist im ersten Buch der Trilogie von allem etwas dabei, Liebe, Freundschaft, Hass, Gewalt und Verrat. Ich fand das Buch durchweg spannend, bis auf ein paar kleine Ausnahmen. Manches hat immer wieder Fragen in mir aufgeworfen, die ich nicht wirklich beantwortet bekommen habe. Es fehlte mir hier an Tiefe, zum Beispiel wenn es um die Zeitepoche, die Zeit DAVOR geht, die Erklärung warum es doch schon unterschiedliche Charakterliche Züge bei Mutanten gibt. Einzig was mit Sorrels Vater passiert ist, erfahren wir. Für eine Jugendbuch fand ich den Einstieg schon etwas heftig. Das Umfeld, wie die Städte und die landschaftliche Umgebung dagegen, werden schon sehr gut beschrieben. Sorrel und David haben ihre eigenen Dämonen im Laufe der Geschichte zu bekämpfen. Ich muss jedoch sagen, manche Charaktere wäre mehr ausbaufähig gewesen. Da fehlte es mir an der gewissen Detailtiefe. Beide Protagonisten haben es hier nicht so einfach und müssen sich durch einiges durchkämpfen. Das Buch lässt sich zügig durchlesen ohne größere Hürden, was ein absoluter Pluspunkt ist. Da es mehrere Bücher geben soll, bin ich mir schon bewusst, dass Fragen ungeklärt bleiben.


Im ganzen ist es doch eines der Bücher in diesem Jahr, die ich gut und interessant fand und ich auf jeden Fall weiter empfehlen kann. Auch würde ich auf alle Fälle den zweiten Teil der Trilogie lesen wollen, da ich schon wissen will, wie es weitergeht. Das ist ein gutes Zeichen und heißt, hier hat die Autorin für mich alles richtig gemacht.


Rating 4/5 🌿🌿🌿🌿

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was by far the dumbest book I have read this year. I mean. I finished it which I see is more than some. I just felt so disappointed since the cover looked so lovely. I mean, I liked it enough to finish it (but contemplated multiple times on stopping), but I didn't love it, won't read another if there is one....I just felt NOTHING towards anyone or anything.

**I got this for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review from NetGalley**

[Orlando123 · Rating 3 out of 5]

DIE GESCHICHTE
Die Geschichte fokussiert sich auf Sorrel, die mit ihrer Familie in dem kleinen Dorf Amat im Norden aufgewachsen ist und nur noch Geschichten aus der Zeit Davor kennt, die ihre Großmutter ihr erzählt hat. Eines Tages wird das Dorf von Mutanten angegriffen und bis auf weniger Bewohner alle getötet. Sorrel kann dem Angriff entfliehen und macht sich auf die Suche nach ihrem kleinen Bruder Eli und ihrer großen Liebe David, die von den Mutanten verschleppt wurden. Ihr Weg führt sie zunächst zu einem anderen Dorf dessen Anführer sie für seine eigenen Zwecke verwenden will.

MEINE MEINUNG
Die Welt
Nach einer nicht näher benannten globalen Katastrophe ist die Welt nicht mehr mit unserer zu vergleichen. Es gibt zwar teilweise noch Strom und fließendes Wasser, aber die Menschen leben sehr viel einfacher als wir es tun. Das Leben erfordert wieder zu jagen und zu sammeln, damit man Essen kann. Geschäfte gibt es nur in größeren Städten und auch dort erinnert das Leben eher an ein mittelalterliches Setting.
Die Welt an sich gefällt mir sehr gut. Ich hätte mir ein paar mehr Hintergrundinfos gewünscht. Zum Beispiel was passiert ist, dass die Welt sich so verändert hat und wie lange das Davor schon her ist. Es wird häufig die Großmutter erwähnt, die Geschichten vom Davor erzählt hat, jedoch wird nie aufgeklärt ob sie es noch selbst erlebt hat oder ob sie auch nur die Geschichten erzählt bekommen hat.
Auch hat mir an einigen Stellen der Realismus gefehlt. Zum Beispiel habe ich mich gefragt wie es sein kann, dass diese massive Metro so lange unentdeckt bleiben konnte und weiterhin nur einer kleinen Gruppe bekannt ist oder wieso es dort immer noch fließendes Wasser gibt und die Gegenstände in den Geschäften alle noch einwandfrei aussehen und funktionieren.

Die Charaktere
Die Charaktere stellen für mich ein Hoch und Tief dar, wie es eigentlich nur auf einer Achterbahn der Fall ist. Gerade Sorrel und David, aus deren Sicht die Geschichte erzählt wird, kamen mir häufig sehr flach vor. David, der nach seiner Entführung durch die Mutanten nur noch Hass zu kennen scheint, aber selten bis gar keine anderen Gefühle zeigt. Sorrel, die einerseits stur und kampfbereit ist, aber zugleich unglaublich naiv und sich in die verrücktesten Situationen bringt. Auch fand ich, dass sie David und Eli ziemlich schnell vergessen hat, nachdem sie zu der Gruppe in der Metro stößt, obwohl zuvor gefühlt in jedem zweiten Satz stand, wie sehr sie die beiden finden will. Einstein, der kaum Fehler zu haben scheint, während Mara und Martin die volle Ladung abbekommen haben.

Die Handlung
Es wird nur wenig Zeit damit verbracht das Dorf Amat kennen zu lernen, da der Angriff der Mutanten gleich einen schnellen Start liefert. Ich hätte gerne mehr über das Leben dort erfahren, bevor ich in die Geschichte geworfen wurde, jedoch hätte das auch schnell langweilige werden können.
Als Sorrel in Ulbroom landet, habe ich eher an einen skrupellosen Fanatiker gedacht, als an einen „Rebellenführer“. Diese Beschreibung fand ich gerade für den Klappentext eher ungeeignet, da es sich bei den Bewohner des Dorfes definitiv nicht um Rebellen handelt.
Die Zeit, die Sorrel dort verbracht hat, war mir persönlich zu lang und passte auch zeitlich nicht mehr zu den Geschehnissen, die parallel von David beschrieben wurden. Während bei Sorrell schon ein paar Wochen vergangen waren, waren bei David und den anderen erst ein paar Tage vergangen und dieser Unterschied wurde erst aufgeholt als er schon ein Küchenjunge war. Solche Unterschiede können wie ich finde schnell zu Verwirrung beim Lese führen.
Sorrels Zeit in Dinawl dagegen vergeht wieder sehr schnell. Der zweite Teil hatte wesentlich mehr Thempo, was ich zunächst gut fand. Gerade die Geschehnisse in Dinawl fand ich viel interessanter als die ewigen Beschreibungen in Ulbroom. Leider hatte ich das Gefühl, dass das Ende sehr plötzlich daher kam. Gerade noch mitten in einer Aktion und so viele Fragen, die nicht beantwortet wurden, dann Boom Ende. Ich hatte das Gefühl es fehlt die Hälfte, obwohl ich natürlich wusste, dass es sich um einen Mehrteiler handelt. Gerade am Ende hatte ich vor allem auch das Gefühl, dass Sorrel ihr Ziel aus den Augen verloren hat. Klar, Niven bietet ihr an bei der Suche nach David und Eli zu helfen, wenn sie vorher ihnen hilft. Nachdem sie jedoch zugesagt hat, kam da so gar nichts mehr, was ich doch etwas seltsam fand, da sie zuvor so oft daran gedacht hat, dass sie die beiden unbedingt finden muss.

MEIN FAZIT
Alles in allem stellt „The New Dark – Dunkle Welt“ für mich einen eher mittelmäßigen Auftakt dar. Ich habe zu lange gebraucht um in die Geschichte zu kommen und vieles erschien mir leider nicht ganz durchdacht. Auch das plötzliche Ende konnte mich nicht wirklich überzeugen.
Die Idee hinter der Geschichte gefällt mir sehr gut, deshalb hoffe ich, dass sich im nächsten Teil vieles weiterführen und aufklären lässt, was hier ungesagt blieb. Für mich war der erste Band dieser neuen Reihe kein absolutes Muss, aber ein schönes Buch für zwischendurch.

[SilverWolfReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

TITLE: The New Dark

AUTHOR: Lorraine Thomson

AUTHOR'S BEST SELLING NOVEL: N/A

PUBLISHER: Bastei Entertainment

RATING: ★★★☆☆

GENRE: Fantasy

SYNOPSIS:
She thought she knew who she was and where she came from.Then her home was destroyed. Her brother lost amongst the ashes. And the boy she loves vanished. She owed her own survival to a mutant — the very forces behind the destruction. Now Sorrel will never be the same again.

There is no "Before", there is only "Now".

Because now there’s no internet, no TV, no power grid.

Food is scarce, and the world’s a hostile place.

But Sorrel lives a quiet life in the tiny settlement of Amat.

It’s all she’s ever known...
Until a gang of marauding mutants destroys the village, snatching her brother Eli, and David, her boyfriend. Sorrel sets out after them, embarking on a journey fraught with danger. Can she survive? The only thing that keeps her going is Eli and David. They are out there somewhere. They must be alive. And if she has her way, she will find them.

(Source: NetGalley)

FAVOURITE QUOTE: "David ran at full pelt through the dark streets of Dinawl, his legs pounding, heart hammering, and feet beating a fierce tattoo."

BEST PREVIOUS REVIEW QUOTE: "What did not work for me could very well work for you. We are all differents so maybe give this book a chance and make your own opinion." - Sophie, "Beware of the Reader" on Goodreads.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW:
Emerging myself into the world of "The New Dark" was like taking a dip into a particularly deep swimming pool - the arrival was abrupt and shocking, but not necessarily in an all together unpleasant way.
Lorraine Thomson has sucessfully manged to craft a fantasical world with strong description and engaging plot lines that make the reader question human rights, equality and the way we look at people who are different to ourselves. She has incorporated elements from a wide range of genres (including dystopian, fantasy and contemporary) to create a fun, unique, action-packed story that continually gets better and better with every page.

Whilst I'd love to sing her praises completely and fully, I also have to recognise the arising flaws of her book, including the potentially offensive referral of people with physical adversities (such as "small, deep-set eyes" "seperated by an expanse of forehead as wide as a peat bog" and "he had barely a nose, his nostrils sitting flat against his face") as 'mutants'. Considering we later find out that these mutants are just humans who weren't born in perfect physical condition, I feel that Thomson could be walking a very fine line in which may offend people with physical disabilites. However, in credit to her, one of the main plot lines of the whole story is that mutants aren't all they first seem to be - they aren't just all black or white, but they are varying shades of grey when in terms of the question as to whether they are evil or good. Due to this, I felt that she made a vocal statement that people shouldn't be judged on appearance or differences, and should instead be treated with the same respect we should give everybody.

I'm also going to be brutally honest once more and admit that it took me a while to emerge myself into the story. So long, in fact, that with every page that I didn't feel myself engaging, I was developing a genuine concern for my likelihood of finishing The New Dark, especially considering how much I wanted to love it. Luckily, I will be the first to admit that Thomson has a way of keeping her readers engaged with the blatant use of bringing up questions that she leaves, for the most part, unanswered, and her writing style gets more and more comfortable the more you read it - kind of like a new set of shoes.
Another thing I would like to give Thomson credit for, in the terms of her use of charactersitation, is that her main character Sorrel, whilst not particularly likeable, definitely progresses through out the story. She is not another case of an emotionless wet paper towel with no expression or voice. She continously struggles with the events that have happened to her, and doesn't naturally and flawlessly manage to find a solution to every problem. This in turn develops her a character from a potentally weak whiny brat (in the nicest way possible) to a strong heroine and a character that I can't wait to read more about. The dual-narrative we recieve in the book also helps move the story on, especially because David was a dreamy hunk who I could see myself falling for. I loved the chapters from his point of view, and felt that it really added to the story, despite not usually enjoying dual perspectives.

Overall, The New Dark is action packed and full of dramatic plot twists that left me on the edge of my seat, and I genuinely and honestly anticipate the release of its sequels.