Search This Blog
April Reviews Link-Up
May Reviews Link-Up
June Reviews Link-Up
July Reviews Link-Up
August Reviews Link-Up
September Reviews Link-Up
October Reviews Link-Up
November Reviews Link-Up
December Reviews Link-Up
2024 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (2)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma (1)
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont (1)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (2)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (7)
- France (1)
- Indonesia (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Italy (1)
- Scotland (2)
- The Netherlands (1)
2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Monday, April 25, 2016
Dark, Disturbing Psychological Thriller Unique in YA Fiction
9:19 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Ten years ago, Tessa Lowell left her troubled, redneck life in tiny Fayette, Pennsylvania, behind. With her father in prison and her mother MIA, there's only one family member Tessa cares about seeing again—her older sister Joslin. But it's Glenn Lowell who's summoning her home. The dying inmate's last wish is to see his youngest daughter.
Although reluctant to return to Fayette, once she's there, 18-year-old Tessa can't seem to make herself leave. Too much unfinished business. Like the secret she and her childhood BFF keep, the one that may have landed an innocent man on Death Row. The guilt is eating Tessa up inside; Callie deals with hers as all alcoholics do—by drowning it in booze. When it becomes apparent that a new killer is on the loose, the girls will have to decide what to do with their knowledge of a decade-old crime. Then, there's Joslin. Tessa knows she's close, knows she has answers Tessa needs—all Tessa has to do is find her. And what about their mom? Where is she hiding? Although she thought she was beyond caring, suddenly Tessa is desperate to find—and question—them both.
As Tessa investigates her own past and its unsettling connections to her present, she comes to some shocking conclusions. She and Callie aren't the only ones keeping secrets. But does Tessa really want to know the answers if they're too horrible to contemplate? Yes. If she's going to stop a killer, she's going to have to face some horrifying truths about her family, her past, and herself.
If you happen to peruse the YA shelves at bookstores and libraries, you're not liable to find many dark, disturbing psychological thrillers. With the recent popularity of adult books like Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, that may be changing. I'm not sure The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas, deserves comparisons to these bestsellers, but it does offer at least one whoa-I-didn't-see-that-coming twist. The plot, although melodramatic and far-fetched in places, moves along at a fair clip making for a tense, exciting read. In spite of this, I didn't find myself loving The Darkest Corners. It's depressing, for one thing. I think it's the big info dump at the end of the novel, though, that annoys me most. It steals the finale's thunder, making the ending feel rushed and anticlimactic. Overall, then, this book kept me reading; its execution just lacked a little something, leaving me feeling disappointed with a novel that should have been right up my alley.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a handful of F-bombs plus milder expletives), violence, and references to mature subject matter (underage drinking, prostitution, sex, etc.)
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of The Darkest Corners from the generous folks at Delacorte Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Thank you!
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)
Reading
Listening
Followin' with Bloglovin'
-
The Widow of Falbrooke Court13 minutes ago
-
The Cultist’s Wife by Bj Sikes2 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
The Humans: Matt Haig13 hours ago
-
-
-
Magical Nostalgia Tour1 day ago
-
Books from the Backlog #91 day ago
-
-
-
-
Bookish Quote of the Day!!2 days ago
-
-
-
Audiobook: The Mango Tree3 days ago
-
-
-
-
Final Cut by Marjorie McCown5 days ago
-
-
-
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth6 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
Reading as a retreat from reality1 week ago
-
Reading Recap March 20243 weeks ago
-
-
March Monthly Wrap-up4 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?6 months ago
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra10 months ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ▼ 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)