Title: Brightest Kind of Darkness
Author: P.T. Michelle
Genre: YA Paranormal
Series: Brightest Kind of Darkness (Book 1)
Publication Date: June 27, 2011
Format: Paperback, 364 Pages
ISBN-10: 1466447648 (CreateSpace)
ISBN-13: 978-1466447646 (CreateSpace)
Reviewed by: Kayla
Synopsis:
Nara Collins is an average sixteen-year-old, with one exception: every night she dreams the events of the following day. Due to an incident in her past, Nara avoids using her special gift to change fate…until she dreams a future she can’t ignore. After Nara prevents a bombing at Blue Ridge High, her ability to see the future starts to fade, while people at school are suddenly being injured at an unusually high rate. Grappling with her diminishing powers and the need to prevent another disaster, Nara meets Ethan Harris, a mysterious loner who seems to understand her better than anyone. Ethan and Nara forge an irresistible connection, but as their relationship heats up, so do her questions about his dark past.
Quick and Dirty: A girl who can see what happens the next day through her dreams suddenly loses her dreams and people keep dying in her school.
Opening Sentence: For me, being surprised was like wearing my best friend’s shirt; cherished for its borrowed uniqueness.
Excerpt: Yes
The Review:
Nara Collins has a special ability to see what happens the next day, but she’s only changed the future purposefully once. But when she dreams of someone bombing her high school, she has to become involved. After preventing the bombing, students start injuring themselves — only those who would have been hurt in the bombing. And she still has to shuffle out her feelings for Ethan. As her dreams fade with a growing relationship with Ethan, Nara finds that choices need to be made and Fate might not be on her side.
If you like surprising plot twists or a book that keeps you guessing, this is the book for you. I was constantly wondering “what can possibly happen next?” or “how in the world could they get out of this situation?” Although this book always kept me guessing, there were many slow spots throughout the book. The main driving force throughout the book was why Nara wasn’t having any more dreams, but I was still stuck on Nara’s background and the why’s and how’s of her powers. She’s had these dreams for a long time, but why hasn’t she wondered how she got them in the first place? Shouldn’t she be a bit more than curious about her psychic ability? It’s just a tad unrealistic (as realistic as you can get in a paranormal book).
The characters themselves were normal YA heroes/heroines. There’s the girl who always find herself in trouble and the sweet guy that has his own issues. But the details in the characters were very original. Each have their own special powers that aren’t usually seen in other paranormal books. It was nice to read a book without knowing to what extent the powers of the main characters (I thought the book had something to do with fallen angels because of the feathers on the cover).
The antagonist is probably my favorite part of the book. He’s someone I wouldn’t have guessed in the beginning. Someone who is always there, but never mentioned. Creating Fate as a person/thing is unconventional yet really effective. He’s an opponent that has equal amounts of power and still remains surreal. Sure he’s creeper and has control issues, but the actual descriptions of him and the way the author portrays him is perfect for the character.
This is an original but drawn out story that could become greater depending on where the author takes the plot in second book. The writing is a tad lengthy, but the action/drama shrouds the wordiness. The book comes with an air of mystery with a smidgeon of teenage angst creating an entertaining read; if you love suspense and romance this is the book for you.
Notable Scene:
I picked up the grungy handset and dialed.
“911 Operator. What’s the nature of your emergency?” an older woman’s gravelly voice shot across the line.
God what if I got it wrong somehow? Palm sweat soaked my gloves. “I–I want to report a potential threat to Blue Ridge High School.”
“Speak up!” the operator pitched higher.
Clearing my throat, I spoke again, my voice huskier. “I think someone is going to bomb Blue Ridge High today. A student who was recently expelled.”
Typing sounded at rapid speed. “Your name?” the woman demanded.
I hung up and ran on shaky legs to my car. I hated that I didn’t know what would happen next.
The Brightest Kind of Darkness Series:
2. Lucid
FTC Advisory: CreateSpace provided me with a copy of Brightest Kind of Darkness. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
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