Pretty Dark Nothing by Heather L. Reid | Book Review

(Pretty Dark Nothing #1)

Published: April 23rd 2013

Synopsis:

It’s been twenty three days since Quinn has slept for more than minutes at a time. Demons have invaded her dreams, stalking her, and whispering of her death. The lack of sleep and crippling fear are ruining her life. Energy drinks and caffeine pills don’t make a dent. When Quinn dozes off in the school hallway, Aaron, an amnesiac with a psychic ability, accidentally enters her nightmare. The demons are determined to keep them apart, and Aaron from discovering the secret locked away in his memory. Together, they could banish the darkness back to the underworld for good. That is, unless the demons kill them first.

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My Rating:  3.5/5 (Liked it)

Book Information

Publisher: Month9Books

Genre(s): Paranormal Romance, Young-Adult

Page Count:

Format: ebook

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Note: I received a free digital copy of this book for review purposes. This does not at all affect my opinion or review.

Hello! Today I have a review on Pretty Dark Nothing by Heather L. Reid, an interesting YA paranormal romance. This book had several cliché elements, but I really liked the storyline of this book. The main character, while not likeable to everyone, is still a good character, albeit flawed.

Plot

“A creeping cold inched its way across her exposed skin, dotting her flesh with goose bumps. Something dark and sinister played against the dead weight of her sleeping body from the other side of the headboard. The wood shuddered and groaned as something evil reached out, searching for the portal that would open with a deep sleep. Quinn’s breath quickened with the thought of what was coming, but it was too late. She was helpless, already suspended in a state of horror between waking and dreaming and no energy left to fight.”

I really liked the whole idea of the plot. It was creative and unique and put a different spin on demons that I enjoyed. I wasn’t a huge fan of the love drama Quinn goes through in the midst of it all, but I did like the paranormal aspect of it. I mean, I have read other books with demons and it, and this book portrayed them with a ‘feeding on negativity‘ thing that I don’t see often in other books.

Characters

So starting off with Quinn, the main protagonist. I will admit, she isn’t a character I usually care for. I found her to be weak and annoying several times throughout the story, which may be even more intensified for some of you, if you really can’t stand these kind of characters. However, I did actually like her. Well, the word like might be too strong of a word, but I at least sympathized with her, and while I did not completely approve of her choices, I understood them. You see, if you looked at the story from a distance, Quinn seems needy, clingy, and obsessed with her ex, Jeff. In fact, these were my initial thoughts about her, but at a closer inspection, I understood her reluctance to let go, her need for someone to be there for her because no one else is. I understood why she did the things she did; it was out of her control and in the end, I couldn’t exactly blame her for that. She was flawed, but I didn’t find her to be bad because of those flaws, instead, they helped add depth to her character.

We also get the POV of the love interest, Aaron. While the addition of Jeff in the story technically makes him a second love interest, Jeff never really was a true love interest. Quinn thought she loved him (for a good chunk of the book, admittedly) but she realized afterwards she didn’t. Anyway, Aaron, I really liked; he was sweet and nice and definitely didn’t deserve what Quinn put him through. His dedication to Quinn despite it all is heartwarming, although kind of frustrating at times. But ultimately, I ship them.

Writing Style

“Within seconds, she hit the cold, hard earth, knocking the wind out of her. She gasped. The familiar smell of damp and decay warned of where the darkness had taken her.”

The writing style was interesting too. I especially looked forward the parts where the author was describing the scenes with the demons, because I liked the descriptions and the mood she created; mysterious and dark. It was often very suspenseful, and that’s what I think was the best part of the writing.

Overall…

I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a book with an interesting take on demons. There is a love triangle in this one, but it’s a more different kind of one, less prominent, I would say. Although the main character might be an issue for some, I really liked Quinn’s character, although she’s can be very uncertain and comes off as needy at times, there are other factors that add depth to her character. The writing style is great, very suspenseful and intriguing. If you’re a fan of paranormal romance, this is something you shouldn’t pass up!

Want a taste? It’s pretty dark, but it’s definitely not nothing! (Lol. [Bad] pun intended.)