| Title | : | Pretty Dark Nothing (Pretty Dark Nothing, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0985327812 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780985327811 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 321 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2013 |
Pretty Dark Nothing (Pretty Dark Nothing, #1) Reviews
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YEA!!! MY SISTER'S BOOK1111
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This ARC review has been posted on
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Pretty Dark Nothing came with an interesting premise, a dark story about demons invading a high school school girl named Quinn. Upon starting the book however, it was evident that the dark, disturbing whispers in the night was only a side story to the high school drama that prevailed.
Quinn was a really annoying teenager who I just couldn’t relate to. She’s haunted by nightmares and demons whispering in her ear and warping reality, yet she is fixated on her ex-boyfriend and trying to win him back. Jeff, her boyfriend of 4 years, has run off with another girl called Kerstin which immediately interfered with Quinn’s perfect life as the head cheerleader. The whole book has Quinn pining away for Jeff and about Aaron, a boy who feels the need to protect her against bullies and bitches.
While there are some parts that have potential, the dialogue is incredibly simplistic especially when it came to the high schoolers talking to each other. Moments with Quinn’s friend, Theresa had me cringing. “Anyway, I’ve picked a fashion hit for tomorrow. Sure to make any boy drool,” she says. While the girls get together to talk about boys and what to wear, the boys talk about how studly they are and how they want to get with girls. Regardless of how this happens in real life, it’s quite shallow and these where characters I hardly cared about.
A very brief stint halfway through the book had potential, where the shadows were haunting Quinn so much that she was turning into a psycho, and rumours began spreading about her apparent drug use. She starts hallucinating and seeing the demons twist her reality into disturbing scenes. This however, quickly melded into the high school drama again that I didn’t have a care for. I also had a problem with how her peers turned her back on her as soon as she lost Jeff, and voted her in as the school prom Queen just because they got back together.
The ending was also really weird and unexpected. However, it was too little, too late and I hardly cared about the big reveal at the end.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. -
I remember wishing I could go through the looking glass, to get lost in a magical world.”
I liked this one. Its good. But ...something was wrong somewhere.
Cover its nice " 3 stars " -
2.5
The premise of the book is interesting enough. Girl dreams of demons that start to bleed into her waking life. Boy, who has some physic power himself, is able to see into her dreams and see the darkness around her. He feels this urge to help her and she can’t say no. Along the way they find that their journey is not what they expected.
This book started out pretty good for me. I was instantly drawn into Quinn’s nightmares and wanted to know why she was plagued with these horrible dreams of demons. About halfway through, I didn’t care anymore and I just wanted her to shut up. The author did a great job at describing the darkness that shadowed Quinn, but it was Quinn herself who kept me from enjoying this book. That and the ending – but I’ll talk about that later.
Quinn was the perfect high school student: beautiful, popular, captain of the cheerleading squad, dating the football star- but all that comes crashing down when her boyfriend up and dumps her for her nemesis, her father left her for a new family and then she’s haunted by the nightmares that no longer stay in the night. Her grades plummet, she loses head cheerleader, and in a moment of weakness goes all Britney Spears and cuts off almost all of her hair. I will admit I felt bad for her. Everyone has their dark moments, and life threw a whole slew of them at Quinn.
When she passes out at school from not sleeping, our hero, Aaron, enters. Aaron comes from a dark place as well. His mother and sister were killed in an accident that he survived, only to come out of a coma with this new found ability that allows him to see into people’s minds when he touches them. When Quinn passes out in the hallway, Aaron gets a glimpse at what plagues her and is instantly drawn to her, to wanting to help her, but no matter how he tries to help, Quinn keeps pushing him away.
I started the book feeling sorry for Quinn, but then seeing how she dealt with Aaron and constantly played the victim turned me off. Your boyfriend cheats on you, and then parades his new girlfriend – your enemy – in front of you, yet you still want him back and will drop everything for him? And her constant, I wish I could tell someone about my nightmares, but no one will believe me and I deserve this pain, I’m a horrible person who ruins everything I touch…wah wah wah. Grow up and take charge of your life damn it!
Besides the friends, Marcus and Teresa, Aaron was the shining star here, but I felt that his ‘ability’ wasn’t used to its full advantage. Why give him an ability at all if you’re not going to do anything with it? The fact that Aaron showed up in Quinn’s dreams were never discussed between the two of them. Why??
And the ending…talk about coming out of nowhere. I know that the author wanted the element of surprise, but this was more like out of left field. There was no build up to this “resolution”, no signs that this had to do with . I’m wondering if this is a beginning of a series, because there was no resolution. It just ended. Dropped a bomb and ended. Nothing was solved. Why did the shadows want her? Well, because of that one thing she has. Yeah, but why did they want that? Why did she have it? What was she supposed to do with it? And what about when she realizes what happened while she was out??? Gah..so frustrating.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review
This review can also be seen at my blog
Book Jems -
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Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
Pretty Dark Nothing by Heather L. Reid
Book One of the Pretty Dark Nothing series
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication Date: April 23, 2013
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley
Summary (from Goodreads):
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.
What I Liked:
I really, really liked this book! I had a feeling I would enjoy it, but I think it is safe to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The characters, the world building, the plot... I really think the author had great control over her craft.
The characters are diverse and unique, all playing their archetypal roles superbly. Quinn is definitely a tortured heroine, perhaps even a damsel-in-distress at several points in the book. She has so much going on - with her cheer leading captaincy on the line, her academics plummeting, Mommy and Daddy issues, and a lack of sleep. Oh, and don't forget the fabulous demons who haunt her in her sleep, and eventually, while she is wide awake.
I believe that Quinn undergoes a significant amount of character development, and at the same time, she handles her situation differently and well. Sometimes it is difficult for her to express her obvious frustration, as was evident with the hair scene (trust me, you will know what I am talking about if/when you read the book!). She begins as a lonely, isolated character who wants nothing to do with anyone but Reese and Jeff, and in the end, she cares about herself, her friends, and Aaron.
I think the hardest thing for readers of this book to understand is WHY Quinn did some of the things that she did. Yes, she did treat Aaron poorly at times. But look at her reasoning. Why did she push him away every time they grew close? It is not really because she wants to go back to Jeff. It is because of the demons and their threats. While I find Quinn weak at times in the book, I understand her weakness. I empathize, because I know it would not be easy to make any other decisions, when in her situation.
That being said, I really liked getting to understand what was happening in Aaron's point-of-view. This book is in third-person, limited. So, we see Quinn, we see Aaron. Aaron is interesting. Up until the very end, we do not really understand why he helps Quinn, why he keeps coming back to her despite her actions, why he drives himself towards her. I really like him. He puts up with her, he doesn't.
The world-building and setting of this book is fantastic! I can't say that there is anyone as obnoxious as Jeff's ex-girlfriend/current girlfriend/drama queen in MY high school, but it reminded me of Mean Girls, which was hilarious. But I really felt like the author recorded and interpreted the high school setting well. I also felt like her incorporation of the paranormal (the demons, hallucinations, dreams, etc.) was well done. In my opinion, it seemed real.
The end is where you will find the source of the paranormal aspect of the book, and a touch of the explanation of the paranormal aspect. This is an interesting structure for a paranormal book, to introduce the paranormal aspect in specifics at the end of the first book. But, I know that the author plans to expound upon the paranormal aspect and explain it to readers in Book Two.
Okay, so, there IS a love triangle... but if you cannot already tell, I am not buying the Jeff side. Jeff is Quinn's ex-boyfriend, another source of added problems, in addition to the demons, the parents' issues, the grades, the captaincy, the lack of sleep, and so on. I think this love triangle is obvious, which makes me not get upset at the book. But it might be a messy one, who knows.
Okay, I will stop. I really like this book, everyone!
What I Did Not Like:
I suppose some of Quinn's actions bothered me. I totally get that she was trying to protect the ones she cared for, but sometimes, I wanted to shake her. But then, I have never been hounded by demons, or have had to deal with any of the awful symptoms of the lack of sleep that she did.
Quinn has a lot to manage, everyone! But I feel like Quinn's actions are what get to people, especially the people that do not see past her actions, and to her reasoning. Have some compassion!
Would I Recommend It:
I definitely would, especially to lovers of scariness! While this book is not a horror novel, such an audience would enjoy this book. The average paranormal lover would be interested in this book! I think that people may have problems with understanding the characters, but readers who pay attention will see the desired result!
Rating:
5 stars. I really, really enjoyed this book! -
"Pretty Dark Nothing" is probably not a best book for the average YA Paranormal readers in a good way. Most YA Paranormal in the market focus more on the romance part and the thematic genre as the secondary storyline. This is a surprisingly very psychologically draining book and reminded me of the first season American Horror Story and Stephen King's Carrie. If you're seeking the conventional "If you love Twilight, you would love this...", this book is one to avoid and tread with caution because it wasn't a sappy love story.
"Pretty Dark Nothing" is about Quinn who was once a valedictorian, head cheerleader and perfect popular girl with a great boyfriend and a family. Until her life fall apart, her father left her family, her boyfriend dump her for an evil cheerleader who love to torment her daily, a former cheerleader due to her failing grades and suffered night terrors that made her too scared to fall asleep. Too scared is an understatement. I suffered insomnia too but her problems is schizophrenic. She sees things that wasn't there, she constantly doubt her sanity, she seeing things in the dark with claws and wanted to hurt her and whispers things. I rarely find a good YA author doing this in Paranormal Horror and even there's some galley-related flaws its quite up to my own style of writing. There's the tension coming from most of the antagonistic elements in this book and most of the part came from the voices in her head which give her doubts and demean her in every way. As psychological goes, this reminded me of Dexter of some sort.
I was utterly convinced that she was insane even with the help of Aaron's POV which are a definite marker that this isn't just an ordinary case of psychosis and that the demons she sees are real but again and again we're thrown in a loop wondering if all that was happening to her was real or not. Despite the on-off relationship Aaron and Quinn had in the story, I was extremely engrossed by Quinn's psychosis because the author is really a good at writing those crazy parts. Another entry to my sadistic storyteller listing. Add to that with the school drama, which goes surprisingly.
At the risk of becoming too much of a spoiler; As for the romance part of the story, I couldn't quite agree about folks blaming Quinn for her feelings for her ex, Jeff. It was obvious that she love him more in the early part of the book even if Aaron is a pleasing alternative. But I am not a fan of those instant romance. I get what the author trying to explain with her character. In all her life, Quinn have no one to turn to except for Jeff. All these years after her father left her, Jeff was always there as her rock. Why won't she have real difficulties in letting him go? She was in a state of confusion and distraught and her holding out for Jeff meant that he matters a lot for her. Why won't she be? She is still learning about Aaron but then how can you be certain he's the one? People have to make mistakes and learn from it. Whether you like it or not, not everything have to be a fairy tale and easily be solved in seconds.
Quinn is notably a damsel in distress.... but even to me, she is a very realistic and problematic desperate damsel in distress. Her desperation is real. While she at most time have difficult times in keeping everything real, Jeff is probably one of those that give her hope in helping her retaining her own sanity. The voices are very against her being together with Aaron and uses him against her. In a sense, they succeeded in manipulating her into making a lot of mistakes that gave her enough motivation to lead her to that fateful end.
I hope there will be a sequel to this book considering it give an interesting cliffhanger although there are some resolved question about Quinn and Aaron but it would be just too sadistic not to have a continuation. Like I said, there are elements in this novel are not for the soft hearted. This book's similar in vein to "Carrie", so it would be really wrong to group it similarly with the YA genre. But whatever rock your boats, there's always a reader for this kind of YA.
The ARC is provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. -
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.
When I first saw the cover for Pretty Dark Nothing I was intrigued. It's really a gorgeous cover. After reading the description I was led to believe this was going to be much darker than it ended up being. The idea of not having slept for 23 days is completely fascinating. It's the main reason why I was interested in reading this book. The other thing that hooked me was the addition of Demons. I had hoped that they would end up being terrifying. Unfortunately, they were just as shallow as the characters.
I find nothing more frustrating than when a book description doesn't accurately describe the book. In this case, Pretty Dark Nothing was more about a girl pining after her boyfriend. Now if I know this in advance, I'm usually okay with this kind of read. I can prepare myself for the teenage antics. Since I was unaware of the drama, it really killed the plot for me.
To be honest, I almost DNF this book, which I don't do. This book really dragged. It was so slow that on the kindle, nothing significant happened until after 50% of the novel was finished. Until that point, it was all about the fashion, the makeup and the boys. There was more description about what the characters were wearing than the demons. There was no depth or character development at all.
The lack or world building or explanation of the demons was truly frustrating. They speak to Quinn but the how or why was never explained. Pretty Dark Nothing is told from two point of views, but since one is from another boy who is after Quinn's affections I find it completely irrelevant. The inevitable love triangle ensued. At the point, I very nearly stopped reading.
This book was really confusing at times. There were just too many plot holes that didn't line up. To make matters worse, it ends with a cliffhanger. With a misleading description and characters that I loathed, Pretty Dark Nothing ends up being more 'nothing' than 'dark'. This ended up being a much more shallow read that I had anticipated. By the end, I just didn't care and I won't be interested in continuing this series.
*eARC provided by NetGalley* -
DNF at 26%.
I tried, I really did try to make it to 30%. But I couldn't.
Right from the very first page, I couldn't stand the irresponsible, self-absorbed bitch of a main character. Quinn is the spoilt brat who's usually the figure of hate, yet you're supposed to feel sorry for her. Despite the fact that she's a grade one bitch with a death-by-caffeine-wish.
Quinn is a bitch to her friends, to her school-mates, to everyone that tries to help her. She's a bitch to her mum and she's a bitch to her dad. And there's only so much mega-bitch that this reader can take and it's bloody well rubbed off on me. GAH!
What I did read felt rather regurgitated. It felt like I was reading a bitchy
Starcrossed only without so many super powers. I'm sick of speshul snowflakes with disgusting personalities. I'm sick of the cool kids and their red-bull drinking and caffeine pill taking because it's not cool, it's freaking dangerous. And I can't stand that all that the main character did in the 26% I did read was wash caffeine pills down with energy drinks while being a brat. -
**My thanks to NetGalley and Month9Books, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**
It took me a long time to get through this book, purely because I got bored reading it and that the whole book stayed dark.
Quinn annoyed me as never once had she spoken to anyone about what she had seen, neither had she spoken to a doctor about not sleeping, a fact that very quickly forgotten. I also didn't like the way that she kept pushing those around her away that tried to help.
Aaron also annoyed me. I couldn't really identify with him or Quinn and we really didn't get that much time to identify them as a couple.
To be honest i ended up speed reading through this at 50% as it was taking so long to read and i just wanted to finish it.
There is a cliff hangar ending, however i have no intention of reading the second book in the series -
In the honor of being honest, I only made it to the 30% mark.
In that time, I had very little setting, a hell of a lot of terrible dialogue, and a maybe love interest who pulled out an acoustic guitar to strum away his problems. There were three pages of straight dialogue with very little scenery or any motion, so you have no idea what's going on until someone announces what's happening. Yeah. You've got characters giving stage directions.
Nah man, I laughed out loud when the love interest pulled out his acoustic guitar and haven't looked back. -
This book is wonderfully intriguing! I couldn't put it down! Great character development & mix of romance, mystery, & supernatural events.
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For more of my reviews visit
http://losttobooks.blogspot.com
Rating 1 but maybe a 1.5 at a push
Initially it was the cover that drew me to this book, it's beautiful and once I read the description it intrigued me into requesting this book. It sounded like it would be a dark, action packed book that would be a gripping read and right up my alley. However this book was more like broken-hearted teen who was just messed up than what the description suggested and quite frankly it was a big disappointment.
When I started reading it did hook my interest. The fact that Quinn hasn't slept for 23 days and is seeing demons started the book of nicely and I thought it would set itself up for some really exciting action. However once I got three chapters in the book just didn't seem to go anywhere. Instead of any action all you got was Quinn being frightened over the demons but not doing anything about it, pining over Jeff (her ex) and then another pov from Aaron who was pining over Quinn. I did stick with this book though as I've read novels that start like that before and normally the character grows out of it. Unfortunately this was not the case with Quinn, if anything she got worse! I mean seriously? It gets to the point where the reader is done feeling sympathy for the character and it just becomes plain irritating. There needs to be something else to the story.
Throughout the whole book there was very little character development and it made the writing incredibly annoying to read. The best part was when she hooked up with Aaron finally and they started sharing secrets. I thought it would be the turning point in the book and from there get better and we would see Quinn's character grow, but no...a few pages later it was back to "I love Jeff, no Aaron, no Jeff, argh why don't these demons leave me alone!" And by that point I just wanted to scream at her.
There was practically no action in this book which really confused me. Where was all the fighting demons and banishing them back to the underworld that was written about in the description??? It was seriously misleading. Not only that, one of the most annoying things about this book is that you never get an explanation for anything! The demons Quinn hear - I have no idea what they are, what their purpose is or what they want. They were just voices that made Quinn's internal monologue unbearable at times and forced me to skip long sections as it sounded like an over dramatic teenager.
As well as this the ending confused me a lot. What happened to Quinn was predictable but the rest of what happened just lost me. There were name changes, new paranormal elements involved and the secret that's been hidden from Aaron, well it's never really explained so you can understand it, so be prepared to be confused if you read this book...
The ending seemed like where the paranormal story should begin but it ended abruptly with no natural resolve. The rest of the book was like a bad contemporary. It seems to me the author couldn't decide what she wanted this book to be; a contemporary teen drama picking up on issues like self harming, drugs, and cheating or a paranormal book and for me the way in which it was written did not link the two together well at all. There wasn't enough detail in either genre to make it one or the other or satisfy the reader. I don't know if there is going to be a sequel but if there is I can't imagine what the author is going to do with this book next. Maybe it will go into more paranormal aspects promised in the description but for me that should have been the main focus of this book.
Overall this book was a major disappointment and I feel it could have been so much more. The lack of detail and explanations left me confused a lot of the time and the characters never really grew or developed. I was either distant or annoyed by them and their internal monologues which were just whiny. There was hardly any action and I feel the description although intriguing is very misleading as it's not really what happens. As it stands at the moment the title sums this book up pretty well it was definitely a big 'dark nothing' and I wouldn't recommend it to paranormal lovers. Maybe of you like teen dramas but for me this book is too undecided on what it wants to be. -
Special thanks to the publisher Month9Books who approved my request via Netgalley.
I think it is really hard to write a review for a book you liked so much than writing a review for a book you did not like at all. Bashing things you hate is always easy but actually finding the words to aknowledge something you want the world to read is really really hard.
So before I go into much detail let me just say one thing:
If you are into paranormal books that are a little darker, if you are into love stories and knights in shining armour, if you are into books that leave you breathless craving more than go and read this book. Like seriously, read it now!
I was so hooked by this story! I did not expect to like the book so much, I have to honestly say that the whole "Highschool-drama-thing" made me think I would dislike this story. So I thought about giving it only 4 out of 5 stars. But the ending was so great and the positive points definitely outweighed the negative points. Therefore I went with 5 of 5 stars. Here are some of the positive points:
I really liked the characters. They felt real, like actual people I met in school and not characters out of a book. None of them was really the villain or the hero. Everyone made mistakes and did things they later regreted. Or acted honorable and did things because they were the right thing to do. They all were really three dimensional, which is always a huge pro point on my list.
I really loved the atmosphere. Quinn encounters demons, Aaron has psychic powers, and nightmares wait behind every corner. All these things come to life between the pages and are described in a beautiful, picturesque and none the less easy to read writing style.
The idea felt unique and fresh. I cannot say much about the idea without getting the feeling I spoiler you all. But it definitely was something different.
But the main reason you all need to read this story? Because I need to talk to someone about that ending! Oh, that ending!
The whole next paragraph can be considered as a spoiler, so read with caution!
You know those endings were everything works out perfectly, everyone is happy, and all loose ends are tied together perfectly? Yeah?
Do not expect that.
This ending leaves you hanging. I actually screamed "What? You cannot stop now!" so loud that my mom heard me over the TV. (Which is like a little miracle since she's getting a little old and turns up the volume a little too much)
I love those kind of endings because they make you want more.
All in all this book felt like the beginning of a series since everything in it was building up for the final moment. And that final moment was huge! Seriously, I would just love to keep writing about the shock I felt when the big reveal/twist came up.
Through the whole book I got this feeling you have, when you're angry at the characters because they do not see what seems so obvious to you. You feel safe because despite all the demons and nightmares going on in this story (which are all described so beautiful and vivid I actually shivered from time to time) you know that you figured the ending out and everything will get better. And then - BAM - the ending happens.
I really did not see that coming and I often figure out how a story ends.
At first I considered it a rather light read, wich is kind of strange since it's not a light story. Maybe that's just because I enjoy reading it so much. I can connect with the charactes and their feelings of despair.
So in conclusion: This book is tragic, sad, dark, and romantic all in one. I recommend it to fans of the paranormal YA Genre, and even to those who don't consider themselves YA anymore.
Just read it! -
From the first page, "Pretty Dark Nothing" grabbed my attention and refused to let go. This book is well written and interesting and just grows more mysterious as the pages go by. The reader is fed bits of background on the characters little by little as the story progresses and I felt this helped keep the mystery going in a way that made me eager to keep reading.
Quinn is an interesting character that has a lot of confusion and strange events plaguing her life. Through her journey, the reader is able to see multiple parts of this story. Aaron is another strong and vital character and he makes up the other part of the book that Quinn does not. This book would be suitable for older teens. There is some swearing and sex, but nothing that is intensely graphic or inappropriate.
By about halfway through the novel the paranormal aspect consumes much of the writing space, and I was impressed with the author's take on this subject. Rather than taking the familiar beaten path, she chose to make her own way using unique paranormal happenings to colour and give life to her writing. There are moments in this book where the activity is so frightening that you almost want to turn your head away from reading and wait for your heart to return to a normal rhythm. There are certainly no dull spots in this book.
There were a few unexpected twists along the way. I actually found the relationship between Quinn and Aaron to be a bit frustrating at times, but if the author intended to go for high school drama that resembles reality, in that respect she did a great job. Nobody in this book knows what they want or how to hang on to it. The indecisiveness of the characters annoyed me a little, but also one must keep in mind that I am not a teen and have a different perspective on things as an adult than a younger reader might.
There are a couple of characters that you will no doubt love to hate. Heather Reid did a super job of making her characters have depth and their own individual quirks and personalities. If you are looking for something to read and like books where the characters make you want to hug them and strangle them at the same time, this is a great choice. I personally enjoy detesting a character. If a book can make me feel something, then it has done the job I asked of it.
The not so good for me was the way it ended. Not sure if this is going to be part of a series (hope so.) If it is, then I could understand why it ended the way it did. Don't get me wrong, I like a story where everything doesn't turn up roses at the end. But this one had a huge revelation that was somewhat of a stunner and then it was over. Just like that. Done. I wasn't sure how to feel about that.
Overall this was an engaging read that kept me wanting to come back for more. If you like paranormal YA this is certainly a book that I would recommend, even in spite of the abrupt ending.
This review is based on a digital ARC from the publisher. -
This is the debut novel by by Heather L. Reid and the premise sounds really interesting but it just fell flat.
Quinn hasn't be sleeping because when she does she dreams of demons. Now the demons are coming out of the dreams and she really is starting to think she is crazy. At school she has gone from one of the most popular girls, being head cheerleader, girlfriend to captain of the football team, etc to pretty much being an outcast. She had her life taken away from her by the mean girl of the story, Kerstin. Since Quinn's grades have gone down she has to forfeit the head cheerleader position to Kerstin, and now the same girl is also dating her boyfriend or ex-boyfriend.
Aaron is new to the school and he is really crushing on Quinn but she is still pining for her ex-boyfriend, Jeff. Arron was in an accident that caused him to become a guy with psychic abilities and he connects with Quinn in one of her nightmares. He hasn't a clue what is going on, but on more than one occasion he has connected with her and he wasn't even touching her. I really liked Aaron.
I think the thing that bothered me the most was WHY was these demons chasing Quinn?? Now you find out at the end but it still didn't really make a lot of sense to me. I think it would have been better executed if we got some hints to what was going on through out the book. Then all Quinn really did through out the book was whine, I know she has it bad but come on. She couldn't make her mind up about Jeff and Arron and I totally felt sorry for Aaron.
The beginning of this book was going really well but by the middle I was getting a little bored with the drama and by the end I was glad it was over. Overall I think had a cool storyline started by it just wasn't executed right or something. -
(I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)
I didn't finish this one.
The synopsis sounded really interesting, but it didn't deliver.
The writing seemed very jumpy, and i found the formatting really distracting.
I didn't connect with any of the characters, they were boring and lacked depth. -
Also posted on my YA Lit Review Blog:
http://ireviewyalit.blogspot.ca/2013/...
*Made Possible by NetGalley.com! Thank you very much!
Introduction
Quinn’s life is not as perfect as it used to be. Her love of her life, Jeff, suddenly dumped her. Her dad left for a life with another woman. Her mom works non-stop and is never home. It has been twenty-three days since Quinn has slept for more than ten minutes at a time. This is because demons have been haunting her dreams. She survives on energy drinks and caffeine pills. Her grades have crashed and she has been benched as cheerleading captain. One day, her demons begin to bleed into reality, terrorizing her to her limit.
Aaron, an amnesiac, is drawn to her, and constantly saves her just in time from the demons, albeit he cannot see them. As he is drawn to her, he becomes entangled in Quinn’s demon-infested life.
Title
Pretty Dark Nothing. Sounds intriguing. What is the pretty dark nothing that the title refers to? Don’t expect to be blown away with an explanation. The book misses the ah-ha! moment that usually happens when you figure out the full meaning of the title. When these three words are used, it is used just as it in the title-as pretty words that mean nothing, aside from being dark and dramatic. It is also used twice. The dramatic effect of purple prose is weakened if you keep throwing it at the reader, unless you want it to be a whole concept and explain it.
Cover
A cover done right. It conveys the helplessness and vulnerability that Quinn faces. Essentially, she is all alone in her torment, falling into a bleak world. It is a monumental improvement over the trend of covers I have been seeing lately, namely, a lone female in a flowing dress and hair whipping in the wind.
Paranormal/Horror Elements
The beginning of the book is fantastic for the horror elements. Quinn falls asleep and the demons invade her dreams and try to kill her. The horror in these dreams is eerie, as shapes are made up mostly of binding whips of fog, twisted trees, and moonlight. Later on the demons take on more definite shapes with wings and sharp talons, hissing and whispering hair-raising sentiments. A horror element that stood out the most to me is how psychologically damaging the demons are to her. She cannot sleep. She might see them during the day if she looks too hard. She begins to believe the hurtful things they say, such as that no one likes her. It makes a terribly bleak setting for the protagonist to overcome. It had me hooked.
Aaron’s psychic ability should have been utilized better. Maybe he should have used his ability to actually connect with Quinn and see her demons. The story would have been much richer. Instead the reader is fed bits from Aaron’s past. It is interesting to read, but it doesn’t move the plot further, nor does it contribute to the end reveal. If you’re going to give your characters a special power, they better use it to move the plot.
The Terrible Person Award (Slight Spoilers)
Quinn wins a ribbon for being a terrible person. A protagonist that the reader is supposed to connect with shouldn’t have one of these pinned on them. It is baffling to me. Did the author realize how awful she made Quinn to be? She pines for Jeff, but oh hey, Aaron is totally into her so she sucks face with him. Then she runs off to weep for Jeff, and then she goes on a date with Aaron, but then she is caught kissing with Jeff, and then she has nothing, except that everyone is secretly/not so secretly still in love with Quinn. She thinks everyone hates her (and they do/or they should be if they were real people) but everyone is actually obsessed with her because she’s the protagonist.
In her defence, everyone has difficult moments in their lives. Her boyfriend of four years broke up with her via text-message and began a relationship with her arch nemesis. Her father left, started a new family, and hasn’t contacted her since. She’s entitled to some crying time in the fetal position. I feel for her plight with the demons and the shadows that are tormenting and influencing her. But everything else about her makes me hate her. She leads Aaron on and treats him like dirt. Twice. She is constantly the victim. What happened to fighting back? Or even trying to fight back? What happened to going all Nancy Drew on this and figuring out what is going on with her? Nope, doesn’t happen. This is an example of a weak female protagonist. She’s there for the audience to sympathise with, but she isn’t active in her own salvation. Of course, she needs a man for that. Two, apparently, one who likes to be treated like dirt and the other is a pretty terrible person too.
The good thing about Quinn? Her name is Quinn. That’s pretty cool.
Writing A Story (Spoilers!)
This novel claims that it is about Quinn and Aaron fighting her literal demons. Except it isn’t. And it ends on a totally different note. Saving the world. Really? Where did this come from? Angels and heaven and guardians and light and dark souls? If this is going to be your ending, these concepts need to be included somehow in your beginning. I do recall Aaron remembering that he saw a figure by his hospital bed. This simply isn’t enough. It is like writing a love story and then BAM! aliens land and take over, the end. Sure, Reid can write a sequel (a very obvious sequel), and it will probably be much more interesting than this installment, now that something has actually happened to Quinn (other than her being a terrible human being). Do I care at this point? Not really.
Verdict
This book does not stand out to me for having any particularly moving characters. If a teen reader is interested in the paranormal and horror genres, it is a suitable read if there isn't much else on the shelves. The beginning is fantastic for bringing out the sympathy for Quinn, as her life spirals downward at the hands of the demons. The demons are frightening and have real-life influences. In the end, the protagonist is a terrible person. It would make great fodder for discussion for weak female protagonists if it were used in a YA book club. You could also encourage book reports comparing a weak female protagonist to a strong female protagonist. -
Side Note: Thank you to the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read this book through Netgalley.
Warning: There will be sarcasm and ranting.
Review: There are not enough words to describe just how much I hated this book but I shall try to piece together some sort of coherent review.
Somewhere in the mess of this so called “book” there was potential. The concept worked, albeit it wasn’t too original, but it could have been good. The execution and especially the characters, killed whatever potential this book ever possessed.
Pretty Dark Nothing is told from two points of view: Quinn and Aaron. Quinn has no BACKBONE. Right from the beginning, she’s written as a pathetic, weak female who needs CONSTANT rescuing from the male protagonist (a.k.a Aaron). She can’t stop swooning over her ex-boyfriend Jett who CHEATED on her with her arch-nemesis from her cheerleading squad, she can’t stop whining about how she’s plagued with these demons who are haunting her not only when she’s sleeping but when she’s awake, and can’t stop playing the victim card. Two hundred and fourteen pages in and Quinn CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT JETT! How much she wants to be with him still, how she is still so hurt and broken about what Jett did to her—even though she decides to be with Aaron because he helps ease the sound of the demon voices in her head. Quinn is focused on herself, all the time. She barely even considers other people’s feelings and makes so many stupid decisions, it was no wonder she was failing school.
Aaron can’t seem to grow any self-respect and when he finally has a moment where it seems like he is, he losses it again by giving in to Quinn’s victim ways. He has this overwhelming pull to her, this link he can’t explain and no matter how crummy Quinn treats him, he always goes right back to her. He has no more of a backbone than Quinn does. At least Aaron can care about the people around him but it doesn’t seem genuine. He seems to use the people around him as well. Like when he decides to try to date his best friend Jenna since she likes him but after making a mess of kissing her, he decides to tell her they can’t be together because he still has feelings for Quinn.
I have no idea what the plot is to the book because I couldn’t finish it. I couldn’t get passed page 214. I had to stop reading or else I would have set my computer on fire in an attempt to be rid of the memory of what I had read.
Quinn leaves the concert event Aaron and his bandmates are putting on because the demon voices in Quinn’s head are commanding her to leave. I don’t know why because by that point I had started skimming through the story in the hopes it would get better. So she uses the excuse of needing a tampon to escape and steals her friend’s boyfriend’s car (since her friend Reese said she had a tampon in her purse which was in the car). She drives all the way back home and lord and behold, who happens to suddenly show up, but her ex-boyfriend Jett. Guess what he wants? Reconciliation. He broke up with Quinn’s arch-nemesis and declares to still be madly in love with Quinn. Mind you, Quinn has been dating Aaron and has declared to be in love with him at this point. But Jett kisses Quinn and Aaron just happens to walk through the door to see them.
That was the scene that did me in. Not simply because of how utterly cliché that scene was but because Quinn has NO personality, NO development, NO strength, NO brains. She’s a useless lead and Aaron, God bless his fictional heart, tries to be the good guy and tries to be the hero, but he falters as a character as well because he’s either jumping to conclusions constantly or following after Quinn like a lost puppy.
The secondary characters were just set up as background noise. Reese and Marcus are supposed to be the fun side, offer humor to Quinn’s dark world, but they came off more one-dimensional than anything.
There wasn’t a single moment I cared about the characters or what happened with them. They could have been killed by page 100 and the demons could have taken over and I would have shrugged it off. Not even the idea of a girl being haunted by demons and a boy who has psychic abilities could keep me interested in what was happening. I read for as long as I did because I always try to read at least the first 100 pages of a book before walking away if I feel the need to.
Suffice to say, I would rather have my mind taken over by a legion of demon voices than endure anymore of Quinn’s story.
http://teamnerdreviews.blogspot.com/2... -
The Pretty Dark Nothing series has some of the most beautiful covers foreshadowing the story of the paranormal and supernatural. There was no way I was missing out on reading Pretty Dark Nothing, with a cover like that and the writing on the tombstone.
Quinn is being terrorized in her dreams, but the terror keeps escalating and now she lives in fear during the daylight hours. She is afraid to sleep, afraid to close her eyes, afraid to be alone, afraid of the dark, dark shadows that were after her. How long could she go without sleep, popping caffeine pills and sucking on energy drinks.
Aaron had died, along with his mother and sister, but he had been brought back to life. He came back with a gift and a curse. His music saved him after the accident. His father struggled at the loss, barely making it through each day.
Quinn was drawn to the new guy, Aaron. He was so mysterious and private, that he created interest for that very reason. He felt the connection too. Was it telepathy? Was it more than that?
Jeff is her ex boyfriend, even though it takes all her effort to stay away from him. He is now dating a snotty cheerleader and I think he is getting his due.
Marcus is Aaron’s best friend and has his eyes on Reese, Quinn’s best friend. He is a fun loving, big hearted, happy go lucky kind of guy. These two stick with Aaron and Quinn through thick and thin, half the time not even understanding what is going on. They are the yin and yang of friendships.
The love triangle in Young Adult is a common theme. As long as the story is written well and the relationships seem real enough, I can live with that. Teenagers can be dramatic and confused by such powerful emotions, but they are not alone. Love is love, no matter what age and being dumped is a personal rejection. I wanted her over the jock and moving on.
The novel is told from both Quinn and Aaron’s perspective. This caused the book to be drawn out and drag in parts, but it surprised me how quickly I became invested in Quinn, then Quinn and Aaron. Two damaged and lonely people drawn together. Heather kept the suspense and anticipation alive, even though I did not feel a sense of urgency. I was still very curious about why Quinn and Aaron seem to be so important – to who?
When Heather L Reid mentions Carl Sagan and Cosmos, I thought we had another connection.
Book II is available, so no waiting is necessary and I didn’t. I jumped right in to Pretty Dark Sacrifice.
I received Pretty Dark Nothing from Heather L Reid in return for an honest and unbiased review. -
I usually don't start my reviews out this way but I can't help it, the cover on this one deserves to be acknowledged.
It is gorgeous. Slightly creepy and hauntingly beautiful all wrapped up in a package that is sure to capture the eye and ignite your imagination. It is the perfect cover for this story.
Right away we are thrown into Quinn's scary desperate nightmares and you can tell from the beginning these aren't your run of the mill dreams. These suckers are all consuming, get your heart pumping, cold sweats, breath stealing terrifying.
As demented as it sounds, I liked the nightmares. I liked that they freaked me out just a little and before too long they started emerging into Quinn's waking life and the imaginary became reality.
I really liked this story to start with and then, well, then Quinn started to get on my nerves a little. She was so wishy washy with her feelings for Jeff and Aaron. Aaron was amazing and she kept pulling him forward and then pushing him away. It honestly got tiresome over time and I found myself getting upset with Quinn and not liking her very much. Aaron was probably the best character in this whole book. He was smart and loyal and so devoted to Quinn that it hurt to see.
And I know this is going to seem completely petty but I really hated that Quinn's best friend Teresa's name kept bouncing back and forth from Teresa to Reece (her last name). Why not just mention that her friends call her Reece (her last name) and leave it as that. On the same page her name would go back and forth between the two no less than twice and it got irritating after awhile. I know this is an ARC copy so I really hope that will be fixed before the real thing is released because it was excessive and unnecessary.
I think this book had a lot of potential I really do but it just fell flat for my by the middle and the ending, well, the ending kind of came out of no where. So much of the ending really should have been in the middle or even the beginning. It would have made this a much nicer and interesting read.
I am sad that I didn't like this one more and that I let the little things get to me as much as I did. I think with a little work this really could be a great read and I do think the author has potential, this just maybe wasn't the read for me. -
I received this book from NetGalley. I'd like to thank them, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.
In Pretty Dark Nothing we are introduced to Quinn, a teenage girl who we find out in the first paragraph hasn't had a full nights sleep in twenty-three days. She's been plagued with what she believes are nightmares in which these shadowy creatures are stalking her and trying to drive her mad. The nightmares started about eighteen months ago after her Dad walked out on his family for another woman. They have progressively gotten worse, to the point that it is destroying her life. Her grades have plummeted, her boyfriend has dumped her and she's lost her position on the cheer leading squad. Even more devastating is that she lost both boyfriend and position to the same girl, Kerstin. Her biggest rival.
Things continue to worsen for Quinn as these creatures start to invade her everyday life, not just when she's sleeping. She later learns that they are actually demons and they want something from her.
When Quinn collapses at school a boy named Aaron comes to her rescue. Aaron has a few secrets of his own. He was in a car accident in which his Mother and little sister died and he nearly did. When he awakens he can't remember anything about his life, but he has somehow developed the ability to read peoples thoughts and feelings. Especially Quinn. There is a strong connection between them and he'd like to see where it could lead. The only problem is Quinn is hung up on her Ex, Jeff. What Aaron doesn't know is that the demon's are manipulating Quinn's thoughts.
However despite the demons Quinn and Aaron become close, but these demons are very powerful and for some reason they don't want Quinn to be around Aaron and will do anything to keep them apart.
For the most part I enjoyed this book. The writing was fluid and easy to read. It made for a pretty quick read. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. Some things just came out of nowhere, for me. I wasn't expecting that ending. Very surprising. That's not necessarily a bad thing though. Surprises are good. This must be the first book in a series because the ending has left me wondering what happens next. -
I loved this book! If you think it's going to be a demon slaying badass fighting kind of book stop there.The book is more about Quinn's life falling apart and her dealing with demons forcing her into sleepless nights wondering if she has gone crazy. (Though I'm rooting for some demon slaying in book two.)
I really felt for both Quinn and Aaron.
Quinn had the two people she thought she could always count on turn her back on her. Her dad left her and her mother for another woman, and her long term boyfriend of four years leaves her for the girl whom she hates. Of course her main problem is the demons haunting her at night are seeping into her day which is already over flowing with turmoil. Wondering through school, she tries to deal with her grief of losing her BFF/BF and fighting off the demons telling her to give up.
Aaron is Awesome. Of course he has his own set of problems, but who doesn't? He is also hopelessly crushing on Quinn who can't see past Jeff dumping her. After catching Quinn in the hall way you find out that he can feel people. Feel their minds. Because what fun would it be if his only problem was crushing on Quinn? He starts to feel her when she gets over run by demons; desperate to find out what's wrong and get closer to her.
Over all this is a really great read. Lots happening, but all has it's place. No one's life is one faceted, and Reid really gives it depth. The only thing that was hard to swallow was after finally finding out some of what the heck is happening Reid leaves us on the biggest meanest cliffie ever! I can't wait till the second book comes out!
The best part of this book is the dark dark creepy way Reid describes her evil viscous demons swirling around Quinn and how they mess with her head. Over all really good quality writing. I can't wait for the second book! -
Via
http://onlectus.blogspot.com/2013/07/...
Do you like stories where:
1.- the guy (Jeff) dumps his girlfriend of four years (Quinn) without explanation (by text message)?
2.- dumped girl (Quinn) has no personality, is annoying, ridiculously in love with ex (Jeff), and hopes ex comes back to his senses and asks her out again?
3.- Quinn's friend (Aaron) is in love with her. He does nothing but defend her from anyone who finds her ridiculous and mental because she's still in love with ex (and at one point, talking to self)?
4.- Quinn has demonic visions that she is having trouble separating from her mind and reality. Thus, Quinn spends good part of the book saying to herself "this is not real. You are not there..."?
5.- the rest of the characters are background noise to fill the pages? They amount to nothing, mean nothing, and convey nothing.
Then you will definitely enjoy Pretty Dark Nothing! In total honesty, the story is superficial, boring, and the characters annoying.
Oh! almost forgot :-) Yes, I too have been dumped (by email, mind you). Cried for weeks. Wished ex back. Dated some other guy to get over ex. Almost got back with ex...
My point is that what Quinn is going through is perfectly real and normal. Unfortunately, the delivery was bad. It is one thing to know that guys cheat, dump you, you want them back, etc., etc., etc., and another one to read about it.
Without enough explanations, world building, character development and the sort, characters like Quinn, Jeff and Aaron come across as selfish, self absorbed, cowards, annoying, and boring literary beings.
And this is just book #1? God helps us all!
P.S.: Awesome cover, though! -
"Have you ever wondered why they always leave, Quinn? Why the ones you love can't love you back?"
I liked the idea of the demons. Quinn's world was scary and intriguing and she stumbled around through her day trying to be caffeinated and pinch herself to stay awake. She doesn't want to fall asleep and see the Demons. Being the head cheerleader and valedictorian are both on hold and slipping farther away as she pushes off homework and reports and studies. Even her boyfriend of many years has broken up with her and his new girlfriend loves to torment and tease Quinn as well.
and finally we have Aaron. Sweet, wallflower of a boy who has noticed Quinn and is hoping to ask her out, now that she's not dating the long time boyfriend anymore. but the set up and their first meeting were about the only parts of the story that really hooked me in.
I didn't like the struggle of Jeff not figuring out what he wanted, mean girl Kiersten seeming to be at every corner and Quinn tugging Aaron around because of the whispering weird voices. Even her best friend was a distraction that I didn't really like. I don't think I'll be continuing this series. -
Let's not kid ourselves. There are enough paranormal YA novels out there to mortar a walkway to Barnes and Noble. But recently, I've been let down by slow-moving plots and cheesy dialogue. I'm so pleased to say, that is the not the case with Pretty Dark Nothing.
I'm completely blown away by Heather L. Reid's ability to tell a story. I opened the book when it arrived this afternoon, and by eight o'clock, I found myself holding my iPhone as a light so I could read under a pillow in my four-year-old's room during bedtime. Yes, I had flashbacks to my childhood, reading under my blanket with a flashlight. I couldn't put it down, and I loved that I could read the entire 230 pages in one day. So entertaining.
This is the type of book you devour. -
OMG that ending... I need book 2, right NOW! I think what I loved most about PRETTY DARK NOTHING were the vivid descriptions, some of the scenes described really creeped me out. Also, I absolutely adored Aaron, and the friendships in this book. I loved seeing them all interact, especially Marcus and Aaron. Heather Reid really set up the PRETTY DARK NOTHING series with this book, and has created some great characters. Those that enjoy a good dose of high school angst and drama will devour this book! I can't wait for the next book to see how Wren handles things from that ending, and grows as a character.
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I found the synopsis slightly misleading. Whilst there is a slight paranormal element it isn't revealed until the very end of the book (literally the last 5 or so pages). Up until that point it seemed more like a contemporary novel that dealt with mental illness.
I still liked it though.
There had better be a second book! -
Compelling characters, intriguing premise. Beautifully descriptive. Draws you in and doesn't let go.
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It started strong but lost me. Also to be fair I am not a big demon fan so a book really has to hook me.
