Pretty Dark Nothing 50% in Review

 

Pretty Dark Nothing

Author: Heather L Reid
Publication Date: April 23rd 2013
Source : Egalley from Month9Books via Netgalley (Thank you!)

 

 

 

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.

      Halfway Review: 

Eighteen months ago, the day her father walked out and never came home, Quinn Taylor started having nightmares of dark entities reaching out for her. Thinking it was her subconscious giving her a way to deal with his absence she doesn’t think much of it. Until the nightmares get worse and worse, from harmless nightmares to dark, vivid and dangerous Quinn hasn’t had a full night’s sleep for twenty-three days. Trying everything she can to stay awake, blasting music that’s way past healthy for your eardrums, red bull, caffeine pills and even physically hurting herself to keep awake, but eventually she falls asleep, and the nightmares begin as soon as she closes her eyes, first the oncoming cold, tendrils of fog choking her and dragging her dream self tunnelling through the dark void until she smacks into the hard, cold ground of a forest floors where the darkness lay.

They whisper to her, crawl out to her, wraith vines pin her to the forest floor as images of her parents throwing dirt into her coffin lowering into her grave.

Seriously, the opening chapter freaked me out and had me hooked, give me some scary and I’m all yours, and ohmygod talk about classic horror movie.

Now when Quinn wakes, what started out as nightmares- but dreams, threatening and dangerous but harmless unless she was asleep- and dreams can’t hurt you, become deathly real.

The harmless nightmares start leaking into reality, slow at first, a shadow here, a shadow there, her own separate shadow following her, a trick of the eye, she chalks up to the lack of sleep and all those energy hits causing hallucinations’. But as those shadows grow and whisper things to Quinn, influencing what she’s feeling, how she acts, and start twisting and manipulating every perception Quinn has to the point she doesn’t know what’s real or if it’s simply the time for the white men in coats.

And that’s just one of Quinn Taylor’s problems, her boyfriend of four years broke up with her by text with little explanation or indication, she’s heartbroken, and rubbing in the salt is Kerstin- Jeff’s new girlfriend who he started to date a week after breaking up with Quinn. That’s only the one reason she hates Kerstin, she’s also replaced her as Captain of the Westland High Fillies, while Quinn’s been benched due to her grades, and she consistently rubs it in her face.

Pretty Dark Nothing shifts between alternate chapters of Quinn and Aaron, and we’re introduced to Aaron; Aaron who is deftly in love with Quinn who is too hung up on Jeff to even notice Aarons clear adoration. Until a fainting spell comes over Quinn and he rushes to her aid before she hits the floor and smash! Power-psychic-ability-link-whatever-you-want-to-call-it happens.

Aaron has his own tragic background, which we get to learn slowly through his chapters, and I won’t spoil it for you, but it’s really tragic.

Aaron’s advances are met to very much resistance, until some drama happens on the twisted side with broken mirrors and everything- and they have their first kiss.

Which is ruined by Jeff, and even worse, ruined by Quinn running to Jeff after it.

This is where I would yell and hit the book, but I am very much against abuse on books, besides, the copy was on my kindle and I’m not breaking that thing.

By this time Aaron’s given up, and to be honest, I would’ve given up way before then, so kudos to him, and thinks, hey, she doesn’t want me but others do so why am I still hung up over her?

Good question Aaron, I was thinking the same about the ass that is Jeff.

So he asks out Jenna- the singer of their band (did I mention Aaron’s in a band? Yes.) to Westland High’s football game.

Let’s say Quinn’s not happy, and as whispers start spreading about why she was getting suspended, Quinn realises she’s losing it and fast.

Full review will be posted in the next couple of days!