Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts {Review}

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publish Date: November 1, 2011

Source: Library
Goodreads

Since the beginning or mankind, civilizations have fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs...and now us. Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something eve more awful is happening: An ancient evil has been unleashed, and it's turned everyday people into hunters, killers, and crazies.
This is the world Mason, Aries, Clementine, and Michael are living in -- or rather, trying to survive. Each is fleeing unspeakable horror, from murderous chaos to brutal natural disasters, and each is traveling the same road in a world gone mad.
Amid the throes of the apocalypse and clinging to love and meaning wherever it can be found, these four teens are on a journey to the heart of darkness -- and to find each other and a place of safety.

(A little aside here: It talks about Mercer Hall which is amusing since it no longer exists. They tore it down a year or two ago. It’s also the dorm Husband stayed in when he was there.)

To be quite honest, I wasn’t expecting much out of Dark Inside. It seemed as if most of the reviews I read were just “okay” and it immediately dropped off under the radar after its release which typically isn’t a good sign, but it really shouldn’t have happened this time. This is a fantastic apocalyptic novel that needs to be read.

First off, Dark Inside has a little something for everyone. There are four narrators: two boys and two girls. See, we’re already pleasing both genders. Past that, there really isn’t any romance to speak of, but there’s definitely plenty of blood. Not trying to force gender stereotypes on anyone, but I will say that this is a book I’d recommend to my brother or Husband.

Now, you probably noticed that I said there were four narrators. Don’t let that freak you out. That’s actually the biggest reason I put off reading it for so long. I was afraid it would be hard to connect with any of the characters and keep all their stories straight, but it really wasn’t. It did get a little confusing with all the names, especially towards the end, but Roberts does a good job of establishing exactly who each character is in each new chapter. I thought it was pretty fascinating to find that I’d connected with each character in some way or another and really felt for everything they went through.

And I’ve got to ask, for those who’ve read the story, did you try to assign a character to Nothing from the beginning? Maybe it was just me, but as soon as I could, I was tacking everyone onto Nothing to see if they fit. I think I had it figured out by the end, but I’m not positive. If you want to discuss in the comments make sure to put some kind of spoilers notification up :]

The Nutshell: Dark Inside has flown under the radar for the most part, but it’s about time this book has its moment in the sun. It’s a fantastic read with everything from great characters to interesting settings to scary bad guys. This is definitely one that I could easily suggest to both guys and girls. Don’t yell at me about gender stereotypes either, because most guys I know look at me like I’m insane if I suggest a book to them with romance :P

 Pages: 329

Series: Dark Inside #1

Rating: Direct Hit