Cover Image: The New Dark

The New Dark

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Member Reviews

This book was absolutely fantastic!
I loved the story behind it, the characters were so well done. Can't wait to read more by this author

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I received an ARC of this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

To be completely honest, I didn’t really have high hopes for this novel; I chose it based on cover and the description seemed ok. I was pleasantly surprised that I actually really enjoyed it.
I got so involved with the characters, my hatred of the Free and Martin is strong, and just let me at Mara... but I digress. If it wasn’t obvious, I thought the character development was very good.
The story itself can be a bit slow in certain spots but just stick with it. I found it more than made up for it in the end. I also didn’t realize this was the first part of a trilogy until I signed into Goodreads. I spent the last 20 pages trying to figure out how they were going to tie it all together.
I’m really looking forward to the next installment since the first ended on such a great cliffhanger. I have soooooo many questions that need answering, How did this “After” start? What do the 3 circles mean? Why are there mutants? The list goes on and on.
Good short read. I need the 2nd one pronto.

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This was a very predictable, but an enjoyable read. The story seemed wel-developed and I enjoyed the main character's search for brother and boyfriend. I would have liked a bit more twists and a bit pless predictablility. I received this title in lieu of an honest review by Netgalley.

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I feel like a lot of the story wasn't put on paper, it felt like big parts were missing and that the main focus was mostly on the love interest, the writing style was okay, but for my preference a bit too average teenage girl like, which is a shame, because the premise of this book was good though, but I feel like the way this book was written, sort of ruined the story and the world it was set in. I love the cover of this book though, it quite suited the story!

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I wanted to like this book so much and for a bit there I started to enjoy it, until it ended. I had to look back to make sure that the book ended. Basically the story ended to sooner than expected. It's like worst than cliffhangers. I don't recommended.

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Sorrel lived in a village that was attacked by mutants, people so horribly disfigured that most of the time babies born with that appearance that they are considered "not viable" and not allowed to live. In trying to find her younger brother and the boy she loved, she fell ill and was rescued by people of the Free. Not willing to stay in a society that sees nothing wrong with forcing her to marry against her will, Sorrel escapes and goes to the city. Danger still lurks there, especially when those of the Free are looking for her and a group of people feels that her birthmark can be used as a call to arms.

Sorrel is a bratty teenager in a dystopia when the novel begins, but then it goes all downhill from there when her entire way of life is destroyed. The book, intentional or not, seems to portray the village life as the idyll and the formal societies as dysfunctional. The Free are managed through strict gender roles and see nothing wrong with torturing mutants for sport or terrorizing others because they see themselves as superior. In the city, there's a strict divide between the corrupt wealthy and the hardscrabble poor that would do just about anything for coins. Neither society is particularly welcome to read about, with their different levels of creepy discomfort.

The reason why there are so many mutants isn't explained, or why the Before time (recognizably our modern world) had ended. It was within three generations, at least, since Sorrel can recall stories her grandmother told her about cars or planes and times when metal items were plentiful. I would guess it was radiation of some kind, since that would increase mutation rates and likely cause "wood prawn" to be large enough to make a meal when foraging. It would also explain why clothing in some of the stores would have remained intact when items like books had decayed so rapidly, leaving most people illiterate.

There are a lot of dystopian novels starring teenage girls that are special in some way and figure in revolutions, but this one really doesn't feel terribly inspired. This book is the first in a trilogy, but I don't feel invested enough in Sorrel's or David's stories to want to read the next two.

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This story follows Sorrel who lives in a dystopian future that created mutants that are hated by humans. Her brother and friend get kidnapped and she is determined to find him.

Most of the time I like when books jump right into things, but when they don't explain much even after a few chapters I start to get a little worried. The writing was easy to read, I didn't mind it. It's a quick read if you're looking for something fast paced and exciting.

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You know when you dislike a book from the very first pages?
It can be either the characters, the dialogue, writing, anything at all can trigger a certain hatred in me and after that point there is basically no return.

I tell myself time and time again to stop reading once I get this feeling and pick up another book, or else I am risking myself getting into a reading slump, but there is always this voice in my head – Read just a couple more chapters, it might get better. You shouldn’t DNF the book just yet. Give it one more try.

And I end up reading all of it and quietly hating myself for it.

What was the turning point of this book?

This first sentence:
Sorrel watched as David skinned the bats, enjoying the way the muscles in his arms flexed as he worked. She resisted the urge to lean over and run her fingers over his skin.

There are so many YA dystopian books that I love, but when a book begins with a cringey line about someone else’s muscles, it is definitely not something I enjoy.

But I was stubborn and pushed through to get to the better parts, to get to survival and adventure. However none of those lived to my expectations.

I enjoyed the arc about Sorrel held in the camp, it was giving some Walking Dead vibes, but as a character she wasn’t interesting to follow. Things just happened to her and nothing was from her incentive. She ran away, she stood and watch someone being killed. Let’s just say, she wasn’t the hero kind of character.

I gave this book 2 stars and that was only because I enjoyed a couple scenes from the book, but would not pick up it again or continue reading the series.

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There is no "Before", there is only "Now". Because now there’s no internet, no TV, no power grid. Food is scarce, and the world’s a hostile place. But Sorrel lives a quiet life in the tiny settlement of Amat. It’s all she’s ever known... Until a gang of marauding mutants destroys the village, snatching her brother Eli, and David, her boyfriend. Sorrel sets out after them, embarking on a journey fraught with danger. Can she survive? The only thing that keeps her going is Eli and David. They are out there somewhere. They must be alive. And if she has her way, she will find them.



Right off the bat I realised that The New Dark was going to be a clusterfuck of tropes common to YA. In my opinion anyway. It starts off rough as main character describes the typically hot guy and fantasises about kissing him... as he skins bats. Then we have some lovely female on female hate... for no reason other than the fact they like the same boy (yes, the one that is skinning bats). So we also have a bit of a love triangle going on. Basically, within the first chapter I am already annoyed with this book. 

The New Dark tries really hard to make points about prejudice and racism as mutants are treated differently because they look different. In this world which is the future of our world, we kill babies if they are 'unviable' aka a mutant. The points made really fall flat as apart from one or two mutants, they're all made out to be monsters. The beginning of the book literally shows them kill everyone except the young ones who they then sell into slavery. 

This is of course ridiculous as you would think they would look back on history and realise that it's wrong to have slaves and be discriminatory. But apparently no one remembers the 'before' time even though the eldest people in the village were alive then. Sorrel's grandmother remembers cars and malls and tells Sorrel about these, so why aren't they rebuilding their lives and talking about history? It just seems so dumb that after only 50ish years this village reverts back to the dark ages.

There were a lot of problematic things about The New Dark but it was in fact quite a good paced book. As you go between Sorrel and Davids POV's you get to see quite a lot of action and there's not many dull moments. It felt very much like a good plot, it just needs more in depth world and character building to make it a good book. Speaking of characters, Sorrel is your typical female YA main character. She doesn't really have much depth and is special because she has a weird birth mark. It is never explained why it's special but obviously it throws her into situations head first. The politics of her being used by a faction of people felt extremely similar to other books like The Hunger Games.

The New Dark I think suffered a bit too much from being too much like other books. Because look at Snow Like Ashes? Is it just me or are these covers a little bit too similar? Then there's the tropes and it's just didn't feel original or unique. 

Positives
+ Good pace

Negatives
- Typical female hates female MC trope... twice

- Similarity to other series

- Limited backstory and lack of world building

I received The New Dark* by Lorraine Thomson from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an unbiased and honest review.

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DNF @ 4%

This book and I really just didn't agree. When on the first page the romance is the first thing mentioned -- a girl making googly eyes over a boy who may or may not like her across the fire while cooking... bats, I wasn't impressed. The cooking bats part and how the skins are used for clothing?? Um, yes??! But that is pushed into the background for a very emotional teen girl who likes the boy next door (pretty much) and her ex-best friend is now a B**** who is trying to get that boy's attention even though she could have any other boy (cue rolling eyes)

It is just too cliche for me when the world-building in the deep background should be front and center. Hello, USING BATS FOR CLOTHING? Living in the forest??

With what I was giving in the beginning, I assume most of the book will be like this and I just didn't want to go through all the cliches and silly angst. Just not the book for me.

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The world has been destroyed. To survive, people live in rustic villages, bound by their common struggle to scratch out a living and defend themselves against those who are stronger - those who would use their strength to take what they desire. Sorrel has only know this world, but it was an existence has hardened her and enables her to go forward even though her world had come crashing down. Mutants attacked her village, kidnapped her best friend, David, and her little brother, Eli. As one of the sole survivors of the attack, Sorrel feels compelled to find and rescue them. However, her rescue plans soon go awry, and she needs rescuing of her own. When an opportunity presents itself in the form of a mutant, named Einstein, she struggles over whether or not she can trust him. Her village had taught her that all mutated life should be destroyed. However, Einstein may be her only means of escape... and perhaps her only true friend. In this upside-down world, Sorrel isn't the only one who is confused. As David and Eli are marched as prisoners through the wilderness to a new town, the mutant in charge takes over Eli's care, and the two develop a deep bond. This world is much bigger and more confusing than either Sorrel or David knew. What is true? It is obvious to all that things needs to change, but what does that mean and how should one bring about that change? Those are just a few of the unanswered question that resound in the characters' minds as the story marches steadily on.

Though the New Dark started abruptly, I liked the book overall. The interesting story line, the characters, and the unique world in which they now live drew me in. Unfortunately, the book ended just as soon as it seemed to begin. I would have loved a little more world development. How did all of this happen? Why are their mutants? Things like that... Despite its shortcomings, I can honestly say that I consumed the story in one gulp and am thirsty for the next part. Once I started reading, I didn't stop until I hit the last page. I would love to see what happens next. The story ends well - preparing the reader for the next installment. What will happen to Sorrel? What about David? How will the world change?

Thank you to NetGalley and to Bastei Entertainment for providing a free e-Galley of this book for review. All opinions contained above are my own.

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I love mutant’s stories, so this felt as a good choice for my first requested book.

The story line is pretty interesting, but it got a little bit slow a couple of times. I liked the idea that good and evil’s lines were blurred, and you had to figure out which side you are on, what is truth and what is just manipulation.
I didn’t get as invested on the main characters as I like to be, which was a bummer.

Overall, this book wasn't meant for me, it felt perfect for a middle grader level.
Love the cover!

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I did not love this book and I could it hard to get into. The idea was brilliant and different than other books that I have read in this same genre but the character development was sparse and not detailed enough to hold my attention. I could not really relate to any of the characters or really put myself in their shoes.

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. ☆☆ARC provided by netgallery☆☆☆


Well I didnt hate it but I didnt love it either. The story was written well and catchy. I personally think it was way to young adult for me.

Country Gals Book Blog

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This book was extremely hard for me to finish. Not only were the characters not likable at all but the lack of focus and direction kept me from wanting to continue reading. There was an abundance of grammatical and punctuation errors that had me wishing it was a physical copy so I could go through and edit it myself.

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I had to battle through this book to get it finished. It's 221 pages long, but to me it felt like it would never be over. I wanted to give this book the fairest chance possible, but it didn't work too well.

The New Dark tells the story of Sorrel, a girl living in a post-apocalyptic settlement of Amat, where there is no electrical energy, no currency, no internet. Those things are from the time Before. When she survives an attack by mutants and hides from them, a chain of events gets started - and she must be brave and face dangers if she wants to see her little brother Eli and her friend David ever again.
As I read the first pages of the book, I frowned, deeper and deeper. I sincerely couldn't believe this was the post-editing version of the book - The New Dark felt amateurish in its writing from the very beginning, but to its credit it does get better as the book goes - which is why it got 2 stars instead of 1.

Sorrel is so absolutely impossible to cheer for - a brat with little talent for anything except being "special" because she has a birthmark. Literally, that is all. Throughout the whole book, it's hammered into our brains how people think she's special because she has a birthmark.

I also didn't appreciate the girl-hate in the book, nor the pacing. It went way too fast, throwing names of characters that we hardly could care about before they were killed. The romance between Sorrel and David is also hardly more than some flirting in the beginning of the book, and then at some point he seems to become "the man she loves" although nothing really pointed to that at all.

I will end my rant-view here, because really, I could go on and on, but I think my point is made. With so many sci-fis, post-apocalyptic worlds, so many cool dystopian YAs, I think it's not worth reading this series.

I do think the author has potential, she clearly has creativity, and a tendency to write dark stories, which I really like, so I don't completely discard reading more from her in the future.

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This book was a DNF for me. Personally, the opening scenes were hard to plow through and even after I had a hard time focusing on the story. The summary and the cover definitely gave me great vibes but the story itself just didn't pull me in right away, and that is something I really look for in a book.

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Book Talk II 1/19/18
Traci Kenworth

The New Dark Lorraine Thompson. Bastei Entertainment. Nov. 2017. Netgalley. YA Dystopian.

As always, blurb from GoodReads: "She thought she knew who she was and where she came from. Then her home was destroyed. Her brother lost amongst the ashes. And the boy she loves vanished. She owed her own survival to a mutant — the very forces behind the destruction. Now Sorrel will never be the same again."



There is no "Before", there is only "Now". Because now there’s no internet, no TV, no power grid. Food is scarce, and the world’s a hostile place. But Sorrel lives a quiet life in the tiny settlement of Amat. It’s all she’s ever known ...

Until a gang of marauding mutants destroys the village, snatching her brother Eli, and David, her boyfriend. Sorrel sets out after them, embarking on a journey fraught with danger. Can she survive? The only thing that keeps her going is Eli and David. They are out there somewhere. They must be alive. And if she has her way, she will find them.



THE NEW DARK is the first book in a new YA-trilogy and will be published in November 2017. The second and third books in the series (THE NEW DAWN & THE NEW DAY) will be released in 2018.

My review: Sorrel’s village is raided after a fight with her mother. Her mother is killed and her brother stolen by mutants. Her boyfriend, David, is also taken with Eli. Sorrel determines to free them. On her way to save the day, she is bitten and falls ill. She wakes up in the camp of the Free, a weird, religious cult. They want to marry her off to their leader. Though she fights to be free, the only one who will help her is a mutant.
She tries to go off on her on, but there is a hunting party of the Free searching for her. Will she make it to Dinawl to free her brother and David? Will she learn that some mutants can be trusted? Or will a more sinister plot await them?

The characters could use a little more defining. I’m not sure I got a good grasp on them. The setting was bleak and unforgiving, exactly what a Dystopian should be. The plot went together well. I would read more of the series, just to see what happens. I felt that they cut things off a bit too soon in the end.

***

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This book was strange and I struggled to stay interested. The characters weren't particularly interesting or complex.

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I liked the base elements. We've got some mysterious, near apocalyptic event that lead to difficulty living and some level of mutation. This leads to human trafficking and discrimination. So the bones are decent if somewhat predictable. The actual, line to line, writing though was less than fantastic. Almost painful at times. Dialogue is awkward and unnatural.

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