Book Review - Dark Parties by Sara Grant

Dark Parties
Author: Sara Grant

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Hardcover: 320 pages
Published: August 3, 2011

GoodReads Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Neva has been trapped since birth. She was born and raised under the Protectosphere, in an isolated nation ruled by fear, lies, and xenophobia. A shield "protects" them from the outside world, but also locks the citizens inside. But there's nothing left on the outside, ever since the world collapsed from violent warfare. Or so the government says...

Neva and her best friend Sanna believe the government is lying and stage a "dark party" to recruit members for their underground rebellion. But as Neva begins to uncover the truth, she realizes she must question everything she's ever known, including the people she loves the most.

My thoughts:

The beginning has a very creep, yet romantic almost sensual feeling to it (not in a raunchy way). It was nice to read such an original first chapter. It pulled me in right away and intrigued me from the start.

I really enjoyed learning about their world. It was very believable. Definitely one of the most believable worlds I've encountered in my Dystopian reading.  It was so incredibly sad how much of their history was destroyed and depleted. The government easily manipulated everything.  From their history to the lack of technology to the pressure to reproduce, the government had it's hand in every aspect.  I really liked how the author discussed their weakened immune systems and similar physical features from breeding within such a small group of people. Instead of the fantasy vibe that some dystopians give off, this one seemed to be grounded in reality.

I thought the plot was one of the best parts of the book. It was a page-turner for sure! However, I think her Father conveniently rescued her one too many times. It just seemed almost repetitive and expected. I really dislike "easy outs" in books.  My only other complaint with this book was Brayden, again with the insta-love. Also, it's her best friends boyfriend. Extra icky.

I was really excited to find out the ending of this book and I stayed up late to finish it. I totally thought I had the ending figured out, and it kind of threw me for a loop.  I'm finding that YA/ Dystopian books seem to be following a recurring them. Book One- In somewhat captivity in their city trying to break free. Book Two - Exploring the "New world". Perhaps leaving behind their boyfriend in the city. However, Neva's story slightly deviates from the cliche. I'm really excited to continue Neva's story and I'll definitely be picking up the next book.

If you enjoyed Matched and Delirium, I think you should definitely try out Dark Parties. It has somewhat similar themes, while still creating it's own original story.

Judge a Book By It's Cover: Love this cover, especially after reading the book. The symbolism behind the Snowflake is awesome!

4 Stars!

Author Sara Grant - Twitter / Website

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*Disclosure: I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.