Review: The Dark Light by Sara Walsh

Title: The Dark Light

Author: Sara Walsh 

Rating: 4.5 Stars 

The Dark Light is one of the few novels I can claim has truly taken me by surprise. I am usually one of those readers who look up a novel before I pick it up, reading over both the positive and negative reviews and finally deciding whether or not I want to read it. Thus, I am quite aware of where the story is headed during the first few chapters and am prepared for any unsuspecting let downs. The Dark Light, however, was an exception to this ritual. I had seen its gorgeous cover on more than one blog during its blog tour weeks, so when I saw it, yet again, in my local library, I knew I had to check it out. Surprisingly, I simply dove into this novel headfirst and was shocked, surprised, thrilled, and absolutely exhilarated by the story I found inside its pages. The Dark Light was everything I ever dreamed of and wanted from a well-written urban fantasy novel with mixed genres, but it was also so much more.

The Dark Light, from the surface at least, seems like every other young adult paranormal romance. We have our protagonist, Mia, who has a tough family life as she lives with her half-brother and Uncle Pete who is drunk most of the time. We have our school-boy-crush who finally asks Mia out to prom and, we have our bad-boy-extraordinaire, Sol. When Sol moves into Crownsville, he has naturally caught the eye of every guy and girl in the small town, not only because of his unexpected move or killer good-looks, but because of the large tattoo that adorns his back. Mia, however, has seen the tattoo before on the ankle of her half-brother and hoping to find answers about the father she shares with her sibling, she goes looking for answers. Crownsville is a dangerous place though, for young boys have gone missing, presumed to be kidnapped, for a few weeks now. Thus, when Jay, Mia’s brother, is sucked away by an ethereal light with only Sol and Mia as the sole witnesses, Mia is determined to find her brother at all costs, especially if it means making the enigmatic Sol, who clearly knows more than he’s letting on, talk and spill his secrets.

I don’t think there are enough words – or the right words really – to express just how much I loved this book! While The Dark Light starts out slow and mysterious, it slowly picks up into a fast-paced action novel, filled with phenomenal world-building, three-dimensional characters, and breathtaking plot twists. I am one of those extremely nit-picky and critical readers when it comes to world-building, but I loved the manner in which it was explained here. Walsh introduces us, for the first time in YA Literature, to the concept of parallel universes, a theory I’ve been obsessed with over the past few years. Thus, with this unique idea in mind, we are thrown into the world of Brakaland, Sol’s world where magic reigns free – or used to – and dangerous demons are a thing of every day. Each and every original element of Walsh’s world is revealed to us in time, making this a wonderfully-written debut that avoids the usual qualms of boring info-dumping. Furthermore, Walsh takes some age-old ideas, such as demons, and puts her own creative spin on them. In addition, she ensures that we are constantly reminded of how close to our own world this parallel universe is and the inner workings of her realm were remarkably crafted.

Yet, the complex world-building aside, what made me love this novel so much were the characters. Mia is a protagonist I absolutely loved. She is, first and foremost, a normal human girl; thus, when she is thrown into a world of rebellions, evil sorcerers, and demons, she remains strong in the only way she knows how. While most kick-ass heroines these days seem to wield swords, Mia’s strength lies in her inner ability to persevere on, remain courageous in the face of danger, and use a mature sense of level-headedness. Furthermore, I found that she was easy to relate to as her actions mirror those of us if we had been thrown into a parallel universe. More than that though, Mia is a character I appreciated for her tough family situations and strong friendships, but while we do sympathize with Mia occasionally, we are rooting for her success even more.

While I have to admit that Mia was my favorite character, I should probably admit that she’s my favorite female character. (Sorry Vermillion, you kick-ass shape-shifter!) Sol, on the other hand, was my favorite character overall. (Once again, sorry Delane, you sweet, sweet best friend!) Gosh, what can I say about Sol? We know he’s hot, we know he’s sexy, we know he has a huge tattoo across his back. What I didn’t expect, however, was Sol’s depth, kindness, and understanding. Yes, he carries an aura of a typical bad-boy, but he’s not. In reality, Sol is a true sweetheart: he is passionate about his country, he is a loyal friend, he is a courageous fighter, he is a wonderful listener, and he is an empathetic guy. What more could you possibly ask for? Plus, Sol carries a heavy burden and the gentle unveiling of his past, his secrets, and who he really is amidst the turmoil in Brakaland is a remarkable and deep story as well. Furthermore, I loved the romance between Sol and Mia, primarily because there was no love triangle, but it was also evident that these two really understood each other. For them, the most important aspect of each other was their personalities and flaws opposed to their outer beauty, even though there was plenty of that as well. It was a slow and mostly subtle romance for the majority of the novel and when that changed to become a beautiful love story, I was a melting pot of mush. ;)

The Dark Light, like every other novel out there, isn’t perfect. Yet, it is one that I was thoroughly invested in and loved with all my heart. It is fair, however, to claim that the ending was a little disappointing. Mia and Sol’s final showdown with the villain in this novel, who is, believe me, evil, was wrapped up all a little too quickly for my liking and the entire scene just screamed, “convenient”! Nevertheless, despite that qualm, I still enjoyed The Dark Light immensely! It ends off in a very conclusive manner, wrapping up everything nicely while leaving just a few plot threads loose and prepared for a sequel, if there ever should be one. I love these types of endings as they give way for so much more imagination on part of the reader and I know I spent days thinking about this story, even after I was finished with it. Overall, this is a novel I would highly recommend. Its small flaw didn’t alter my perception or enjoyment of this novel in the least and I was amazed and simply blown away by the depth of the characters, complexity of the world-building, and originality of the plot. If you pick just one more debut novel this year, let it be this one. I haven’t read a YA Novel this good in a loooong time and believe me, it won’t let you down! 

I was so enamored with this book that I actually decided to interview Sara Walsh, the author of this phenomenal debut! Check out my interview with Sara, here! :D