Young Adult Book Review – Dark Life

Dark Life review

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Title: Dark Life

Author: Kat Falls

About: Fifteen-year-old Ty has lived on the ocean floor his entire life in this future-set novel. The oceans have risen, leaving most packed into stack cities. A few have chosen to live at the bottom of the sea, commonly referred to as the Dark Life. When outlaws attack his colony, Benthic Territory, he must fight to rescue the only home he’s ever known. He meets a Topsider named Gemma who has come subsea to hunt for her brother. They uncover some dark secrets that threaten to ruin everything…

Review: Dark Life is one of my personal favorite books. I just love the plot and the Dark Gifts that are a big part of the story. The setting is quite unusual; underwater colonies are not what I commonly see. It all seems so possible as well, frighteningly so. All the details were so well thought out that it seemed to really be real at points.

I love Gemma’s headstrong personality and the way she never gives up. She’s a strong character, and it can be really fun to read about some of the things she says and does. Rash is one word to describe her. Ty is my favorite characters, though. I simply adore him and how believable he is. His fear of doctors just makes him even more human, despite his non-human qualities such as his shimmering skin. Zoe, his nine-year-old sister, looks so sweet and acts so devilish, which serves for some good humor.

One great thing is the fact that there is little to no swearing, something that can be hard to find these days. As the book is overall intended for a younger audience, the graphicness of some parts have definitely been toned down to accommodate that. There are quite a few unexpected twists throughout the plot, which serves to keep you from closing the book out of boredom.

All right. Now onto the not-so-great things. Every book has them. In this novel, there are a few scenes that can get quite violent, such as one part where the blood on the walls of a submarine is described. There are also one or two areas that may be a bit mature for younger readers, though it is subtle and far from what it could be. Overall, though, there really isn’t much to say here.

Although Dark Life is geared toward a younger age level, I highly recommend it even for older readers, especially if you enjoy a lower reading difficulty. If you like learning about the ocean, this book is for you. I’m sure if you go read this novel, you will really relish it.

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Rating: 4.7/5 (7 votes cast)
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Rating: +6 (from 6 votes)
Young Adult Book Review - Dark Life, 4.7 out of 5 based on 7 ratings


Comments

Young Adult Book Review – Dark Life — 2 Comments

  1. Thank you for the great review of this book. Your review is very helpful in selecting good books for young readers.

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    Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)

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