Dark Parties - Sara Grant - 3*

Dark Parties

Sara Grant

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No Spoilers.

Dark Parties is from the point of view of Sixteen year old Neva. Neva lives in a ‘protectosphere’, an isolated dome that protects the citizens from the outside world. She longs to break free of the restraints, of the constant eye that watches her, she wants to also find the missing; a list of people that have vanished without a trace, vanished from society altogether. She longs to do this whilst battling her straying feelings from her boyfriend Ethan, to her best friend, Sanna’s boyfriend, Braydon. Whom she kissed at her ‘dark party’ in the very first few pages.

Now, I have gotten into reading a little more Dystopian novels. Even one of my own written works would be classed as such a genre, but Dark Parties could have been so much more. Neva is not a very strong main character and her views had me chomping at the bit in frustration. She was not very mature, unlike her friend Sanna, who had much more of a voice, much more of a presence, for a secondary character. Another thing I disliked was the love interest. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a bad boy, but Braydon, his red shoes and motorbike, did not cut it as a love interest for me. I much preferred Ethan’s artistic flair and him. Neva acted almost like a spoilt brat when her ‘rebellion’ did not go as she planned. Another little thing that niggled me about her, was that Neva whined a lot, not just about the protectosphere, the government, the rebellion, she just whined about most things.

Not everything is bad though, the idea was good, great even, I think if Sara Grant broadened the character and kicked the whole forbidden love interest of Braydon aside, it would have been a better story. I am inclined to pick up it’s sequel (I’m guessing there is one, as how it was left at the end.) just to see if Neva becomes a stronger person.