Book Review: Way Down Dark by JP Smythe

Friday, July 17, 2015
I love reading. Books are amazing. They are a form of escapism, yes, but they are also inspiration, joy, and... well. Goodness. I think in some ways I have used my appetite for reading to define parts of my personality, so it made sense for me to review some of what I read! Here we go...



Title: Way Down Dark
Author: JP Smythe
Series: The Australia Trilogy #1
Publication Date: July 2nd 2015

Synopsis: "There's one truth on Australia. You fight or you die. Usually both. Imagine a nightmare from which there is no escape. This is a hell where no one can hide. This is a ship of death, of murderers and cults and gangs. This is Australia.

Seventeen-year-old Chan's ancestors left a dying Earth hundreds of years ago, in search of a new home. They never found one.
The only life that Chan's ever known is one of violence, of fighting. Of trying to survive.
But there might be a way to escape. In order to find it, Chan must head way down into the darkness - a place of buried secrets, long-forgotten lies, and the abandoned bodies of the dead.
Seventeen-year-old Chan, fiercely independent and self-sufficient, keeps her head down and lives quietly, careful not to draw attention to herself amidst the violence and disorder. Until the day she makes an extraordinary discovery - a way to return the Australia to Earth. But doing so would bring her to the attention of the fanatics and the murderers who control life aboard the ship, putting her and everyone she loves in terrible danger.
And a safe return to Earth is by no means certain."

My thoughts: Those who know me will see the blurb above and realise that this book was not really on my radar at all - the grit and horror of it may appeal to others, but unfortunately not to me. And I think that is a big part of the reason why I found it almost impossible to read this book. It was so dark and soul-draining that I found myself resenting the idea of reading it, and that led to me skim-reading for a very large chunk.

The other things that bothered me were the characters - I think their backgrounds and general traits were well-constructed, but I found it hard to tell the voices apart. Everyone seemed to talk in the same tone, and the writing had the same tone, too. It made it hard to know when someone else had started talking.

I definitely think that this book has potential for people who are more interested in dystopian books, and those who love grit and a bit of horror, but I am just not one of those people.


I received an unsolicited review copy of this book from Hachette.

You would like this book if: you like dystopian/sci-fi mash-ups; you like a bit of grit and horror in your stories, and don't get depressed easily.

Tea to drink while reading this book: Tea wouldn't work. Just coffee. No milk or sugar.

Rating:  5/10

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1 comment:

  1. Coffee and you'd better chuck in some straight up whiskey, too.

    ReplyDelete

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