Brightest Kind of Darkness

I don't normally review books but this is a book I couldn't put down. Not for good reason though I just kept wondering when it was going to get better, it never did. There is tons of potential in the book but none of it comes though. I felt it was choppy and it was just lacking. The book never pulled me in. I like YA books. Typically they are quick reads for me which is something I enjoy. I also enjoy paranormal books. While I'm sort of curious to see how the series plays out I cannot suffer though another book.

My Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book. It was a real page turner. The way P.T. writes is astoundingly smooth with no hiccups. She has a created a fantastic set of characters and a story line that is sure to grab your attention and keep you glued until the end and then leave you wanting more.
I think Nara and Ethan are just perfect. They have a relationship that is not filled with the non stop drama that you generally find in a lot of YA relationships. They both have their own dark secrets but together they can do anything.
P. T. has created a YA story like no other. That is filled with twist and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Nara can see the future in her dreams. And that keeps her awake at night wishing she could just have one normal day. Then she meets Ethan and with him she might just be able to be normal, but when it comes down to that is that what she truley wants. I keep my reviews spoiler free, but I encourage you to go and get a copy of this fantastic book.
Free Copy Received In Turn For An Honest Review

It is a good book and well written(some spelling mistakes aside).
The heroine is far from helpless.
The male lead is way mature than most guys in YA novels I've read till now.
There is NO love triangle which is a relief.
The story is the correct length and I loved how it began.
The only problem I had with it was that even as the novel ended, we were nowhere close to finding out what the deal was with Ethan and the tattoo he had.
I'd like to read the next in the series!

LOVED this book. It was amazing. Can't wait until the second book comes out. Def recommend this book to anyone who likes YA romance.

LOVED this book. It was amazing. Can't wait until the second book comes out. Def recommend this book to anyone who likes YA romance.

Nara Collins is you typical sixteen year old, or not. She sees her future before it happens, normally she wouldn't try and change it, as last time it went wrong, but this time she can't not do anything, she sees her school exploding by a bomb. And things start going downhill as Nara starts loosing her abilities. And at the same time she meets Ethan Harris loner, strange but really a good guy, not matter the rumours that are spreading around the school.
Are these two things related? Read to find out.
This books gives a whole new meaning to "Don't miss with fate"
I loved this story :) It's not your typical young adult book in which the girl suddenly discovers she's got magical powers and falls in love with her night in shinning armour.
Nara is a fantastic main character, strong and a lovely person although she's not perfect she tries to do what's right.
And then Ethan he's everyone's dream boy (or at least mine^^) he has that kind of mysterious guy going on at the beginning, and once you find out why you'll go ohhh. Although he does open up to Nara.
Their relationship was amazing it wasn't love at first sight, their relationship builds up as they get to know each other
The secondary characters were great Aunt Sage, Nara's parents, Samson. Although I didn't think much of her so called friends.
And the ending? A total cliffhanger.
The book keeps you hooked on from the first page and keeps you on edge right until the end.
Melissa.

At first, I thought wait...didn't I just read this? Because so much of it was so similar to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.

BUT IT WAS SO MUCH BETTER.

Now, I can't tell you this book changed my life. But did I enjoy it? Yes, I did. I enjoyed it very much. It was entertaining. I liked the characters. Things happened. I sped through it, wondering what would happen next. This was a win, for me.

My Review

Favorite Quote(s):

"Resting his lips against my hair, he exhaled a ragged, desperate whisper, 'How can you love me? From one day to the next, I don't know what's going on with me.'"

Favorite Character: Ethan! He's delightfully dark and mysterious, as well as sweet and devoted!

First Line:

"For me, being suprised was like wearing my best friend's favorite shirt; cherished for its borrowed uniqueness."

My Musings: Wow. I wasn’t expecting sure a riveting story from the summary I read when I signed up for this blog tour. I was expecting a mediocre novel with a decent plot and okay characters. However, as the book progressed, that prediction slapped me in the face. Brightest Kind of Darkness is one of those unique books—you don’t exactly hear about fighting Fate, do you? Michelle took paranormal writing to a whole new level with this unique twist. The writing was entertaining, and it was easy for me to get lost in the book.

The characters were well developed. I loved Nara’s character: she’s so used to the normal, that when that is disturbed, she freaks out. That sounds exactly like something I would do. Nara’s character is relatable, and while battling with Fate, she also experiences normal high school experiences like snobby girls, boyfriends, and fighting with best friends. This mixture of normal and paranormal was exciting to read. I also adored Ethan’s character; although at first he creeped me out, as I learned more about his character, the more I fell in love with him. He is honest to God in love with Nara, and his devotion to her is admirable. Their relationship reminded me of yin and yang; opposites, but perfect together.

This novel made me happy. It made me sad. It took me on a rollercoaster of emotions as the characters continued on their journey. There were twists and turns, and nothing was ever predictable. I loved watching the characters grow and develop as the book wore on, and I’m excited to see what happens in the next novel. I’m glad that I signed up for this tour—I probably wouldn’t have heard of this amazing book otherwise. The plot was idiosyncratic. The evil characters were creepy, which was, of course, riveting, although albeit they sometimes kept me up at night! (Kidding!). The writing was smooth, and the writing was eloquent. I honestly cannot think of anything bad to say about this novel.

I promise to be brutally honest with my opinion, but it should not be taken as fact. Any reader should read it for themselves, before they decide if this book has any merit or not. Do not judge this book biased solely on my opinion. If you do, you might miss out on a great read. You never know. It could happen.

1. Strong Main Character/ Female Heroine: Nara was just your average girl, until she started seeing her immediate future in her dreams. Her life really changes in a big way, when she interferes and that is when the fun truly begins. Nara is a caring, loving person and I cannot imagine a teenager like her in the real world. No one can be that selfless all of the time. She is always concerned about other people more than herself. This aspect of her personality makes her unbelievable at times, because you would aspect her to be a little selfish at times. I mean, we are all just a little and having daddy issues does not count as being selfish. It counts as being emotionally hurt by someone who was close to you at some point in your life and now you are questioning that person's motives for contacting you after so much time has passed. I can truly relate to that and I had a great guy like Nora does to help me keep my life in one piece. She also has a friend who has her back. Well, most of the time, but what real friendship does not have its dramas. Nara is strong, but weak. A perfect Bella Swan, but unlike Bella, Nara fights for herself and her Fate. She does not allow herself to lose anything, including her dreams. She fights for the people she loves and the things she wants out of life. She is not going to be cheated by a man, this Fate. She stole my heart with her relate-ability and her strong human connection to life. 4 out of 5 stars

2. Strong Minor Characters: Ethan is the best hawt minor character in the world with problems his own to discover in the next installment. [Which I definitely will be reading, because this author has captured two characters so perfectly while keeping one the lead and the other the supporting actor; however I believe that this author has also made it so that readers would feel a strong connection to both of the characters. At least, I felt it.] He is mysterious and intriguing. He excites my fancy, but somehow makes the reader feel a bit distanced from him, like how he distances himself from Nara. His personality and character demand my attention. Lainey is Nara's best friend. She is funny and cool, although she was really selfish. It's like Nara was too selfless and Lainey is too selfish. The author could have balanced the two better than she had seeming as how this whole book is about keeping the balance. They go through hardships and are reunited. I just wish that the reader would have known more about her at the end of the book. For Nara and Lainey to meet up at least after the whole thing with Ethan, would have resolved some underlining issues for me, but hopefully they are resolved when the next book begins. 4 out of 5 stars

3. The Setting: I found the setting to be very interesting, especially when Nara experiences the darker dreams. The whole scenes are so vivid. I know how hard it is to write really emotional, heart stopping scenes and this author did a terrific job at it. All the places were believable. I also had a sense of deja vu like I had been to these places before. It is a weird feeling, but I think, the author wants you to experience these weird feelings to better understand the book. Although, I wish there was a little less school, but that's just me. 4 out of 5 stars

4. The Plot: I love the plot of this whole story. This whole story is based on this girl and her dreams. She has a natural gift to alter Fate and uses her gift. Fate does not like this and fights back, which is really ironic and humorous. In Greek tragedies, no one can escape their fate or fight it. Fate always wins in the end, but this time...Maybe, it won't. Nara fights against her fate and is unwilling to back down from the fight, even when the person she loves most tells her to stop interfering. Interfering maybe the best thing Nara can do to protect herself and save her own life. I also like how this plot leads into an entirely new one about Ethan. I just wish that Nara's life and her secrets were not so tidied up at the end. 4 out of 5 stars

5. The Artwork: The cover is very beautiful and eye-catching. It was the reason why I started reading the book; however, I have seen more beautiful covers, but this one caught my attention as well. 4 out of 5 stars

6. The Writing: There is not a lot of annoying grammar or editing mistakes in the book, so I can really concentrate on the writing style of the author, which is very unique and distinct. The author has a distinctive writing style that allows the reader to sympathize and feel close to not one, but two characters simultaneously. The reader can feel close to Nara and to Ethan. At times, the reader may even detect the mysteriousness of Ethan's actions that signify that he has been keeping something significant from Nara all throughout the book and in the end, still does not tell her. The mystery and darkness that this author creates is effortless and beautiful. She gives a whole new meaning to the Brightest Kind of Darkness. 5 out of 5 stars

7. The Dialogue: I find the dialogue a little disbelieving, forced, stilted, and phony at times, but in the whole, it seems to flow with how real teenagers act and talk. Certain scenes in the book had me laughing because of how stilted the dialogue was, especially with Sophia and Jared. This situation, I felt, was the worst dialogue between all the characters in the history of books. It was awkward and not well scripted. It did not seem especially real to me, just something that took up valuable space in the novel. If these scenes were omitted, yeah, there would be less crazy drama, but the novel would have the perfect dialogue. 3 out of 5 stars

This novel gets a perfect 4, for being just so ah-mazing! It was a really great book that was very unique, but did not let you down or make you feel disappointed. It leaves you with a craving in your mind for the second book and I need to score the second book before I detox from the high this novel has left me in.

I liked the premise of the story, and it would have been an even better book if so many of the mysteries of the story weren't just left hanging. Hopefully there will be more questions answered in a book 2?