Dark Inside

This review appears on my blog, Starting the Next Chapter.

What can I say about Dark Inside without over-simplifying? To say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book feels like taking the quick and easy way out with regard to my feelings after reading it. There are so many parts of this book that led me to alternately get lost in my own imagination and sit upon the edge of my seat with bated breath. It is such a tangle of thrills, sadness, and horror that I am left unsure as to what aspect I enjoyed the most. Suffice it to say, Dark Inside featured the best of all aspects that make a book appealing to me.

The plot that runs throughout this book will stay with me for quite some time. It is truly terrifying in that it doesn't involve zombies or show more monsters. The threats involved are Mother Nature, herself, and the very darkest recesses of the human mind. The fact that some unknown catalyst is causing the majority of humanity to turn into ruthless killers is altogether chilling. As I thought about the possible causes and ramifications of such an event, I felt even more disturbed. This isn't a story you will be likely to forget for a long, long time.

The characters whose stories we get to view are each compelling in their own ways. Mason, Aries, Michael, Clementine, and the mysterious narrator known as "Nothing," each bring something different to the table. Each has a different heart break, a different strength, a different motivation, a different personality, and a different outlook on life, all of which lead them in the same direction as time goes on. I can't choose a particular favorite from amongst this cast of characters due to the sheer greatness of all of them. These characters are so well-written and imbued with such spark that it is very easy to become invested in each one.

Finally, let's talk about setting. Dark Inside begins with 4 different towns in which the 4 different characters live. Each town is hit by catastrophe in different ways. This goes to show just how far-reaching the mysterious events behind the end of the world truly are. Though each town is a different size and affected in different ways, they all share a common problem: the Baggers (the term used to describe the killers at several points throughout the book). Whether the town falls to earthquakes, bombs, or a type of genocide involving the unaffected, each setting is the same in that nothing will ever be the same again. As the characters travel across their countries and make their ways toward each other, we catch glimpses of other places that have been struck by disaster in different ways. It is a truly horrifying landscape against which the story takes place, and the descriptions given make each come to life in the mind's eye. This aspect of the book is so well done that I have absolutely no complaints.

If you are a fan of dystopian or post-apocalyptic fiction, then you have absolutely got to read Dark Inside. There is so much action, description, and character-building taking place within the pages of this book that you won't be disappointed. Though a second book hasn't been mentioned so far as I can tell, I hope that we will be able to continue following these characters throughout this tragic, horrible world they are left with. This was a truly satisfying read that I can see myself reading over again in the future. show less

Dark Inside is an intense and bloody thrill ride. This book is packed with heart stopping action from the very first page straight through to the last, you just can't put it down. With relatable characters and true to life scenarios this book scared the friggin pants off me. I was up all night, not reading, just trying to stop jumping at every stupid little noise. You know a story has impact when your wondering if your neighbors have turned into bloodthirsty killing machines.
The story has a 28 days later feel, but even scarier is the fact that the people in this version don't turn into mindless zombies. Jeyn Roberts' monster retain their problem solving skills, meaning no matter where you go, they'll find you. They can even trick you show more into thinking they haven't been affected and pounce when your back is turned. So how could I not be awed by the iron will her characters have and the hope they refuse to lose. Four teenagers who have lost everything, the whole world turned to chaos around them, and yet they still push forward searching for safety. This is literally the definition of me against the world.
If you haven't noticed already, I love this book. Everything about it. The people, the fast paced plot, the insanity that this could actually happen, the foreboding feeling that lingers while you read it. I've even wondered if maybe her theory about the fall of these ancient civilization is dead on. If you like dystopian you should definitely read this. It isn't post-apocalyptic, it IS the apocalypse, so definitely something you'd enjoy. Jeyn Roberts made a killer debut with this book and I am pining for more of her work. 5 out of 5, obviously. show less

I was afraid to go to sleep Thursday night after finishing Dark Inside (it was also the day that I read most of it). The scary part isn't the apocalypse or gruesome deaths, however. It's the Baggers. It's the 'disease' of sorts floating around, turning humans turning on their own kind. That this is such a plausible demise for civilization.

Humans have been progressing rapidly for the past century, so quickly that it's become evident that our worst enemy is ourselves. Our enemy in the apocalyptic world of Dark Inside is the Darkness Inside humans. It's been inside of us: festering, infecting, waiting for the time to strike. When 9.5+ magnitude earthquakes strike across the world simultaneously, the largest genocide known to mankind show more initiates. Strangers turn on strangers, friends turn on friends, and family turns on family. You don't know who to trust, who will turn next. The only clue is the black veins that lines the white of their eyes, and by the time you're close enough to see the signs, you're within their grasp.

Can you imaging living in that kind of world? It takes a huge amount of luck to escape their initial strike, and I don't have it. Even if I did, you need endurance and intuition to survive. Could I do that? I don't know. Mason, Michael, Clementine, and Aries are four teenagers who have had family and/or friends turn on them, and some will even betray in turn, seeking to protect themselves and survive... not knowing when--if-- they'll ever find safety.

The events start off slow, before the earthquake happens. You watch as the world falls apart, unable to do anything. There are books that you race through in order to finish it. Dark Inside isn't one of those books. It's the kind that you read with dread, the kind whose pages you want to turn and yet can't. The kind that you have to put down and run away from before returning, unable to stop reading until you learn the fates of the four teens. That was what Dark Inside was like for me.

Because the story is told from the perspective of four teens, it took me a while to get to know them, but it's okay. The story is already drawn out at the start as the story leads up to the apocalypse, so there's time to acclimate to the four voices. It's when the apocalypse starts that the story really takes off, and even then the action only takes place between the teenager's frequent, suspense-filled attempts to stay off the Baggers' radar. (In other words, when they bump into the Baggers.)

Then there's the mysterious fifth narrator... Nothing. Nothing knows what's happening, but Nothing won't tell you. All you learn is the turmoil that Nothing suffers... Nothing's desire for this sickening game to end. Nothing will keep you questioning what is happening to the world. If all of humanity won't die out this time. And there's nothing you can do but read and read as the lives of the four teens draw closer and closer to each other until the events of this book comes to a head. If there's one word that describes how I felt reading this book, it's powerless. Powerless to prevent the apocalypse, to stop the darkness from spreading, or to save the teens.

Best (or worst because I have to wait another year for it) of all? The events don't close with Dark Inside. It's only the beginning.... show less

Dark Inside was one of my worst nightmares come to life. It was recommended to me by a friend, who knows I don’t like post apocalyptic type books. She said it was a must read, so I thought why not, I will only have nightmares for weeks. The reason this book scared me was not because it’s a horror or thriller, but the actual thoughts it puts in your head if a situation like this really happened. How would I react? Would I be brave or would I be a coward? Would the darkness consume me? The thing is you wouldn’t really know how you would react unless it was happening.

Dark Inside is about a world were madness has broken out. Natural disasters of major earth quakes and people doing terrorist like acts. The people enveloped in the show more darkness going mad and doing brutal things, even to people they love. It was just pure mayhem and chaos. This book reminded me of the movie Crazies, just way better because there wasn’t a true reason for why things were happening. I like that the darkness isn’t really blamed on one thing. They bring up multiple questions and factors of why it was happening. My thoughts are in a way the book was telling us we brought it on ourselves.
We follow four perspectives in this book, five if you consider nothing.

Mason, oh poor mason. I felt bad for him. It seemed like his life was already crumbling apart and the darkness just made it worse. It is like that saying, “It can’t get any worse” and it just keeps going downhill for him. I feel like there were times he just wanted to give up, but his strength was amazing. He hung on by the nails and kept going. Some of the secondary characters we meet with him are twiggy and chickadee. I loved chickadee and I really wanted more for her and Mason, but the world they are living in can have a cruel twist for fate. Aries was probably my favorite character. You could tell she was scared shitless and yet still managed to lead a group and try to keep them alive. I feel like her story besides Mason had more depth. There was more involvement with other characters and the plot was more realistic for me. I don’t know how she dealt with Colin and I guess that makes her a better person because I would have left him in the beginning of the book. Colin just reeks of bad news. She is a fighter and I love that about her. The only thing I didn’t like about her was she followed the advice of a stranger, though it kept her alive it didn’t seem real. Though if Daniel was the stranger giving me advice I would have probably done the same. Who doesn’t like a dark and mysterious guy that knows how to save the day, literally?

Then there was Clementine. She reminded me of the typical all American girl. She left her hometown and went on a blind hunt for her brother. I liked the moments when she would “speak” to her brother and I think those little thoughts helped her. She was constantly scared and you could feel her fear come through the pages. You see her fight hard with baggers and run for her life to find her brother. She barely slept for the fear of something happening. I don’t want to say she was in denial, but I think a false hope kept her moving forward. Michael was the person I related with the least. He seemed like a strong character at first, but he became weak for me. I feel like you could have almost taken him out of the book and it still would have been an amazing book. The only thing I really liked about him is that he gives comfort to Clementine. I also liked that he brought in the term “baggers”, which is what they called the people that have been drawn to the darkness.

Nothing, who are you? I feel like I might know, but I don’t want to spoil it. Hopefully we will get to officially meet you in the next book.

Dark inside made me laugh, cry and get completely frustrated. It makes you constantly question everything. The writing was vivid and detailed. The scenes came to life on the page. You could smell the smoke and the rotting bodies. You could feel the sand squish between your toes and the rain chill your bones. Every emotion a character felt, you were right there with them feeling it too. Dark inside kept me up till early in the morning to finish and I can’t wait to see what happens next. Thank you Jeyn Roberts for writing an amazing book and giving me terrifying nightmares for days. I enjoyed everything about this book and I think I am officially a fan of books making the world come to its end. (Even if they will forever scare me.) show less

Dark Inside is a thrilling, incredibly suspenseful story that will hook you from page one. Though it sounds a bit like a dystopian, Dark Inside is an apocalyptic story at heart. There’s something compelling about the drive to survive amidst a crumbling backdrop, and Jeyn Roberts does a fantastic job of writing a story both about this and about the monstrosities humans can become. The darkness that emerges in friends and family members of the main characters is chilling, and it’s impossible not to constantly be wondering, what if?

The thing that interested me most about Dark Inside, besides the main characters’ fight to survive, was the underlying theme of monsters. Jeyn Roberts really takes the time to examine what exactly it means show more to be a monster, and how perhaps we’re all monsters just beneath the surface. I love when authors take their stories a little bit deeper and examine the human condition; it’s this effort that makes me feel as if they put effort into constructing something meaningful. I admire Jeyn Roberts’ ability to make the reader think!

In terms of characters, Jeyn Roberts also succeeds. Though admittedly at first the number of narrators can be a bit confusing, as the story progresses it becomes easier to remember each narrator’s storyline and featured characters. The narrators are nearly equally interesting and likable, and they each grow substantially throughout the course of the novel. The narrator I found most interesting, though, was “Nothing”, a human-turned-monster who occasionally regains control of his or her brain. “Nothing” gives us a glimpse into the mentality of the monsters that the other characters are running from, therefore giving the book an interesting balance and perspective.

If you’re looking for a book to put you right on the edge of your seat, Dark Inside is a perfect choice. Jeyn Roberts’ writing is quick yet fairly descriptive, and every page is filled with heart-pounding action. There is never a dull moment! Be prepared for an onslaught of characters, but otherwise Dark Inside is a completely awesome thrill-ride. show less

Dark Inside was a number of firsts for me. It was the first zombieish/esque apocalyptic novel I've read. It was the first horror novel I've ever willingly completed (I gave Stephen King a try when younger. I think my delusional line of thought was: "go big or go home." I guess you could say I "went home". . . but I digress.) This is also the first time in a long time that I have enjoyed being scared (and disturbed) so much. Unfortunately, all is not perfect in Ms. Roberts' tale of world gone awry, but I more than loved it enough to make it one of my favorite reads of the year so far. It may not be the most traditional zombie/horror fare (though I have just admitted I have no idea and no right to judge but try and stop me!) but it is show more GREAT read, and is one of the few young-adult novels that can successfully bridge the gap into more adult fiction.

With a bleak tone right from the start, Dark Inside was a great change of pace for me. Not only are the "zombies" not technically zombies as usually defined, but darker, subverted and almost mindlessly enraged humans with no control and no compassion. That isn't to mean that the author stints from dark or disturbing elements - a scene with a pregnant woman being dragged by her hair into a murderous mob, or even just the casual mentions of people hunting CHILDREN at elementary schools still stand out in my memory days later - but they are simply not "supernatural" as in the undead. As chaotic as it is senseless, the violence of the monsters in Dark Inside illuminates the worst of humanity, hidden underneath and released by the quakes. I liked that the monsters of the novel were actually humans, apparently those not immune to a force that has ravaged the earth before. And let me tell you, these monsters or "baggers" as in "Let's go bag a deer" with the deer now being people, freaked me the hell out. There are several scenes that legitimately had my shoulders up underneath my ears. The introductory scene with Clementine and her family in the town hall was particularly well done: I was intrigued, freaked out and eager to read much, much more of what this author had in store. I loved that the zombies weren't brainless either, but actually capable of matching wits and besting their prey. It added ANOTHER level of suspense to a novel that already had me constantly on my toes. In a book where the monster can hide in plain site, or even set clever traps, and converse pleasantly, suspicion can and does fall on every character and it is best to do as Mason is advised and, "trust no one."

The rotating POV's of four main characters alternatively works for and hinders the novel. So many perspectives (the four main kids and also sporadically thing called "Nothing" has a few, short POVs) allowed for a wider, more varied view of the monsters and the destruction of the earthquakes, but it can also get quite repetitive with the minutiae. How crazy/insane/inhumane the "baggers" are is repeated a little too often between Mason, Michael, Aries and Clementine. It is a little hard to differentiate between all four characters as none is what I would call a fully three-dimensional, realized personality. It's just too hard, for me as a reader, to identify, connect and empathize with four different people that closely with a limit of less than 400 pages. It just shifts too frequently, with too little time between the narrative change. I liked all the teenagers well enough, but if I had to pick two specifically I wish had more screen time I'd definitely have to go with the two resourceful and smart girls: Aries and Clementine. While neither was so distinctive or vibrant I didn't have trouble blurring their individual storylines up until they meet, they both impressed me more than their male counterparts. I just wished for more from each - more personality, more individuality to distinguish Michael from Mason and Aries from Clementine.

All four kids end up independent and in charge of themselves - the exact situation most would have wished for before the earthquakes and now obviously the last place they want to find themselves. Mason, whose mother and entire school died the day of the quakes, is the most extreme example of the isolation of this new world, but none are exempt. I liked the spin on what most teens would dream of: complete independence.. but at what cost? Clem at least still searches for a brother named Heath, representing her hope for survival in this cruel world, Aries has her quest for a mysterious boy named Daniel who knows too much, and Michael has a dad lost somewhere out in the wild world of America. Watching the world shatter through the eyes of these four disparate teens was entirely compelling. Though they are not perfect characters, I found myself slowly hoping for a better outcome: for Heath to be alive, for Mason to lose his anger, for Clem to live until the end.. (She was occasionally so naive it pained me! But she was my favorite! Conflicted!) Especially because this is clearly a series, I have high hopes that these characters will grow into some all-time favorites. The potential is there: either more length or a trimmed POV list is hopefully coming in the next volume.

The author also does a subtle job of slowly doling out the information about what happened the day everything changed: from the unpredictable acts of nature (6 9.5 Richter scale quakes) to the eerily similar acts of terrorism (123 schools bombed all over the world) - all while fueling even more questions.

How did some people know beforehand? (i.e. man on the bus, the bombings)
Why are only some people turned into the "baggers"?
What determines the intelligence of each bagger?
If this is the earth clearing out the bad - why does it seem the innocent are the victims?
Who/what is "Nothing"?

As the kids learn that no one safe, either alone or in groups, each moves towards Vancouver and I began to have a few issues. First of all, none of the above questions are really answered. The first third sets up all these questions and none are fully solved to satisfaction - I'm already going to read book two so I just felt unsatisfied by the lack of resolution for any of the characters. The predicted and inevitable meet-up of all four teenagers felt rushed and unnatural for the novel - in a book of distrust, they just literally run into each other right in Vancouver and. . . . everyone's all hunky dory? - and threw me off from the flow. Which.. speaking of, seems to be in need of a little polish as well. Some of the transitions for characters, both between and within POV transitions, were awkward and repetitive.

This is a violent, gory, disturbing, emotional and funny book. I loved this way more than I had thought I would. I had initially passed this over in my monthly Simon and Schuster Galley Grab email but decided to give it a go on a random whim: what a great decision in retrospect. This is not a perfect novel but I had such fun reading it I can't imagine any rating lower than a 4 out of 5. It is consistently taut with tension and occasionally fraught with emotion (Chee! Clem's parents!) and definitely not one to miss for anyone looking for a zombieish novel. A pulse-racing novel from start to finish, I can't wait to get my hands on book two - especially after such an open-ended conclusion. show less

Courtesy of Smash Attack Reads

Interest in Book: I remember first seeing the cover. It spoke loudly to me. READ ME, it said. I think those eyes hypnotize you...*blinks* Then I read the blurb, and post-apocalyptic/dystopia being a favorite genre of mine, I just knew I had to let those powerful eyes have their way...

World-Building: Intense only brushes the surface of this world. Everything starts out normally. People are going about their day, living life, enjoying breathing. Then...BAM! Earthquakes topping the Richter scale rip apart the globe. Multiple schools are bombed. Life everywhere is perishing at an alarmingly fast rate. The survivors of these atrocities are in shock, wounded, terrified. When they see their neighbors and friends, show more they plead for help, though help is the last thing they receive. Instead, more blood is shed as these once normal humans are now infected with the worst kind of disease: evil. Those immune to these twisted, macabre and horrific ideas of fun flee into the wide open, doing their best to remain one step ahead of their relentless, murderous pursuers. On the surface, the world-building appears simple. But deep down, the rules of the game have changed drastically. Right and wrong , as well as love and hate, are hard to discern.

Characters: The four young protagonists of this hellish existence all start out in different places. I really loved the four different perspectives. I'm a fan of multiple POVs, in general, as it allows us an intimate view of each character. Mason, Aries (but she's a Gemini), Clementine and Michael all start out in very different scenarios. Their experiences and personalities are quite different, but one thing that drives them toward each other is the sheer will to survive. They meet different people along the way, both evil and not, who have lasting effects. Mason, in my opinion, is teetering on the edge between good and evil. Michael is struggling with his perceived cowardice, Aries does not want to be the leader everyone expects her to be, and dear Clementine just wants to find her brother. And then there is Daniel, who appears to be something...more. I foresee interesting things from that guy.

And then we have Nothing. Nothing pops up occasionally during the book, with their chilling views of the world. We don't know much about Nothing, although one can deduce that Nothing is the nothingness that eats away at our souls. The evil and horror that infect our hearts. Using this concept as a character is brilliant. The addition of this voice into the multiple perspectives really brought out the creep-factor. It added to the tone and the overall spine-tingling, chill-inducing effect.

Lasting Impressions: Holy awesome to the sauce, people! Your intense emotions will keep you glued to the pages as your heart palpitations and sweaty hands add to the experience. I compare this book to a grisly automobile accident where you slow down as you pass, unable to remove your eyes from the horror. You will not be able to put this book down! It reminds me of a YA-version of The Stand by Stephen King, though we have not yet met Randall Flagg. Or have we...?

Favorite Quote:

"There are different types of people in the world. There are people who accept what's in front of them unquestioningly. They live in the dark. In defeat. Ignoring what the future might bring or how they might help to make things happen. Then there are people like me. Optimists. They too live in the dark, in times like these, but dream of the light. I trust in the possibilities of betterness. I believe there is more to life than this. I have to. There's no other choice for me."

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