Summary:
Courtney Gould’s thrilling debut The Dead and the Dark is about the things that lurk in dark corners, the parts of you that can’t remain hidden, and about finding home in places―and people―you didn’t expect.
The Dark has been waiting for far too long, and it won't stay hidden any longer.
Something is wrong in Snakebite, Oregon. Teenagers are disappearing, some turning up dead, the weather isn’t normal, and all fingers seem to point to TV’s most popular ghost hunters who have just returned to town. Logan Ortiz-Woodley, daughter of TV's ParaSpectors, has never been to Snakebite before, but the moment she and her dads arrive, she starts to get the feeling that there's more secrets buried here than they originally let on.
Ashley Barton’s boyfriend was the first teen to go missing, and she’s felt his presence ever since. But now that the Ortiz-Woodleys are in town, his ghost is following her and the only person Ashley can trust is the mysterious Logan. When Ashley and Logan team up to figure out who—or what—is haunting Snakebite, their investigation reveals truths about the town, their families, and themselves that neither of them are ready for. As the danger intensifies, they realize that their growing feelings for each other could be a light in the darkness.
~Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest review!~
*This is a spoiler-free review, so you can read it even if you haven’t read the book yet!*
【Trigger Warnings: death, homophobia, hate crime】
My Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up
Can I just start by saying this book was titled perfectly?! There were definitely some dead people and it was reaalllly dark, in a good way!
It drew me in from the very start, and I found myself wanting to know more about the Dark and the host, and how it would be a part of the story.
It honestly surprised me how much I liked this book because I usually don’t read much in this genre, and didn’t have very high expectations, yet I ended up really enjoying it!
Plot
I loved how unpredictable it was. There were many times when I thought I knew what was going on and who the killer was and I was proven wrong. Whenever I found myself getting comfortable with the plot, a twist would come along or a new piece of information would show up, making me suspenseful all over again.
The concept of the Dark was very unique and added a lot more complexity and fear to the book because the killer isn’t truly evil, it’s the Dark. The Dark fed of off the host’s negative emotions as well off Snakebite itself.
There was also a good balance between the darker elements and the fun parts because even though it was dark, there were some nice and fun scenes between the characters that made it more enjoyable.
Setting
This was soo atmospheric that in many parts of the book I actually felt like I was there at Snakebite, Oregon right with the characters. The setting in this case, added so much because it was so haunting, eerie, and mysterious. Also, it has small-town vibes where it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, and the people who live there aren’t welcoming to change or to newcomers who bring change.
Characters
Before I get into the characters I want to say that this book switches primarily between Logan and Ashley’s perspectives, but it also has a few chapters from the perspectives of side characters and of the Dark. This added a lot more to the book because we got to understand both of them on a deeper level. We also got to see what was going on from both an outsider coming to Snakebite and from someone who’s lived in Snakebite for a very long time.
Logan: Logan is a strong character because she’s so good at standing up for herself, but also at not letting what other people say get to her. She knows who she is and isn’t shy about it and she’s also really brave!
Ashley: Ashley went through a lot of character change because she learned to become more of her own person. I liked how determined she is, and how she didn’t give up hope on Tristan even when mostly everyone else did. She also gave Logan a chance and hung out with her even though her friends didn’t necessarily approve.
The side characters are also well done, and I liked Logan’s cousin and his friend, as well as Brandon and Alejo. But I did not like Ashley’s friends, especially not John!! Which is probably because they’re not meant to be liked :)
I also really liked the romance between Logan and Ashley because it didn’t take over too much of the plot and it was also realistic in the way, that it took time for them to actually like each other.
And I loved the family dynamic in this! Logan, Brandon, and Alejo are just such a great family, even though they have conflicts, and I wanted so badly for them all to be happy together. I loved reading about Logan with her dads, as well as Brandon and Alejo together.
Writing:
Courtney Gould’s writing style fit so perfectly with this book! The descriptions were beautifully chilling and the scarier scenes were really suspenseful! There were so many layers to this book and they all fit together so well, with the paranormal aspects, the mystery, the character’s struggles, and other pieces too!
Overall this was a very well-done mystery thriller and I highly recommend it! It was haunting and dark, but I also found that it wasn’t too scary, at least not for me. I read most of this in the night, but I found that I was actually able to go to sleep afterwards so yayy!
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