A Trick of the Dark

by B.R. Collins

Zach and his sister Annis have been uprooted by their parents from their comfortable home to a remote and half-built barn in France. Zach is being removed from his 'bad-influence' friends, their parents are trying to salvage their marriage and still remain on speaking terms whilst the bitterness of their father's affair bubbles underneath the surface. And Annis - Annis just keeps going, keeping her head down, trying to keep it together. So far so normal. And then Zach, uncommunicative and contrary as ever these days, defies everything their parents have said and makes his way to the unsafe ruined building at the edge of their new garden, and leans up against the wall. The wall bulges, totters - and suddenly collapses on top of him. Annis, horrified, sees him crumpled on the ground. Desperate, she races towards him, not daring to think anything at all. She sees him, on the ground, broken, silent, not there any more. And then, unbelievably, he moves. Zach moves. Zach, in an extraordinary and instinctive decision, has broken his bond with his own soul, the essence of himself. By doing so he has cheated death. By doing so he has also cheated life. He is unable to touch any human person again. And the essence of himself, his 'other', his soul, is chasing him, determined to rejoin what should rightfully be together. Zach is on the run, from himself, whom he can never escape, from death, but also from the life that he can never enjoy again. Perhaps only a sister can help him now.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

310 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 2009

About the author

B.R. Collins is a graduate of both university and drama school. Her first novel The Traitor Game was published to much acclaim and was both winner of the Branford Boase Award 2009 and longlisted for the 2009 Carnegie Medal. Bridget lives in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

A Trick of the Dark, published by Bloomsbury in September 2009 and in paperback in September 2010, is her extraordinary, electric and tautly thrilling second novel.

Tyme's End, published by Bloomsbury in January 2011, is a psychological thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seats.

Gamerunner, published by Bloomsbury in July 2011, is a stunning departure into a future world of computer gaming.

The Broken Road, published by Bloomsbury in February 2012, is a powerful new novel based around the Children’s Crusades.

Read B R Collins's blog here

Watch the book trailer for Gamerunner

Reviews

[Rusty's Ghost Engine (also known as.......... Jinky Spring) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fucking shit, there's really nothing else to it! This was my reaction to the vast majority of this lump of shit people call a novel!


I really have nothing much to say other than a load of obscenity that will go on and on and there is limited space on these comment boxes. So I'll just skip to the conclusion.

I can't decide whether to give this one or zero stars cause I found the idea of a persons shadow detaching from their soul quite interesting. It's almost like yin and yang where a persons soul is split in half, one half made up of all the badness that person has (their shadow) and the other made up of all their goodness (their light). I've gotta say because I'm a fan of fantasy and the paranormal, I found that concept intriguing and I genuinely wonder where the author got that idea from.

But seriously, that's where the goodness in this book ends. The story of Zach and Annis' fucked up life just dragged on far too long. Plus the hunt for Zach's (then Annis' when she purposely gets herself divided) shadow went on for what felt like an eternity. It honestly felt like the author was simply trying to fill up the pages. Overall nothing really happens so I curse whoever made the statement "Electrifying Supernatural Thriller" about this piece of crap that's more about dysfunctional family life, so therefor it should have been advertised that way.

I've said this in other reviews but I don't regret saying it again: NOT FUCKING WORTH IT!

[Jenny / Wondrous Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

B. R. Collins' second book is an unusual supernatural thriller that should sit well with fans of all things paranormal. It moved at a fast speed, and kept me guessing until the end -- an end which was shocking yet inevitable.

The idea of a shadow detaching itself from the soul is a chilling thought, and is an entirely new concept to me. I don't know how Collins came up with that, but it succeeded in making the book creepy and chilling. The way the shadow almost haunted Zach was something I'd expect to see in a horror film, and I won't lie: I checked around my very dark room a few times to make sure nothing was lurking by the window.

Annis and Zach had a pretty rocky relationship with their parents, which included zero respect on their side of things. If there was anything I didn't like about the characters, it would definitely be their attitude towards their parents. I didn't think their mum and dad deserved it, and it often made Zach and Annis look like spoilt, ungrateful brats. For that reason, I didn't like Zach much, and I changed my mind about Annis as I got further into the book. They did redeem themselves at the end, but it was perhaps too late for me to change my opinion of them.

I enjoyed the unique story, the stylish writing and the use of Zach's notebook entries to tell his side of events. It was compelling and exciting, and is the kind of novel that would make a tense movie thriller. A detachment from the main characters was all that hampered my reading experience, though the fantastic plot more than made up for that.

3.5/5

[Kari Ely · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh. My advice on this one is: Don't bother. The premise is interesting, and honestly, it might have made a really good short story. As a novel, however, it was too long, too padded. It took too long to say absolutely everything. It took the somewhat flat characters so long to figure out what was so plainly obvious that I got frustrated and started skipping entire paragraphs. The characters weren't that bad, I guess. They would have been quite well-developed if the author had kept this to short-story length. In a novel, though, I expect more. Collins uses way too many words to say very little. The effect is a book that is rambling and yet somehow claustrophobic. And the ending is decidedly unsatisfying.

[Joni Chng · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hidden somewhere inside this book is a clever premise about confronting your dark side and not being afraid of your shadow. Alas, it's a good idea that's poorly executed.

What we get here instead is a paper-thin story padded up with pointless, repetitive dialog, descriptions and plot points that add nothing to move the story along until the last three chapters. The writing is terrible and the characters are highly unlikable, with not even an ounce you can sympathize with.

You know those C-grade horror movies where characters go about doing stupid things and shout senselessly at each other? That's the mental picture I keep getting as I read along.

[Manushee · Rating 1 out of 5]

And for my next trick, I will attempt to use the most overused word in this book to describe it entirely - '' Stupid, stupid,stupid''

[nathan fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I've read interesting plot the suspense is interesting I like how it's sort of supernatural. interesting play on light and dark shadows and light.

[Sarafarisreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished this book in about a week which is the second fastest record I have for a book (the first being Evil and The Mask by Fuminori Nakamura).

Summary
The book is a supernatural thriller and it involves two siblings who had to move to a farm in France from London due to their father having an affair with his secretary. Near the farm is a ruined buildings where the brother, Zach, loves to hide from the outside world. However, both siblings soon find out that it’s not just a normal ruins, but holds a magic of its own. An accident leaves Zach crushed and broken beneath a collapsed wall. But when Annis runs to call for help, Zach is calling for her just right behind her, all alive and well.

Afterwards, she can see that her brother has changed, little by little. Pale as sheet. And then there is this other boy who looks so familiar. But so, so dark that Annis can’t even see his face. Who is he and why is he after Zach?

It’s a great book about siblings love and how they only have each other to rely on because their parents are just really awful in here. Words cannot describe how much I loathe them, especially the father.

The siblings, though they have their own flaws, are just kids and have tried with all their might to save one another.

The ending is bittersweet, and for me is a bit rushed. I wish we can read the parents POV once the ending is revealed, however I guess I have to accept it for how it is.

A good, exciting read that have me unable to put my book down because of how interesting it is. Really recommend it for others to read!

[Ade · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I refused to give up because I paid money but it was a total disappointment. Too much dialog, and too much exposure of character's thoughts. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The plot was dragged and could have be a short story rather than a novel. The end is was expected, but I still wished Annis died too, not just Zach.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes found this book heavy going but ..... enjoyed it!

[Emorie · Rating 1 out of 5]

writing was great i just hate it because it made me realise i need therapy

[Zaki Abdullahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zach and his sister Annis have been uprooted by their parents from their comfortable home to a remote and half-built barn in France. Zach is being removed from his 'bad-influence' friends, their parents are trying to salvage their marriage and still remain on speaking terms whilst the bitterness of their father's affair bubbles underneath the surface. And Annis - Annis just keeps going, keeping her head down, trying to keep it together. So far so normal. And then Zach, uncommunicative and contrary as ever these days, defies everything their parents have said and makes his way to the unsafe ruined building at the edge of their new garden, and leans up against the wall. The wall bulges, totters - and suddenly collapses on top of him. Annis, horrified, sees him crumpled on the ground. Desperate, she races towards him, not daring to think anything at all. She sees him, on the ground, broken, silent, not there any more. And then, unbelievably, he moves. Zach moves. Zach, in an extraordinary and instinctive decision, has broken his bond with his own soul, the essence of himself. By doing so he has cheated death. By doing so he has also cheated life. He is unable to touch any human person again. And the essence of himself, his 'other', his soul, is chasing, chasing him, determined to rejoin what should rightfully be together. Zach is on the run, from himself, whom he can never escape, from death, but also from the life that he can never enjoy again. Perhaps only a sister can help him now. An extraordinary, electric and tautly thrilling new novel from the highly acclaimed debut author of The Traitor Game.

[Raahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every week, I go down the library, pick a book out randomly and take it home to read. A Trick Of The Dark was this week's.
I must admit I was slightly reluctant to read it and took my time, near the beginning. But as I read on, it intruiged me more and more, the process of becoming something so off and so disconnected from yourself like that. I know many people wish for it when things get too tough, but we don't understand the repercussions of it, do we?
I was also in near tears for the last few chapters. It makes you think about your own siblings, and what you would do for them, really.

- Though I only knew Pete for a few chapters, I was routing for Annis and him all the way. Never did find out what happened to them, but that's the true beauty of the ending. You were there, the whole way, so it's fairly easy to imagine what would happen, and how they would struggle, but continue on, especially Annis, who loses her brother, after already losing him days ago.

[Below · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a 2.5/5 rather than just 2.
No spoilers. I have mixed feelings here. I don't know exactly what it is but something at the core of the book just felt a bit lacking to me for some reason. I think it may have been the characters. I was never really won over by Annis as a character. I actually preferred the parts of the book that were written by Zach in first person to the rest of the book's third person, though that would have been an unfeasible device to use for the entire plot. I also agree with the criticism that the book seemed over long: ~250 pages rather than ~300 would have been better. On the other hand I did like the conclusion to the book. This is one of those books that in the end, I wanted to like more than I actually did. In the last analysis a bit disappointing.

[Nisareen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annis sees her older brother Zach crushed and broken when the walls of a ruined house fall on to him. But apparently Zach isn’t broken after all. Someone just like Zach steps from the accident. The new Zach has cheated death but he is subtly different from the old one and soon Annis is caught in a terrifying and dangerous situation as the two parts of her brother try to join together. Full of the anger of adolescence this is an edgy read from start to finish.

[cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

in this book, it's about Zach, who gets hit by a collapsing wall. He's supposed to die, but instead, becomes immune to all injuries.
on one condition, whoever he touches will get zapped.
in the end, Zach dies for real.
i liked reading this book.

~ Gabby.

[Catyj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touted as a YA "supernatural thriller" this tale tends more towards horror in the sheer element of fear which Zach and Annis feel. The writing is brilliant - engaging characters, rolling storyline, dark and forbidding setting. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for more by this author.

[Han Adcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually read this two or three times. It is amazing. Think Jekyll and Hyde crossed with something by Philip Pullman, with a little bit of J.M. Barrie thrown in, and you'll come close to what this novel is like.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bit all over the place, but BR Collins is fast becoming one of my favourite writers. Some really intersting concepts here.

[Andrew Dunford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the first books to get me into the supernatural genre of books. I loved this book, and he way that it incorporates the two sides is beautiful

[Ainul Riz · Rating 4 out of 5]

*speechless* :'(

[anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a good book and i would not recommend this for younger readers as it sas on the back of the book " Contains storng language" and it contains a lot of strong language

[Cara Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly engrossing supernatural thriller. I am now suffering from extreme writer's envy.