Dark Parties

Neva #1

by Sara Grant

Sixteen-year-old Neva has been trapped since birth. She was born and raised under the Protectosphere, in an isolated nation ruled by fear, lies, and xenophobia. A shield "protects" them from the outside world, but also locks the citizens inside. But there's nothing left on the outside, ever since the world collapsed from violent warfare. Or so the government says...

Neva and her best friend Sanna believe the government is lying and stage a "dark party" to recruit members for their underground rebellion. But as Neva begins to uncover the truth, she realizes she must question everything she's ever known, including the people she loves the most.

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction, Teen

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Sara writes and edits fiction for children and teens. Her new series Chasing Danger is an action-adventure series for tweens. Dark Parties, her first young adult novel, won the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Crystal Kite Award for Europe. As a freelance editor of series fiction, she has worked on twelve different series and edited nearly 100 books. She has given writing workshops in the US, UK and Europe as part of Book Bound (www.bookboundretreat.com) and teaches a master’s class on writing for children/teens at Goldsmiths University. She co-founded Undiscovered Voices – which has launched the writing careers of thirty-two authors, who now have written more than 120 children’s books. (www.undiscoveredvoices.com) She is also a member of The Edge, eight UK-based authors working together writing a blog and running events across the country. (edgeauthors.blogspot.co.uk)

Reviews

[Wendy Darling · Rating 2 out of 5]

So...this book starts out with a makeout scene. Neva does some kissing with her boyfriend and then there's a little bit of We Must Rebel From the Protectosphere business before there's another makeout scene...but this time, with her best friend Sanna's boyfriend. Oops, it was really dark.

I'm sorry if this sounds a little flippant, but although I liked this book well enough, it did strike me as a little odd that this is how it began. I actually had to flip back to make sure this was YA, since it was an unusual way for a dystopian young adult novel to start. In any case, this story is about a totalitarian society which strictly controls information and reproductive rights, and warns its citizens about the toxic atmosphere outside of the large dome under which they all live. Things are currently on heightened awareness because there are a lot of people have gone missing. Neva and Sanna try to recruit members to their underground rebellion, though these efforts mostly consist of mild protests such as spray painting signs and things of that nature.

This novel feels very short, somewhat underdeveloped, and fairly lacking in complexity. I liked the idea of what was going on but the execution is a little on the slight side. There's also the prerequisite love...square, as you might imagine, based on the previous makeout scenes I mentioned. Neva can't seem to stop kissing Sanna's boyfriend, and although he rides a motorcycle, it's kind of unclear why anyone is really drawn to anyone else here. There is a really great action scene at the end, however, and I wish more of the book had the same level of intensity and excitement.

Dark Parties is very clearly set up for at least one sequel, but in all honesty that book should probably have been combined with this one for a richer and more satisfying experience, along with more attention paid to plot and character development. As it is, this novel is more in the dystopian-lite category than a true exploration of a bleak alternate universe.

This review also appears in The Midnight Garden. An advance copy was provided by the publisher.

[India · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quiz Time everyone!
Today's Trivia Question is . . .
What do you get when you add a poorly thought out plot, a crappy love triangle, and a bunch of undeveloped characters?
Here's a hint: It starts with D, ends with S, and the author's name is Sara Grant.

Got the answer yet?

. . .

That's right!

It's Dark Parties , this incredibly terrible book I just read!

Congratulations! You've won the grand prize! My copy of this novel.

(I bought it at the Dollar Store, so it's really not worth much. But here you go!)

Seriously.

Dark Parties was just . . . it wasn't pretty.

The characters were all irritating, the romance was SO. MUCH. INSTA-LOVE, the mystery was not a mystery at all, I could go on and on.

There was absolutely no character development. Or plot. It seemed like Grant sat down and jusr decided to write this book. And she did. In about an hour.

My stories about family vacations in 1st grade had more action than this book.

I'm sure Grant is a great writer, yahta yahta yahta, but this book is a NAHTA.

Let us begin with the characters.

I think Neva was supposed to be portrayed as a super brave, strong character, but she really just seemed like an average rebellious teenager with some extra spicy daddy issues.

Her dad. You know. Average I'm-hard-on-you-but-only-because-I-love-you-and-am-soon-going-to-help-you-escape-the-Protectosphere (Seriously? ) kind of dad.

Mom was a nice lady who I'm pretty sure was either cheating on her husband or sneaking around the city planting flowers in old people's gardens at night. Two sides of the spectrum. But given her character, she could pull off either one. She was normal until she just wasn't. All of a sudden she reveals that she knows about the rebellion and all this anti-government movement crap and she decides to tell Neva she needs to leave.

Sanna was the only good character. Sure, she was a little whiny sometimes, but she is a teenager, isn't she? She was kind but when people messed with her, she put up a fight. She ended up giving away her own freedom for Neva and for the future of the city. She was selfless when it counted.

Braydon was just terrible. I don't even know what to say. You know how authors are really good at hiding the bad in someone and then revealing it in a sly way when the time comes?
Yeah. Not in this book.

Now with Ethan, I was shocked. She did a great job with him. I knew he was desperate, but dang. You didn't need to put your girlfriend in jeapordy.

And that leads nicely in the love triangle business.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm all for a good love triangle. Will/Tessa/Jem. Peeta/Katniss/Gale. Todd/Viola/Lee. The list goes on.

But the difference between those and the Braydon/Neva/Ethan and Neva/Braydon/Sanna thing in this book is the quality of the triangle.

I could put that in a chant.

I am the triangle, and the triangle is me.

Sorry guys. I'm still kind of in the Chaos Walking universe. I refuse to enter the world of Dark Parties .

The short story in the back was better than the whole novel.

BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW.

Love triangle. It all started on page . . . 5. ish. 3 maybe? 4?

Either way, it was early on.

Sanna's with Braydon. Neva doesn't trust Braydon. Braydon kisses Neva and BAM, he's all she can think about.

EVER.

I wonder what Braydon would think of this -
Neva -
I wonder if I look good enough for -
Neva, stop -
He wouldn't want me -
NEVA -
But Sanna's my BFF -
NEVA ADAMS, SHUT YOUR ... MIND (?)

And then of course there had to be a "plot twist" - if you can call it that when I knew it was coming the whole time - where someone ended up being evil.

Or multiple people!

You'll have to read it to find out.

Actually don't. Please don't.

Seriously stop even thinking about it.

We're just going to shoo that thought right out of your head. Like a bird in an attic.

I feel like that's a book.

No, wait, that's a book about birds in an airport. Dang it, what's it called? Hmm.

SEE WHAT THIS BOOK DOES TO ME? I'm bored even writing MY OWN REVIEW.

The book was in my bookbag and I (")accidentally(")(?) threw some binders in there and smashed the book.

Well, not smashed, but roughed up. The back cover is bent and two pages in the back are almost falling out.

And I don't even care . This is a first.

I think I just need to stop here. Do you understand how awful it is yet?

. . .

If your answer was "yes", then I've done my job and you can stop reading.

If not, well thanks a lot because now I have to keep writing.

And now, after that short intermission - back to Dark Parties .

Can I just say it was bad and leave it at that.

I think that's what I'm going to do.

You guys should follow someone less lazy than I am.

[Misty · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to know where to start with Dark Parties.  There were times I really liked it and times I had serious reservations.  Dark Parties starts off interesting (if a little weird) with a literal "dark party" - Neva and her best friend Sanna organize a party held in pitch blackness.  It's a little bit random makeout session and a little bit teenage rebellion.  Two things happen at the dark party that are basically catalysts for all of the action of the story: Neva accidentally makes out with Sanna's boyfriend in the dark, and the teens plot a protest.  We'll start with the protest, which starts as a vow not to have sex (so they don't bring more babies into the Protectosphere - though if you have a vow to not have sex, why are you tempting yourself with a "dark party" group makeout sesh?) and evolves into vandalism and plans for a rally.

I couldn't really tell you what the early rebellion was against.  Ostensibly it's against the Protectosphere, the dome in which they live.  But really it's just against The Man and everything the governement represents.  We're given glimpses throughout the story of the governmental control, resource shortages, propaganda,missing people, etc., but I never really saw the motivation for the teens' rebellion.  I mean, with Neva, there is some substance there because she lost someone close to her, her grandmother, who fed her a steady diet of secret righteous indignation.  Neva keeps a list of the people who go missing (mostly girls), and she's unsettled by the things her grandmother taught her and her grandmother's disappearance.  So on the one hand, I get a bit of her rebellious inclinations.  But for the group of teens as a whole, I never really got how they all came together and why they were all so anti-government.

I mean, there are legitimate reasons to distrust their government and even to rebel.  But the thing is, they don't know that through most of the story.  They seem to just be a little pissed off that life isn't pretty, but if that's what they've grown up knowing...do you fight if you don't know any better?   The reasons behind their rebellion and their vehemence never really gelled for me.  They seem angry that they all look alike (a product of the limited gene pool imposed by the Protectosphere), but again, if that's what you've grown up knowing - would it really seem strange to you, or a reason to get angry?  Maybe there is a case to be made for an innate desire for individuality, I don't know.  But I think, as the reader, I could have used a little more guidance or a little more back story early on to understand where the rebellion comes from.

But maybe I just wasn't getting the full impact of the rebellion because it felt like it was muddled by the relationship, which brings me to the second point: Neva makes out with Sanna's boyfriend, Braydon, whom she claims to distrust and actively dislike until she makes out with him.  Apparently his kisses must be magic, because the rest of the book from then on is basically Neva waffling back and forth between "But I like him! We can't, he belongs to Sanna! But I just want him so bad! But Sanna, but Sanna, but what if we make out in this abandoned shack? Oh noes, Sanna!!"  I know a lot of people have expressed dislike for the story because they can't like Neva since she's screwing her BFFFFFF over by (almost) screwing her boyfriend.  I could care less about this, her emotions regarding the betrayal are actually done pretty well, even if I do make light.

It's just...I don't think it was a necessary layer for the story.  It didn't add anything to me, and more often than not, it detracted.  As the story goes on and Neva begins to find out some disturbing things that actually make a rebellion seem more plausible and even necessary, she becomes more and more distracted by her desire for Braydon,  a boy she hated but suddenly can't stop kissing.  (And The truth about Braydon being an undercover cop sent to bust up the rebellion was completely obvious (hello, Neva, he has a GIGANTIC house, drives a motorcycle, flouts the rules - all this in a repressive and broke-ass society? AND you distrusted him from the beginning, but you didn't see this coming? REALLY, NEVA.)  It just all felt unnecessary to me.  Look, not EVERY book has to have a romance, and not EVERY romance has to be angsty.  It needs to serve the story, there needs to be a reason for it, and in this case, I didn't feel there was a reason, and it did a disservice to the story.  It lessened the impact of the story: these two things (dystopian revolution/cheating with your BFs boyfran) were held up side by side, and if I'm supposed to believe they are just as important as each other, well then, in the scheme of things...it makes the dystopia less compelling which was really the point of the story.  It showed a lack of focus, Grant was trying to do too many things, and it just didn't work for me.  I kept seeing things that could have been taken advantage of, and things that should have been cut.

But here's the thing: in spite of all that, the muddled focus and the not always compelling dystopia/world-building and the potentially hard to like MC, I actually did enjoy reading this.  It's a very quick read, and there are some compelling things going on that  do make sense as a dystopia once you finally get to them. With the popularity of dystopia these days, a lot of them are becoming really watered down and the label dystopia is being applied to just about everything.  This, once it gets going, actually works for me as a dystopia, and the idea of the Protectosphere and the homogenization of the population, and the idea of the forced breeding of young girls, these things actually make for a really compelling dystopic theme.  When Neva finally gets her head out of her ass and finds out what's going on - I felt like the story should have started there.  Even though it didn't, I did enjoy this.  If it sounds interesting to you inspite of the somewhat dubious lead and the muddled focus, I do think you should pick this up.  It may not be the best, most focused and impactful example of dystopian lit out there, but it has its moments and it's certainly entertaining.


*Dark Parties was provided to me by the publisher, Little, Brown Books in exchange for a fair and balanced review.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dystopias are where it’s at in YA, these days. I personally think the upswing started well before Hunger Games, but that series definitely made it clear that the kids are into perfect societies that are built on the suffering of their people, especially the young and attractive ones. Being an avowed fan of the genre for many years myself (I still insist that Orwell, Bradbury, and Huxley are required reading for just about everybody), I find myself surprisingly wary of this trend. The more dystopia tales that crowd the shelves, the less power they have, especially when it comes to doing their job by pointing out the parallels to events in real life. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t quite summon the excitement that this book probably warrants; it’s a solid YA sci-fi drama, but it didn’t really offer me anything I hadn’t seen before, and didn’t seem all that subtle or clever compared to its forebearers.

The book’s protagonist, Neva, lives in a country simply called Homeland that exists under a giant electrified dome known as the Protectosphere, which isolates them from the supposed aftermath of a widespread cataclysm. Hers is a country of stagnation; everybody looks the same due to generations of inbreeding. Homeland’s goods and technologies are slowly decaying, and even their population is on the decline, with young adults being desperately urged to pair off and procreate. Most disturbing are the disappearances, with more and more people (including Neva’s grandmother) simply vanishing and everyone else acting as if they never existed at all. Neva and her friends chafe underneath the increasingly draconian government, fearing that there will be no future for them, and resolve to do... something. That part isn’t really that clear, to the characters or to the reader, but it definitely involves civil disobedience of some sort. Neva’s first stab at defiance brings the full attention of Homeland on her, and she risks the safety of both her well-connected family and her loyal friends as she attempts to discover what has become of the missing.

The thing is, all of the Neva’s mysteries are crystal clear to the reader, for the most part. Isolated society. Rebellious grandmother suddenly disappearing. Big Brother attempting to manufacture happiness and patriotism. It becomes clear pretty early on that the Homeland government is up to something, so most of the book has the reader waiting for Neva to discover and catch on to what’s happening. There are some grim, exciting twists on the way, most notably when Neva explores the Women’s Empowerment Center, but for the most part the reader knows what’s going on well before Neva does.

On the other hand, I found the interpersonal aspect of the novel to be surprisingly believable, considering the book’s audience. The book gets its title from a gathering in the first chapter: a makeout party in a dark room that Neva and her best friend Sanna use as a cover to incite their fledging revolt. Neva shares a sudden, passionate kiss in the dark with Sanna’s boyfriend, Braydon, who she never really liked or trusted before. After the dark party, though, she can’t stop thinking about him, to the point of risking both her friendship with Sanna and her success in foiling her pursuers and striking against the government. Some may find that romance shallow and carnal, and, well, that’s because it is. Sanna’s deteriorating relationship with a longtime boyfriend she no longer loves, and her sudden lust for a boy she doesn’t know but loves to kiss, sounds like an authentic teenage experience to me. Moreover, the consequences from those decisions ripple out to affect the plot in meaningful ways.

As for the rest, though... eh. Again, I couldn’t really get worked up about this one, for some reason. I think my problem is that, other than the relationship aspect, nothing really has any subtlety. Grant drops some anvil-sized hints about the nature of Homeland and the Protectosphere throughout the story, which takes the edge off of the suspense. And though there’s nothing wrong with using familiar dystopia themes and tropes, they are used rather clumsily here. For example, one of the overriding themes in Dark Parties is the physical similarity of Homeland's citizens, and how it is a small act of rebellion to use “identity marks” (temporary or permanent tattoos) to establish oneself as an individual. Neva, whose name means “snow” in Latin, has a tattoo on her hip of a snowflake. That’s because her beloved grandma named her, and always called her that, and gave her a snowflake pendant that she always wears. Which is why there’s a big neon snowflake on the cover, you see. So naturally, it’s a huge revelation when someone actually tells Neva near the end of the book that she is unique and special like a snowflake. OMG I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW.

Which is not to say that this is a bad book. It’s actually a pretty decent book. The characters are good, the action is tightly plotted, and there’s a nice mix of sinister ennui and defiant hope sprinkled throughout. I think I’m just spoiled by my own expectations. This ends on a cliffhanger, so there’s obviously a sequel coming; I’m curious as to what happens next, but not really drawn in enough to be anxious about it. I’d label this a good primer for YA dystopias. There are better out there, but this is a good introduction to the genre, and worth reading for dedicated dystopia fans or for readers looking for a tale about emotion fighting against oppression.

[Steph | bookedinsaigon]

There was just not "enough" of everything. Not enough chemistry between Neva and the boy she likes. Not enough danger or suspense to justify the amount of surveillance that the book claims there is in this world. Not enough worldbuilding. I won't be finishing this one because I just don't care enough for Neva and the story for it to matter if I know how it ends or not.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Parties takes place in a dark future world where the Homeland inhabitants live inside a protective shield called a Protectosphere. The government claims this shield is necessary to protect from the uninhabitable toxin infested outside world. Sixteen-year-old Neva and her best friend Sanna are distrustful of the government and have started keeping a list of people who have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Neva’s own grandmother vanished, and The Missing members are multiplying recently. The government is getting desperate about the dwindling population problems and is managing the news feed to maintain the illusion that things are under control. Neva and Sanna organize a “dark party” to enlist their peers to take part in a revolution.

Dark Parties is a suspenseful dystopian from debut author Sara Grant. Social injustices are stacking up with girls going missing, frequent interrogations, and citizens fitted with tracking devices by the government, and society is turning a blind eye. The protagonist Neva is someone who fights for what she believes in, even when her friends back away from the cause. She has even more at stake with her father holding a high profile government job. Neva is driven to fight for what she believes in for herself, her friends, and her beloved grandmother. Along with the rebellion, she’s also managing a complicated love life, with a boy looking for a long-term commitment and an infatuation with another unattainable boy.

The dystopian world is dark and believable. I like dystopian books like this that make me think about the future and how we may or may not go down this road. The controlling government, dwindling resource supply, fertility issues and the fight for freedom provide food for thought for today’s world. The injustices served by this manipulative government had me rooting for Neva to succeed in her rebellion.

Neva’s relationship with her family, best friend Sanna, and love interests also play a part in the book. The character relationships are not explored as fully as the dystopian elements, but provide an interesting backdrop into Neva’s world. One of the characters I was most interested to learn more about is Neva’s grandmother.

I read through this engrossing book in one sitting. The world building, strong female lead, action and surprises kept my interest level up. The book is evenly paced with a high intensity finish that had me wondering if there are plans for a sequel. Recommended for dystopian fans of books such as Matched, Birthmarked, and Delirium.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Dark Parties.

*****

Despite the vagueness of the story and the shallowness of Neva-Braydon romance, i found myself rereading Dark Parties right after finishing it. I give the romance-part a 4, the dystopian-part a 3.

I liked that Dark Parties started with the idea of rebellion already in Neva’s and Sanna’s head. [RANT: They only stage 1 Dark Party]. At first, I felt Sana should be the main female lead because I saw the steel in her voice. But I judged too early. Neva resisted normalcy, ordinary-ness, and simplicity being given to her by the government. Even if Sanna, Ethan and Braydon begged her to stop her rebellion, she stood her ground and decided to fight the government smartly and slyly. Neva, the heroine is coming out!

[RAVE: Neva and Sanna made a vow. No premarital sex despite them having boyfriends and being adults per their society.] I didn’t expect the romance to have the love-triangle angle so i was surprised. First few pages in, i’m reeling over Neva’s and Braydon’s first kiss. I was like, how the H did that happened? After that, Neva can’t stop thinking about him. Later on, she admitted she’s falling for Braydon. [RANT: They didn't have any real conversation or even bonding moments before Neva declared that, so I find it difficult to believe she loves him. based on what? A Kiss?!! Is there such a thing as Love at First KISS?!!]

Braydon is a shady character, both good and bad. Good because him being a mystery made him irresistible and bad because i did not see him as the hero that will help and rescue Neva in times of dystopian distress. Oh, but i’m pining for you, Brandon. I’m sure of that. How his real purpose in the story was revealed made me pause (oh, so that’s why his mysterious) but it is not surprising.

I liked Sara Grant’s writing style. It’s magnetic. She wrote Neva as a portrait of walking contradiction. I can’t leave but I can’t stay. [RANT: She never explained point-blank the reason behind Protectosphere, its cause and effect. All I have are clues, bits & pieces of Homeland's history to imagine a faint picture of her dystopian society: Neva's short talk with a low-level employee. A page of a newspaper. One or two members of the resistance. Grant left me to figure it all out but i still have questions.]

Dark Parties is a pretty light dystopian read. I know it has potential to be more scary and hopeless so I can’t wait for the sequel.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by Dark Parties. For some reason I thought that it was a thriller type.. and honestly I wasn't really all that interested in reading it. And then, I discovered that Dark Parties was a bit of a dystopian novel! Well hello there piqued interest.

The world that Grant created was intense. The Protectosphere aspect was just down-right crazy. The state that the world eventually comes to was scary, yet it was absolutely believable. I'm not sure I would have the guys to do what Neva does and question everything that she's always know, what she's always been told, what her family lives by. She was an incredibly strong character, I admired her. I like Neva but I really never felt connected to her.... something was missing, a depth to her character. It was fun to read about her, but I'm not sure I was really ever concerned about what would ultimately happen to her.

The overall plot was great... there were so many things that happened that I didn't see coming. One of the main plot twist, seemed to be so blatant to me, that I was frustrated with Neva for not figuring it out before it smacked her right in the face. Missing people... especially young girls.... dwindling population...? Come on Neva!

The snowflake references were brilliant! Neva's name... her identity mark, the significance of the snowflake (diversity)... awesome! And the ending.. WOW. It's sort of an open ending, but it has some closure. It's one of those times where you as the reader can take it where you want it go!

[Carley]

You know, I think I would want to read this book except it's in another language so that sucks.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um...I'm not really sure what went on here.

OK, let me give you an overview of the book while I try to collect my thoughts. Neva only knows life inside the Protectosphere, which is a dome whose role is supposedly to protect people from the outside. Yet whenever anyone even mentions the outside, or thinks about life before the Protectosphere was in place, they go missing. Neva keeps a list of The Missing and determines to find out the truth. But she finds out more than she bargains for and not only that, falls in love with her best friend's boyfriend.

The beginning was...ok? If a little weird. And random. The book starts with a Dark Party - basically like a sleepover but in total darkness and minus the sleeping over. A meeting migh be a better way to put it. The idea is that 'we want to discover who we are without the burden of sight. It's easy to believe we are the same inside because we look so similar'. It's meant to be an act of rebellion against the goverment. Everyone looks pretty similar so the purpose of the darkness is to focus on who people are on the inside. The Dark Party also aims to set up a rebellion, although the majority of people who turned up leave when offered the choice, having no desire to go against the government. To be honest, it didn't make a whole load of sense. When you open a book you expect there to be a little scene setting, right? Just enough to get the reader settled in. Not Dark Parties. It gets straight to the point, though not particularly well. In the dark Neva also ends up kissing Braydon, the boyfriend of her best friend Sanna. It was pretty immediate and with no reason why.

I felt that the structure of the book was pretty disjointed; it didn't flow particularly well. It started to pick up a bit around halfway through, and there was a section near the end that definitely stood out from the rest in the way that it flowed quite nicely. And...the relationships between the characters were quite odd as well. There was no backstory, no build-up, no explanation. We got a bit about why Neva didn't love Ethan, her boyfriend, anymore, but no reason why she was attracted to Braydon. The relationship between Neva and Sanna was pretty on-off. And as soon as Neva got into some kind of trouble, two seconds later she was being rescued by her father. Neva herself was a bit of a mix. I didn't particularly warm to her - she was always nervous, or terrified, or betraying herself in some way, not to mention the fact that hello? Despite her awareness of how wrong it was to involve herself with Braydon, still she succumbed to the desire to be close to him. She couldn't even be careful when Sanna was nearby. But for all that, she was still courageous, determined to fight back even when Sanna briefly lost her rebellious spirit, although she could have been a bit less obvious. There was a little bit of stupidity on both their parts. Still, you have to respect her bravery.

Yeah, I'm aware that this review is a little disjointed itself. But...I'm just at a loss as to how to structure my thoughts more coherently with this one. It was very strange, for me at least. The premise for this looked great, so I found myself pretty disappointed. The ideas in this have so much potential. And I was expecting there to be a sequel, yet it seems that despite the author having some ideas, she has no plans for publication. It's a shame, because I think that another one would have been good and might have had some benefit. So...overall, I liked this book to a point. But I think that there were parts that were sorely under-developed, and would definitely have benefited from more explanation.

[Bethany Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Neva has lived inside the Protectosphere her entire life. Most people believe that nothing exists outside of it, but Neva’s Grandma used to tell her stories of life before the Protectosphere. She believed that there was still something else out there, but Neva’s grandma, like so many others, mysteriously disappeared, and even Neva’s parents refuse to speak of her. The gene pool is limited, so each generation born within the Protectosphere looks more and more alike. Because of this, Neva and many of her friends have given themselves identity marks. Neva’s is hidden under her clothes, a snowflake just above her hip; her best friend Sanna is more daring and has an S that goes across her cheek. As the book begins, Neva, Sanna and their friends are in the midst of throwing a dark party, a party given completely in the dark (as the name would suggest). Their stated purpose is to find their true identities without having their similar looks in plain view. Their other purpose is to try to incite others to rebel against the government. At some point during the party, Neva finds herself making out with a boy who is not her boyfriend Ethan. When they finally break apart and he walks away, she can tell by the tapping of his boots that it was Sanna’s boyfriend Braydon. She immediately feels guilty for what she’s done and how much she was affected by the kiss. Still, she is determined to work with both of them in order to rebel against the government, figure out what has happened to all of the people who have disappeared and discover what lies beyond the Protectoshpere.

While this book had an interesting premise, it failed to deliver the goods. Neva is not a very likable or compelling heroine. The two “make out” scenes in the beginning of the book - first with her own boyfriend and then with her best friend’s boyfriend - were off putting and make the reader question her integrity from the beginning. Though Neva barely knows Braydon, their stolen kiss in a dark room leaves them passionately in love. This is unrealistic and a bit of a cliché. Though there were some exciting moments throughout the book, the author fails to really build suspense or maintain tension in the plot. There are also some loose threads that don’t really get explained such as what Neva’s mother’s part is in the rebellion and what exactly the government did to Ethan that made him so dead in the eyes. The dystopian society is not very well developed; the government is clearly evil but their motivations are not entirely clear. Overall, this is a weak addition to the teen dystopian genre. Recommended as an optional purchase only where this genre is very popular.

[Anna-Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

***German Review***

Die sechzehnjährige Neva lebt in Heimatland. Heimatland ist durch eine riesige Energiekuppel von der Außenwelt abgeschnitten. Niemand weiß, was da draußen ist. Die Menschen tun, was die Regierung ihnen vorschreibt. Sie stellen keine Fragen. Sie gehorschen einfach.
Doch Neva ist anders. Sie hat Fragen. Sie will sich nicht fügen. Sie nimmt den Kampf gegen Heimatland auf, um herauszufinden, was sich außerhalb der Energiekuppel befindet. Doch schon bald schwebt sie in höchster Gefahr und es ist nicht leicht Freund von Feind zu unterscheiden....

Meine Meinung: Was wäre, wenn sich ein Teil der Menschheit dazu entscheiden würde, sich von allen anderen abzuschotten. Was würde passieren? Wie würden diese Menschen leben.

Sicher so, wie Sara Grant es in ihrem Debütroman "Neva" beschreibt.

Alle, die sich gegen das Regime auflehnen oder unangenehme Fragen stellen, werden ausgelöscht. Menschen verschwinden. Die Menschen werden einander immer ähnlicher. Rohstoffe gehen aus. Doch das Regime ist nicht bereit, seinen Standpunkt aufzugeben.

Ich bin sehr von Sara Grants Roman beeindruckt. Mit klarer Sprache beschreibt die Autorin eine dystopische Welt, in der man nicht leben möchte. Man kann die Enge von Heimatland beim Lesen fast spüren. Die Charaktere sind jung, interessant und mutig. Vor allem Neva, die Hauptfigur, die sich auflehnt. Die nicht anders kann. Sie trägt die ganze Handlung und als Leser kann man sich gut in Neva hineinversetzen. Man beginnt sich zu fragen: "Was würde ich an ihrer Stelle tun? Wäre ich auch so mutig? Würde ich es schaffen?".

Sara Grants Kritik an einer Welt, in der sich Menschen von anderen abschotten und keine "Fremden" zulassen, wird deutlich. Ihr Roman "Neva" stimmt nachdenklich und versucht deutlich zu machen, wie eine Welt aussieht, in der es keine Vielfalt gibt, in der alle gleich sind.
Ein wenig wurde ich auch an George Orwells "1984" erinnert, wo der Staat alles überwacht und vorgibt. Genauso geschieht es in Heimatland ebenfalls.

Freunde einer Liebesgeschichte sollten nicht zu sehr auf Romantik hoffen, denn die Liebesgeschichte, die zwar mitschwingt, steht nicht im Mittelpunkt der Handlung und verspricht auch keine tiefgehende Romantik.

Die klare und sehr deutliche Sprache, sowie das ernste Thema machen "Neva" zu einem spannenden und interessanten Jugendroman, den ich regelrecht verschlungen habe! Dafür gibt's 4 Sterne!!

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dark Parties by Sara Grant has a very intriguing synopsis – Neva lives in a city ruled by the Protectosphere. The government keeps everyone isolated and under their control. Neva and her friend Sanna are determined to prove that the government is lying to them – but they have no idea what they are getting themselves into.

Okay guys. I am a huge dystopian fan. I love exploring all the futuristic worlds and rebellious characters that authors create. Unfortunately, this book fails to deliver on many levels…both the characters and plot left many things to be desired.

The Protectosphere sets up a very interesting foundation – reading about characters determined not to be controlled by their governments almost always makes for a fast-paced and exciting read. However – Neva did not make a worthy heroine. While I by no means believe that every MC has to be on the Katniss level of awesome…I do expect something. None of these characters had any consistency – one minute Neva was determined to be a rebel, the next she was terrified of being in trouble. She kept making big claims about what she hoped to accomplish – but she really never actually succeeded in being anything but timid. Sure…she played around on a forbidden computer and wandered down some prohibited hallways – but those actions do not an interesting book make. I was never able to find a consistent and believable character in her thoughts and actions.

I think the book’s goal was to be a character-driven story because there wasn’t really a cohesive plot that I could discover. Unfortunately, that basically fell flat. I followed Neva as she waffled between wanting to do something worthwhile and being too afraid to do so…and also as she fought a strong attraction to her best friend’s boyfriend. That part of the plot was awful – Neva kept saying to herself that she couldn’t betray her friend Sanna, but every time she saw Sanna’s boyfriend she was all over him! Thus, the lack of respect I had for her due to her half-hearted rebellion attempts extended to her personal life.

Ultimately, both the lack of believable characters and an organized plot line left me feeling extremely disappointed. So, while I absolutely love the genre – this is not a book I enjoyed or would recommend reading.

[Lydia Presley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review originally posted here

With Dark Parties, Sara Grant jumps on the dystopia train and offers her version of a future that might be. Neva lives in a dome, a place where people are disappearing, where the calendar has been reset to 01/01/01 and where life’s luxuries, things we take for granted today, are disintegrating quickly.

Honestly, the book was okay. But just that – okay. I kind of felt as if Sara Grant took a stock “this is the outline for dystopia” booklet and filled in the blanks with her own special tweaks (in fact, a part of the book made me wonder if she was intending to just outright rip part of George Orwell’s 1984 ideas out of his book and make them her own). The world was not put together very well, I mean, it was okay, it was a world, but there wasn’t much detail and it was sort of like reading the text equivalent of standard background painting in a low-budget film.

It’s funny, but as I write this review I wonder exactly why I had a hard time putting the book down. I think the answer is that it was entertaining fluff. Just enough interesting material to keep me from wanting to put the book down, but not enough to fill me up with yummy book goodness. In fact, the book really started getting interesting just as it ended – which made me a bit upset. Although the ending wasn’t as bad a cliffhanger as has become quite the fashion, it still was enough of one to let me know that there would be more.. and I’m ready for stand alone books to make their way back into fashion again.

So, long story short, interesting enough book, will scratch the itch if you want to read yet another dystopia novel, but if you are picking and choosing your way through them, this is one you might want to put on the “maybe one day” pile.

[Lisa Mandina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book, it is another in what seems to be a growing list of dystopian novels that I'm reading lately. It had some of the same elements as several that I've read though. First it had what I would call a dome called a Protectosphere over this city, state, country, not sure from the book itself, and that made me think of the Goneseries by Michael Grant. Next there were issues with reproduction it seems, or not issues exactly, but the government was trying to control it, and that reminded me of several books: Wither, XVI, and a little bit of Delirium. I liked the name of the book, although it seemed that the only mention of "dark parties" was at the very beginning of the book, and then we never really saw anything like that again. There were several things left unanswered, but as I assume from the way it ends that there will be a sequel, really has to be, hopefully those will be answered. I will read on as I said if there is another. And it is a good quick read if you like dystopian novels. I read this as an egalley from Hachette Brook Group that I got on Netgalley.com.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love dystopia like no other. The political corruption! The tension! All the horrifying consequences for just being yourself. All those things usually add up to a very captivating story for me. The plot and world in Dark Parties was no exception.

Sara Grant has created a interesting world. It's unique and I really liked the idea of the Protectosphere. The question of what remained outside of the Protectosphere's boundaries made me turn pages faster and faster. Unfortunately the pacing was a tiny bit slower than I would have liked, but I was still on the edge of my seat for most of the book wondering when Neva's actions would catch up with her.

Neva was somewhat of a underwhelming protagonist for me. I understood her actions when it came to wanting to find out about The Missing and what was outside the Protectosphere. She was brave, maybe a little too brave for her own good. The thing I didn't understand or connect to was the romance.I just didn't feel it. I wanted to, but there was no spark. I don't know how much this had to do with the fact that the love interest should have been strictly off limits, no questions asked or if it was the writing. Either way I didn't like it. But the romance really doesn't even play a big role in the story. Neva is mostly on her own throughout the book, so this really wasn't a huge issue.

Overall Dark Parties was a good read. I think the series will only get better. I'm anxious to learn more about this world, so I will definitely be reading the sequel.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neva lives with her mother and father under the Protectosphere – an electronically charged dome that covers and protects the population. The Homeland tells the people there is nothing beyond the Protectosphere except an unliveable wasteland.

Young people are encouraged to get married and have children in order to increase the dwindling population. Neva and her friends don’t like being forced and manipulated to have children and make a pact to abstain from sex.

Neva keeps track of people who have disappeared over the years. At the top of the list is her Grandmother. She doesn’t believe what the government told her family about her Grandmother dying and always holds on to hope that she’ll see her again someday.

When Neva and her friends can’t stand by and watch what’s going on anymore , they attempt to start an underground rebellion. They knew it would be dangerous, but they never realized just how much the government was keeping secret. Neva and her friends might be the next ones to go missing if they don’t stay one step ahead of the government.

DARK PARTIES is an interesting dystopian novel. It includes friendship, survived, betrayal, and suspense. The story will keep you turning pages until you get to the exciting conclusion.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish this book. I got about five or six chapters in and still didn't get it. Whose idea was the dark party in the beginning? Why was it supposed to allow the characters to 'find themselves'? Why did they end up wandering around and smooching each other instead? Did it work? Why the heck was it supposed to work in the first place? I'm sure that if I had finished the book, all my questions would have been answered. And I'm just not a big fan of rebellious teens wandering around spray painting graffiti. I don't think graffiti has ever been an influential way of making yourself heard. Honestly, most people see graffiti and think 'stupid, drunk punks.' They don't see graffiti, read the message, and think, 'hey... maybe these guys are on to something... DOWN WITH THE GOVERNMENT AND THE SKY THAT IS KEEPING US SAFE!!!! Who needs safety anyhow??'

Also I wasn't really thrilled with how it was portrayed as a huge infraction on the people's freedom for the government to stop selling contraceptives. Hhhmmm? Huh??? What's that supposed to mean??? ....... I could go on a rant about that, but I'll restrain myself. Just barely.

[A Book Vacation · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This novel has a very interesting concept, but overall, I think it’s very similar to many dystopian novels that came before it. While I did like the novel on the whole, at times I felt that originality and characterization was a bit lacking, leaving something to be desired as I read. Neva and Sanna are both tired of the unexplained disappearances and Government sanctions, yet these characters are underdeveloped in a way that stops me from making meaningful connections with them. While I do understand their plight and anger with the Government, I found that I wasn’t swayed one way or the other as I read. I found the same to be true in regards to the romance between Neva and Sanna’s boyfriend, Braydon. The attraction itself was never truly explained and left much to be desired on the characterization front...


To read my full review (8/3):

http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...

[Kat Vaudee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fangen wir mal mit dem an, was mir gefallen hat: Die dystopische Welt, die Sara Grant geschaffen hat, ist, so traurig dass leider auch ist, sehr realistisch. Es ist tatsächlich eine mögliche Zukunft.
Der Schreibstil hat mir auch gefallen und das Buch ließ sich wirklich super schnell an einem Abend lesen. Dabei war es auch wirklich spannend.
Was mir absolut nicht gefallen hat, war die sogenannte Liebesgeschichte. Auf welcher Basis sprechen wir denn hier bitte von Liebe?!
Außerdem hat auch die Handlung einige Logikfehler, gerade zum Ende hin. Ich hätte da auch noch so einige Fragen, die wohl unbeantwortet bleiben werden.

[Larissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Klappentext:
"Die Protektosphäre bringt uns um", platzt Sanna heraus. Jemand schnappt hörbar nach Luft. Noch keiner hat es gewagt, so etwas laut auszusprechen. Wenn ich doch auch so mutig wäre!

Eigentlich sollen die mächtige Energiekuppel und die strengen Gesetze den Bürgern von Heimatland Schutz und Sicherheit garantieren - doch ihr Leben ist alles anderes als idyllisch: Die Regierung überwacht jeden Schritt, der Einzelne hat kaum persönliche Entscheidungsfreiheit. Selbst äußerlich sind die Menschen nach Generationen der Isolation immer ähnlicher geworden. Viele Jugendliche legen sich darum Kenn-Zeichen wie Tätowierungen zu, um sich von den anderen zu unterscheiden. Neva reicht diese Form des stummen Protests nicht mehr. sie beginnt, mit einer Gruppe Gleichgesinnter zu rebellieren. Dabei kommt Neva allerdings auch Braydon immer näher, der großen Liebe ihrer besten Freundin Sanna.
Als eine erste Protestaktion scheinbar unentdeckt gelingt, sind die Jugendlichen euphorisch. Doch schon am nächsten Tag beweist die Regierung, dass ihr nichts entgeht ...

Erster Satz:
Ich stehe im Dunkeln.

Meine Meinung:

Buchgestaltung:
Wieder einmal ein tolles Cover aus dem PAN-Verlag. Man sieht eine junge Frau mit dunklem Haar und rotgeschminkten Lippen. Daneben ist der Titel untereinander geschrieben, es sieht so aus, als wäre es in Metall graviert, denn der Hintergrund ist so metallisch. Zudem ist der Titel hervorgehoben und in der Lackoptik gestaltet. Ein wirklich schönes Eyecatcher-Cover! Die Schneeflocke zieht sich als Hauptthema durch die Gestaltung, denn nicht nur außen, sondern auch bei jedem Kapitelanfang.
Handlung:
Bei "Neva" handelt es sich um eine Dystopie. Ich habe noch nicht so viele Bücher aus dem Genre gelesen, aber da es ja gerade so viele Neuerscheinungen aus der Richtung gibt, durfte das hier natürlich nicht fehlen.
"Neva" spielt in der Zukunft, in welchem Land ist meines Wissens nicht bekannt, aber vielleicht habe ich das auch überlesen ... Auf jeden Fall ist ihre Heimat, genannt Heimatland, von einer unter Strom stehenden Kuppel abgeschottet und zwar die Portektosphäre. Wie der Name schon sagt, ist die Regierung der Ansicht, dass sie so ihr Volk schützen können vor der Globalisierung und der Individualisierung. Durch die Inzucht, da es ja seit Generationen nur dieselben Familien gibt, sehen alle fast identisch aus. Deshalb legen sie viele Jugendliche Kenn-Zeichen zu, Zeichen, die sie zu einer eigenen Person machen und zur Unterscheidung dienen. Doch als wäre mit der Protestaktion gegen die Protektosphäre nicht schon genug zu tun, verliebt sich Neva auch noch in die große Liebe ihrer besten Freundin, die wie eine Schwester für sie ist.
Da musste ich dann schon die Augen verdrehen, schon wieder eine Dreiecksbeziehung! Neuerdings geht das so in jedem zweiten Buch. Aber mal sehen, dachte ich. Die Autorin hat diese Beziehung besser gestaltet als so manche andere Schriftstellerin. Ich konnte die Probleme und die Ängste aber auch Sehnsüchte verstehen, die sie mitgebracht hat. Das Gute fand ich, dass Neva nicht nur traurig neben dem Paar stand, sondern auch agiert hat. Trotz ihrer Schuldgefühle gesteht sie sich ihre Gefühle für Braydon ein und als die beiden sich heimlich küssen, ist es um sie geschehen.
Aber ein ganz großer Kritikpunkt an dem Buch ist die fehlende Spannung am Anfang bis Mitte des Buches. Die ersten 150 Seiten waren langweilig, überhaupt nicht spannend und ich konnte auch mit der Geschichte und den Charakteren nicht richtig warm werden. Es war alles so distanziert,dass ich mich als Leser nicht miteinfühlen konnte. Zudem gab es kaum Handlung. Es gab die Protestaktion und der Kuss bei der Dunkelparty, der neue Job und der Alltag. Besonders der Job und der Alltag wurden vieeeeel zu ausführlich beschrieben. Es wurden auch keine Fragen aufgeworfen, die mich an das Buch gefesselt hätten. Teilweise war ich echt so weit, das Buch wegzulegen. Da ich aber nur sehr selten Bücher abbreche, wollte ich dem Buch noch eine Chance geben. Gott sei Dank hat die Autorin das auch genutzt. Denn ab ca. Seite 200 ging dann ENDLICH die Handlung voran und auch die Charaktere bekamen etwas mehr Tiefe. Ab da wurde es dann wirklich spannend und die Handlung entwickelte sich besondern in den letzten Hundert Seiten zum Pageturner. Leider war aber nicht alles so und das war sehr schade. Denn die Geschichte hat auf jeden Fall Potenzial für mehr. Das Ende war leider sehr offen, ich hoffe es folgt noch ein weiterer Band. Denn es ist noch einiges ungeklärt, zum Verlauf aber auch zum Verbleib der Charaktere.
Charaktere:
Wie schon erwähnt konnte ich lange Zeit überhaupt nichts mit den Charakteren, besonders Neva, nichts anfangen. Sie wirkte auf mich kühl und distanziert, und ganz und gar nicht symphatisch. Erst im letzten Drittel des Buches konnte ich sie dann leiden. Man hat dann auch mehr über ihre Persönlichkeit und ihre Motive für ihre Handlungen kennengelernt. Durch die Ich-Perspektive konnte der Leser zwar schon von Anfang an, ihre Gedanken etc. mitbekommen, aber durch die emotionale Distanz zu ihr, hat das mitfühlen schwer gemacht. Insgesamt sind die Charas etwas blaß. Hier hätte man mehr Tiefe reinbringen sollen.
Leider wurden gegen das Ende einige Fragen zu einzelnen Charakteren aufgeworfen, aber nicht beantwortet. Man weiß beispielsweise nicht, warum Braydon so gehandelt hat, obwohl er kurze Zeit vorher ja genau das Gegenteil davon vorhatte... aber wenn es tatsächlich eine Fortsetzung geben sollte, wird das darin geklärt werden. Hoffentlich.
Sprache:
Sara Grant schreibt sehr schön, sie schafft es durch einfache Sätze und klare Strukturen zu überzeugen. Es ist Jugendsprache aber angenehme. Außerdem schafft sie es dem Leser tolle Bilder in den Kopf zu malen. Was noch sehr positiv an ihrem Schreibstil ist, ist, dass sie keine ausgelutschten Standartsätze nimmt, die schon klischeehaftig sind. Sondern sie entwickelt ihre ganz eigenen Vergleiche, Bilder, etc. Das war wirklich sehr schön zum Lesen. Ansonsten kann man noch sagen, dass ihr Schreibstil sehr flüssig und angenehm zum Lesen ist.

Mein Fazit:
Eine neue Dystopie, die Potenzial hat, das aber nicht voll ausgeschöpft wurde. Schwacher Anfang bis Mitte, danach geht die Spannung und Handlung richtig los! Noch etwas leblose Charaktere, die aber gegen Ende hin eindeutig besser und ausgereifter werden. Ihre Zukunftsvorstellung kommt leider etwas zu kurz, gerne hätte ich mehr über das Heimatland erfahren. Eine sehr gute Idee, die gar nicht so unrealistisch ist und bestimmt auch viele gegenwärtige Ängst miteinbezieht. Denn Globalisierung und die damit verbundenen Konsequenzen sind ja allgegenwärtig.

"Der echte Himmel sei endlos, sagte sie. Endlos habe ich nie verstanden. In meinem Leben hat alles Grenzen. Doch heute, in dieser Dunkelheit, bin ich mir sicher, echte Sterne sehen zu können. Und heute kann ich beinahe auch begreifen, wie ein Raum unendlich sein kann. Ich befinde mich in endloser Nacht ohne Arbeit, ohne Freunde, ohne Zukunft." (Seite 214)

Zur Autorin:
Sara Grant wurde 1968 in Indiana/ USA geboren, wo sie Journalistik und Psychologie studierte, bevor sie ihrem Mann nach London folgte. Dort arbeitet sie seit ihrem Universitätsabschluss in "Creative and Life Writing" bei einer Literaturagentur.
(Quelle: PAN)

[Crimelpoint · Rating 3 out of 5]

Z początku myślała, że będzie to naprawdę dobra książka. Zapowiadało się naprawdę ciekawie. Jest to chyba pierwsza dystopia, w której jest za mało ludzi. Dotychczas spotykałam się z takimi, gdzie jest ich za dużo, a tutaj się zaskoczyłam. Właśnie dlatego myślała, że będzie to dobra książka.

Ale naprawdę się rozczarowałam. Nie jest ona długa, ale akcja nie dzieje szybko. Jeśli ktoś czytał dużo dystopii, to ta książka stanie się dla niego bardzo przewidywalna.

Pod koniec miałam wrażenie, że czytam trylogię "Deklaracja" Gemmy Malley, która była o wiele lepsza. Wiele wątków były po prostu takie same. Nie wiem, która z tych książek powstała pierwsza, ale nie zmienia to faktu, że trylogia "Deklaracja" jest o wiele ciekawsza.

Momentami tutaj miałam wrażenie, że jest ona pisana na siłę. Co możemy zobaczyć poprzez zakończenie, które było otwarte. Mam wrażenie, że jest to najprostszy sposób na zakończenie książki. Autorka miała jakiś pomysł, ale mogła trochę go przemyśleć.

[Yva · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. Mainly because the effort it takes to write a book and I guess we should all appreciate the effort Sara Grant took. Just a shame it didn't pay off.

Poor plot, poor characters and poor setting. The world in the future has so many possibilities, yet all I learned about Homeland is that it is very grey and recycled.
I missed descriptions of everything. People, surroundings, events, emotions. About the only descriptive scenes were the kissing ones. If I was interested in descriptive kissing scenes, I would read the 50 shade books...

[aseriesofpages · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ Pg. 44
1.5 stars
So, I misread the blurb a little for this one and I just didn't enjoy the first 44 pages of this. I honestly don't know why but something about this just rubbed me the wrong way.

[Missie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the future, I'm destined to be a drone. It's a sad truth I've come to realize (and accept) the more I read dystopian fiction about the government controlling populations. Go ahead and assign me a husband and monitor my calorie intake. Since I'm not doing so great managing those things on my own, I'm sure I'd appreciate the assistance.

With a premise reminiscent of other dystopian fiction I've read recently (Awakened, The Third, Matched), at first I believed Dark Parties wouldn't necessarily offer anything exciting to genre for me. So I was delighted to be proven wrong while reading about Neva's isolated world.

Neva and her best friend, Sanna, have lived under the dome of the Protectosphere all their lives. The government has told them that it is for their own good, but Neva still remembers stories her grandmother used to tell her about people who looked different and had more freedoms. Determined to find out if life outside the electric panels of the Protectosphere really is as dire as it's becoming inside, Neva begins a search for answers that just may force her to abandon the only existence she has ever known.

So just how did I find Dark Parties to be different from others in the herd? Well, I'm still asking myself that same question, but somehow the story managed to surprise me, especially because it focused on the fact that growth of the population in the Protectosphere was encouraged even as the resources were dwindling. But why? Who exactly runs this place and why to they believe in the reproduction efforts? Though these curiosities were never answered, it stunned me to discover just exactly how the government was forcing young girls to procreate.

While Neva's plight against the system held some intrigue, neither of the two-dimensional love interests in Dark Parties appealed to me. In fact, in a very Katniss-like fashion, Neva was determined not to have sex because she didn't want to bring a baby into the same kind of life of scares resources and commonness as the one she has lived thus far. This is not to say that Neva was immune to sexual desires, and that was another element of the story that surprised me. The sexual themes in Dark Parties seemed to want to intoxicate the reader as much as the government wanted to impregnate Neva, which was a bit disturbing, especially after you take into count that the story established early on that contraceptives were non-existent.

As a generalization, the only thing I haven't liked about dystopian fiction that goes the government control route is the message that it sends about equality. It's almost as if it wants to say our advocating for equal rights among race, religion, and sexual orientation will only prove to be disastrous. Look what happens when we get it. Everyone becomes so much the same that no one stands out. Now we are a society of inbreeds, incapable of seeing how our need for equality actually lead to the downfall of our ethnicity and uniqueness. Messages like this heat me up, but that is a rant for another day.

While it many have not added anything shockingly new to the genre, Dark Parties didn't feel like a regurgitated story. It was a fast, effortless read that had me hoping Neva would find the kind of future she'd been willing to fight for.

http://www.theunreadreader.com/2011/0...

[Denver · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover of this book convinced me to at least read the blurb at the back. The blurb, although short was what really made me want to read this book. It read "Every act of defiance adds up. Maybe this one snowflake can start an avalanche." I had just finished re-reading the series 'The Hunger Games' (amazing!) and the similar themes of rebellion was what inspired me to read this book. I was also sick at home the day after i issued the book so i decided to read it for a bit, but once i started reading, i couldn't put the book down. 'Dark Parties' and 'The Hunger Games' turned out to be surprisingly similar in terms of their plots- corrupt government, the danger of rebellion, totalitarianism and a rebellious female protagonist. Even the side plot of very complicated love reminded me of the hunger games!

This dystopian novel fits the category 'a science fiction or fantasy book.' Dark Parties is more of a science fiction novel, set in the near future where society is encased in a globe-shaped force field, which supposedly protects society from dangers that exist outside. Recent college graduate, Neva Adams has never trusted the government thanks to her grandma, who was one of the first to go missing without a trace, 10 years ago. After a series of run-ins with the police over her "unpatriotic behavior" and a fallout with her bestie, Neva finds that there may be a way out of the globe and her grandma may still be alive outside. But with her best friend now missing and her chance at escape shrinking, Neva encounters life-changing decisions and unforeseen consequences. This book was very interesting because it mentioned many ways in which the government mislead society, covering up stories and people who contradicted their own versions of the past, present and future. This made me think about how honest and reliable our own leaders and government are, at telling us the whole truth about what goes on in the world.

My favourite quote from this novel is "I am erased. Thats what it feels like. I am nothing but a thought of nothing. I have no edges or shape. I am the darkness." I love this quote because it gives such a vivid image of how she feels. The metaphor helps us imagine very clearly, how empty and small she feels, also linking back to the plot where the government have managed to 'erase' people, so it appears they never existed. This link to the plot is what makes me believe i really know how she feels.

Something i learnt from this novel is that when you really want to achieve something, you need to persist. No matter what anyone tells you is wrong, or is impossible, you can achieve through persistence. Neva showed me this, through her bravery under seemingly impossible situations and refusal to give in under terrible odds.

This futuristic setting of about 50 years from now inside this field is very interesting to me, because as society progresses in this setting, they are slowly become very alike- e.g. everybody has brown eyes and fair skin, and as a result of this, it has become difficult to have babies. This provides the basis of the plot for this novel -society is slowly dying and the government refuses to admit it. The setting of the story is what i find most interesting about this novel. 4/5 stars :)

[Arooj · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea of this book sounded so cool! A whole city living inside a huge glass structure? Heck yeah! Plus, it's dystopian. Always a plus for me.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a great story. However, there were a few things that I didn't like. First, the Dark Party. It's a group of rebellions who are rebelling against the government to find out what lays outside the Protectosphere. I was really excited to hear this and imagined what kinds of things they would do. Unfortunately, the group only meets like, twice and the biggest act of rebellion they did was spray paint slogans around that didn't make sense to me. After that, it was only Neva sneaking around trying to figure out what lay beyond the Protectosphere. I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't really a rebellion group. Second, the world Sara Grant had created wasn't really believable to me because I didn't understand how this world worked if it was enclosed inside this Protectosphere. Like, what did they do about weather? And oxygen? A weather control thing was mentioned once but there was no detailed explanation as to how this world worked. In fact, I didn't feel like this book was dystopian at all, so I didn't feel that thrill feeling I get when I read a dystopian book. And third, the romance. It just made no sense at all. Braydon and Neva start liking each other after an "accidental" kiss but it seemed like that was the only reason. I would have liked it if the book started a bit earlier so we could know how they felt about each other prior to their kiss. How well do they even know each other? Most of the time they were together, they either talked about the rebellion, or about how they don't want to hurt Sanna, who is Braydon's girlfriend and Neva's friend. Also, there were no moments when the book shocked me with it's twists. There was no WOW factor. Except for maybe one part. This book had potential to be a lot better, but it just didn't do it for me.

For some reason, I couldn't feel connected to any of the characters in this book. I found myself not really caring for most of them. Neva, to be honest, sounded like a little kid who was desperate to open that box that mommy said she shouldn't, but she wanted to anyway even though she has no clue as to what's inside or even if she'd like it. I had some things figured out way before she did. But she was very strong and a very loyal friend. Sanna, I'm sorry, just annoyed me, especially how she kept saying a-maz-ing. As for Braydon and Ethan...none of them were a good love interest. One was too clingy and the other a stranger, not to mention your best friend's boyfriend.

Despite the negatives, I liked reading this book and think that it's slightly possible for out future to be like this. Who knows. The ending was satisfying, but not entirely. I still had some major questions left, but I guess that's left up to the readers imagination.

[Samantha (A Dream of Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sara Grant's debut novel is a dystopian thriller which will take you on an incredible journey in a society ruled by fear of the government and protected from the outside by the Protectosphere. This was a thrilling read with some shocking twists and turns. As the story unravelled I was constantly surprised by the unexpected chain of events that played out before me.

The story centres on Neva who lives with her family in the Protectosphere, a dome which was built to protect the people living within it from those causing terror and harm. The government control nearly every aspect of their lives but Neva longs for escape and the elusive taste of freedom. She fights against the fact that her whole life is dictated to her, from what job she'll do, to the way she's encouraged to marry and procreate. Unlike many others, Neva does believe that there's something more out there and keeps a list of all those who have gone missing including her beloved Grandmother, who may just be on the other side of the dome.

I thought that the whole idea of a society like this was incredibly frightening. The concept that life may exist outside of the Protectosphere but it could just be a vast expanse of nothingness was also extremely unsettling. Neva tries to uncover what's happening to all the people who go missing but a lot of the time she has to rely on her faith alone because proof that there's another world out there is scant. There's a definite feeling of claustrophobia and of being trapped and this came across really well on the page. The theme of independence and the fight for freedom was beautifully captured in a world which is unlike anything anyone has ever experienced before.

There's plenty of romance in the book as well with Neva caught between two boys, steady and reliable boyfriend Ethan and dangerous and forbidden Braydon. He's forbidden because he happens to be her best friend Sanna's boyfriend but after an illicit kiss in the dark at a party, Neva finds that she can't stay away from him no matter how hard she tries. Although I'm a sucker for love triangles and cute boys, my favourite relationship was actually between Neva and Sanna. They're best friends but really they're more like sisters. They've grown-up together and they've helped each other through many ups and downs in their lives. Although Neva is drawn towards Braydon, at the same time she does try to stay away from him and put her friend first which I thought was admirable.

If you were a fan of 'Matched' by Ally Condie then you're sure to love 'Dark Parties' which is in the same vein. Sara Grant has a brilliant writing style which is engaging and draws the reader in. I loved the plot and the characters and I was rooting for Neva the whole way through. This is a very special debut by an exciting new author who's definitely one to watch. I can't wait for the follow-up to see what happens to Neva next.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neva and her friends have been brought up inside the Protectosphere, a dome that isolates the Homeland from the rest of the world to protect them all from lethal toxins. Well that's what they've always been told anyway but are they really being protected or is the dome really their prison? Neva doesn't believe everything that the government is telling them all but is she brave enough to face the consequences of finding out more? Can she discover what is happening to The Missing, people who vanish from their lives never to be spoken of again? What price is she prepared to pay for freedom?

Sara Grant has created a frightening world where the government can't be trusted and history is constantly re-written. People inside the Protectosphere have been isolated from the rest of the world for so long that they have started to lose their physical individuality, everyone looks the same and they even wear the same clothes. Neva and her friends want to be different from everyone else, they have each created their own identifying mark that they have on their bodies somewhere as a form of rebellion. It was easy to relate to Neva and her need to be her own person, it's hard to imagine living in a world where everyone is so similar and it isn't something that I'd like to try.

Dark Parties is a dark story that has some quite horrific events as Neva looks into the disappearance of her Grandmother and several other people she knows. The story took some very surprising turns and I was never able to guess what would happen next which kept me on the edge of my seat while I was reading. It raises all sorts of interesting questions about personal identity and forms of oppression that will leave you thinking long after finishing the book. The only thing I wasn't so keen on was the romance between Neva and Braydon, I never really felt there was much of a connection between them and I was annoyed that Neva was prepared to go behind her best friend Sanna's back to be with him. I really can't stand it when characters cheat on their friends and / or partners so it's something I hate to read about.

I think the scariest thing about Dark Parties is how realistic it feels. It was easy to imagine that this could become reality but it certainly wasn't a world that I want to live in. I also really liked the fact that this holds it's own as a stand alone story. As much as I would be happy to revisit the world and find out what happens next with Neva and her friends I wasn't left feeling like I'd only read half a book which is something that seems to be happening more and more recently. If you're looking for a dark and twisted dystopian story with strong characters and a frightening world then you can't go far wrong with Dark Parties. I can't wait to see what Sara Grant comes up with next!

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Neva lives under the Protectosphere, a giant electric shield that protects her small nation from the outside. Inside the Protestophere they are safe. The world outside is dangerous and uninhabitable due to a long ago war that ravaged the country. But Neva and her best friend, Sanna, know that the government isn't telling everyone the truth. There is no new technology under the Protectosphere. Everything must be recycled and reused until it falls apart. Fewer and fewer babies are being born, so teens are considered adult at 16 and encouraged to marry and have children right away. After Neva and Sanna host what they call a "dark party" in order to begin what they think will be a small, underground rebellion, their lives are forever changed when they discover what secrets the government has been keeping.

Let's start with what I liked about the book. I loved the central idea of the book: a dwindling population trapped inside a supposedly protective bubble with no real knowledge of their history. Neva's father is the Minister of History, which tells you right off that if the government has to put someone in charge of History, something fishy is definitely going on. I really enjoyed Neva's memories of her grandmother, who disappeared when she was younger but left Neva hope that there is something more "out there". The people under the Protectosphere rely on whatever technology existed when the Protectosphere was built. I got a kick out of reading about her father using his "InfoScreen" and realizing that it is something most of us use every day, but the people in Neva's world barely understand it or how it works.

On the downside, I felt this book was intended to be much deeper than it turned out. The plot moved exceedingly fast with very little time to truly get to know many of the characters. I did not feel as much sympathy for some of the characters as I think I was supposed to simply because the plot raced along so quickly. I did not understand Neva's interest in Braydon. I was also a little bit disappointed by the semi-abrubt ending (to give the author credit, it made me want to know what happened next!), but it did leave me with a feeling that there could be a sequel.

All in all, this is a fast read and a good choice if you have read little or no dystopian fiction. I would recommend this to younger or older teens who want a bit of action, some mystery, and a little romance. This book is on my 2011 Debut Author Challenge list!

cross-posted on the Library Ninja blog