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Dark Eyes #1
Ulls negres
Wallis Stoneman, nascuda amb el nom de Valentina Maiàkova, va ser adoptada de petita per una parella americana rica. Però amb el temps, s’ha anat qüestionant la seva herència russa. Ara, amb disset anys, viu en un suburbi de Nova York i està disposada a tot per descobrir qui són els seus pares biològics.
400 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2012
49 people are currently reading
2968 people want to read
About the author
William Richter
5 books38 followersWilliam Harlan Richter is a Hollywood screenwriter. He was nominated for an Emmy Award as Producer of “We Stand Alone Together”, the documentary episode of the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. William was born and raised in California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
June 4, 2012
From the second I first saw Dark Eyes, I knew we were going to be great friends. Everyone in the world liked the Millennium trilogy, so labeling this book as YA version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was a smart move indeed… but fortunately, it’s not just a marketing trick, it has a grain of truth to it.
In her short sixteen years, Valentina Mayakova has lived three very different lives. Shortly after birth, she was abandoned at a Russian orphanage, where she spent her first few years, with no one but an affectionate cleaning lady to care for her properly. At five, she was adopted by a rich American couple and taken to New York, where she became Wallis Stoneman, a pampered, but aggressive and stubborn girl. By her fifteenth birthday, her parents were already divorced, and Wallis, angry and defiant, left her mother Claire for a life on the streets of New York. Her street family consists of three other people: Ella, Jake, and Trevin. One day, while trying to make a new fake ID, Wally accidentally discovers a letter from her birthmother, with a heartfelt note and a valuable stone, and starts looking for her real mother all over the city. But she’s not the only one looking: her real father has just escaped from a Russian prison and dragged her older brother Tiger to New York to find her mother and the rest of the stones.
Don’t you just love it when someone writes for young adults like they aren’t made of glass? When an author respects that teens can read about something very traumatic and not be overly traumatized themselves? I often think about how patronizing YA authors tend to be toward their audience, but William Richter does not pull back. In Dark Eyes, he doesn’t just gloss over the events that put those kids on the streets. We learn about Ella’s vicious stepfather who used to rape and photograph her until she finally couldn’t take it anymore. We get a glimpse of Jake’s story, his dead parents and sister, and the abuse he had to put up with from his cousins and state appointed guardians. We get to really learn the details about the beaten and murdered meth addict in the morgue. We get bloody action scenes, throats get cut, women get beaten almost to death, and all the while, there is a steady stream of profanities in Russian. (The fun part for me was that Russian and Croatian swear words are almost the same so I chuckled every time Klesko said something particularly juicy.)
Dark Eyes reminded me so much of a Hollywood action movie, which I suppose makes perfect sense since William Harlan Richter is a Hollywood screenwriter. I kept waiting for Bruce Willis to show up, barefoot and in a white sleeveless shirt, and shoot all those wicked Russian mobsters. He didn’t come, but he could have – he would have fit right in.
There is, of course, the small issue of predictability. I knew everything that was going to happen at least fifty pages before it did and I knew which characters were going to die the second they showed up. It didn’t really bother me, however, and I don’t think Richter was aiming to surprise. Dark Eyes is a thrill ride that uses gritty, realistic details of life on the streets to shock and captivate the reader. I hope there's a sequel in the works.
Also posted at The Nocturnal Library
In her short sixteen years, Valentina Mayakova has lived three very different lives. Shortly after birth, she was abandoned at a Russian orphanage, where she spent her first few years, with no one but an affectionate cleaning lady to care for her properly. At five, she was adopted by a rich American couple and taken to New York, where she became Wallis Stoneman, a pampered, but aggressive and stubborn girl. By her fifteenth birthday, her parents were already divorced, and Wallis, angry and defiant, left her mother Claire for a life on the streets of New York. Her street family consists of three other people: Ella, Jake, and Trevin. One day, while trying to make a new fake ID, Wally accidentally discovers a letter from her birthmother, with a heartfelt note and a valuable stone, and starts looking for her real mother all over the city. But she’s not the only one looking: her real father has just escaped from a Russian prison and dragged her older brother Tiger to New York to find her mother and the rest of the stones.
Don’t you just love it when someone writes for young adults like they aren’t made of glass? When an author respects that teens can read about something very traumatic and not be overly traumatized themselves? I often think about how patronizing YA authors tend to be toward their audience, but William Richter does not pull back. In Dark Eyes, he doesn’t just gloss over the events that put those kids on the streets. We learn about Ella’s vicious stepfather who used to rape and photograph her until she finally couldn’t take it anymore. We get a glimpse of Jake’s story, his dead parents and sister, and the abuse he had to put up with from his cousins and state appointed guardians. We get to really learn the details about the beaten and murdered meth addict in the morgue. We get bloody action scenes, throats get cut, women get beaten almost to death, and all the while, there is a steady stream of profanities in Russian. (The fun part for me was that Russian and Croatian swear words are almost the same so I chuckled every time Klesko said something particularly juicy.)
Dark Eyes reminded me so much of a Hollywood action movie, which I suppose makes perfect sense since William Harlan Richter is a Hollywood screenwriter. I kept waiting for Bruce Willis to show up, barefoot and in a white sleeveless shirt, and shoot all those wicked Russian mobsters. He didn’t come, but he could have – he would have fit right in.
There is, of course, the small issue of predictability. I knew everything that was going to happen at least fifty pages before it did and I knew which characters were going to die the second they showed up. It didn’t really bother me, however, and I don’t think Richter was aiming to surprise. Dark Eyes is a thrill ride that uses gritty, realistic details of life on the streets to shock and captivate the reader. I hope there's a sequel in the works.
Also posted at The Nocturnal Library
November 17, 2012
When I see a book being compared to another, especially a well loved one such as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I'm always skeptical on how it can actually live up to such a claim. Fast paced and filled with conspiratorial twists, Dark Eyes reminded me of Dragon Tattoo before I actually remembered that it said as much on the blurb.
A rebel roughing it on the street, Wally is trying to locate her biological mother after getting a mysterious envelope containing strange messages as well as an expensive gem. However, someone else, someone very dangerous, is following the same trail. The story immediately begins with a high action murder scene, fastening the book with an ominous vibe. Then we move on to meeting our unusual protagonist- Wally. With incredible confidence and excellent street smarts, Wally is a particularly bad-ass heroine. Her ability to handle herself becomes quite apparent during the many impressive fight scenes throughout the novel. She is not your average teenager and this is the main reason why I enjoyed this so much. At the very start I wasn't too sure how much I would like the story, but it didn't take long until I was truly captivated by the eccentricity of Wally's whole situation.
Russian mob bosses, hidden identities, stolen riches- Dark Eyes has a slew of exciting plot-lines that are sure to enthrall you along with its never-ending twists and non stop action. True originality is not something commonly found in the YA genre nowadays, I was thus thrilled at how Dark Eyes stands out from anything else I've read with its authentic grittiness. Even though the first half left me wondering why Wally would chose a life on the streets in trade of her wealthy home life, by the end of the book I understood the reasoning behind her choices and behavior; showing us how deeply rooted this whole story really is.
Dark Eyes is abrasive, it's fearless, and it's clever. Would I recommend it to everybody? Probably not. I would recommend it for those who like things outside the box. A book in a prose depicting such great detail, you will see the story come alive in front of your eyes. But, also, a book written by an author who is not afraid to take risks and become just a little different.
--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
A rebel roughing it on the street, Wally is trying to locate her biological mother after getting a mysterious envelope containing strange messages as well as an expensive gem. However, someone else, someone very dangerous, is following the same trail. The story immediately begins with a high action murder scene, fastening the book with an ominous vibe. Then we move on to meeting our unusual protagonist- Wally. With incredible confidence and excellent street smarts, Wally is a particularly bad-ass heroine. Her ability to handle herself becomes quite apparent during the many impressive fight scenes throughout the novel. She is not your average teenager and this is the main reason why I enjoyed this so much. At the very start I wasn't too sure how much I would like the story, but it didn't take long until I was truly captivated by the eccentricity of Wally's whole situation.
Russian mob bosses, hidden identities, stolen riches- Dark Eyes has a slew of exciting plot-lines that are sure to enthrall you along with its never-ending twists and non stop action. True originality is not something commonly found in the YA genre nowadays, I was thus thrilled at how Dark Eyes stands out from anything else I've read with its authentic grittiness. Even though the first half left me wondering why Wally would chose a life on the streets in trade of her wealthy home life, by the end of the book I understood the reasoning behind her choices and behavior; showing us how deeply rooted this whole story really is.
Dark Eyes is abrasive, it's fearless, and it's clever. Would I recommend it to everybody? Probably not. I would recommend it for those who like things outside the box. A book in a prose depicting such great detail, you will see the story come alive in front of your eyes. But, also, a book written by an author who is not afraid to take risks and become just a little different.
--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
February 7, 2015
★★: Pérdida de tiempo/dinero.
Empecé la novela con la expectativa de encontrar a una protagonista inteligente, en búsqueda de sus orígenes, un relato para reflexionar sobre las identidades de las personas y sobre la cultura rusa, pero me encontré con:
WARNING: Este libro fue escrito por un guionista de cine que creyó que poner cosas pochoclos de cine en un libro iba a quedar bien. Bueno, ERROR.
El "golpe sorpresivo", totalmente predecible. Las relaciones de los personajes, totalmente falsas y forzadas. Pintaba muy bueno y muy intrigante, pero en un momento ya me perdí, no sabía qué era lo que Wally, nuestra protagonista con nombre de varón, tenía que hacer para buscar los orígenes de su madre rusa, Yalena Mayakova (un nombre más ruso no pudieron encontrar, ¿eh?). Lo que más me gustó fue el personaje de Tigre, que lucía misterioso y a la vez un pibe con la cabeza bien puesta, no como Wally o cualquiera de sus amigos. No me malinterpreten, Wally no es la típica chica estúpida que no sabe pensar. Es una tremenda badass y sabe de muchas cosas, sabe de calle porque vive en la calle, sabe de sufrimiento porque ha sufrido. Pero se mete en cosas que definitivamente una chica de 16 años no debería meterse, esto de acá a la China. Una chica que es adoptada no se va a meter con mafiosos o con ladrones profesionales de Rusia para poder encontrar a su madre prófuga. No, señor. Qué locura. En un momento no sabía si estaba leyendo un libro o mirando Rápidos y Furiosos, en serio les digo. Quedé... no quedé shockeada, quedé enojada. Me gustó el principio pero derivó en esta película bien yanki que hubiera quedado bien en la pantalla grande, pero no en un libro con tan pocos cimientos.
Como fuera, debía suponerlo cuando lo compré en un supermercado en una mesa de ofertas. Es que me parecía demasiado bueno al principio... pero se convirtió en otro libro más del montón. Lo lamento, William Ritcher, no lo lograste esta vez.
Empecé la novela con la expectativa de encontrar a una protagonista inteligente, en búsqueda de sus orígenes, un relato para reflexionar sobre las identidades de las personas y sobre la cultura rusa, pero me encontré con:
WARNING: Este libro fue escrito por un guionista de cine que creyó que poner cosas pochoclos de cine en un libro iba a quedar bien. Bueno, ERROR.
El "golpe sorpresivo", totalmente predecible. Las relaciones de los personajes, totalmente falsas y forzadas. Pintaba muy bueno y muy intrigante, pero en un momento ya me perdí, no sabía qué era lo que Wally, nuestra protagonista con nombre de varón, tenía que hacer para buscar los orígenes de su madre rusa, Yalena Mayakova (un nombre más ruso no pudieron encontrar, ¿eh?). Lo que más me gustó fue el personaje de Tigre, que lucía misterioso y a la vez un pibe con la cabeza bien puesta, no como Wally o cualquiera de sus amigos. No me malinterpreten, Wally no es la típica chica estúpida que no sabe pensar. Es una tremenda badass y sabe de muchas cosas, sabe de calle porque vive en la calle, sabe de sufrimiento porque ha sufrido. Pero se mete en cosas que definitivamente una chica de 16 años no debería meterse, esto de acá a la China. Una chica que es adoptada no se va a meter con mafiosos o con ladrones profesionales de Rusia para poder encontrar a su madre prófuga. No, señor. Qué locura. En un momento no sabía si estaba leyendo un libro o mirando Rápidos y Furiosos, en serio les digo. Quedé... no quedé shockeada, quedé enojada. Me gustó el principio pero derivó en esta película bien yanki que hubiera quedado bien en la pantalla grande, pero no en un libro con tan pocos cimientos.
Como fuera, debía suponerlo cuando lo compré en un supermercado en una mesa de ofertas. Es que me parecía demasiado bueno al principio... pero se convirtió en otro libro más del montón. Lo lamento, William Ritcher, no lo lograste esta vez.
January 30, 2012
My review can also be found on my blog Collections.
2.5 stars
Dark Eyes had some pretty shocking moments. Things I did not see coming, especially in the last couple of chapters. But that doesn't mean I was happy with those surprises. In fact, I can't wrap my head around why some secrets were secrets in the first place. It made no sense. I felt like most of the death and sorrow in this book could have been avoided if a certain character was truthful YEARS ago about the identity of Wally's biological mother.
And the way every single event played out was completely unbelievable! See, some of the characters planned ahead for the future and seemed to know EXACTLY what would happen in the future. Like how other characters would react and what those characters' actions would be in the situations they were set up in. What are the odds of everything working out like that? Yeah... Unless those characters are actually psychics, very unlikely.
I also can't say I was a fan of the main character Wally. You would think, since Wally lives on the streets, that she must have come from a rough home. But...no. She was just a rebellious RICH kid with loving parents who decided to live on the streets. I don't care if her being adopted led to her acting out like that. She was still annoyingly selfish. I don't think she was the only character like that either. And after the big reveal near the end, I'm not sure who to blame for her behavior.
Although it managed to keep my interest, I was disappointed with the characters and the consequences of all the secrets. I do think Dark Eyes will appeal to some readers, so I would recommend it to those who enjoy thrillers minus a happily ever after.
September 9, 2015
Очень динамичная и увлекательная история. Кажется, что посмотрела блокбастер, а не прочитала книгу. Тайны, расследования, убийства, русские бандиты, взрывы, погони, стрельба... Понравилось мне, что главная героиня на редкость была девахой смышленой, смелой, не ныла, не было типичной тупой "американщины" в поведение и засилья не нужной романтики. Читала и отдыхала.
Жаль, у нас не издали продолжение. Я бы почитала.
Жаль, у нас не издали продолжение. Я бы почитала.
April 23, 2012
This book was just frustrating; I almost gave up a third of the way through because the plot seemed to be written intentionally vaguely, a conspiracy just for the sake of having an elaborate conspiracy. Finally finished it, and while I did get into it for one or two stretches, for something billed as Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for teens, everything falls into place a little too neatly. In fact, everything about this book is too neat, too methodical, too clean.
What do I mean? The first third is just a bunch of scenes assembled together solely to give the impression that an elaborate conspiracy’s going on (without explaining what that is, obviously). There’s the clichéd woman going to the morgue to identify her daughter, except it’s not her daughter, scene. There’s the girl being directed to a fake ID seller at ‘random’ and receiving a package there from her biological mother scene (and of course, the girl can speak Russian with a Russian accent even though she hasn’t heard or spoken it since she was six, which I know from personal experience is impossible). And there’s the requisite menacing Russians escaping from a prison camp by shooting their way out scene. All in all, an assault of intentionally assembled scenes purposefully set up to appear random to build up the ‘mystery’. Nothing organic about it at all, not without more breadcrumbs to help connect the dots.
Next comes a parade of pointless characters and bad action scenes. I don’t mean Wally, but I didn’t see the purpose of Jake, Ella, or Tevin at all, for all the words and paragraphs devoted to Jake and Ella, in the end they were singularly useless and played no major role whatsoever – so they get to live. Tevin, who gets to be the black named throwaway character, gets even less character development and back story than the completely useless Jake, even though he’s supposed to be Wally’s love interest. And the one scene with Nick. What? Why bother with a crew, Wally, when you’re going to go it alone anyway? And of course, could you be a little more exciting while you’re at it? I’m reading a scene with Wally and the Russians in a shootout in an office building, and she’s moving from one office to the next, trying to avoid them. Heart pounding, riveting, exciting, right? Nope, I had to fight down the urge to skim along – my description’s more exciting than the actual writing, which was just a methodical recitation of the facts rather than a good, frenetic action scene.
And I finally get to the ending, where how all the supposedly random stuff’s connected is finally explained. Without spoiling anything, while some of it is believable if a little predictable, at least one part (how Wally got her mother’s letter at the beginning) is a big WTF. Really? And they’re fighting the Russians? At this point, I’m bouncing between one or two stars, heavily leaning towards one star, but in the end I figure, since I actually liked the plot of Wally as a streetwise kid looking for her mother (even if the conspiracy as a whole is ridiculous) and a couple of scenes of either her looking for her mother or the Russians looking for her (and killing people), two stars it is.
What do I mean? The first third is just a bunch of scenes assembled together solely to give the impression that an elaborate conspiracy’s going on (without explaining what that is, obviously). There’s the clichéd woman going to the morgue to identify her daughter, except it’s not her daughter, scene. There’s the girl being directed to a fake ID seller at ‘random’ and receiving a package there from her biological mother scene (and of course, the girl can speak Russian with a Russian accent even though she hasn’t heard or spoken it since she was six, which I know from personal experience is impossible). And there’s the requisite menacing Russians escaping from a prison camp by shooting their way out scene. All in all, an assault of intentionally assembled scenes purposefully set up to appear random to build up the ‘mystery’. Nothing organic about it at all, not without more breadcrumbs to help connect the dots.
Next comes a parade of pointless characters and bad action scenes. I don’t mean Wally, but I didn’t see the purpose of Jake, Ella, or Tevin at all, for all the words and paragraphs devoted to Jake and Ella, in the end they were singularly useless and played no major role whatsoever – so they get to live. Tevin, who gets to be the black named throwaway character, gets even less character development and back story than the completely useless Jake, even though he’s supposed to be Wally’s love interest. And the one scene with Nick. What? Why bother with a crew, Wally, when you’re going to go it alone anyway? And of course, could you be a little more exciting while you’re at it? I’m reading a scene with Wally and the Russians in a shootout in an office building, and she’s moving from one office to the next, trying to avoid them. Heart pounding, riveting, exciting, right? Nope, I had to fight down the urge to skim along – my description’s more exciting than the actual writing, which was just a methodical recitation of the facts rather than a good, frenetic action scene.
And I finally get to the ending, where how all the supposedly random stuff’s connected is finally explained. Without spoiling anything, while some of it is believable if a little predictable, at least one part (how Wally got her mother’s letter at the beginning) is a big WTF. Really? And they’re fighting the Russians? At this point, I’m bouncing between one or two stars, heavily leaning towards one star, but in the end I figure, since I actually liked the plot of Wally as a streetwise kid looking for her mother (even if the conspiracy as a whole is ridiculous) and a couple of scenes of either her looking for her mother or the Russians looking for her (and killing people), two stars it is.
June 25, 2015
I wasn't entirely sure what I'd make of Dark Eyes to begin with as it's not the type of book that I'd usually go straight for. The fact that it was written by a Hollywood screenwriter and the intriguing synopsis won me over and I'm glad I didn't turn down the chance to read it.
What I loved most about this book was Wally. She's so tough and kick-ass and the way she doesn't go down without a fight left me with so much admiration for her. We need more strong female protagonists like her! Although I didn't agree with some of the decisions she made, you can't help but support her in the end. I soon felt like I was 'part' of the crew and I fell for her friends, Tevin, Jake and Ella too. I adored the way they stuck by each other through thick and thin and were like family to each other.
Another factor that I can't not mention is that it moved at such a thrilling pace, with twists and turns slapping me in the face along the way. I have never read a book so dark and so gritty before which only made me love it more. The plot completely engaged me and I was never left bored at all. The action and the thrill that came with it was dealt with superbly by Richter, weaving in and out, casting doubts and leaving my heart racing. There were many parts of the book that had me staying up past midnight, just as desperate as Wally to find answers.
Because of the rush of action and combat, I was surprised to find myself loving the book nonetheless despite the lack of romance. It only featured lightly and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, although I think a heavy emphasis on romance would have detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Instead, it focussed on family love and the love formed between friendships which was just as enjoyable to read as a hot romance, surprisingly.
And the ending... oh my, the ending. It took me completely by surprise as loose ends were tied together in a heart-stopping, edge-of-the-seat fashion. The shock, the heartbreak, the confusion... just WOW. You need to read it for yourself to experience the sheer horror as events unfold in the book.
Overall, Dark Eyes is a hauntingly thrilling rollercoaster of a read which will have your heart racing as quickly as the fast pace at which the book moves. If you're looking for a book with endless action and a generous supply of twists and turns, look no further.
What I loved most about this book was Wally. She's so tough and kick-ass and the way she doesn't go down without a fight left me with so much admiration for her. We need more strong female protagonists like her! Although I didn't agree with some of the decisions she made, you can't help but support her in the end. I soon felt like I was 'part' of the crew and I fell for her friends, Tevin, Jake and Ella too. I adored the way they stuck by each other through thick and thin and were like family to each other.
Another factor that I can't not mention is that it moved at such a thrilling pace, with twists and turns slapping me in the face along the way. I have never read a book so dark and so gritty before which only made me love it more. The plot completely engaged me and I was never left bored at all. The action and the thrill that came with it was dealt with superbly by Richter, weaving in and out, casting doubts and leaving my heart racing. There were many parts of the book that had me staying up past midnight, just as desperate as Wally to find answers.
Because of the rush of action and combat, I was surprised to find myself loving the book nonetheless despite the lack of romance. It only featured lightly and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, although I think a heavy emphasis on romance would have detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Instead, it focussed on family love and the love formed between friendships which was just as enjoyable to read as a hot romance, surprisingly.
And the ending... oh my, the ending. It took me completely by surprise as loose ends were tied together in a heart-stopping, edge-of-the-seat fashion. The shock, the heartbreak, the confusion... just WOW. You need to read it for yourself to experience the sheer horror as events unfold in the book.
Overall, Dark Eyes is a hauntingly thrilling rollercoaster of a read which will have your heart racing as quickly as the fast pace at which the book moves. If you're looking for a book with endless action and a generous supply of twists and turns, look no further.
January 26, 2012
Wally, long unsure of who she is and where she comes from, has abandoned the luxury of her adoptive mother’s Upper East Side lifestyle for a life of her own making. Living on the street, squatting in abandoned buildings, Wally and her street crew of other homeless teens spend their days scavenging for valuable items to sell just so they can get a bite to eat and a warm place to sleep. It’s not a glamorous life, or a life with a lot of guarantees and security, but what Wally’s found with her crew of Tevin, Ella & Jake is family, a sense of control and an assurance of where she fits that she wasn’t able to find back on West 84th Street. However, when ghosts from her past begin to surface — clues that hint at the whereabouts of her birth mom and that promise much-needed answers — Wally begins a thrilling and dangerous search into the dark and dangerous secrets of her mother’s past.
On the one hand, Wally is a character that the reader is given a chance to know very well over the course of the novel. She’s an incredibly strong character, not without her weaknesses, but she’s determined not to let her weaknesses conquer her. She’s fiercely independent, skeptical (but not jaded), shrewd, cautious, practical, and principled. She’s extremely loyal to those she cares about, and a natural leader. Yet, while all these qualities of her character make themselves apparent, she’s a person who’s also extremely hard to know. For the most part, Wally largely remains emotionally closed off to the people she cares about most – rarely letting them see her for who she is. Perhaps this is because she feels adrift without knowing her true identity and where she comes from. She places a lot of value in obtaining this knowledge and is a bit blind to the the things she already has. Though she cares about her family and friends, she builds walls to keep them – and in some ways the reader – out. I liked Wally, I was intrigued by Wally, but unfortunately I never really connected with Wally throughout the book.
One last, quick note about Wally’s character: I believe Wally is somewhat misrepresented in the book blurb. Though I believe that Wally could someday become a vigilante-like character – the foundation certainly has been laid for that eventuality – that’s not a role she fills in this particular book. Wally plays more of a detective/defensive type role throughout Dark Eyes, rather than an vigilante/aggressive role.
The mystery of who Wally’s mother is and the questions surrounding what happened to her – if she’s still dead or alive – is the real driving force behind the novel. It is an intricate trail of twists and turns that Richter has created featuring a fascinating cast of characters that are employed brilliantly throughout the story. The attention to detail, the way the various pieces of the puzzle all fit together makes for a compelling, well-crafted mystery that kept me guessing and theorizing the whole way through. It’s a gritty, hard sometimes heartbreaking story and one with very real consequences – a fact which lends credibility and weight to the story. For those readers that enjoy a good mystery, Dark Eyes is a dark, intelligent puzzle, and Wally is an intuitive and resourceful investigator.
Though a largely plot-driven novel, I do wish that there had been more emphasis on relationship development, particularly between Wally & Claire and Wally & her crew. This harks back to the comments I made about Wally’s own development. It is clear that Wally cares for Claire, Jake, Ella and Tevin, but there is a little too much telling vs. showing to establish these relationships, and even far too little of that. A few more foundational scenes to establish relationship/character development of these characters in the context of their relationship with Wally would’ve lent this story better emotional depth and resonance. It is rare that I will say this, but even though the characters and relationships aren’t as strong as I normally prefer, the fact that I love the mystery is enough for me to forgive some of what’s lacking in that department.
Overall, Dark Eyes is a gripping, thrilling and gritty mystery about secrets, identity, obsessions and the boundaries one is willing to cross to find the answers they seek.
** Due to some mature content, I would recommend this to an upper YA audience.
On the one hand, Wally is a character that the reader is given a chance to know very well over the course of the novel. She’s an incredibly strong character, not without her weaknesses, but she’s determined not to let her weaknesses conquer her. She’s fiercely independent, skeptical (but not jaded), shrewd, cautious, practical, and principled. She’s extremely loyal to those she cares about, and a natural leader. Yet, while all these qualities of her character make themselves apparent, she’s a person who’s also extremely hard to know. For the most part, Wally largely remains emotionally closed off to the people she cares about most – rarely letting them see her for who she is. Perhaps this is because she feels adrift without knowing her true identity and where she comes from. She places a lot of value in obtaining this knowledge and is a bit blind to the the things she already has. Though she cares about her family and friends, she builds walls to keep them – and in some ways the reader – out. I liked Wally, I was intrigued by Wally, but unfortunately I never really connected with Wally throughout the book.
One last, quick note about Wally’s character: I believe Wally is somewhat misrepresented in the book blurb. Though I believe that Wally could someday become a vigilante-like character – the foundation certainly has been laid for that eventuality – that’s not a role she fills in this particular book. Wally plays more of a detective/defensive type role throughout Dark Eyes, rather than an vigilante/aggressive role.
The mystery of who Wally’s mother is and the questions surrounding what happened to her – if she’s still dead or alive – is the real driving force behind the novel. It is an intricate trail of twists and turns that Richter has created featuring a fascinating cast of characters that are employed brilliantly throughout the story. The attention to detail, the way the various pieces of the puzzle all fit together makes for a compelling, well-crafted mystery that kept me guessing and theorizing the whole way through. It’s a gritty, hard sometimes heartbreaking story and one with very real consequences – a fact which lends credibility and weight to the story. For those readers that enjoy a good mystery, Dark Eyes is a dark, intelligent puzzle, and Wally is an intuitive and resourceful investigator.
Though a largely plot-driven novel, I do wish that there had been more emphasis on relationship development, particularly between Wally & Claire and Wally & her crew. This harks back to the comments I made about Wally’s own development. It is clear that Wally cares for Claire, Jake, Ella and Tevin, but there is a little too much telling vs. showing to establish these relationships, and even far too little of that. A few more foundational scenes to establish relationship/character development of these characters in the context of their relationship with Wally would’ve lent this story better emotional depth and resonance. It is rare that I will say this, but even though the characters and relationships aren’t as strong as I normally prefer, the fact that I love the mystery is enough for me to forgive some of what’s lacking in that department.
Overall, Dark Eyes is a gripping, thrilling and gritty mystery about secrets, identity, obsessions and the boundaries one is willing to cross to find the answers they seek.
** Due to some mature content, I would recommend this to an upper YA audience.
October 3, 2012
I couldn't get into this book though I really really really wanted to. I couldn't get it. I couldn't read it. I couldn't sympathize it. Maybe it was because I didn't feel the characters. Maybe it was because they were flat as the my mother's back side (I love you mother) - or the novels plot as dry as the Mohave Desert (pardon my cliche.It felt like I was reading a screen play to be honest. :/ This book is just eh...meh, "all-ight". So, I read this novel and I'm thinking, "this book was basically have been better as a movie."
Why?
Because it lacked emotion. The main character was to hard-baked, and to touch-ass, ultra emotionless female for me. Just because she lives on the street doesn't mean she has the feelings of a cucumber. Wally(Valentina) seemed more male than female , so it was hard to connect with her. The only emotion that came and actually made me feel something is her sex scene and her run in with her ex. I wanted to understand but it was actually like a barricade pushing me back. She wasn't loveable and hell -I've read some evil characters that I loved to death. She was just a boring cliche Ice Queen. Her cold manipulative reaction to her mother was poorly written (if you want a good book about a mean female giving her mother hell read Mildred Pierce , that's how you write motives).
This "trendy" book is good for 14, 15, 16 year olds.I'll even tell a 17 year old who wants a light read to take a whack at it. The book was sprinkled with cursing to look more edgy than a cliff side. Gosh books should not make you want to go watch television! But this book did. It also made me want to lie on a train track and slam my head on the floor.
Examples of the random cursing: Like "hey man I want a f*cking sandwich, look I'm I'm cursing, f*ck you, sh*t," says character.It almost seemed seething with melodrama to me. I wanted to love this book but now I just want to light it to flames. It was that bad....... Darn it, over hyped, poorly constructed characters and motive. Plus, the font drove mecrazy insane but that's not the writer's fault.
The only thing I can say about this novel is that New York was described very very very well. As a Thriller, it lacked depth (as shallow as a puddle), it lacked a back story. Plus the protagonist was nothing more than a Lisabeth , knock off (I don't like the Lisabeth Series , Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Series as well).Grrrrr well happy reading folks, anyone 18 and over who loves back stories , deep well thought should stay away!
All in all, this is more for the young to mid teen crowd, who will just love this book. I can see why a lot of people love it but it isn't for me. Gosh I really wanted to like it! I'm starting to think it's because I like teeny fiction with depth (yes in my late teens but never the less, I am a teen). Enough of my sulking of my "teenagerness" slipping out of my fingers like a buttery steak knife. Back to Dark Eyes, it's not as advanced and well thought out as I expected it to be. So I'll leave it to the young to mid-teens.
Why?
Because it lacked emotion. The main character was to hard-baked, and to touch-ass, ultra emotionless female for me. Just because she lives on the street doesn't mean she has the feelings of a cucumber. Wally(Valentina) seemed more male than female , so it was hard to connect with her. The only emotion that came and actually made me feel something is her sex scene and her run in with her ex. I wanted to understand but it was actually like a barricade pushing me back. She wasn't loveable and hell -I've read some evil characters that I loved to death. She was just a boring cliche Ice Queen. Her cold manipulative reaction to her mother was poorly written (if you want a good book about a mean female giving her mother hell read Mildred Pierce , that's how you write motives).
This "trendy" book is good for 14, 15, 16 year olds.I'll even tell a 17 year old who wants a light read to take a whack at it. The book was sprinkled with cursing to look more edgy than a cliff side. Gosh books should not make you want to go watch television! But this book did. It also made me want to lie on a train track and slam my head on the floor.
Examples of the random cursing: Like "hey man I want a f*cking sandwich, look I'm I'm cursing, f*ck you, sh*t," says character.It almost seemed seething with melodrama to me. I wanted to love this book but now I just want to light it to flames. It was that bad....... Darn it, over hyped, poorly constructed characters and motive. Plus, the font drove me
The only thing I can say about this novel is that New York was described very very very well. As a Thriller, it lacked depth (as shallow as a puddle), it lacked a back story. Plus the protagonist was nothing more than a Lisabeth , knock off (I don't like the Lisabeth Series , Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Series as well).Grrrrr well happy reading folks, anyone 18 and over who loves back stories , deep well thought should stay away!
All in all, this is more for the young to mid teen crowd, who will just love this book. I can see why a lot of people love it but it isn't for me. Gosh I really wanted to like it! I'm starting to think it's because I like teeny fiction with depth (yes in my late teens but never the less, I am a teen). Enough of my sulking of my "teenagerness" slipping out of my fingers like a buttery steak knife. Back to Dark Eyes, it's not as advanced and well thought out as I expected it to be. So I'll leave it to the young to mid-teens.
April 22, 2012
It is funny to see a book that revolves around a sixteen year old girl being compared to such a dark book such as The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I am not going to lie, I saw little comparison but the main comparison for me? Both books are great reads full of thrills, mystery and action.
Wallis a.k.a Wally is a adopted Russian orphan to a wealthy American family in New York. Wally, who has always been a bit of a wild child leaves homes at fifteen to live on the streets. With her crew, Tevin, Ella and Jake. When she comes across information about her birth mother, she goes on a dangerous race against time to find her: one that will turn Wally's life into a tale spin of running, hiding and avoiding being killed because Wally is not the only person looking for her infamous mother.
Wally is such an interesting female lead. There is something very compelling about her. I think it is due to the choices she has made to turn away from her wealthy life and live on the streets. You can tell she a lot of anger built up inside of her from over the years. The choice also makes Wally a very easy target to call selfish and stupid. She is a little of those two, isn't everyone? However, once you read the book, you find that there is reason behind her so called madness. Wally is also very smart, both intellectually and on the street.
Dark Eyes is full of secrets. Secrets here, there and everywhere! Expect the unexpected in this book, that is all I shall say to you about these secrets. Well that and thankfully, Richter does clear up the secrets in the book.
I can see Dark Eyes making a great film actually. That being said, Richter seems to have left Dark Eyes open to a sequel which, I, for one, would enjoy to read.
This story is for older YA readers and adults. There is dark and violent themes, which I thoroughly enjoy.
Final Thought.
Give it a read. Richter has created a intriguing story full of action, secrets, struggles, twists and even a little romance and is probably one of the best YA thrillers written.
Wallis a.k.a Wally is a adopted Russian orphan to a wealthy American family in New York. Wally, who has always been a bit of a wild child leaves homes at fifteen to live on the streets. With her crew, Tevin, Ella and Jake. When she comes across information about her birth mother, she goes on a dangerous race against time to find her: one that will turn Wally's life into a tale spin of running, hiding and avoiding being killed because Wally is not the only person looking for her infamous mother.
Wally is such an interesting female lead. There is something very compelling about her. I think it is due to the choices she has made to turn away from her wealthy life and live on the streets. You can tell she a lot of anger built up inside of her from over the years. The choice also makes Wally a very easy target to call selfish and stupid. She is a little of those two, isn't everyone? However, once you read the book, you find that there is reason behind her so called madness. Wally is also very smart, both intellectually and on the street.
Dark Eyes is full of secrets. Secrets here, there and everywhere! Expect the unexpected in this book, that is all I shall say to you about these secrets. Well that and thankfully, Richter does clear up the secrets in the book.
I can see Dark Eyes making a great film actually. That being said, Richter seems to have left Dark Eyes open to a sequel which, I, for one, would enjoy to read.
This story is for older YA readers and adults. There is dark and violent themes, which I thoroughly enjoy.
Final Thought.
Give it a read. Richter has created a intriguing story full of action, secrets, struggles, twists and even a little romance and is probably one of the best YA thrillers written.
March 9, 2012
When I started reading this book I had no idea what to expect. I can tell you that once I started the book I liked it. It totally blew me away with a mystery that makes you run for your life!
What I liked most about this book is the great on the run from your life plot. I totally thought this was a paranormal book, I was wrong. I loved the aspect of searching for clues, jewels and long lost person thought to be dead. The mafia twist to the book rocked. I never saw that coming. The way this theme intensified the searching made my heart race.
The characters of the book were well written. I adored the main character Wally, who's life has been completely turn upside down. She is level-header yet strong. Her quest to find her identity, her parents, her heritage, really set the reader in the book to search with her.
Dark Eyes is darkly intense with loads of action. The search for answers is ticking away fast as someone else is always looking. Dark Eyes is an engrossing, suspenseful story!
What I liked most about this book is the great on the run from your life plot. I totally thought this was a paranormal book, I was wrong. I loved the aspect of searching for clues, jewels and long lost person thought to be dead. The mafia twist to the book rocked. I never saw that coming. The way this theme intensified the searching made my heart race.
The characters of the book were well written. I adored the main character Wally, who's life has been completely turn upside down. She is level-header yet strong. Her quest to find her identity, her parents, her heritage, really set the reader in the book to search with her.
Dark Eyes is darkly intense with loads of action. The search for answers is ticking away fast as someone else is always looking. Dark Eyes is an engrossing, suspenseful story!
February 8, 2017
en la historia nos relata la historia de Wally, una joven Rusa que es llevada a New York gracias a que fue adoptada a los 5 años, ya con 16 años nos muestran a una joven con serios problemas de socialización que prefiere estar con una pandilla que con su madre adoptiva.
El problema llega con la muerte de una joven de su misma edad, ella es confundida por Wally y Wally a perder su documentación falsa llega a un sitio comandado por Rusos quien además de suministrar documentos falsos le suministran a ella un sobre que le da pistas acerca de su verdadera identidad y del por qué termino en New York.
Ella emprende una misión personal para encontrar a su verdadera madre, hace que su pandilla corra peligro junto con ella, nos mostrara como es la vida en los suburbios, un poco las descripciones de los hogares de paso algo que me llamo mucho la atención y como ella resulta ser la líder.
si quieres conocer lo que me gusto o lo que no te invito a mi blog http://estadolector.blogspot.com.co/2...
El problema llega con la muerte de una joven de su misma edad, ella es confundida por Wally y Wally a perder su documentación falsa llega a un sitio comandado por Rusos quien además de suministrar documentos falsos le suministran a ella un sobre que le da pistas acerca de su verdadera identidad y del por qué termino en New York.
Ella emprende una misión personal para encontrar a su verdadera madre, hace que su pandilla corra peligro junto con ella, nos mostrara como es la vida en los suburbios, un poco las descripciones de los hogares de paso algo que me llamo mucho la atención y como ella resulta ser la líder.
si quieres conocer lo que me gusto o lo que no te invito a mi blog http://estadolector.blogspot.com.co/2...
January 5, 2012
Okay, I can see where people would compare the “Millennium/Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” trilogy to this book, and to be fair, for the YA market, that’s a pretty good match. I absolutely loved “Dark Eyes” because it has all of the elements I could ever want in a YA book – thrills, chills, and spills (with a teeny dash of romance mixed in). Richter makes Wally so alive that I felt as if I were really there, with her, running with her as the clock ticked down. If you like your YA heroines fierce and strong, “Dark Eyes” is most definitely the book for you.
I was pretty much hooked from the first page. I love it when authors plunk us down in media res beginning their scene, but I especially love it when they do it when they’re starting the book that way. My heart pounded throughout the entire book and I consumed it in more or less one sitting. This is a fantastic standalone that just has one goal: find yourself and survive. Wally’s journey to find her birth mother and the reason why her friends start dropping like flies was tightly, elegantly wrought with no words to spare but plenty of sensory language/dialogue and a real feeling of a life on the street.
But seeing as Richter is a screenwriter by trade, this is no surprise. The prose is cinematic in quality, and it was like watching a movie in my head. There were a few places where I felt there were some sensory input pieces missing (the beginning with Wally still in Russia), but as I have a screenwriter for a friend who makes the same mistakes with his own book, that’s par for the course. In screenwriting, you have a camera to fill in your sensory blanks. With prose writing, you don’t have that camera, you have to make it instead. But because this was more or less such an airtight story, I can’t really nag Richter about that. It was so polished and for such a narrow scope of a story (Wally and her quest), all the characters were very well-rounded and nothing felt empty or lacking except for a few pieces of the sensory spectrum here and there.
What I also really loved was the fact that he left room for the reader to imagine Wally’s true ending at the end of the book, leaving it empty for the reader to fill in what she was going to do next. This is a very fast-paced book, and the ending finally drew itself out in the final pages, unwinding very slowly and that was delicious, too, as all of the questions we had about Wally, her mother, her father, and some of the other characters were very easily and elegantly answered. There is some romance here, but it’s not a main focus, though it does affect Wally and her judgment at times. At heart, this is adventure, this is a thriller, and this is a race against the clock to find answers before others get killed. This is what YA needs more of – well written, strong YA heroines that are trying to find themselves and not their next boyfriend. Considering Richter wrote this as 3rd person close, he managed to write Wally as a girl in a feminine tone. It’s hard to do cross-gender narration (even in 3rd close), so that’s what made this even more enjoyable.
So if you love your YA girls hardened, smart, and you like your stories with a bite to them, check out “Dark Eyes” when it hits shelves in the US in March. This is definitely one of my best of 2012 so far, so be sure to grab a copy at your bookstore or library. It really is worth the read.
(posted to librarything, goodreads, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
I was pretty much hooked from the first page. I love it when authors plunk us down in media res beginning their scene, but I especially love it when they do it when they’re starting the book that way. My heart pounded throughout the entire book and I consumed it in more or less one sitting. This is a fantastic standalone that just has one goal: find yourself and survive. Wally’s journey to find her birth mother and the reason why her friends start dropping like flies was tightly, elegantly wrought with no words to spare but plenty of sensory language/dialogue and a real feeling of a life on the street.
But seeing as Richter is a screenwriter by trade, this is no surprise. The prose is cinematic in quality, and it was like watching a movie in my head. There were a few places where I felt there were some sensory input pieces missing (the beginning with Wally still in Russia), but as I have a screenwriter for a friend who makes the same mistakes with his own book, that’s par for the course. In screenwriting, you have a camera to fill in your sensory blanks. With prose writing, you don’t have that camera, you have to make it instead. But because this was more or less such an airtight story, I can’t really nag Richter about that. It was so polished and for such a narrow scope of a story (Wally and her quest), all the characters were very well-rounded and nothing felt empty or lacking except for a few pieces of the sensory spectrum here and there.
What I also really loved was the fact that he left room for the reader to imagine Wally’s true ending at the end of the book, leaving it empty for the reader to fill in what she was going to do next. This is a very fast-paced book, and the ending finally drew itself out in the final pages, unwinding very slowly and that was delicious, too, as all of the questions we had about Wally, her mother, her father, and some of the other characters were very easily and elegantly answered. There is some romance here, but it’s not a main focus, though it does affect Wally and her judgment at times. At heart, this is adventure, this is a thriller, and this is a race against the clock to find answers before others get killed. This is what YA needs more of – well written, strong YA heroines that are trying to find themselves and not their next boyfriend. Considering Richter wrote this as 3rd person close, he managed to write Wally as a girl in a feminine tone. It’s hard to do cross-gender narration (even in 3rd close), so that’s what made this even more enjoyable.
So if you love your YA girls hardened, smart, and you like your stories with a bite to them, check out “Dark Eyes” when it hits shelves in the US in March. This is definitely one of my best of 2012 so far, so be sure to grab a copy at your bookstore or library. It really is worth the read.
(posted to librarything, goodreads, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
February 20, 2012
More of my reviews can be found at my blog, Literary Exploration
When the synopsis says this book is similar to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo it isn't lying! Dark Eyes is filled with action, mystery, some romance, and MURDER! I didn't know too much about this book going into it, since the synopsis is short and I haven't read many reviews, but I'm so glad I got the chance to read it!! I know a lot of people aren't interested in it too much, but here is where I'm going to attempt to persuade you to buy it. Right now.
The characters are fantastic! Wally is an awesome female protagonist; she's smart, strong, funny, witty, and despite the fact that she's left her home to live on the streets she still has a great heart! I didn't really connect with her, but I enjoyed following her journey! The different characters whose perspectives we see (Detective Greer, Klesko, and several others) are all pretty different, but I think the way Richter put everything together made the multiple perspectives work really well.
The entire book is definitely plot driven. It's super fast paced, gritty, dark, and thrilling! There was always something happening, a different mystery needing to be solved, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! I'm really not a big fan of contemporary fiction, but I really loved reading Dark Eyes. The mystery was probably my favorite part; Wally is searching for her birth mom and I had no idea who it was until Wally found out herself! There are definitely a lot of heart breaking moments, and my heart was really torn up by the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed Dark Eyes because of it's fast pace and gritty plot. I would definitely be interested in reading more books by Richter, his writing was fantastic and he knows how to tell a story! While I'm not a big fan of most contemporary fiction, I've been reading a lot more lately and this is definitely one of the better ones! I would recommend Dark Eyes to lovers of gritty contemporary fiction, thrillers, mysteries, and anyone who enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo!
When the synopsis says this book is similar to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo it isn't lying! Dark Eyes is filled with action, mystery, some romance, and MURDER! I didn't know too much about this book going into it, since the synopsis is short and I haven't read many reviews, but I'm so glad I got the chance to read it!! I know a lot of people aren't interested in it too much, but here is where I'm going to attempt to persuade you to buy it. Right now.
The characters are fantastic! Wally is an awesome female protagonist; she's smart, strong, funny, witty, and despite the fact that she's left her home to live on the streets she still has a great heart! I didn't really connect with her, but I enjoyed following her journey! The different characters whose perspectives we see (Detective Greer, Klesko, and several others) are all pretty different, but I think the way Richter put everything together made the multiple perspectives work really well.
The entire book is definitely plot driven. It's super fast paced, gritty, dark, and thrilling! There was always something happening, a different mystery needing to be solved, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! I'm really not a big fan of contemporary fiction, but I really loved reading Dark Eyes. The mystery was probably my favorite part; Wally is searching for her birth mom and I had no idea who it was until Wally found out herself! There are definitely a lot of heart breaking moments, and my heart was really torn up by the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed Dark Eyes because of it's fast pace and gritty plot. I would definitely be interested in reading more books by Richter, his writing was fantastic and he knows how to tell a story! While I'm not a big fan of most contemporary fiction, I've been reading a lot more lately and this is definitely one of the better ones! I would recommend Dark Eyes to lovers of gritty contemporary fiction, thrillers, mysteries, and anyone who enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo!
January 13, 2012
Wally (Valentina) was born in Russia and lived in an orphanage for the first five years of her life. Then she was adopted by a rich American couple and grew up in comfort, but with huge attitude problems that led her to live on the streets when she turned fifteen and her parents divorced. Wally has been on the streets for almost three years and has a group of friends that she crashes with, who have each other's backs. But she stumbles onto something big when one of her former friends is killed while carrying Wally's fake Driver's License. It leads her on a quest to find her birth mother, who it turns out is in America watching over her under an assumed identity. She has never contacted Wally because she ripped off Klesko, a Russian mafioso and Wally's Father, to finance her escape. Will Wally be able to find her birth mother and get answers before Klesko does? And who will die before it's all over? I honestly enjoyed this book quite a bit. I liked how tough and collected Wally was, even when her day-to-day was fairly uncertain. I also loved the 3-Dimensionality of all the side characters and the double plotline that was working its way to the ending. You can tell Richter is a screenwriter and it worked out in a good way. That said, I always felt that Wally was kind of a brat for not appreciating what she had until it was really gone and not just waiting for her to come back. How many homeless people have a home that they just refuse to live in, but occasionally do laundry at? She came across as a fake on quite a few levels, pretending that she had it as tough as her friends kind of rubbed me the wrong way. But I loved the mystery and the ending was so shocking, I NEVER saw it coming! If you're into action and crime, this is the book for you (as long as you can suspend your disbelief).
VERDICT: 3.75/5 Stars
*I received an Advanced Reading Copy from the publisher, via LibraryThing. No money was exchanged for this review. The expected publication date is March 15th, 2012.*
VERDICT: 3.75/5 Stars
*I received an Advanced Reading Copy from the publisher, via LibraryThing. No money was exchanged for this review. The expected publication date is March 15th, 2012.*
April 21, 2012
I am very confused by why this book has not gotten more attention, because it definitely deserves it. The action never lets up for a second, the plot spreads its tendrils until points overlap and intersect and become this huge mess of chaos that somehow the characters are able to untangle. Some people tell me that is what one would call a "mystery/thriller" plot, and I can't speak for adult, but for YA, Dark Eyes really is something different.
I don't even know where to begin with plot, so I will just say there is a ton of action, twists, mystery and suspense. I know that is vague, but there is no other YA I can compare it to, at least not that I've read. It really did kind of blow my mind.
The author of the novel is a Hollywood screenwriter, and that definitely comes off in his style. The description is well detailed and specific so that I really was seeing the action in my head as a movie. It is a third person narrative and skips around to feature different characters. There is a definite main character and story line, but it shows other things happening at the same time, much like some movies do. I don't know if it was because of that, or what, but I seriously could not put this book down once I got to the real meat of the plot.
Just read it, please, so I can stop struggling to explain how I feel about it. I loved it! I've done my best to be descriptive, but I am falling short when it comes to describing how much or why. I am excited for a sequel, but I don't think it is needed. I will definitely read it though, and I hope it lives up to Dark Eyes.
I don't even know where to begin with plot, so I will just say there is a ton of action, twists, mystery and suspense. I know that is vague, but there is no other YA I can compare it to, at least not that I've read. It really did kind of blow my mind.
The author of the novel is a Hollywood screenwriter, and that definitely comes off in his style. The description is well detailed and specific so that I really was seeing the action in my head as a movie. It is a third person narrative and skips around to feature different characters. There is a definite main character and story line, but it shows other things happening at the same time, much like some movies do. I don't know if it was because of that, or what, but I seriously could not put this book down once I got to the real meat of the plot.
Just read it, please, so I can stop struggling to explain how I feel about it. I loved it! I've done my best to be descriptive, but I am falling short when it comes to describing how much or why. I am excited for a sequel, but I don't think it is needed. I will definitely read it though, and I hope it lives up to Dark Eyes.
October 23, 2025
Es un thriller que sigue la vida de Wally, una adolescente rusa que fue adoptada a los 5 años por una pareja de norteamericanos. En América, a los 16 años, vive en la calle junto a tres amigos a pesar de que sus padres adoptivos, quienes se encuentran divorciados, hacen lo imposible para que ella vuelva a casa.
Un día a Wallis le empiezan a llegar notas y descubre que su padre biológico la quiere muerta. En medio de la confusión, Wally decide que debe buscar a su verdadera madre, así que junto a sus amigos emprende una búsqueda para encontrar a su mamá biológica.
Sin embargo, como toda odisea, tienen obstáculos, y ella va perdiendo gente en el camino.
La sorpresa que se lleva Wally cuando descubre que su madre -la biológica- había estado presente en su vida desde siempre. Eso sí que fue alto plot twist.
Es una historia super original y que te engancha desde la página uno. Al principio hay un montón de personajes que no pintan nada pero el autor comienza a quitarlos del camino mientras va avanzando en la trama.
El desarrollo de la trama es cautivador y sus personajes están muy bien construidos.
Una historia llena de acción, intriga, crimen y secretos para devorarte en un día.
Un día a Wallis le empiezan a llegar notas y descubre que su padre biológico la quiere muerta. En medio de la confusión, Wally decide que debe buscar a su verdadera madre, así que junto a sus amigos emprende una búsqueda para encontrar a su mamá biológica.
Sin embargo, como toda odisea, tienen obstáculos, y ella va perdiendo gente en el camino.
La sorpresa que se lleva Wally cuando descubre que su madre -la biológica- había estado presente en su vida desde siempre. Eso sí que fue alto plot twist.
Es una historia super original y que te engancha desde la página uno. Al principio hay un montón de personajes que no pintan nada pero el autor comienza a quitarlos del camino mientras va avanzando en la trama.
El desarrollo de la trama es cautivador y sus personajes están muy bien construidos.
Una historia llena de acción, intriga, crimen y secretos para devorarte en un día.
October 6, 2014
Wallis (Wally) Stoneman was born in Russia and was adopted by a wealthy family who lived in New York City. When Wally found out she was getting adopted, she didn't know what to do. Her whole life she lived in an orphanage and thought of the other children in the orphanage as her family. Her whole world was turned upside down in an instant second. The only thing she knows about herself is that she is Russian. When Wally turns sixteen she stumbles across a secret that will change her life forever: Wally's roots are deadly. Wally is the daughter of Klesko, a Russian gangster who's just broken out of prison. Klesko is on a search to find his wife who stole from him a long time ago. Can Wally find her mother and save her before Klesko kills them both? Read Dark Eyes to find out.
One thing that I didn't like about Dark Eyes is that it skips around in time. The book starts off talking about Wally when she was little and then it just skips to when she is sixteen. One thing I did like about Dark Eyes is that it is very mysterious.
I would suggest this book to girls that enjoy mysteries.
One thing that I didn't like about Dark Eyes is that it skips around in time. The book starts off talking about Wally when she was little and then it just skips to when she is sixteen. One thing I did like about Dark Eyes is that it is very mysterious.
I would suggest this book to girls that enjoy mysteries.
August 14, 2012
Originally posted at The Wandering Fangirl.
Touted as the YA version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I had many expectations going in to Dark Eyes. While the novel met them, it was a little tougher to suspend disbelief with Wally, our heroine. She’s a runaway, plagued with anger issues since she was a child, and apparently running away from a mother who loves her unconditionally makes sense? Wally stumbles into a plot that leads her on a chase for her birth mother, while trying to avoid dangerous characters who are also looking for her.
It was an intriguing and easy read, but it felt at times that Wally’s leaps of logic when she finds clues are a bit too much. I know she’s smart and the mystery revolves around her and the places it takes her emotionally, but my suspension of disbelief can only go so far.
Touted as the YA version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I had many expectations going in to Dark Eyes. While the novel met them, it was a little tougher to suspend disbelief with Wally, our heroine. She’s a runaway, plagued with anger issues since she was a child, and apparently running away from a mother who loves her unconditionally makes sense? Wally stumbles into a plot that leads her on a chase for her birth mother, while trying to avoid dangerous characters who are also looking for her.
It was an intriguing and easy read, but it felt at times that Wally’s leaps of logic when she finds clues are a bit too much. I know she’s smart and the mystery revolves around her and the places it takes her emotionally, but my suspension of disbelief can only go so far.
September 11, 2014
So this is really a 4.5 rating. It was an amazing book but a little too dark for me to call it perfect. This book was amazing! So intriguing that in the end when all of the 'mysteries' are unveiled you feel that 'mind just blown' feeling. Even if you could guess some of what will happen in the end, there is no way you can solve all of the mysteries before the last page of the book! I love it when I don't know what will happen next. But it was all very tastefully done. My only reservation about this novel is that it is a bit too mature for an award book that pushed on so many high school students to read. It has heavy language, gore, sex, drugs...I would highly recommend this book to those who are my age (college twenty somethings) and to very mature high school students. The whole time I read this first book in the 'Dark Eyes' series, I couldn't help but imagine it as a theatrical thriller. If a movie eventually come to fruition I would definitely watch it! Well done William Richter!
September 8, 2012
Great, compelling read. I loved that it was like she had powers but in a real way. Just having been taught firearms and martial arts, combined with her time on the streets had honed her survival skills to a new level. I always enjoy a good gangster story and thought there was a wonderful level of detail and originality with the Russians. The world was interesting with fully realized characters that I was concerned about. A bit obvious what the big reveal is but that didn't really detract from the story.
September 23, 2014
Dark Eyes was different from other books. Suspenseful and mysterious, the book kept me on the edge of my seat. However, not unlike other books targeted for teens and young adults, the book lacked in philosophical insight and symbolism. Then again, there is not much to be expected from books such as these. But worry not! I mean this with good nature. Instead of offering fresh insights or ground-breaking ideas, the book was simply a page turner. I enjoyed it quite thoroughly.
December 5, 2014
I thought this book was very well-written. I did enjoy this book even though I don't usually read mystery and stuff like that. The author did a good job developing the characters, except for Tiger. I feel like Tiger could have been a bit more developed. I know he came in within the last part of the book, but i don't think the author developed him enough so that i can have a mental image of his features.
November 10, 2025
Es un libro bastante entretenido, que me tuvo enganchada todo el tiempo. La trama me pareció original, y tiene sus giros de lo más rebuscado. Pero el autor decayó con los personajes, ya que debió contarnos más sobre ellos, porque no llegas a conocerlos del todo. Y en la parte de romance, debió eliminarlo o hacer que se sientiera más natural. Estuvo bastante forzado e innecesario.
Más información: http://dragonesliterarios.blogspot.co...
Más información: http://dragonesliterarios.blogspot.co...
May 13, 2012
"Daughter, tell your American friends: never fight a Russian in the snow. You see? How many empires of the world must learn this hard lesson?"
I loved this book! Good mystery! Hope there's a sequel!
I loved this book! Good mystery! Hope there's a sequel!
January 12, 2014
Un 4,5 en realidad.
Una lectura llena de acción y giros argumentales que me ha sorprendido gratamente.
Una lectura llena de acción y giros argumentales que me ha sorprendido gratamente.
February 3, 2015
Two words describe my final thoughts on this book, mind fuck. Definitely will have to pick the second one up sometime. If you're after a badass female character READ THIS!!!!. I just can't right now
February 4, 2019
Goddamnit William Richter, you crazy jerk, you did it. You made me finish this damned book, and you made me cry in the process. Against all odds, you've even got me considering picking up Tiger: A Dark Eyes Novel.
Throwing the concept of formal reviewing out the window, I have to tell you I almost threw this book out the window. I started out curious, got really really bored when I figured out the main mystery halfway through, and almost DNF'd this book three times before we reached the end. But, whether it was from a blind drive not to DNF my first read of 2019 or some narcissistic need to prove my suspicions right (or more likely, a combination of the two) I just kept picking the book back up.
The story is that of Wallis Stoneman - Wally to her friends - a runaway living on the streets with three other teens because, essentially, she's mad that she doesn't know anything about her life before being adopted from Russia. I have a huge issue with this storyline, btw, and I'll throw that in a spoiler tag later.
So Wally needs a new fake ID, and her street connection - a big hustler guy named Panama - sends her to a shop to get one. While there, she receives a package addressed to her old Russian name, Valentina, containing a file about her adoption, some papers about her family, a rare and very expensive gemstone, and a letter from her mother explaining that she had to leave her in the orphanage for protection from her very dangerous father, Russian assassin Alexei Klesko. This turn of events leads Wally on a chase all around New York, desperately searching for her birth mother.
Of course, Klesko has just been broken out of prison by his son, Wally's brother Tiger, and come to America looking for Yalena - Wally's birth mother. Turns out, she stole a large cache of those expensive stones from him to finance her escape, and he wants them back. This book has gunfights, car chases, three people killed in the process of the search and STILL I couldn't pay attention to it. There's a line from a character at one point that just struck me as so obvious, I knew on the spot who Wally's birth mother REALLY was, and the book lost most of the appeal.
It's weird, I was trudging through the boring-but-necessary buildup to get to the mystery, and then when I got there I resolved it so quickly it made it feel like a waste of time to finish the book? But then I did, and maybe I'm just a sucker for emotional shit that I got hooked in that last 10%, but I blew through the last 100 pages in less than an hour because I couldn't stop. (There's also a possibility I just wanted to be done, but hey, semantics)
Man, that last 10% though! Very emotional, very disappointing for anyone who likes happy endings (hey, hi, how are ya, me too bro) and honestly? Not worth reading 250 pages to get to stuff you actually want to read, in my opinion.
It gets 3 stars from me because
a) It made me cry. Not an easy feat for a book, so the writing in that scene was the best in the book, in my opinion
b) I liked the ending, bittersweet as it was
c) I did not see that twist at the end coming!
d) It's seriously impressive that something kept drawing me back to this world. I started this book in August 2018 and got like, 50 pages in and set it down for 4 months. The first week in December, I worked my way through another 50 pages or so and set it aside again. I finally committed to working on it, almost DNF'd the damn thing, but had to finish it.
Not gonna lie to you though, this book would be a 2-star rating if it weren't for those points. It was slow, predictable, not very fun to read, and if I knew the payoff would be one scene in the last 10% of the book and an ending that wasn't awful, I would never have started this tortuous read. One thing that really annoyed me was Nick - he so didn't matter to the story at all, and it felt like that subplot was just thrown in to make things seem more gritty and sad?? Especially when he was in literally one scene that barely mattered .
There was an interesting premise here, but man, it was not executed well. It's not the worst book I've ever read, but do I recommend it to others? No. No I do not. I actually recommend people just read my spoiler tags and save yourself the trouble. I'm curious to see what happens to Tiger , but not enough to sit through another nightmare read like this. It took so much time and just doesn't pay off well enough. And here's my BIGGEST issue, and how the entire problem could've been prevented:
Anyway, I'm glad to be done and surprised I got here. Proshchay, Dark Eyes, and skatert'yu doroga!
Throwing the concept of formal reviewing out the window, I have to tell you I almost threw this book out the window. I started out curious, got really really bored when I figured out the main mystery halfway through, and almost DNF'd this book three times before we reached the end. But, whether it was from a blind drive not to DNF my first read of 2019 or some narcissistic need to prove my suspicions right (or more likely, a combination of the two) I just kept picking the book back up.
The story is that of Wallis Stoneman - Wally to her friends - a runaway living on the streets with three other teens because, essentially, she's mad that she doesn't know anything about her life before being adopted from Russia. I have a huge issue with this storyline, btw, and I'll throw that in a spoiler tag later.
So Wally needs a new fake ID, and her street connection - a big hustler guy named Panama - sends her to a shop to get one. While there, she receives a package addressed to her old Russian name, Valentina, containing a file about her adoption, some papers about her family, a rare and very expensive gemstone, and a letter from her mother explaining that she had to leave her in the orphanage for protection from her very dangerous father, Russian assassin Alexei Klesko. This turn of events leads Wally on a chase all around New York, desperately searching for her birth mother.
Of course, Klesko has just been broken out of prison by his son, Wally's brother Tiger, and come to America looking for Yalena - Wally's birth mother. Turns out, she stole a large cache of those expensive stones from him to finance her escape, and he wants them back. This book has gunfights, car chases, three people killed in the process of the search and STILL I couldn't pay attention to it. There's a line from a character at one point that just struck me as so obvious, I knew on the spot who Wally's birth mother REALLY was, and the book lost most of the appeal.
It's weird, I was trudging through the boring-but-necessary buildup to get to the mystery, and then when I got there I resolved it so quickly it made it feel like a waste of time to finish the book? But then I did, and maybe I'm just a sucker for emotional shit that I got hooked in that last 10%, but I blew through the last 100 pages in less than an hour because I couldn't stop. (There's also a possibility I just wanted to be done, but hey, semantics)
Man, that last 10% though! Very emotional, very disappointing for anyone who likes happy endings (hey, hi, how are ya, me too bro) and honestly? Not worth reading 250 pages to get to stuff you actually want to read, in my opinion.
It gets 3 stars from me because
a) It made me cry. Not an easy feat for a book, so the writing in that scene was the best in the book, in my opinion
b) I liked the ending, bittersweet as it was
c) I did not see that twist at the end coming!
d) It's seriously impressive that something kept drawing me back to this world. I started this book in August 2018 and got like, 50 pages in and set it down for 4 months. The first week in December, I worked my way through another 50 pages or so and set it aside again. I finally committed to working on it, almost DNF'd the damn thing, but had to finish it.
Not gonna lie to you though, this book would be a 2-star rating if it weren't for those points. It was slow, predictable, not very fun to read, and if I knew the payoff would be one scene in the last 10% of the book and an ending that wasn't awful, I would never have started this tortuous read. One thing that really annoyed me was Nick - he so didn't matter to the story at all, and it felt like that subplot was just thrown in to make things seem more gritty and sad?? Especially when he was in literally one scene that barely mattered .
There was an interesting premise here, but man, it was not executed well. It's not the worst book I've ever read, but do I recommend it to others? No. No I do not. I actually recommend people just read my spoiler tags and save yourself the trouble. I'm curious to see what happens to Tiger , but not enough to sit through another nightmare read like this. It took so much time and just doesn't pay off well enough. And here's my BIGGEST issue, and how the entire problem could've been prevented:
Anyway, I'm glad to be done and surprised I got here. Proshchay, Dark Eyes, and skatert'yu doroga!
May 18, 2017
Despite some of the bad reviews, I enjoyed this book.
Perhaps looking at it from the tired perch of my 73 years, 70 of which I have been reading mysteries, gave me a feeling for Wally.
Perhaps the fact that I had one of those rebel children helped.
Whatever the reason, this book reached out and grabbed me, and I read it in just a few hours.
Being touted as a Young Adult novel probably limits the readers, and I think the older readers would appreciate it more.
Give it a try, it will surprise you, sadden you, amaze you and perhaps instill just a little bit of paranoia in your life. So many "what ifs"...
Perhaps looking at it from the tired perch of my 73 years, 70 of which I have been reading mysteries, gave me a feeling for Wally.
Perhaps the fact that I had one of those rebel children helped.
Whatever the reason, this book reached out and grabbed me, and I read it in just a few hours.
Being touted as a Young Adult novel probably limits the readers, and I think the older readers would appreciate it more.
Give it a try, it will surprise you, sadden you, amaze you and perhaps instill just a little bit of paranoia in your life. So many "what ifs"...
March 8, 2020
I really liked it. Was it as good as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as intimated? Of course not. But it was a compelling read. The characters are a bit too in-one-category (Wally is sooo hard baked and expert in all things combat-related, others are sooo vulnerable) but hey, it's a rare man who can write a compelling female character that's not hard-baked and quite masculine-leaning. I thought the plot was pretty well developed for the most part, although there were definitely jarring/off points, but I really wanted to see how it ended. It tied up/didn't tie up about exactly as you'd expect at the end, but it was still a worthwhile read. A fun adventure if a bit too predictable at times.
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