The Dark World

Dark World #1

by Cara Lynn Shultz

Paige Kelly is used to weird--in fact, she probably corners the market on weird, considering that her best friend, Dottie, has been dead since the 1950s. But when a fire demon attacks Paige in detention, she has to admit that things have gotten out of her league. Luckily, the cute new boy in school, Logan Bradley, is a practiced demon slayer-and he isn't fazed by Paige's propensity to chat with the dead. Suddenly, Paige is smack in the middle of a centuries-old battle between warlocks and demons, learning to fight with a magic sword so that she can defend herself. And if she makes one wrong move, she'll be pulled into the Dark World, an alternate version of our world that's overrun by demons-and she might never make it home.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Demons, Urban Fantasy, Magic

384 pages, Hardcover

First published May 27, 2014

About the author

Cara Lynn Shultz is the author of Spellbound, Spellcaster and The Dark World. She has written for Billboard, People, Logo TV, The Dodo, Alternative Press, Teen People, Stuff and The Guardian UK.

*****
Hey guys! I rarely check my Goodreads messages, so if you are trying to contact me, the best bet is Facebook
(Facebook.com/CaraLShultz), Twitter (@CaraLynnShultz) or Instagram (@caralynshultz).

Reviews

[Giselle · Rating 3 out of 5]

With one of my favourite settings - New York City - The Dark World has a lot to offer. We've got a unique and terrifying alternate evil world concept, a protagonist who can see the dead, a love interest who's incredibly charming, and an exciting climax. But… I was also disappointed by how much of a tease it was on the aspect that I found the most interesting.

Let's start with the plot itself. It begins at school where we meet Paige talking to a ghost in the girl's bathroom, quickly getting us to understand both her social standing and how she really doesn't give a rats butt (trying to stay PG13 here!). This also introduces us to the mean girl and Paige's hilarious ghost best friend. It takes no time until we meet a new girl who is not quite what she seems… This all sets the tone for a story that has a hint of humour and horror. Things were going great and I was highly enjoying myself for a while. It was no surprise that a romance began brewing, soon enough. This is where some of my disappointment lays. Don't get me wrong, the romance is actually not bad in itself. I found their connection genuine, and Logan is someone I easily rooted for. He's a wonderful guy who shows the size of his heart by his actions, not just his words. I did find they were a bit too oblivious of each other's feelings at first - I mean come on, yes he likes you, everyone can see that!! - but this builds a great friendship that eventually blooms into an all-encompassing love. The problem I had was not with the intensity of the romance which I actually felt, but how the whole book became all about this romance and nothing else for what felt like an incredibly long time. I found myself losing interest in the whole book due to the lack of plot progression, especially from getting nothing but teases of this highly fascinating Dark world.

What is the Dark World? It's a frightening, yet seductive underworld that had me captivated from its first mention. I loved the creativity that went behind crafting this evil world full of terror and menace, that also comes with an intriguing history of its politics and wars. Its descriptions are disturbing, its inhabitants are beastly and gruesome, but everything is remarkably cinematic. The problem with all of that, however, is that I wanted more, and was given so little. All throughout the book we're teased with the Dark World and this strangely beautiful, yet terrifying portrayal of an alternate New York City, but we get nothing but tiny glimpses from a few portals. The very end is where we finally get a real look at it for a few pages before the last. I guess I should have expected that, though, seeing as series now seem to use book 1 as a sort of introduction for the real deal - which is a new practice I'm not especially fond of. Still, this book could have easily been cut short a few dozen pages that were spent in a romantic haze, and it might not have felt as if I'd waited forever to get to the real action.

This series as a whole does have potential. It has a protagonist with a great sense of humour which I instantly clicked with, a romance that, even though it took center stage, had me emotional invested at the end, and book one's ending is suspenseful and exciting and bittersweet in many ways. I do look forward to book 2, and I do think those who enjoy paranormal romances to the likes of City of Bones should give this one a try!

--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

[Erica Ravenclaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

No spoilers and colorful language abound! I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'mma just put on my rose colored glasses real quick…



Ahhhh, much better.

I feel 17 again in the best way possible, and I'd like to hold onto that feeling just a little bit longer. Every now and again a book comes along that transports you back in time, to a place in your life where things were simpler, your first love was all consuming, and your parents just didn't understand. The Dark World is one of those lovely YA books that bucks the worst cliche's, embraces the best ones and executes them perfectly.

Alright, let's get real. If you follow my reviews, it's pretty clear I'm firmly in camp YA Haters, probably because I am *gasp* an adult. I don't see myself in YA, I see little shits who think they know everything.



When I saw this on NetGalley I wanted it. I can't speak as to what specifically made me request it, just an overall gut feeling I suppose. I hate love triangles, and know-it-all teenagers, insta-love, speshual snowflakes, clumsy girls, 2h0t4lyfe dreamboats who are really possessive, when the emotionally abusive moody bad boy gets the girl, and absent parents, basically all plot devices in the YA genre.

The world building is truly enchanting. Parallel world, warlocks, all sorts of demons with specific abilities, political agendas, demon slayers, spells, and travelers? Fuck yes. First bump to Schultz for all the reasons provided in this world, the attention to detail is on point and I couldn't appreciate this more. Don't get it twisted this is YA through and through, high school drama,, tests, over protective and involved parents, but it's charming and sweet not naive and rage inducing.


I was captivated from the start by Schultz's portrayal of a snarky, dynamic and hopeful heroine. Paige Kelly is a young woman entangled by the consequences of a selfless act trying desperately to manage this new life thrust upon her. When Paige was brought back to life her energy was forever connected to both worlds, and altered with a unique ability to see spirits tethered to the Dark World. Turns out that makes her speshual, but for reasons totally justified.



The demon slayer full of mystery and a hero complex isn't really my flavor, but Logan's sincerity and ability to put himself out there won me over. I swore I saw a love triangle on the horizon but I was so wrong about that, so rest easy. Can I just take a minute here and say THANK YOU. Really, thank you. Inferior authors would have run with that dynamic, but Shultz masterfully slashed it to ribbons and it was glorious. Paige is suddenly dragged into a war that has been waging for centuries, Logan makes it his mission to not only arm Paige with a weapon but also to teach her to defend herself. Again, fuck yes mature character who doesn't want to foster an overly dependent relationship on him because he's an insecure dick

Alright, alright, alright, I'll focus now.

The time of teenage innocence is over, Paige must now decide her roll in this war before it's decided for her. I am excited to see how her story unfolds, turns out I might not entirely be in YA Haters…. maybe.



P.S. Dat ending tho.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Also reviewed for Addicted2Heroines

This was a weird one.
At times, I would really be into it, flipping the pages all excited-like...and then all of a sudden POOF!
All of my previous interest was just gone.
At first I couldn't really figure it out, but after a while, I noticed my zone-outs seemed to be correlating with the two main characters getting all sappy with each other.
Seperately, they're both very cool. Together, they're the perfect recipe for Boringsauce. I"ve been trying to put my finger on why I felt that way for days now, but I'm still not 100% sure. Something just felt off.
My best guess is that the romance felt too young and silly for me.
Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, because it's a young adult title.
And I'm a crusty old chick.
So that probably means that the target audience will enjoy the angsty teen bits. 'Cause they're, you know, angsty teens.

The premise of the story isn't supah new, but I thought it was cool anyway. The basic idea is that there's a world that mirrors ours, except that it's Eeeevil. Well, sort of. It's been taken over by demons, and the warlocks on this side of the fence want to go back and reclaim their throne. But for now, it's all brimstoney and crumbling. It was never really explained, but I'm just assuming the general idea is that once the warlocks take control of it again, it won't smell like sulfur or be all flamey. Otherwise, I can't imagine why they'd want to go back.

Paige is like that kid who can See Dead People. She pushed a little boy out of the way of an oncoming bus, got smooshed, and died for a few minutes before being revived.
When she woke up, Ta-da!, she had the world's most ostracizing superpower. She can't always tell the difference between the living and the dead, so she ends up looking like a mental patient when she strikes up a conversation with (what everyone else assumes is) a wall.
So. Yeah. Not popular with her peers.

Logan is...
Ok. I can't say much of anything about him without giving away spoilers. But I liked him. He's not an ass, and he had a really good backstory. Unfortunately for you, you don't find out what it is till the end of the book. Sorry.

Even though I wasn't blown away by it, I'm still interested enough to want to read the next book, so I think this will probably do well with the YA audience.

Digital arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Figgy · Rating 2 out of 5]

My feelings towards this book are incredibly mixed. For the first sixty or so pages I was really enjoying everything about this book: the moxy of the main character, her sense of humour, her dead best friend...



For the next thirty or so pages I didn’t mind it. Some of the writing was quite simple, but it still held some things that intrigued me, her dad annoyed me.



When I got to page 138 I realised that I hadn’t been enjoying myself for quite a while, and that something about the language had either changed, or the style had started getting to me. And all my fucks disappeared.




Some scenes throughout and the ending weren’t bad, but by that point I had already given up on caring about anything in the story, so they didn’t have the effect they should have, had I been invested in the story.

The concept was really interesting, and I quite liked the cover. I loved the vision of the dark version of our world, I loved the different types of demons, and I loved the hierarchy of the other side, as briefly as it may have been described.

The big problem that I had was once the love interest came into close quarters with Paige everything was about him(and about Paige, and what was he thinking about her, and how did she actually feel about him, and did he think what she was thinking he was thinking, and maybe she should stop overthinking what he said, but still with the thinking and day dreaming about his eyes!), and the plot all but ground to a halt, and by the time it started up again, I was over it.


About half way through I wanted to buy Paige this book:



This book felt way longer than it needed to be. I’ve not read any other books by the author, but I’m sure fans of her other works will enjoy it. It was just not me, and dragged on so terribly long.

Pros:

- There was no love triangle
- The demons were interesting
- The characters had quirky moments, especially Paige
- The friendship between Dottie and Paige

Cons:

- The dialogue was a bit unnatural and stilted at times
- After a while the quirkyness seemed to just be trying too hard. Could be overkill, could be that it decreased in quality
- The insta-love (Yes, they knew each other for three months, but they apparently liked each other from day dot.)
- Her parents seemed unrealistic to me, her dad was especially annoying
- Her cat never turned out to be some kind of other world creature, at least so far as we know at this point. Which is a bit of a let down, given how many times it was mentioned.
- The inner monologue, and referring to it as though it were a separate entity:

These moments only happen when he’s trying to calm you down. You’re overreacting.

If I am, so is he. We keep having moments, voice-in-my-head! You can’t deny it.

Doesn’t matter: he has a clear and defined exit date from your life, so admire those warm brown eyes and that smile—and those arms—from afar and that’s it.

Free ARC provided by NetGalley and Harlequin Teen in exchange for an honest review.

[Devon Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since Paige Kelly rescued a little boy and ended up dead herself before being brought back to life, she's been able to see things beyond her realm. Unfortunately, she can't always tell when the person in front of her is living or dead, so everywhere she goes, she's labeled as the weird girl and forced to shove endless pills down her throat to soothe the minds of her ever-worried parents. Now at a new school, she's slipped up a few times talking to the one person who doesn't see her as a freak - her ghostly best bud Dottie, who keeps her company through the long, lonely school days. Unfortunately, interacting with a ghost from the Dark World has lit a beacon for all things demonic, and it doesn't take long for a group to track her down and try to take her back to their world. Turns out Paige is now a desirable Traveler - one whose energy can open portals freely into the opposite world. And now, everybody seems to want a piece - except Logan, who can't help but try to keep safe the one girl who's ever caught his eye.

The Dark World surprised me. Shultz's Spellbound novels were just okay for me, but I see a world of difference between these series and finally I've been captivated - and I need the next book like now! You can't help but feel for Paige as she merely tries to survive her teenage years under the constant scrutiny of her extraordinary-phobic parents and the endless belittling by her classmates. Once a fiery demon attacks her on school grounds and Logan finally reveals his demon-slaying abilities, you can't help but root for the girl to finally have a living, breathing someone accept her for all she truly is. And Logan might be a sword-wielding hottie that's placed on protection detail and training her to defend herself, but this protector is totally swoon-worthy too. Unfortunately for Paige, she knows he'll be gone again as soon as the demons are dead, so what's a Traveler to do when she falls in love with a demon-slayer?



ARC provided by Harlequin Teen for honest review.

[Larissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can also find this review at YA Midnight Reads

The Dark World is a very difficult book for me to review. There were times in the story where I could easily give it 4 stars, and other times I could easily give The Dark World one stars. It’s because of this that I would take this rating with a grain of salt. Of course all reading is subjective and I’d love to hear your own opinions of this one (:

One thing I loved in this story was Dottie! She’s a ghost from the 1950s and has such a fun and enjoyable personality. Honestly, if she narrated a book I would definitely read it. Dottie’s relationship with the main character Paige was also wonderful, it felt realistic and meaningful. They were truly best friends (: The issue with this lies in the fact that Dottie slowly fades away in The Dark World. She’s very much present in the beginning but after awhile the romance takes over and you don’t see her amazing character as often/really even at all. It was pretty sad actually to see this friendship be whisked to the side for a mediocre romance. I’ll get into the all encompassing romance soon, don’t you worry.

Another cool thing about The Dark World was how there weren’t a singular type of demons involved. There were lust, wrath, fire, regent…etc. It was interesting to see what unique abilities these demons had and how they could cause havoc. Cara has also created this duo universe scenario, one of which is the normal human one and the other a dark demon one. This world was originally run by warlocks. The warlocks don’t like the demons and want control of this Dark World. ….And there you go. That’s all that this book explained regarding world building. For me, one weakly described info dump isn’t enough for me to truly get a grasp of things. The thing that drove me the most crazy? You don’t even get a glimpse of this Dark World until literally the last 10 pages of the novel. It felt ridiculous to me that so much time was spent in the human world with the main characters focusing on their own quibbles and romances when there’s basically a war happening in the Dark World. I mean Paige has this special snowflake ability to visit both worlds, wouldn’t you think she’d use it?¿¿?? Apparently not.

By not even allowing us into the Dark World until the very end, the author just makes this story seem like a verrry long prequel to the actual story which will happen in the sequel. I feel like this concept could be very well developed and full of promise and the fact it’s barely touched on in this first installment leaves me feeling ripped off and quite annoyed.

I’ve mentioned Paige a few times in this review, and she’s the main character of The Dark World. She was quite the enjoyable narrator, witty and realistic. Though ostracized by her peers by talking seemingly to herself (when actually talking to her ghost best friend. I don’t know why she isn’t attracting friends by the dozens) Paige doesn’t complain about it. Too much. She also seems to have a pretty good relationship with her parents. Paige understands why they would feel overprotective of her and is generally has a positive relationship with them. Her narration of the story was fairly easy to get into and I enjoyed taking a look into her mind. She didn’t annoy me to no end, which is always a positive.

Then you have Logan, Paige’s love interest. I quite enjoyed him. He had this tragic backstory but wasn’t always so brooding and depressing. The backstory made him multidimensional and more than just the love interest of Paige. He was funny and his humor actually did manage to make me laugh at certain points. Logan was very sweet and understanding. I think he complimented Paige well and was a great friend for her.

THEN THE ROMANCE HAPPENED.



If only the romance went away in The Dark World

I feel like the romance became all powerful and took over the story. It went from flirty and witty banter to BOOM AHHH I TOTALLY LOVE YOU. It wasn’t insta-love since there was that wonderful period of friendship, which I truly wish had been where the relationship stayed. However the transition between that flirty friendship was done much too fast and when it occurred, there was no going back. It became the driving force in the story and the reason for anything characters would act/say/do/think. The worst part was the romance totally took over Paige and Logan’s actual characters. They were awesome on their own, but not so much together. They went from being strong individuals to highly dependant on each other. It felt like Paige was constantly a damsel in distress, waiting for Logan to save her from demons and meanwhile making stupid choices to further her troubles.

Instead of the previously enjoyed one liners, we got cheesy and over dramatic proclamations of love. This romance truly took over the plot and is the reason Dottie practically disappeared from the story. The little thing about the demon and warlock war also became something simply not as important as Paige and Logan’s true love. It made the characters act unlike themselves quite frankly. Everything else going on in the plot of The Dark World was simply swept under the rug for this typical romance which I just couldn’t support.

There’s a lot of tropes in The Dark World too. The mean girl trope is definitely present as the book starts by introducing you to “the Queen Bees” of Paige’s school. Of course, they’re insanely pretty and mean to Paige for no reason. Which is sooooo realistic, because mean girls are pure evil and just spout rude comments without having any rhyme or reason. Some casual slut shaming just adds to the brilliance of the mean girl trope used in The Dark World and is so completely necessary to the overall storyline.




Legitimately, I saw no point to the characters of Pepper (dubbed Paprika by Paige. Clearly that’s so insulting) and Andie (her name always followed with mention of her double D’s). They had nothing to do with the whole romance between Logan and Paige nor the whole demon and warlock war thing. I suppose the author just added them to further showcase how Paige was an outsider at her school?? Still, I think the whole talking to invisible walls would have covered that one nicely.

Another trope that used in The Dark World frankly confuses me. So Paige is a special snowflake, she has the sole power to travel between the Dark World and the normal human world. The way she got these powers was through saving this boy from running into the street and dying. In the process she nearly died. However, she came back to life. The boy was apparently persuaded by a demon to run into the road. Therefore Paige somehow got this ability to go into the two worlds and see ghosts!?!? Don’t worry, this isn’t a spoiler as you learn this fairly early on in the story. PLUS, IT MAKES ZERO SENSE. So if Paige got this ability from the aforementioned, wouldn’t anybody who did the same get her ability. It was odd how everybody was praising her for being such a special snowflake when according to the logic in which she got her abilities, anybody could.

Overall this read was one which started out quite positively but quickly took a turn for the worst when an overbearing romance reared its ugly head. I think your enjoyment of this novel would be highly dependent on whether you enjoyed the romance between the main character and her love interest.

~Thank you Harlequin Teen for sending me this copy!~

[Stuti Rai · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

(I feel like I've written this review a thousand times. All of zem amalgamate into one.)

There was a turmoil watering down amongst us the day I realized there were too many bees in this world. I danced for the first time in a long while when I found this, experienced it first hand. Einstein lied, or whoever the fuck did saying there were too few. Not lied, per se, but subjectified it. Oh yes, they did. For there are people, and plants, amongst us for whom the bees stroll in orchards and gardens and whatever. For others like me, they pull the strings and make us dance like a marionette, stinging and inflating us with their acupressure of death. #trufax

There have been turmoils brewing in the readership for so long there have been books. For so long there have been books, some of the unrelenting cynicism- some of the jaded eyes that callously seek pattern, repetition, correlation- have been finding numerous others just like them. Historians and anthropologists debate over whether there is a causal link. This long standing debate begets much strife that compounds with each generation but one saying stands above all: if a story seems trite, should the reader continue suffering like a rat's fart? That remains for you, the reader, with varying and capricious demands, to decide. #sociallesson

Some call it infestation, others explain it in terms of demand and supply. I call it exploitation, but whatever floats *your* boat.

If I give off negatives vibes, will the Dark World ever get to shine?



If I am cryptic and no one understands, am I speaking hogwash or being cryptic?

If I keep asking rhetorical questions, not expecting answers, will you give a rat's fly? Will I give a rat's fly that you don't give a rat's fly?

YES, I will as well I should,
so without further ado,
scraping away the gobbledygook
here is my review for tu and vous
(but halt! behold a crappy rhyme
'cause you can't even with my psyche)

The Dark World, whence come monsters and predators, is not my choice of vacation but some creatures rage wars over it. Monsters v/s predators. It depends entirely on your perception who becomes the monster and what un-becomes these monsters. The ones on the other sides are the predators. For once, they don't want shit with human; nobody gives a shit about protecting humans; humans aren't fucking speshul snowflakes to be saved from the big, bad wolves. Partially, because good and evil are relatively used in this war.

Paige Kelly saves a kid's life and gets embroiled in this war: monsters hunt her and predators want to use her. No good deed goes unpunished, or so goes Faust. Actually, Faust says there are some waters humans shouldn't travel, but same thing, right? Good things are the domain of one deerLord. And let's not talk Pagan Gods, okay. They can be pretty scary and I'd rather not mess with them.



No offense, no one.

Demons after you, Paige Kelly runnnnnnn!

There are fights, creature in flames and blasts. Starndard stuff, you'd expect. *yawn*

Paige has a sarcastic, endearing(don't knock it till you've tried it) voice in the beginning but it's just one end of the spectrum. As she stars to grow and progress through the story(because character development, methinks), her narration becomes boring and soulful and messy. But mostly boring.

That's one word for the book: boring.

To ameliorate this, enters Logan Bradley. Logan Bradley is a teenage guy I could get behind. AT FIRST. But zen, character development, complexity and all the underlying crap. He's funny and faux-arrogant and sure, had he been limited to that, he wouldn't be a boring character. So of course, we have a tortured souls and haunted eyes and oh-so-sad past because war and death. This ruined him for me. RUINED!

Besides, my handwriting is awesome and everyone should be subjected to it at least once.

For sure he's not the wittiest cut of the veal, but these are funnies I could laugh at, because I am lame, but god no development. Not like that. Don't haunt your character unless you can convey it, unless your character has enough of a persona to handle it, make it look real. Don't use deaths to as a tool for your story or just for the sake of making characters more real. Two tortured souls as one, their passion and loyalty tested by one battle after another. Will their love triumph this war?

(If I make a face and no one sees it, are my emotions real?

Just in case:
)

The demons are vapid and the action scenes threadbare. You know you're in deep shit when magic swords that disappear(CARTER KANE) fail to rejuvenate you. You're in deeper, derpier shit when hai-yah! secret fighting lessons make you long for the inanity of Oggy and the Cockroaches. Which sucks, by the way.

Shultz did try to portray vivid side characters with layers, so kudos on that. There's a particular demon and a particular uncle who I could have classified as characters of interest, but sadly, the main voices were boring enough to make me reconsider. There are plots and going-ons and motives and parleys that mustn't be revealed which aren't ferried across to us because humans! and teenagers! Which, by the by, makes total sense but a being out of the loop does the book no favor, IMO. Shultz also goes for a non-instalove, making us wait for months that pass by in pages to see them fall in #truluv with each other. I appreciated this, but couldn't root for nor believe in it. Their chemistry didn't spark, principally because of the narrator's voice and her penchant for boring me.

All in all: run-of-the-mill premise, a couple atypical elements, good effort, almost-400 pages and a tedious narration make for a review that could be short but isn't because I tend to bullshit. A lot. AMAZING COVER, though.


Because I shouldn't be the only one creeped out.

Thank you, Harlequin Teen!

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a lot going for it. I really liked Paige. She is witty and kind (and that's not an easy combo to pull off) and courageous and just a lot of fun to spend time with. Logan isn't bad, either. He's a match for her wit and is protective and capable and supports the best that is in Paige (as she supports the best that is in him). But even better, they feel like teens first learning young love and I mean that in its sweetest (and most hopeful) way. Yeah, they both have teen-level weaknesses (Logan's is the most annoying with the me-protect-you schtick I'm no fan of) but they also display the maturity that indicates they'll likely grow out of them (and probably do so together) and end up stronger as a result.

The world building mostly worked, too, and the plot was well-paced and intricate enough to keep me engaged. This interacted well with Paige and Logan and gave their tender moments real poignancy and no small amount of charm. I bought their falling in love even as I bought their peril and struggles to both understand and protect each other. Shultz has a real talent with her main characters and I wish the rest of the cast had partaken even a fraction of their strength.

Indeed, if even a handful of supporting characters had even a whiff of depth to them, this would have been a clean four stars, no question. Unfortunately, while Paige and Logan are strong, this book has a really poor second string. It took me a while to realize it because Dottie is kind of quirky/cool (and we mostly see her in the first parts) but all of the secondary characters (yes, even Dottie) are shallow caricatures with a key attribute or two but never rising above those to become fully-realized individuals. This becomes painful in Paige's interactions with her parents. Her dad, in particular, is a clownish buffoon I mostly wanted to smack upside the head with the mighty clue-bat of wake-the-heck-up.

And don't get me started on Aiden (the bad guy) and Rego (the good guy, only, well...). Both chew the scenery any time they're on stage and neither one connected very well as foil or antagonist. Okay, I bought Aiden as a threat but he never amounted to much more than an elemental, Terminator-style relentless force to be opposed as best they may. But he was never a personality and his motives seemed opaque even when they were explicated. And if Rego doesn't turn out to be a villain in later installments, I'll eat my hat (my cake hat of chocolaty smoothness). This is so obvious, I'm a little embarrassed for Shultz as even if he turns out not to be a villain, she's telegraphed it so strongly that that will be an authorial misstep.

So yeah. I loved Paige and Logan and that saves this book from full-on disaster. I just wish they had the surrounding cast to actually shine...

[Dave Ciancio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Cara's writing since her "Spellbound" series has really taken a leap forward. Her ability to develop characters and story arcs is so good that you don't even think of it in that way until you're done with the book. The characters are believable, lovable and with very distinct personalities that help to deliver the tale of a world that the opposite of the one we live in.

While I loved Paige and Logan and their interactions, it was really the ensemble gathered around them that helps to deliver the nuances of the story. While you may only get a few moments with the erratic goofiness of the demon Ajax, or the cutesiness of a girl stuck of the 50s living in the modern world as hormonal pre-teen ghost like Dottie, it's these moments that make this a really fun and exciting adventure to be a part of.

The visuals that Cara's words create are so life like and vivid that you not only can see them in your mind but you will be living the story right along side of the characters. Of course it's not all love, swords and demons, Cara make sure there is always a good moment of clarity colored in by Paige's snarky and quick witted humor. It's as much Paige's coping mechanism as it is her way into, or out of, the hearts of others.

As I plowed through the story, I found myself creating moments in my own day where I could get in another chapter or even just a few more pages. I couldn't keep myself away it. You can bet the moment I can get my hands on the sequel, I'll be lost in The Dark World just like Logan and Paige.

[Melanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only thing I liked was Dottie. DNF at 23%

No full review/ DNF review but Larissa has already reviewed it very thoroughly on the blog here.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Here lies another author that I’ve wanted to read for a long time. Cara Lynn Shultz is known for her Spellbound series. It’s a well reviewed young adult paranormal series and one that I’ve wanted to read but, yeah… have never gotten around to (story of my life). So as soon as I saw that she had a new series coming out I jumped all over it. But it was that awesome synopsis that totally hooked me. A teenager that’s considered weird but the cute guy doesn’t think twice about it? Hmmm, tell me more…

Paige is one heck of a character. I absolutely love, love, love her!!! She is a well written teenager. First, in my opinion, I would have absolutely no qualms about letting my daughter read this book and think that Paige was a cool character. She’s intelligent, has a super sharp wit, but due to a selfless act on her part, Paige can see and talk to ghosts. Get caught talking to nothing but thin air and see if you can escape a reputation at school as a freak or trips to a psychiatrist. Ms. Shultz remembers to keep Paige written as a teenager so Paige fights with her parents, sneaks out of the house, and falls in love waaaay too fast. All signs of a typical teenager if you ask me.

Wait, did I say fall in love too fast? I’m probably getting way ahead of myself. Yes, there’s romance. But it really isn’t love at first sight, at least IMHO. Enduring the nasty kids in school gets a wee bit easier when she has the cute, quiet new boy, Logan, always asking to borrow pens and pencils from you. Turns out there is more to Logan than shyness and Cara learns this first hand throughout the book as she learns more about why she can see ghosts. I liked how his story ended up being complex and he ends up being almost more of a lead character than Paige herself. Makes me really want to know what happens next in Logan and Paige’s story – book two STAT!

Supporting characters in this story were okay. Most were just used to move the plot along or to introduce details about the Dark World. Two supporting characters stand out, though. Rego, Logan’s uncle, is a demanding military leader who drove me batty. My favorite supporting character, though, was Ajax! You just have to read about this junk food eating demon to understand the greatness of him. He is all sorts of fantastic and I need to see more of him in the next books.

Speaking of which, this series is appearing to be a trilogy so we will get closure soon – YAY!!

Being a first book in a trilogy, there is a lot of world building; basically a huge learning curve. So if you’re looking for a super tight storyline, you might be a wee bit disappointed with the loose setting up this book is doing for the other two books. Don’t get me wrong, there IS A plot, but you will have a cliffhanger at the end. Luckily, the cliffhanger didn’t bother me too much.

With plenty of action, a romance, and an ending that had so many unforeseen things happen, my head darn near exploded, I am on board for this series and will be recommending it for our library collection, as well ;)

Review appears on

[Farrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast-paced, action-packed, and adorably romantic read, The Dark World was a fantastic YA paranormal romance. I loved this book! The romance was sweet, the secrets were plenty, and the thrills were nonstop. I really enjoyed reading this wonderful book.

Paige was a lovely heroine. She was strong and determined not to let others' opinions bring her down. When faced with a new world full of danger, rather than hide away, she decided to stay and fight. My only issue wasn't with her as a character, but with how she became a Traveler. I assume it was because she died and was resuscitated, but would that mean that everyone who was ever brought back to life became a Traveler? Why was it only her? However, despite my skepticism, I thought she was a wonderful character. She was tough, clever, and very likable.

Logan was such a sweetie! I adored his character. He was just wonderful. He was very sweet, determined to do what he thought was right, and very protective of who he cared about. He also had a lot of secrets hidden in his past that were very surprising when they were revealed. They certainly added a greater depth to his character. I thought he was amazing and I totally adored him.

The romance was very sweet. Paige and Logan were adorable together. Despite hesitance and miscommunication, it was always obvious that they had feelings for each other and, when they finally admitted it, they were a lovely couple. I loved how devoted Logan was to Paige and how determined he was to keep her safe. But, it also went the other way around, with Paige intent on keeping Logan from harm and I thought that reciprocation was great. I thought they were perfect together.

The plot was fast paced and I was hooked the entire way through. There were tons of thrills and secrets that kept me on the edge of my seat. There was never a dull moment with all the demons around. Quick mention about the world-building. It was well done and created a very interesting world of demons and warlocks. It wasn't fully explained or explored, but I'm guessing we'll see more of it in the next book, especially with how this one ended. I really enjoyed the story and the ending has me excited for book 2. Can't wait to read it!

The Dark World was a brilliant YA paranormal romance. I absolutely loved this book! From the secrets, to the romance, to the endless thrills, this book was fantastic. YA lovers, this is a book you'll definitely want to read.

*I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Shera (Book Whispers) · Rating 3 out of 5]

****This book was received through Netgalley for an honest review.****

The Dark World was such a rush while I was reading it. Then after about a week from frantically finishing it, reality sunk in. The Dark World doesn't really have anything new to offer. And when I first started reading it I had thought to myself, “Oh, kind of like a rip off of the Greywalker series.” Where the main character dies and comes back with the ability to see ghosts and a connection to the Grey world. Yet . . . The Dark World was exactly what I needed it to be with just enough new.

First off no love triangle. Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!! Which is probably why I was so carried away with the romance! No stupid lead choices on who she should love. There's actual build-up!! Yes, no insta-love. There's actually time for Paige to develop feelings! While The Dark World isn't brave enough to wait and build-up into the next book, it's still a good step for the genre.

Paige is a strong character and while it's a normal plot for someone who can now see ghosts, I'm still satisfied. She had her fall into what she believed was madness, and then coped. She became stronger, and I love how Schultz wrote her flawed and relatable. Meaning Paige does have a personality! Once she realizes what is happening she even takes actions to become stronger and to preserve her life. Bravo.

The Dark World introduces readers to a slightly new twist on demons and their world, blending in the human world and magic users. Up front I will say it's pretty cliché for the genre. Paige is the “crazy” girl, her only friend is a ghost (Dottie who you have to meet!!!), falls for the demon slayer, is suddenly pulled into a world she's been trying to ignore, hunted, and blah-blah. Sometimes cliché is where the fun is. Because of decent world building and likable characters and humor this book was a hit with me. While it sucked me in immediately, readers my want to prepare to be bored for the first few chapters. Once things get rolling, it's all good.

Sexual Content: Kissing, clean make outs, sexual humor, and honestly it’s all really clean.

3/5- Adored it, just a few minor details held it back.

Originally reviewed at Book Whispers.

[Mairéad (is roaming the Undying Lands) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Stuck in high school for the rest of my natural life. Talk about hell.”

4 stars.

That's what it seems to be in regards to nearly ever YA story, but anyways.

The unfortunate thing is, I had some thoughts as I read this but I had nothing to write them so by now I've forgotten those point and would have to reread again. But either way, I thought this story was definitely a good one. Although all the possible YA clichés could have happened, but they didn't. In fact if anything it was really well executed.

There's no love triangle (although there were hints but that pretty much went out the window).

There's a justifiable reason for Paige's specialness.

There's the mysterious demonslayer Logan, but he truly and sincerely wins you over. Personally I thought he was adorable and exactly what I was looking for in a male lead (especially with all the jerkface possessive bad-boy ones, UGH).

I'm looking forward to the next one and see where this goes.

Definitely a major improvement from Shultz's first series.

“In the story of my life, that's where you cracked the spine of the book. The mark is there, forever tattooed on my narrative and I couldn't be happier.”

[Giselle · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Electronic Advanced Reader Copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review. Quotes have been pulled from an ARC and may be subject to change.

This was one book that had a very extensive world and I couldn’t help but love the alternative world that was so different from reality. The world no one can see or even get to, until Paige finally realizes what she can do. I understood how lonely she was and that having a power like seeing dead spirits can label one as a “freak.” I felt so bad for her but she’s not one to pine around about her lackluster social life. She has her best friend Dottie and that’s all she needs.

World building questions were revealed but there was one glaring question that wasn’t. How come she is a Traveler? Why did she suddenly have these powers that no one else has? I’m sure there are others like her. In comes the love interest, Logan who is a demon slayer. Someone who knows what he’s doing and ends up teaching her how to fight.

Lots of ooey-gooey romance scenes and not a whole lot of action. If paranormal romances are your thing, pick this one up, if it’s not, then it’s okay to pass.

[Kathy Horsman · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a paranormal story can mix not only human with other, but create a world where more than one race can coexist in a fascinating and creative way, you know you've hit the jackpot of books. The Dark World did that for me. Paige Kelly has been seeing ghosts since the day she saved a little boy from getting hit by a car and died herself for a short period of time. Of course everyone around her thinks she is nuts until a quiet but sexy boy comes to school named Logan Bradley. Now demons weren't trying to steal her to another realm and injuries weren't being racked up by the dozens before he came either but we can ignore that because of how awesome he turned out to be all around.

Paige was someone I could not only relate too but you wanted to root for throughout the story. I think everyone has had that moment in High School where you feel alone or isolated from your peers, even if you aren't really seeing ghosts, so she tugs at your heart strings multiple times. At the same time she's this girl who challenges that aura of weird by not being waylaid by taunts or snickers, she actually seems quite strong both inside and out which is rare to see in someone so tormented. Logan sees that in Paige and as a reader, I saw it too. It's one of the reasons their romance really made me a fan. These two had a level of respect towards each other that made me believe it was more than just teen puppy-dog love and that it could actually last. Their spark was also developed over the course of story and wasn't instant love. I always appreciate a romance that takes the time to ignite an interest and then nurture it into a full blown fire.

That time the author took to make the romantic relationship work between these two characters did sacrifice something on the action part of this book. There were several lulls in plot that were spent working out issues within Paige's head and also with the two of them together. For example after the first major fight between Aiden, the main protagonists, and the next real plot moving event seemed like a very long time. I know that it takes a lot of pages to create a believable love story and I can appreciate that but it just seemed to stop the world around them from growing and being moved along. That being said it didn't hinder me from loving the story. The world was fascinating and really stole from the normal New York City we know and built a crazy supernatural wonderland that created a unique story for these characters to run around fighting battles. A refreshing story about two young adults that are a great team is always a joy reading about and I am yearning for more from The Dark World!

Originally Posted: http://thebookblogattheendoftheuniver...

[Jena · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I absolutely adore this cover...not only do I love orange and pink and purple together but the cover honestly depicts exactly what is going on inside of those pages. Next, you can no idea how stoked I was when I found out Cara Lynn Shultz had another book coming out. I absolutely adored Spellbound and Spellcaster and was so bummed when I heard that there were no plans for more books in the near future because I adored that series. So when I heard about The Dark World, I knew I had to get my hands on it and read it because I love how Cara writes her books and let me tell you she did not disappoint in the littlest. I absolutely loved every little thing about The Dark Work and I could not put it down, I just wanted more and more!

Ever since Paige saved a little boy, she has been able to see and talk to ghosts...talk about being dealt an interesting hand. Unfortunately as cool as it is, it makes her parents and friends think she's crazy which hasn't made her life the easiest. Regardless of how everyone treats her though, Paige still holds her head high and doesn't take anyone's crap which I so admired about her.

Then there's Logan...oh sweetheart Logan, I just adored every part of him. He's so sweet and shy and protective, it was an amazing combo. See I'm one of those girls who likes the shy boys so when it came to Logan blushing...I was all about it. Plus I really like how his and Paige's relationship developed, it went at such a good pace and I cannot wait to see more of them! Plus I have some things I'm curious with about Logan ;).

I have to give a shout out to Ajax, you sexy little thing you. I definitely hope to see more good things from in the future.

Another thing, is that the world building in this book is fantastic. I love the lore of demons and warlocks combined plus adding ghosts and modern day NYC...crazy good! The end was semi-cliffy but at the same time not...it's hard to explain. I say that because it didn't really feel like an "end" to me. That's not a bad thing though...it just means I'm getting more Logan and Paige which makes me a very happy camper! Overall, this book had everything I wanted in a book. There were no wishy-washy feelings but a sexy and shy boy that I loved, a hero who kept her head up regardless of what life threw out her, amazing world building, and an overall adorable and completely enjoyable story. I absolutely loved it and cannot wait for the next one!

Find this review at Shortie Says

[Stacee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The plot line was fast paced, the characters were interesting and there were some really good swoons.

Paige is fun. She's smart and snarky and it was definitely entertaining to be inside of her head. I loved the way she dealt with things, whether it was her parents, BFF Dottie, or mean girl Pepper.

Enter Logan. And damn, what an entrance. He's funny, swoony, protective and a total champion for Paige. The scenes with the two of them were the best parts of the book because they're both so adorable.

There was a lot of action, some creepy demons and a delicious twist that I didn't see coming. The ending is a bit of a shock, but it makes the set up for book 2 so amazing. And I need it like now.

**Huge thanks to Harlequin Teen and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**

[caiseeᡣ᭡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

While the action scenes were quite exciting, the remainder of the book was slow and becoming all the more boring as I progressed.
I loved the characters though, all of them- even Pepper (especially Ajax, but I was disappointed when I found that he wasn't mentioned as much as I'd like him to be. And Paige's cat, Mercer- I adored that cat...)
I didn't finish this book, I stopped at page 272.

[Mai is a Happy Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Promising premise. Eye-rolling inner monologue. Cute love interest. Needs more action.
Terribly good cliffhanger.

[Jessica (a GREAT read) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this ARC from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, I was in no way compensated for this review.

Note: My apologies for the length of this review! Lately, I've been finding more and more to talk about the books I read and I like to point out why I loved them so! And that usually entails gushing about things like pacing, romance, characters, humor...and all that jazz!


I became intrigued with Cara Lynn Shultz's The Dark World when I saw it on Netgalley. The cover was just so eye-catching that I finally decided that I had to read it! In goes the request and thankfully in comes the acceptance! And I have to say that I am now a fan of Cara! She was a new to me author and now I must go get her previous books because I so, so enjoyed her writing style!

I don't even know where to begin...firstly, Paige is awesome! Three years ago, she rescued a child who was about to get hit by a car. She gets hit instead and died for a minute or two. She wakes up and now she can see ghosts. But the trouble always is telling whose a ghost and who's not. Naturally, talking to a person only you can see will lead people to think you're crazy and that's just the case here. Paige's parents are even worried about her mental stability. She changed schools and even repeated her sophomore year. But her new school isn't exactly better. The crowd there still teases and torments her.

Her only friend also happens to be a ghost. A girl who died in the 50s at the school. That's a hell of its own...being trapped in your high school forever, even after death! Dottie is a delight though! She is your typical giddy girl from the 50s lifestyle. Paige talks to her a lot in the third floor bathroom where Dottie died.

What makes Paige so great is that she doesn't care what people think of her. So everyone thinks her crazy? Big deal. And when Pepper and her droids start to tease her pretty horribly, she fights back with her own words! Yeah, Paige isn't the type to sit quietly and take the heat. And I loooove that about her. Her snarky attitude had me laughing out loud more than a few times! She just says things that I would think of even--granted, I might not be able to think of them as quickly as she does, but that's besides the point. I can't think of a good example, but there are just these random moments where she'll say something, like when she's mentally arguing with herself. We all do it! The voice in our head starts to say things and we'll either agree or disagree. Well, at this point Paige disagreed and and even calls the voice in her head, "voice in my head!"! Paige is simply, a delight!

And then there's Logan! Ohhh how this boy undid me. Why must these teenager boys be able to affect me so? I sooo needed these books like 10 years ago when I was a teen, then I won't feel skeevy for crushing on them (FYI, I'm in my 20s, so it's not totally skeevy!). Logan is a boy filled with mystery and secrets. First of all, he actually talks to Paige where no one else in the school, other than Dottie talks to her. He's always asking to borrow a pen in her class and she always gives him a pink sparkly one! Gotta love that girl!

And slowly, a friendship forms. For Logan isn't your ordinary guy. He knows things. Things that Paige only sort of knows. He's a demonslayer and it turns out Paige's special ability to see and talk to ghosts is very special indeed. And made even more rare once a few other secrets get revealed!

The romance between Logan and Paige was the nice, slow building kind and as you know, I always love that! No insta love here! And these two were just remarkable! There's some problems thrown at them along the way, when they finally get together and even then my heart is racing wondering what's going to happen between these two!

You might be wondering what else happens, since I've been pretty much raving about the book and the characters, humor and romance. Well, Paige's super, special powers make her a hot commodity for the demons in the Dark World. They come to her world looking to kidnap her and use her abilities for their own evil gain. Heavy stuff.

Cara has definitely captured my attention with this novel! So much so, that I am going to be looking for her previous books this weekend! Gotta check the stores before resorting to online ordering after all. The whole instant-satisfaction vs the waiting a few days. Needless to say, Cara's got a fan in me!

The ending was freaking awesome! I was near tears I tell you! I was thinking, how could Cara do this me? Get me soooo hooked with this book and then leave it like this?! But luckily, there was still one more chapter to go! While there is still bit of an intense ending, I wouldn't go saying it's a cliffhanger. There's a definite pause to the action, but there's still danger ahead...and behind and side to side! Yeah, things are still running high and intense, but there's enough of a pause, a moment where you can catch your breath and wait for the next book. And that's what I will be doing now!

Of course, I do need to go and buy Cara's other books. So I'll be waiting and reading those too until the next one comes out! Hopefully tomorrow! ;) (ha! I wish!)...(no, seriously, I wish!)


Overall Rating 5/5 stars


The Dark World releases May 27, 2014

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Info: Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Young Adult
Recommended for: fans of YA that are tired of love triangles, heroes that try to protect the heroine by hiding her away, and heroines that are annoying. Those who enjoy a good story with quirky and fun characters.
Trigger Warnings: violence, killing

My Thoughts: Holy cliffhangers, Batman! If you have a problem with cliffhangers, you will probably be enraged by this book, which ends on a significant cliffhanger, with no news as to when the next book in the series will be available, only that there will be another book. All I can say is that I hope it is written and released soon, because I desperately want to know what happens next.

Oh, yeah, I really enjoyed this book overall. There were a few problems—for example, “whom” is misused every single time it is used, and “mere” is seriously overused (such as “mere moments” or “mere inches” etc.). However, I really liked the characters. Ajax is just a hoot, and Paige's “I'm the weird girl and that's the way it is” attitude is so very similar to my attitude at that age, so I was really able to relate to her. It was really nice to have a heroine that was quirky and a bit strange; some of the things she came up with were hilarious. For example:

“...there was the little matter of me talking to people in the hospital that no one else could see. I went for brain scan after brain scan, tried little white pills, big blue pills, yellow pills—I tasted the rainbow when it came to pills—but the doctors couldn't find anything medically wrong with me.

Or:
A tall, dark-haired boy... stared after me curiously. He gave me a slow smile before turning his attention back to Miller. That smile sent chills racing down my arms, leaving gooseflesh in their wake, but not in a good way. It was less Mr. Sexypants and more Mr. Windowless Van.

I also loved that she was so willing to make fun of herself over Logan. It wasn't all drama-drama, weeping and moaning; she was willing to have fun with things and laugh at her own nonsense. For example:

He [Logan] wasn't wearing his baseball cap for once, and the day was bright, almost warm, so his face was bathed in a soft glow from the winter sun. Logan's normally shaded eyes looked a much lighter brown in the sun, and they crinkled up at the corners as he gave me an easy smile.

Are you deliberately screwing with me, sun? What's next? Is his smile going to sparkle as a bell-like “ding” chimes in the distance? Is a butterfly going to land on his shoulder? Give the boy a white horse and it's a wrap for poor Paige's heart.

Or:
I reached for my bag but Logan refused, insisting on carrying it. Because he just had to do perfect gentlemanly things that made me like him even more. That bastard.

I enjoyed Paige's relationship with her dad, despite his belief that she was crazy and talked to people who weren't there. His over protectiveness is on display in this scene:

Sure enough, a minute later my dad poked his head in just to check and see if we needed anything. Then he made sure the door was as wide open as possible. And tested the lock. And studied the hinges, possibly contemplating removing the door from the frame. And then he left. Probably to go collect his award for Most Embarrassing Dad of All Time That Ever Existed in the History of Everything.

I also liked that Logan didn't just try to keep Paige safe by hiding her away and protecting her, but actually was willing to help her learn how to defend herself. And it was really refreshing to have a young adult book without a love triangle. See, it can be done!

So, despite any faults, an enjoyable book, and the first book in a new series that I will definitely be following. Keep in mind the cliffhanger ending; if that sort of thing bothers you, you might want to wait until the next book is at least announced so you aren't left hanging! But if this sounds like your cup of tea, I definitely recommend it.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Paige Kelly is used to weird--in fact, she probably corners the market on weird, considering that her best friend, Dottie, has been dead since the 1950s. But when a fire demon attacks Paige in detention, she has to admit that things have gotten out of her league. Luckily, the cute new boy in school, Logan Bradley, is a practiced demon slayer—and he isn't fazed by Paige's propensity to chat with the dead. Suddenly, Paige is smack in the middle of a centuries-old battle between warlocks and demons, learning to fight with a magic sword so that she can defend herself. And if she makes one wrong move, she'll be pulled into the Dark World, an alternate version of our world that's overrun by demons—and she might never make it home.

[Liliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed on Lili Lost in a Book

Holy wow, you guys! This book = pure awesomeness! The concept was great and I just absolutely loved it!

So our main character Paige has the ability to talk to the dead. Now, this is a somewhat new ability she acquired after she was in an accident. And then, because her life wasn't weird enough, things get weirder. When Paige is attacked by a fire-wielding demon , she is saved by the new guy Logan... the mysterious, gorgeous Logan... *swoon* Ahem, where was I? Right. To Paige's surprise, Logan is actually a highly trained, super awesome demon slayer! Paige is suddenly thrust into this whole other world filled wit demons and warlocks... a world that is at war and sees Paige as the ultimate weapon. Luckily she's got Logan to protect her and teach her how to defend herself. But no one said it was going to easy...

Oh my gods, guys, Cara Lynn Shultz is AMAZING! First her Spellbound series, and now this piece of art? SO awesome! The story had lots of action, which I always love, many moments of sexual tension and sweet romance *swoon*, and it was just overall fun!

I really liked Paige... she was just so sassy and snarky with such a strong personality! She is so easy to relate to and, I don't know, you just cant help but like her! Logan, oh my gods! How swoon-worthy is this guy? He is so protective and sweet and gorgeous and a little bit arrogant, but it's all part of his charm! Loved him! And our supporting characters Dottie and Travis... they were awesome! :D

And then that plot twist with the demon... while it was shocking (I do love surprises), I felt that Paige was kinda overreacting. I mean, yeah he's a demon, but that doesn't mean that ALL demons are evil. You have Ajax who is totally awesome and so funny (really liked him, by the way) and not evil at all (well, not that we know of...).



Supernatural - Season 2, Episode 3: Bloodlust


Well said, Sammy! I had just watched the above episode of Supernatural when I was reading this book, and that scene just reminded me a lot of what Paige was going through with the demon. Not everything is in black and white, girly. There are shades of gray, that Dean and Sam actually learned about in this episode. And then I realized that I'd been watching too much Supernatural and that Paige's freak out was probably a normal reaction for someone who just found out about the existence of all these paranormal things. *sigh* Yeah, you could say...

Seriously, it's a problem! It's already taken over this review post! Gah! Please excuse my Supernatural brain...

Anyway, this book was amazingly awesome! I highly recommend this one! And holy mother of cliffhangers! I cannot believe that ending! I am so looking forward to reading the next book!

[J. Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are considering reading The Dark World, I must give you warning. The Dark World is a drug of Young Adult fiction. From the first couple of pages, I found myself drawn deeper and deeper into the world. Soon enough, I had the book at my side at all times. I was reading between classes, sneaking reading during classes, reading while eating, procrastinating on homework and staying up past my bedtime to keep the pages turning. Even after finishing the book (which, thankfully, only took two days), my thoughts drifted back to the novel - as they did during the hours in which I couldn't read. There's not many ways to put it, and it was like a lust demon hid within the pages to hypnotize me into submission. I was addicted. Completely hooked to the point of knowing what I liked, but not knowing why I liked it so much. What made The Dark World so intriguing to me?

Was it the plot, perhaps? The Dark World is the story of a teenage girl, Paige, who gets her eyes roughly opened. Not only are there demons and warlocks and "ghosts", but there's an entirely new world - parallel to our own - in which they stay. Unless, of course, they manage to cross over to our world. That's a cool concept, especially the dark world part. I mean, I've seen plenty of demons in fiction, but a creepy, underworld-esque version of New York only a painful portal trip away? Awesome. Not only is that basic logline pretty killer, but the pacing is great and twists keep coming. There was one particular moment that took me for surprise, but that's all I'll say about it. The novel succeeded in being a major page turner, but is that enough to feed the obsession I gained? Being as I'm not too much of a plot person, I don't think that's it.

It could have been the characters. Paige was definitely interesting. Again, an outcast protagonist isn't exactly new, but I can't say I've often seen a character gain this reputation because her ability to speak with spirits makes her seem insane. But what really sold me on enjoying her as a character is her personality in spite of that. Most YA outcasts tend to be filled with overwhelming angst and pent-up sexual aggression. I'm not saying that combination never works out, but it is refreshing to have an outcast who - despite a bit of social awkwardness and romantic insecurity - has a great sense of humor and a willingness to take the world head on. Her entertaining point of view only added to the story. Speaking of adding to the story, I can't write a review of The Dark World without at least mentioning Logan Bradley. I won't go into detail about this character because I'm writing a review and not a novel. However, I can assure that he's everything you're looking for in a fictional romantic interest and will very likely contribute to your increased disappointment in reality (which doesn't help with the addictive quality, that's for sure). Even the supporting characters, like Travis and Ajax, are very well-developed with unique personalities.

Of course, it is said that every story has already been told, and I am a firm believer that the majority of the story is in the way it's told. Fortunately, The Dark World is well written and highly entertaining. I laughed, I teared up, I swooned at every other thing that Logan said or did...the reading experience was an adventure in itself. The beginning was a bit cliche but it quickly gravitated away from that. (And all the swoony parts definitely didn't hurt.)

I suppose that it's most likely a combination of all these factors, as well as others, that had me devouring this novel like a good slice of NY pizza. I can easily recommend The Dark World to YA paranormal fans without question. Now, however, I have to get help for this minor obsession - or, at least, find a new fiction addiction to keep me occupied until book two.

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review and others are also available to read on my blog (with GIFs and proper HTML!):Diary of a Teen Writer.

I’m not sure where to begin with this one — this is a novel I think you’ll either like or you won’t. Honestly, I only picked this novel up because me and the author have a similar name . . . I mean really, who could resist that?? Otherwise, the plot wasn’t something I would usually go for these days, especially with the YA market in particular being saturated with paranormal. I considered giving The Dark World only one star, but I didn’t hate it. There were some redeemable factors. For example . . .

1) I really loved the main character.

Simply put, she was awesome. So okay, maybe I didn’t link her to begin with, but eventually as the novel progressed I found that I actually liked her. Yet my positives for the novel probably does end there. She was sarcastic, snarky, and didn’t always have to rely on Logan. The fact that she actually took the inititive to want to learn how to fight made me like her that much more. Perhaps she did fall for Logan too quickly for my liking, but overall, I thought she was a decent protagonist.

2) A solid writing style.

(For the most part, anyway.)

Shultz does have a solid writing style, I suppose, though there were points in the novel where I felt like her prose was a bit basic and bland. I felt like the author excelled in the area of making Paige a likeable and decent character, not prose. However, a pet hate of mine is when authors use exceptionally extravagant tags (can we just stick to ‘said’, please??) which bothered me a little to be honest. Of course, different dialogue tags can be used, but I feel like it’s always better to use them sparingly. Not in almost every piece of dialogue.

I always aim for some positive aspects to review in the novel, but I really didn’t feel as though there were anymore. There were a few things in particular that either a) bothered me for some reason, or b) just didn’t work.

1) At the end of the day, though, this novel was just published too late.

If I had read this a few years ago — when paranormal was at its peak — I would have enjoyed this a lot more. But because pretty much all readers are over paranormal novels, then it’s likely that this one isn’t going to be a hit. I wanted something new and different, but The Dark World failed to give me that. I got the same of demon and ghost story, sightly reminiscent of Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series. In saying that, I would be inclined to read the rest of the trilogy.

2) I didn’t feel as though Logan was a likeable love interest.

He was okay, but a bit . . . bland. There was an intriguing plot point toward the end of the novel in regards to his character (no spoilers, promise) which made me think he was slightly more interesting, but I couldn’t see why Paige was so infatuated with him. There wasn’t enough chemistry and feelings between them — and so, it felt forced and fake.

Overall: Not a bad read, just a bit dull and clichéd.

[Susana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arc provided by Harlequin Teen through Netgalley

Release Date: May, 27 th

An interesting beginning for a new series.

A well written story, with well developed characters, prone to make younger readers swoon.

This turned out to be a little different from what I was expecting, considering the book's summary. And its cover.

Truth is, this reads mostly as a YA romance novel.

Yes, it has paranormal elements that define the plot and the characters, but about eighty percent of this story is about Paige and Logan's relationship.

I had a phase in which I would read almost anything... as long as it had romance in it, lol.

I guess most amongst us has had that phase. Or is still living it! Nothing wrong with that.

If so, this is the right book for you!

However, it is also the right book for everyone who would like to read a well developed YA romance story, and for people who don't mind if the same doesn't deliver all it seemed to promise.

Basically, I can't help feeling that most jaded fantasy readers will feel that the paranormal aspect is a little too vague and not juicy enough for their tastes.

Yes, that's what I felt... as a jaded fantasy reader ;)

However the romance, and Paige's relationship with her parents, is so intelligently done that deserves stars on its own merit.

Truth is, in our days, _rule has it? _ most YA characters are portrayed as these obnoxious, stereotyped people, preferably with parents who are MIA.

Thankfully not in this story.

I keep saying this a lot. But, for me, it doesn't matter if I'm reading fantasy, things have to feel real enough!

Yes, Paige's best friend is a ghost, but her parents are around in her life, and they worry about her.

Paige starts to fall in love with a boy... her father wants to kill him, lol.

It tries to be a balanced story between a contemporary YA and paranormal adventures.

Does it succeed?

Partially. It could be better.

Yes. The world building foundations for this "Dark World" are here. But they feel somewhat incipient.

We get to see some of the Dark World players, and their hierarchy, so we are not completely in the dark on what is happening.

We are also given some history on the Dark World background that will help us follow the next volume.

Paige's friend, the ghost, could have been given a bigger role!

In the beginning when the story seems to be losing momentum, it was Dottie that made me keep reading it.

Bottom Line:

A story that I think would have benefited from a little more action and a somewhat faster pace. It has, however, the promise to be a beloved story to the right audience.

That means that despite my advanced age (lol), I'm curious to see what is going to happen in the next volume.

Cleverly done, Mrs Schultz. I was caught without even noticing it.

[Nemo (The ☾Moonlight☾ Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone thinks Paige Kelly is crazy, but the truth is that she can speak to ghosts, and when she’s attacked by a demon she finds out that’s not the weirdest part of her life. The boy who saves her, Logan, is a demon slayer, and he reveals Paige’s rare ability to open portals between the real world and the demonic Dark World, a gift that could get her killed unless he teaches her to protect herself from the demons coming after her.

The Dark World was a good novel, the type that I believe any paranormal romance lover will enjoy. The storytelling lacked a certain finesse and charged through the book with all the subtlety of a freight train, but made up for it by having a supremely awesome narrative voice. Paige is inherently snarky and witty, and her inner monologue sounds like your pretty average teen who can talk to ghosts and everyone thinks is insane but isn’t. I really enjoyed her snark, I found it quite refreshing. Paige wasn’t a bitch, but she was confident, even amongst all the bullying she received at the hands of the popular kids in her school.

Paige can’t help but be a special snowflake: not only is she extremely valuable as a portal opener, but she also killed a demon in her first tussle while highly-trained love interest Logan nearly died. Logan tells her again and again how awesome and amazing and wonderful she is, because of course she’s modest and self-depreciating and doesn’t quite grasp how special she is. It’s a stark contrast to Logan’s usual confident efforts, as he’s an experienced demon slayer as demonstrated later in the book. Paige actually does put work into learning to protect herself, and even though she’s special, she’s far from a Mary-Sue type character.

The romance with Logan was very sweet and nicely developed. It was overtly obvious from the first page he appeared on that he was going to be important, because he was the only person in the book that didn’t think Paige was crazy. After they got to know each other, this wasn’t really a problem. He was supportive and caring and loyal and protective, all swoon-worthy traits. It was nice to see him intimidated by Paige’s asshole of an overprotective, untrusting father as well. Logan was never snide or smarmy and he never tried to control Paige. He respected her, even though she was new to his world.

The Dark World is a strong novel that doesn’t deviate from the genre’s expectations and I would recommend it to paranormal lovers, or people who like to read about strong, confident non-Mary-Sue characters with a sweet romance.

Thanks to HarlequinTeen for providing an advanced reader copy for an honest review.

[S.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

World building in any YA novel that involves paranormal elements can be hard, and I find good world building to be hard to find. So when I picked up The Dark World I knew that there would have to be a very clear world because of the subject matter. And I am happy to say that Cara Lynn Shultz did an amazing job with her world and it is quite the awesome read :D

The Dark World is about a young girl named Paige who can talk to the dead. This fact is quite interesting for her because it allowed for the people around her to deem her mentally ill. I really liked this aspect of the book because it gave Paige another dimension to her character and it allows for readers to connect with her on a level that I don't would have happened if she was popular and undeterred by those around her. I loved that she was a shut in and loved to read and be by helrself because is who I am, and yet she still felt genuine and funny. She had some great one liners that had me laughing out loud at some points and that just made me love her more. The sarcasm will always make me love a character, and this one had plenty.

I mentioned world building earlier and I loved what Cara did in this book. she does not overload the reader with facts about this world, she lets us gradually get to know it, just like Paige has to. she also did a very smart thing and made this world an alternate dimension, this allows the reader to still be grounded in reality but with the option of another world. I loved this because it was so smart and it allowed us readers to find the familiar in a world that is very unlike our own.

I will warn that there is a love interest in this book, and honest I thought it was adorable and at times I really did enjoy their romance and relationship. But I did find that some of what happened to them was cliche and I found myself rolling my eyes. But still I loved Logan's character be cause he is so different from Paige and everything her world represents. I liked that he had his own secrets that were revealed throughout the book, and I liked how both and Paige and Logan dealt with those secrets and what they meant for both of them.

Overall The Dark World was a great paranormal read, I loved the characters, the world and the direction this series is going. I will say that there was a bit of a cliffhanger ending and you well know I really do not like them, but I will say it made sense for the series, but I still wish we had gotten a bit more resolution. That being said, I will wait anxiously for the next book in this series because it will be a must read for me!

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll start off by saying I’m a fan of Cassandra Clare’s books, so when I came across The Dark World I thought it would be a good fit. There are demonslayers, demons, warlocks, magic swords. Plus, the main character, Paige, already knows she’s got some paranormal stuff going on, so that’s a bonus. But when I finished reading, I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it. Don’t get me wrong, there are some really good things about this book. But there are things I could have done without.
First of all, I love Paige in the beginning. She’s a bit weird because of the whole seeing ghosts thing, but she seems okay with it. She could have been a bummer of a character, but instead she’s sarcastic and snarky, and she’s always good with a witty comeback. Paige seems like a character that’d be fun to hang with. And her best friend, Dottie, is such a cute character. I just wish we could have seen more of her. I really liked Logan & Paige together when they became friends. It seemed like a natural friendship, but then the author had to add some instant-love to the recipe. Don’t they know that relationships that start under intense circumstances never work (thank you Speed for that valuable tidbit)? Plus, there are two more books to this story, so now there will be more of Paige & Logan fighting to keep their relationship. Why couldn’t they stay friends and, you know, just fight some demons & stuff? It could have added more meaning to their actions instead of ‘I had to do it, because I love you.’
There are some good action sequences, and the variety of demons adds a little extra to the fighting. And I really loved that while I was reading The Dark World, I could see everything playing out like a movie in my head. So kudos to Cara Lynn Shultz! She also does a good job of balancing all the action with some quiet moments between characters. Shultz writes the dialogue in a way that puts you in the room while Paige & her mom talk about Logan, or makes you laugh at Paige talking to an invisible Dottie about other people in the same room.
Since it’s set in New York, I have a feeling The Dark World will inevitably be compared to The Mortal Instruments series. As a series, I can see some potential for entertainment. This first book is more of an introduction to the Dark World, so I can only hope, especially after the cliffhanger ending, that the next book will give us the grand tour.

[Shannelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dark World could have been something really epic, the plot guaranteed that. The characters didn’t.

I was never able to connect with Paige. After going through death but somehow reviving, she gained the ability to see ghosts, but that gets her the reputation of being crazy. She gets bullied for it, and she still manages to stay strong with a nice dose of sarcasm.

I was hoping for some sadness. I’ve gone through bullying, and it eats at you. It wasn’t realistic for her to be so strong and as nonchalant as she came off as. There were some pangs of sadness, but I would have liked a show of vulnerability. Bullying sucks, and no matter how tough you are, it’s going chip at you. You’re either going to feel resentful or embarrassed or bitter or something. Paige just stayed tough, and that just wasn’t realistic.

The romance with Logan was nice and sweet, and if there had been something in Paige that made me relate to the book, I would have found it a very nice and sweet romance. Logan respected Paige and treated her nicely. He even insisted on training Paige so these demons couldn’t hurt her (but of course, that didn’t really work on the actual demons). It’s just that there was nothing that had me emotionally invested in the story..

The plot was pretty meh. It picked up at the end, when some big things happened. But all in all, maybe due to my lack of interest in the main characters, I didn’t feel anything for the plot either.

It was a shame, really. I think it was very interesting to make the ghosts have something to do with the Dark World. That was a very nice detail, and the way the influence the Dark World had on the real world was very nicely added in. But I started being skeptical of it once I noticed a flaw.

If Dottie appears to Paige, it can be noticed by the people in the Dark World, and it draws them to Paige because they want her for a reason. I was expecting Logan to warn her to not call on Dottie anymore or for Dottie to not cross over anymore, because it’s a precaution. If it was something that occurred to me, I would have at least expected these big bad demon hunters to figure out.

Would I recommend it? No. But it wasn’t a bad read, and it was slightly entertaining, and I might read the sequel if I have a chance because that ending really picked up. For anyone who has a copy of the book, I hope you guys enjoy Paige far more than I did.