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Darkly
Arcadia “Dia” Gannon is obsessed with Louisiana Veda, the game designer whose creations and company, Darkly, have gained a cult-like following. Dia is shocked when she’s chosen for a highly coveted internship, along with six other teenagers from around the world. Darkly, once a game-making empire renowned for its ingenious and terrifying toys and games, now lies dormant after Veda’s mysterious death. The remaining games are priced like rare works of art, with some fetching millions of dollars at auction.
As Dia and her fellow interns delve into the heart of Darkly, they discover hidden symbols, buried clues, and a web of intrigue. Who are these other teens, and what secrets do they keep? Why were any of them really chosen? The answers lie within the twisted labyrinth of Darkly.
As Dia and her fellow interns delve into the heart of Darkly, they discover hidden symbols, buried clues, and a web of intrigue. Who are these other teens, and what secrets do they keep? Why were any of them really chosen? The answers lie within the twisted labyrinth of Darkly.
399 pages, Hardcover
First published November 26, 2024
498 people are currently reading
26229 people want to read
About the author
Marisha Pessl
6 books4,419 followersMarisha Pessl grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and now lives in New York City. Special Topics in Calamity Physics, her debut novel, was a bestseller in both hardcover and paperback. It won the 2006 John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize (now the Center for Fiction’s Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize), and was selected as one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by The New York Times Book Review. Her new novel, Night Film, comes out August 20, 2013.
Marisha's Facebook:
facebook.com/MarishaPesslOfficial
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,191 reviews
December 22, 2025
Oh boy! This book gives me serious Burtonesque vibes, with its alluring puzzles and mind-blowing, visionary world-building. The plot feels like games within games—complex, chaotic, and utterly captivating. As a reader, you want to dive into the challenges yourself and solve the intricate puzzles, but the pace is so fast, you have to be quick, agile, and a marathon reader just to keep up with Arcadia (or "Paradise" as Poe calls her) and the other six teenagers. And honestly, you might fail. Instead of pushing your brain to its limits, I suggest just sitting back and devouring the book, letting yourself get swept away by the experience without burning out!
I’m giving it four stars, though I’m conflicted. Marisha Pessl’s incredible world-building and game design deserve a perfect 10, but the character development held me back. The six other characters (and if you count Choke Newington, seven—an interesting name for someone caught in a bizarre love triangle, though there’s little romance here) felt defined more by their abilities than their emotional depth. I could barely differentiate between them. Poe, for example, left me with nothing but negative feelings, thanks to his arrogance and superiority. I didn’t connect with the characters or feel the camaraderie I expected from this ‘partners in crime’ type of story. That cost the book a star.
In Darkly, Arcadia "Dia" Gannon, a devoted fan of game designer Louisiana Veda, is shocked when she’s chosen for an exclusive internship at Darkly, the game-making empire once led by Veda before her mysterious death. Alongside six other teens from around the globe, Dia enters the dormant company where Veda’s intricate, terrifying creations have become rare, coveted artifacts. As the group uncovers hidden symbols, buried secrets, and intriguing puzzles within the labyrinth of Darkly, they begin to wonder why they were chosen—and what the true nature of this summer internship really is. In a chilling, immersive read by Marisha Pessl, these teens find themselves drawn into a dangerous game that may be the most twisted one yet.
The entire execution was gripping, and I’m crossing my fingers for a sequel to explore more unanswered questions in this universe.
The fast-paced trajectory, the missing boy mystery, the unrevealed past of Louisiana Veda and her traumatic childhood, the secrets behind Derringer Street, and the files with cryptic names—everything built up tension and kept me on the edge of my seat. The shocking conclusion and nonstop action made me want to dive back into this Darkly universe immediately. If I were younger, I’d definitely want to play Valkyrie!
Overall, I fell in love with this book and its dark, mesmerizing, multi-layered world. I need another book from Pessl ASAP!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press for sharing this remarkable YA mystery’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.
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I’m giving it four stars, though I’m conflicted. Marisha Pessl’s incredible world-building and game design deserve a perfect 10, but the character development held me back. The six other characters (and if you count Choke Newington, seven—an interesting name for someone caught in a bizarre love triangle, though there’s little romance here) felt defined more by their abilities than their emotional depth. I could barely differentiate between them. Poe, for example, left me with nothing but negative feelings, thanks to his arrogance and superiority. I didn’t connect with the characters or feel the camaraderie I expected from this ‘partners in crime’ type of story. That cost the book a star.
In Darkly, Arcadia "Dia" Gannon, a devoted fan of game designer Louisiana Veda, is shocked when she’s chosen for an exclusive internship at Darkly, the game-making empire once led by Veda before her mysterious death. Alongside six other teens from around the globe, Dia enters the dormant company where Veda’s intricate, terrifying creations have become rare, coveted artifacts. As the group uncovers hidden symbols, buried secrets, and intriguing puzzles within the labyrinth of Darkly, they begin to wonder why they were chosen—and what the true nature of this summer internship really is. In a chilling, immersive read by Marisha Pessl, these teens find themselves drawn into a dangerous game that may be the most twisted one yet.
The entire execution was gripping, and I’m crossing my fingers for a sequel to explore more unanswered questions in this universe.
The fast-paced trajectory, the missing boy mystery, the unrevealed past of Louisiana Veda and her traumatic childhood, the secrets behind Derringer Street, and the files with cryptic names—everything built up tension and kept me on the edge of my seat. The shocking conclusion and nonstop action made me want to dive back into this Darkly universe immediately. If I were younger, I’d definitely want to play Valkyrie!
Overall, I fell in love with this book and its dark, mesmerizing, multi-layered world. I need another book from Pessl ASAP!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press for sharing this remarkable YA mystery’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
medium.com
December 2, 2024
In 2006, Marisha Pessl’s debut novel, “Special Topics in Calamity Physics,” shot onto the scene as if it were propelled by a particle accelerator. Sparking a burst of publicity and praise, that comically bookish mystery established Pessl as one of the most imaginative young writers in America.
She followed “Special Topics” with a darker, more circuitous thriller called “Night Film,” which went spelunking through the life of a Hitchcockian filmmaker who traumatized his actors and his viewers. It was terrifyingly good fun.
Nobody is safe in a Pessl novel — readers included — but it’s safe to say she’s drawn a demonic pentagram around a small collection of familiar elements: a strange disappearance, a quirky narrator, a plucky gang of young sleuths and a haunting body of artistic work. Even in a pitch-black cellar, I’d know that the new book “Darkly” crawled out of Pessl’s infernally clever mind.
Like her previous novel, “Neverworld Wake,” her new book is being marketed for young adults, ages 12 and up. I’m so far up from 12 that I can’t see it without my bifocals, so I’ll take the fact that I enjoyed this story as a sign of its virtuosity and my essential youthfulness.
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
She followed “Special Topics” with a darker, more circuitous thriller called “Night Film,” which went spelunking through the life of a Hitchcockian filmmaker who traumatized his actors and his viewers. It was terrifyingly good fun.
Nobody is safe in a Pessl novel — readers included — but it’s safe to say she’s drawn a demonic pentagram around a small collection of familiar elements: a strange disappearance, a quirky narrator, a plucky gang of young sleuths and a haunting body of artistic work. Even in a pitch-black cellar, I’d know that the new book “Darkly” crawled out of Pessl’s infernally clever mind.
Like her previous novel, “Neverworld Wake,” her new book is being marketed for young adults, ages 12 and up. I’m so far up from 12 that I can’t see it without my bifocals, so I’ll take the fact that I enjoyed this story as a sign of its virtuosity and my essential youthfulness.
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
February 2, 2025
***SPOILERS HIDDEN***
The title of this young-adult book doesn’t refer to its feel, although it is dark. Darkly is about a sinister game called Valkyrie, and “Darkly” is the name of the now-defunct game company that produced it. It’s a board game that’s one in a collection of twenty-nine games that are widely known and wildly popular—but they’re nothing like Monopoly and Chutes and Ladders. These are strange escape room–board game hybrids: A physical element dumps players into terrifying fantasy situations that they must escape to win the game.
Darkly follows seventeen-year-old Arcadia Gannon, one of seven lucky teenagers chosen to participate in a highly secretive, one-of-a-kind competition involving Valkyrie. Interestingly, Marisha Pessl described the pieces and game board intricately but not the game mechanics. It turns out this was intentional; the game is supposed to confuse the main character. And through this character Pessl indicated that the reader is supposed to be confused too. What’s clear is that the protagonist is playing inside a nightmare, running in different winding directions, eluding a witch while trying to solve Valkyrie with too-few clues. However, without clarity on how the game is played, it’s impossible to fully appreciate what she does. It’s also hard for the dangers to feel actually dangerous. The game is all creepy and scary moments, but I never felt scared despite having a low tolerance for horror.
Although Darkly’s concept is cool, it needed an extra 200 pages. It’s under-developed especially where it concerns the elusive genius founder of Darkly, the late Louisiana Veda. One of Darkly’s mysteries concerns this character, and her messy backstory reveals itself in pieces throughout so that they eventually snap together to form a complete portrait of a strange woman. However, she stays an enigma—and a caricature. Pessl accentuated Louisiana’s mysterious qualities, making her an untouchable, god-like figure even though plot details hint at her humanity: that she was a reclusive and alternative gifted person lugging around heavy psychological baggage. She was also ahead of her time as a female founder of a hugely successful company, as one character mentions, but only once, and only in passing. That’s too important a point to have left unexplored, an ideal opportunity to dramatically humanize her. Revelations about this founder’s past are shocking but not in a way I felt; they simply meet the definition.
This is Pessl’s fourth novel and second young-adult offering. It’s the weakest of the four, with cardboard characters, most of whom have ridiculous names (a Pessl trademark) like “Choke” and “Poe.” These names, along with dialogue, are supposed to work as characterization. But the names are distracting, and Pessl has a tin ear for teen speech and an out-of-touch understanding of how teen groups interact. The young characters in all her books often express themselves too precisely, and they tend to display—without hesitation—a wide, well-read knowledge that, for their age and generation, leans strongly niche. A rare knowledge-hungry bookworm member of Gen Z might be familiar with Little Lord Fauntleroy, but the vast majority of today’s teenagers wouldn’t have the faintest clue—nor would they necessarily let on if they did, or start speaking Latin, or reference Citizen Kane, when conversing with their teen peers. Description in Darkly is also often irritatingly bad. Pessl’s similes in particular are almost always tortured, usually either oddly specific to a cringe-worthy degree (“Working alongside Poe and only Poe for the entire summer would be the equivalent of being a pebble of moon rock in orbit around Alpha Centauri”) or sloppily inexact (“ . . . the limestones are stained black like mascara after a century-long sob”).
One of Darkly’s positive traits, though, is in how its four mysteries unfold. Pessl was methodical and made sure the book is gripping and unpredictable. As she did in Night Film, she told part of the story via media at the start of some chapters (specifically photos and [too-lyrically written] letters, a much sparer range than what’s in Night Film). Pessl doesn’t spoon-feed readers in any of her books, and plenty of plot points in Darkly aren’t straightforward. The letters are just one example: They might look decorative, but they offer details that fatten the story.
Even better is the ominous atmosphere. Innovative Louisiana isn’t fleshed out, but she has a dark allure. The seven teenagers—who may or may not be what they seem—are sequestered on a deserted island, housed in cabins that offer a view of the foreboding Darkly factory and the choppy sea. The book could be described as horror with its descriptions of the long-abandoned dilapidated factory and the gothic, equally dilapidated, former home of Louisiana. These are mournful haunted-house–like places that the teens explore multiple times. Nevertheless, a few specifics really beggar belief: Pessl was more careful with suspension of disbelief in Night Film, and it feels as if she made Darkly a young-adult novel because that category forgives more. Her ability to craft complex wild and alternative plots makes her unusual and more talented than many other authors. However, when her creativity gets really wacky, as it does in this book, her stories require too-generous suspension of disbelief.
Sadly, even though Darkly shows off Pessl’s talents, its lack of development in important areas means it’s only slightly above average overall. It’s maybe a stand-out in its category of young adult—but it had potential to be a masterpiece for an adult readership. Expecting readers to be comfortable with never understanding exactly how the games work is asking too much. The eerie atmosphere and surreal visuals relieve some of that frustration, however, and Darkly’s mysteries remain compelling throughout lots of scenes. Pessl’s writing needs improvement, but her unique plot ideas and odd imagination do keep her a favorite author of mine.
The title of this young-adult book doesn’t refer to its feel, although it is dark. Darkly is about a sinister game called Valkyrie, and “Darkly” is the name of the now-defunct game company that produced it. It’s a board game that’s one in a collection of twenty-nine games that are widely known and wildly popular—but they’re nothing like Monopoly and Chutes and Ladders. These are strange escape room–board game hybrids: A physical element dumps players into terrifying fantasy situations that they must escape to win the game.
Darkly follows seventeen-year-old Arcadia Gannon, one of seven lucky teenagers chosen to participate in a highly secretive, one-of-a-kind competition involving Valkyrie. Interestingly, Marisha Pessl described the pieces and game board intricately but not the game mechanics. It turns out this was intentional; the game is supposed to confuse the main character. And through this character Pessl indicated that the reader is supposed to be confused too. What’s clear is that the protagonist is playing inside a nightmare, running in different winding directions, eluding a witch while trying to solve Valkyrie with too-few clues. However, without clarity on how the game is played, it’s impossible to fully appreciate what she does. It’s also hard for the dangers to feel actually dangerous. The game is all creepy and scary moments, but I never felt scared despite having a low tolerance for horror.
Although Darkly’s concept is cool, it needed an extra 200 pages. It’s under-developed especially where it concerns the elusive genius founder of Darkly, the late Louisiana Veda. One of Darkly’s mysteries concerns this character, and her messy backstory reveals itself in pieces throughout so that they eventually snap together to form a complete portrait of a strange woman. However, she stays an enigma—and a caricature. Pessl accentuated Louisiana’s mysterious qualities, making her an untouchable, god-like figure even though plot details hint at her humanity: that she was a reclusive and alternative gifted person lugging around heavy psychological baggage. She was also ahead of her time as a female founder of a hugely successful company, as one character mentions, but only once, and only in passing. That’s too important a point to have left unexplored, an ideal opportunity to dramatically humanize her. Revelations about this founder’s past are shocking but not in a way I felt; they simply meet the definition.
This is Pessl’s fourth novel and second young-adult offering. It’s the weakest of the four, with cardboard characters, most of whom have ridiculous names (a Pessl trademark) like “Choke” and “Poe.” These names, along with dialogue, are supposed to work as characterization. But the names are distracting, and Pessl has a tin ear for teen speech and an out-of-touch understanding of how teen groups interact. The young characters in all her books often express themselves too precisely, and they tend to display—without hesitation—a wide, well-read knowledge that, for their age and generation, leans strongly niche. A rare knowledge-hungry bookworm member of Gen Z might be familiar with Little Lord Fauntleroy, but the vast majority of today’s teenagers wouldn’t have the faintest clue—nor would they necessarily let on if they did, or start speaking Latin, or reference Citizen Kane, when conversing with their teen peers. Description in Darkly is also often irritatingly bad. Pessl’s similes in particular are almost always tortured, usually either oddly specific to a cringe-worthy degree (“Working alongside Poe and only Poe for the entire summer would be the equivalent of being a pebble of moon rock in orbit around Alpha Centauri”) or sloppily inexact (“ . . . the limestones are stained black like mascara after a century-long sob”).
One of Darkly’s positive traits, though, is in how its four mysteries unfold. Pessl was methodical and made sure the book is gripping and unpredictable. As she did in Night Film, she told part of the story via media at the start of some chapters (specifically photos and [too-lyrically written] letters, a much sparer range than what’s in Night Film). Pessl doesn’t spoon-feed readers in any of her books, and plenty of plot points in Darkly aren’t straightforward. The letters are just one example: They might look decorative, but they offer details that fatten the story.
Even better is the ominous atmosphere. Innovative Louisiana isn’t fleshed out, but she has a dark allure. The seven teenagers—who may or may not be what they seem—are sequestered on a deserted island, housed in cabins that offer a view of the foreboding Darkly factory and the choppy sea. The book could be described as horror with its descriptions of the long-abandoned dilapidated factory and the gothic, equally dilapidated, former home of Louisiana. These are mournful haunted-house–like places that the teens explore multiple times. Nevertheless, a few specifics really beggar belief: Pessl was more careful with suspension of disbelief in Night Film, and it feels as if she made Darkly a young-adult novel because that category forgives more. Her ability to craft complex wild and alternative plots makes her unusual and more talented than many other authors. However, when her creativity gets really wacky, as it does in this book, her stories require too-generous suspension of disbelief.
Sadly, even though Darkly shows off Pessl’s talents, its lack of development in important areas means it’s only slightly above average overall. It’s maybe a stand-out in its category of young adult—but it had potential to be a masterpiece for an adult readership. Expecting readers to be comfortable with never understanding exactly how the games work is asking too much. The eerie atmosphere and surreal visuals relieve some of that frustration, however, and Darkly’s mysteries remain compelling throughout lots of scenes. Pessl’s writing needs improvement, but her unique plot ideas and odd imagination do keep her a favorite author of mine.
April 25, 2025
**3.5-stars rounded up**
💙💜💙💜💙💜💙💜💙💜💙💜💙💜💙
In Darkly, Marisha Pessl introduces the Reader to the interestingly-mad world of an eccentric and infamous game designer, Louisiana Veda.
If you've read Pessl's novel Night Film, you're already aware of how well she can create an aura around a mysterious character. I'm looking at you, Cordova.
Our MC is a teenage girl, Dia Gannon, who submits an application for a coveted-internship with Veda's gaming company, Darkly. Her application feels like a failure, so Dia is shocked when she discovers she's been selected for one of the highly-competitive 7-positions.
Darkly, well-known for it's darkly ((pun intended)) ingenious game designs, has laid dormant since its founder's, Louisiana's, bizarre death. The Darkly games that remain are so prized, they can go for millions at auction.
As the teens start their internships, more questions are revealed than answered. What even are these internships about, and why were these specific candidates selected?
The entire narrative turns into a puzzle, with Dia struggling to piece everything together. The stakes feel high, the atmosphere ripe with danger, but why?
It's all part of the mystery of Darkly.
I enjoyed my time with Darkly. It's a story I would consider reading again. I feel if my brain hadn't been so fried by the holidays, I could've even enjoyed it even more.
There's no denying Pessl's insane-levels of creativity and I did enjoy the overall mysterious tone of this book. While I feel like my brain may have missed some of the finer details, I can still appreciate the level of attention that must of been required in Pessl's execution of this story.
It's not my favorite of her work, but a solid read nonetheless.
If you enjoy puzzle-driven stories, I feel you could love this. The characters are smart, driven and interesting. I loved the action, setting and the intrigue of Louisiana Veda definitely kept me turning the pages.
Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I look forward to seeing what other Readers think of Darkly and anticipate whatever Pessl writes next!
💙💜💙💜💙💜💙💜💙💜💙💜💙💜💙
In Darkly, Marisha Pessl introduces the Reader to the interestingly-mad world of an eccentric and infamous game designer, Louisiana Veda.
If you've read Pessl's novel Night Film, you're already aware of how well she can create an aura around a mysterious character. I'm looking at you, Cordova.
Our MC is a teenage girl, Dia Gannon, who submits an application for a coveted-internship with Veda's gaming company, Darkly. Her application feels like a failure, so Dia is shocked when she discovers she's been selected for one of the highly-competitive 7-positions.
Darkly, well-known for it's darkly ((pun intended)) ingenious game designs, has laid dormant since its founder's, Louisiana's, bizarre death. The Darkly games that remain are so prized, they can go for millions at auction.
As the teens start their internships, more questions are revealed than answered. What even are these internships about, and why were these specific candidates selected?
The entire narrative turns into a puzzle, with Dia struggling to piece everything together. The stakes feel high, the atmosphere ripe with danger, but why?
It's all part of the mystery of Darkly.
I enjoyed my time with Darkly. It's a story I would consider reading again. I feel if my brain hadn't been so fried by the holidays, I could've even enjoyed it even more.
There's no denying Pessl's insane-levels of creativity and I did enjoy the overall mysterious tone of this book. While I feel like my brain may have missed some of the finer details, I can still appreciate the level of attention that must of been required in Pessl's execution of this story.
It's not my favorite of her work, but a solid read nonetheless.
If you enjoy puzzle-driven stories, I feel you could love this. The characters are smart, driven and interesting. I loved the action, setting and the intrigue of Louisiana Veda definitely kept me turning the pages.
Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I look forward to seeing what other Readers think of Darkly and anticipate whatever Pessl writes next!
October 28, 2024
I really relished the intricate mythology underpinning Marisha Pessl’s gloriously gothic, utterly gripping story. It centres on a crime linked to now-legendary Louisiana Veda who died in suspicious circumstances - decades before this opens. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Veda drew on her art-school training to produce a series of elaborate, macabre board games collectively known as the Darkly series, many of which required players to undertake real-world tasks. One game was considered so dangerous it was banned. Now Veda’s handmade prototypes sell for millions on the art market. But the details of reclusive Veda’s life remain shadowy at best. Veda’s become an iconic, controversial, Plath-like figure, her legacy fiercely contested. 17-year-old Arcadia (Dia) Gannon is a diehard fan and now she’s been selected from thousands to travel from home in Missouri to England to intern for the Louisiana Veda Foundation. On arrival Dia’s whisked away, along with six other teens, to the private island where Veda once lived and her games were manufactured. Their task to solve a possible crime that involves playing “Valkyrie” her perilous, final game, one that was never officially released but has somehow claimed its first victim.
Pessl’s novel, with its remote island and limited cast, operates rather like a vintage Agatha Christie mystery. And like Christie’s crime novels this is less about character development than it is plot and world-building. There are echoes of Poe and Daphne Du Maurier detectable here and there too which add to an underlying sense of unease. Pessl interrupts the action with reproductions of enigmatic letters and photos, tantalising clues to events in Veda’s past - and to what’s happening to Dia and her fellow interns in the present. Pessl’s narrative could feel overly ornate at times but it’s laced with inventive flourishes: from recreations of Victorian seances to the menacing, masked figure who seems to be haunting the island. The final reveal – and the minor romantic subplot – didn’t totally work for me but otherwise this was eerily atmospheric, consistently intriguing and incredibly entertaining.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Walker Books for an ARC
Pessl’s novel, with its remote island and limited cast, operates rather like a vintage Agatha Christie mystery. And like Christie’s crime novels this is less about character development than it is plot and world-building. There are echoes of Poe and Daphne Du Maurier detectable here and there too which add to an underlying sense of unease. Pessl interrupts the action with reproductions of enigmatic letters and photos, tantalising clues to events in Veda’s past - and to what’s happening to Dia and her fellow interns in the present. Pessl’s narrative could feel overly ornate at times but it’s laced with inventive flourishes: from recreations of Victorian seances to the menacing, masked figure who seems to be haunting the island. The final reveal – and the minor romantic subplot – didn’t totally work for me but otherwise this was eerily atmospheric, consistently intriguing and incredibly entertaining.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Walker Books for an ARC
December 3, 2024
I'm a huge Marisha Pessl fan. This was easily my most anticipated book of the year and unfortunately this one just didn't hit for me.
December 26, 2024
Marisha Pessl is now (apparently) writing dark academia tinged YA. I have been quite tired of both YA and dark academia for a while, but I liked a previous book by Pessl and I was in the mood for a more high-brow (ah! I thought it would be) take on s0mething like the The Inheritance Games. With board games and it sounded good enough to me.
But it was bad: the plot makes no sense in many ways (it flirts with supernatural but without these characters really having a think on if this is a real world game, who sets up things, who manages those things, who pays for things? A radio always transmitting game instruction? Worldwide, all the time? What about frequency, ranges, all that. I mean if a Valkyrie shows up who judges if the game was completed and what are the mechanics and why not approach it from that end rather than thinking the game must actually be played? Oh DNA test, where would you even get Louisiana's DNA?). The ending is a kind of a classic riff (I have read Possession thank you very much, and I would recommend it instead a thousand times) but even that ends limply. Our teenagers do not feel like teenagers all (rich privileged 17 year old has tacky tattoo! Dia who does not own a car in the USA arrives in Britain and is confidently driving vans, manual transmission probably, up and down. Worst of all, at the end of this nobody seems to have plans to go to university or school again, even presumably wealthy Nigerian boy...) and they seem quite blank, stereotypical whenever necessary. Dia is the one with all the good ideas anyway, except love interest who shows his worthiness as love interest by being hot, rich, having a special nickname for her and being chief assistant to her. And it ended up not being smart at all, or knowledgeable, often it was wrong, off in ways the author seemed unaware of (or chose to not make it about the POV being unreliable) - cheesy weird names (Poe Valois III the rich french kid who must have had 2 other generations named "Poe" in France, Mouse Bonetti the nigerian kid, Everleigh the icelandic kid, Wood Raiden the respectable old british barrister), cheesy anglicisms ("before you’re tossed to the rocks like an empty can of Vimto fizzy") but at the same time "Mrs. Grenfell" and it seems everybody calls her that is the wife of "long-standing member of the House of Lords". (In fact this book is so stupid in so many details I am mentally revisiting my memories of what I read of hers previously).
It had nice pace, the writing is professional and it is a type of story. The YA theme might have been a commercially motivated decision, the YA plots and details seem joyless - there is no spark to these teenager crushes or much angst about friendships and all nor do they feel like teenagers at all. It made me appreciate a lot more some books which unabashedly revell on this type of cheesy plots and YA love triangles and somehow make it work much more effortlessly.
But it was bad: the plot makes no sense in many ways (it flirts with supernatural but without these characters really having a think on if this is a real world game, who sets up things, who manages those things, who pays for things? A radio always transmitting game instruction? Worldwide, all the time? What about frequency, ranges, all that. I mean if a Valkyrie shows up who judges if the game was completed and what are the mechanics and why not approach it from that end rather than thinking the game must actually be played? Oh DNA test, where would you even get Louisiana's DNA?). The ending is a kind of a classic riff (I have read Possession thank you very much, and I would recommend it instead a thousand times) but even that ends limply. Our teenagers do not feel like teenagers all (rich privileged 17 year old has tacky tattoo! Dia who does not own a car in the USA arrives in Britain and is confidently driving vans, manual transmission probably, up and down. Worst of all, at the end of this nobody seems to have plans to go to university or school again, even presumably wealthy Nigerian boy...) and they seem quite blank, stereotypical whenever necessary. Dia is the one with all the good ideas anyway, except love interest who shows his worthiness as love interest by being hot, rich, having a special nickname for her and being chief assistant to her. And it ended up not being smart at all, or knowledgeable, often it was wrong, off in ways the author seemed unaware of (or chose to not make it about the POV being unreliable) - cheesy weird names (Poe Valois III the rich french kid who must have had 2 other generations named "Poe" in France, Mouse Bonetti the nigerian kid, Everleigh the icelandic kid, Wood Raiden the respectable old british barrister), cheesy anglicisms ("before you’re tossed to the rocks like an empty can of Vimto fizzy") but at the same time "Mrs. Grenfell" and it seems everybody calls her that is the wife of "long-standing member of the House of Lords". (In fact this book is so stupid in so many details I am mentally revisiting my memories of what I read of hers previously).
It had nice pace, the writing is professional and it is a type of story. The YA theme might have been a commercially motivated decision, the YA plots and details seem joyless - there is no spark to these teenager crushes or much angst about friendships and all nor do they feel like teenagers at all. It made me appreciate a lot more some books which unabashedly revell on this type of cheesy plots and YA love triangles and somehow make it work much more effortlessly.
November 26, 2024
It has been awhile since I've read a book by Marisha Pessl, but I loved Night Film, Special Topics in Calamity Physics and Neverworld Wake so I was excited to delve into this one.
Description:
What would you kill for?
When an ad for an internship with the Louisiana Veda Foundation poses this question, seemingly every high school student in the country rushes to apply. Arcadia “Dia” Gannon has been obsessed with Louisiana Veda, the late game designer whose obsessive creations have attained a cultlike status, ever since she and her mom played Disappearing Act—but Dia has never won anything in her life. So she’s shocked when she’s chosen as an intern, along with six other teenagers from around the world.
Little is known about Louisiana Veda. Her game-making empire, Darkly, was renowned for its ingenious, terrifying toys and games, rife with hidden symbols and secrets. But after Veda’s mysterious death, Darkly went bankrupt, and production was discontinued. The remaining games are priced like highly sought-after works of art, with the rarest and most notorious items commanding tens of millions of dollars at auction.
Now the interns are thrust into the enigmatic heart of Louisiana Veda’s operation, and Dia immediately questions everything: Who are these other kids? Why do they all seem to have something to hide? And why was she really chosen? It soon becomes clear that this summer will be the most twisted Darkly game of all.
My thoughts:
My goodness Marisha Pessl has such a creative mind. This book showcases a dark game creator who is a legend, Louisiana Veda. She was very secretive and not a lot was known about her. When Arcadia "Dia" Gannon arrives on the private island with the other interns and they start delving into the Valkyries game, clues are found and little by little some secrets are uncovered. This was so much fun following the interns in their quest. There are some harrowing situations and it get scary at times, but Dia is determined and she has remarkable intuition in ferreting out information. Great inventive plot and some wonderful characters. Anyone who enjoys games and mysteries will love this book.
Thanks to Random House Children's | Delacorte Press through Netgalley for an advance copy.
Description:
What would you kill for?
When an ad for an internship with the Louisiana Veda Foundation poses this question, seemingly every high school student in the country rushes to apply. Arcadia “Dia” Gannon has been obsessed with Louisiana Veda, the late game designer whose obsessive creations have attained a cultlike status, ever since she and her mom played Disappearing Act—but Dia has never won anything in her life. So she’s shocked when she’s chosen as an intern, along with six other teenagers from around the world.
Little is known about Louisiana Veda. Her game-making empire, Darkly, was renowned for its ingenious, terrifying toys and games, rife with hidden symbols and secrets. But after Veda’s mysterious death, Darkly went bankrupt, and production was discontinued. The remaining games are priced like highly sought-after works of art, with the rarest and most notorious items commanding tens of millions of dollars at auction.
Now the interns are thrust into the enigmatic heart of Louisiana Veda’s operation, and Dia immediately questions everything: Who are these other kids? Why do they all seem to have something to hide? And why was she really chosen? It soon becomes clear that this summer will be the most twisted Darkly game of all.
My thoughts:
My goodness Marisha Pessl has such a creative mind. This book showcases a dark game creator who is a legend, Louisiana Veda. She was very secretive and not a lot was known about her. When Arcadia "Dia" Gannon arrives on the private island with the other interns and they start delving into the Valkyries game, clues are found and little by little some secrets are uncovered. This was so much fun following the interns in their quest. There are some harrowing situations and it get scary at times, but Dia is determined and she has remarkable intuition in ferreting out information. Great inventive plot and some wonderful characters. Anyone who enjoys games and mysteries will love this book.
Thanks to Random House Children's | Delacorte Press through Netgalley for an advance copy.
October 14, 2024
"Darkly" is a beautifully crafted novel that immediately draws you in. Its intricate storytelling weaves a captivating tapestry of mystery, leading you into a world where every subtle hint promises a rich and complex narrative waiting to be discovered. This book is an adventure.
The captivating cover and skillful execution make this story truly remarkable. The fast-paced plot immerses you in the mystery of a missing boy, Louisiana Veda's mysterious past and troubled upbringing, the ominous Derringer Street, and the enigmatic layers of secrets, all building an atmosphere of escalating suspense. Each twist and turn will keep you spellbound. The conclusion, coupled with all the tension and relentless action, will leave you eager to delve back into the mesmerizing world of "Darkly." I already miss it.
I will say that the integration of the game within the narrative adds an enthralling layer, making it one of the novel's standout features. Perhaps my favorite part!! The games are depicted so vividly that you'll wish to experience them yourself, evoking the allure of a "secret club" and casting an enchanting spell over the story.
My only con is that I still have questions and wish for a little more from the ending. The twists were great, but maybe another chapter before the "epilogue" would have bumped this into a five-star read for me. Despite this, this book is still incredible, and I hope it reaches a wide audience. Despite this being more YA, I do not doubt that many will absolutely devour this book. I know; I'll definitely be reading more from Pessl.
4.25 -4.5 stars, but rounding down.
🖤✨
Thank you to the publishers at Random House for providing me with this ARC—all thoughts are my own. Be sure to dive into "Darkly"—you won't be disappointed. It was such a fun and unique read! The publication date is expected to be November 26, 2024.
The captivating cover and skillful execution make this story truly remarkable. The fast-paced plot immerses you in the mystery of a missing boy, Louisiana Veda's mysterious past and troubled upbringing, the ominous Derringer Street, and the enigmatic layers of secrets, all building an atmosphere of escalating suspense. Each twist and turn will keep you spellbound. The conclusion, coupled with all the tension and relentless action, will leave you eager to delve back into the mesmerizing world of "Darkly." I already miss it.
I will say that the integration of the game within the narrative adds an enthralling layer, making it one of the novel's standout features. Perhaps my favorite part!! The games are depicted so vividly that you'll wish to experience them yourself, evoking the allure of a "secret club" and casting an enchanting spell over the story.
My only con is that I still have questions and wish for a little more from the ending. The twists were great, but maybe another chapter before the "epilogue" would have bumped this into a five-star read for me. Despite this, this book is still incredible, and I hope it reaches a wide audience. Despite this being more YA, I do not doubt that many will absolutely devour this book. I know; I'll definitely be reading more from Pessl.
4.25 -4.5 stars, but rounding down.
🖤✨
Thank you to the publishers at Random House for providing me with this ARC—all thoughts are my own. Be sure to dive into "Darkly"—you won't be disappointed. It was such a fun and unique read! The publication date is expected to be November 26, 2024.
February 6, 2025
ok let me spare you a long, boring, and confusing read. the plot makes no sense, the characters are confusing, and the book is overall poorly written. idk, maybe I'm just not smart enough for all the references and connections lol...the characters were so pick me it hurtsss ahh! it took forever to get thru...would not recommend. which stinks bc the premise is sooo cool and i was really looking forward to a nice dark academia vibe ☹️
November 16, 2024
Darkly is Marisha Pessl’s latest offering and one I was very much looking forward to since her book Night Film is my favorite book ever.
This is the author’s first new novel in nearly seven years, and her second young adult story. I was thoroughly interested by the premise, which reminded me a lot of the themes from Night Film. In that one we have the reclusive film director Cordova, an almost mythologized figure in itself, shrouded in mystery and darkness. Here in Darkly we have Louisiana Veda, the intriguing founder of the game making company, Darkly. Each game more elusive and difficult to find as the other, impossible not to associate it with the independent movies made by Cordova. So much of the novel reminded me of Night Film which both made me pleased and frustrated. If for one, I enjoyed it because it was allusive to my favorite book of all time, on another note it made me increasingly irked, since it was just rehashed from another one of her novels that executed it way much better
Ultimately my main complaint about Darkly is that it is underdeveloped in so many aspects, in part because of the genre the book sits at, being a young adult novel there are some cliches that are expected of this genre that simply do not serve this narrative at all because of they way these concepts were inserted in the story. The frankly pathetic aspect of Dia and Poe’s apparent romantic relationship has simply no logic reason to be in the story, the fact that Dia spends the entire narrative suspicious of the other characters, doubting their motives and intentions, to in the last pages of the novel, nearly at the epilogue, the story treats the whole group as one big found family—which by the way, would have been excellent if worked from the start—when there was absolutely no construction for that, and also no explanation as to why she ended up trusting them in the end. And I wanted to love it, because found families are my weakness through and through. The writing was completely inconsistent with the tone of the novel and the behaviour of characters who are supposed to be seventeen years old. There was a lot of challenging language, with words that I had to keep consulting the dictionary and it kept putting me off from the story and the characters world, because it simply did not match the tone of the story.
I think it was about halfway through that the book kind of lost me, especially the fact that every chapter ended on a major cliff-hanger or a dangerous situation for the main character, only for the chapter to end and cut to black and when the next one began the characters were discussing what happened after the events and safe. The fact that this artifice was used so many times was incredibly tiresome and predictable, it made me not fear for anything in the story because I knew that it would be okay as soon as the chapter ended.
I really disliked how the other characters besides Dia were so under-constructed, everyone was just so stereotypical and I can’t even say that they were onedimesional because it felt less than that, they felt like living archetypes just put there in order for there to be something called a “group”, and some of them I could barely differentiate from the others because of how little they even spoke or acted. I didn’t even knew what their names were much less their personalities.
I enjoyed the mystery a lot, Marisha Pessl can certainly write a good mystery, and I loved everything about the construction of Darkly, as a company, the creation process of the games, the mystery surrounding Louisiana Veda herself, the whole vibe and mood of the novel were immaculate even if it’s Night Film’s little sister, there were moments when it made me really nostalgic for the first time I read NF, almost ten years ago. And I do have to take my hat off for the Pessl in her construction of the games, it would be incredible if we could play the Darkly games as well! This book, same as Tomorrrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow deserved a marketing campaign that released both the book and the games it features at the same time, it would be a fantastically immersive experience for the readers.
I think letting my reaction to this novel simmer down and cool a bit, it made me realize that I didn’t like this book nearly as much as I thought I did when I first finished reading it. What at the time felt like a four-star rating, is now clearly much more a three-star. There are so many things that bothered me, and most of them stem from the same underlying factor. I ended up having too many expectations for Darkly before going in, and it sadly did not live up to them. It wasn’t by no means an awful book, and I don’t regret reading it, however I cannot say that I loved it either. It sits in the very middle, and that might be the biggest disappointment of all.
Thanks to Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!
“Darkly games are not evil. Yet they contain evil. They teem with murderers, captors, goblins, tormentors— many of whom appear at first glance to be trustworthy or benign. The goal of the player, the pawn, is always to root out the evil, unbury it and bring it into the light, no matter how impossible the task or how chilling it is to see. The end goal, the win, is always truth, freedom, strength— and even love.”
This is the author’s first new novel in nearly seven years, and her second young adult story. I was thoroughly interested by the premise, which reminded me a lot of the themes from Night Film. In that one we have the reclusive film director Cordova, an almost mythologized figure in itself, shrouded in mystery and darkness. Here in Darkly we have Louisiana Veda, the intriguing founder of the game making company, Darkly. Each game more elusive and difficult to find as the other, impossible not to associate it with the independent movies made by Cordova. So much of the novel reminded me of Night Film which both made me pleased and frustrated. If for one, I enjoyed it because it was allusive to my favorite book of all time, on another note it made me increasingly irked, since it was just rehashed from another one of her novels that executed it way much better
Ultimately my main complaint about Darkly is that it is underdeveloped in so many aspects, in part because of the genre the book sits at, being a young adult novel there are some cliches that are expected of this genre that simply do not serve this narrative at all because of they way these concepts were inserted in the story. The frankly pathetic aspect of Dia and Poe’s apparent romantic relationship has simply no logic reason to be in the story, the fact that Dia spends the entire narrative suspicious of the other characters, doubting their motives and intentions, to in the last pages of the novel, nearly at the epilogue, the story treats the whole group as one big found family—which by the way, would have been excellent if worked from the start—when there was absolutely no construction for that, and also no explanation as to why she ended up trusting them in the end. And I wanted to love it, because found families are my weakness through and through. The writing was completely inconsistent with the tone of the novel and the behaviour of characters who are supposed to be seventeen years old. There was a lot of challenging language, with words that I had to keep consulting the dictionary and it kept putting me off from the story and the characters world, because it simply did not match the tone of the story.
I think it was about halfway through that the book kind of lost me, especially the fact that every chapter ended on a major cliff-hanger or a dangerous situation for the main character, only for the chapter to end and cut to black and when the next one began the characters were discussing what happened after the events and safe. The fact that this artifice was used so many times was incredibly tiresome and predictable, it made me not fear for anything in the story because I knew that it would be okay as soon as the chapter ended.
I really disliked how the other characters besides Dia were so under-constructed, everyone was just so stereotypical and I can’t even say that they were onedimesional because it felt less than that, they felt like living archetypes just put there in order for there to be something called a “group”, and some of them I could barely differentiate from the others because of how little they even spoke or acted. I didn’t even knew what their names were much less their personalities.
I enjoyed the mystery a lot, Marisha Pessl can certainly write a good mystery, and I loved everything about the construction of Darkly, as a company, the creation process of the games, the mystery surrounding Louisiana Veda herself, the whole vibe and mood of the novel were immaculate even if it’s Night Film’s little sister, there were moments when it made me really nostalgic for the first time I read NF, almost ten years ago. And I do have to take my hat off for the Pessl in her construction of the games, it would be incredible if we could play the Darkly games as well! This book, same as Tomorrrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow deserved a marketing campaign that released both the book and the games it features at the same time, it would be a fantastically immersive experience for the readers.
I think letting my reaction to this novel simmer down and cool a bit, it made me realize that I didn’t like this book nearly as much as I thought I did when I first finished reading it. What at the time felt like a four-star rating, is now clearly much more a three-star. There are so many things that bothered me, and most of them stem from the same underlying factor. I ended up having too many expectations for Darkly before going in, and it sadly did not live up to them. It wasn’t by no means an awful book, and I don’t regret reading it, however I cannot say that I loved it either. It sits in the very middle, and that might be the biggest disappointment of all.
Thanks to Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!
July 5, 2024
ARC for review. To be published November 26, 2024.
Pessl’s NIGHT FILM is one of my all-time favorites. I did not like her previous foray into YA, NEVERWORLD WAKE, anywhere near as much, but this sounded so very good….I was hopeful.
This book is somewhere in the middle, good, but not great. However, since it is YA, but I enjoyed it as an adult, even “good” is high praise.
Arcadia “Dia” Gannon has been obsessed with the late game maker Louisiana Veda for years. Now her foundation is running an easy contest to select seven young interns from around the world for a summer internship. Dia figures she’s got no chance, but it’s also the dream of a lifetime, so she enters.
She is shocked when she is selected, along with six other seventeen year olds, Poe, Franz, Cooper, Torin, Everleigh and Mouse.
Louisiana is a cult figure even in death. Her company, Darkly, was famous for its, well, dark, complicated, sublime board games filled with tricks and secret symbols. After Louisiana’s death the company went bankrupt and no more games were produced. Those that exist are now collector’s items and sell for immense sums.
So the interns are involved in a mystery. Why were they chosen? Why aren’t they staying in London as they were told they would? Is someone still playing games?
OK, so, the perfection part of this book? These games. I would love to get my hot little hands on any one of them; I don’t even need one of the special prototypes, just a regular one would be fine. Because they sound INCREDIBLE. They are “the secret club at the end of the alley you can reach only by following the faint footsteps in a locked graveyard yesterday.” Gimme, gimme, gimme!
The game within the story is pretty good too. Some of the other aspects of the book were maybe a bit more typical in terms of what I expect from YA, but it’s all well written and nicely done. I hope this finds a wide audience. And I hope Pessl has more adult books on the horizon as well.
***Edited to add. A quibble with the ending. I don’t know about the differences between U.S. and English law, but they are usually hew pretty closely. I’m a lawyer, and yes, lawyers suck, I totally agree with you there, and, in fact, I am the worst, so we’ll get that out of the way, but…..I don’t think this had to end the way Dia thought. There’s something fairly big she’s missing. Her lawyer would see it right away. I could be wrong but….
Pessl’s NIGHT FILM is one of my all-time favorites. I did not like her previous foray into YA, NEVERWORLD WAKE, anywhere near as much, but this sounded so very good….I was hopeful.
This book is somewhere in the middle, good, but not great. However, since it is YA, but I enjoyed it as an adult, even “good” is high praise.
Arcadia “Dia” Gannon has been obsessed with the late game maker Louisiana Veda for years. Now her foundation is running an easy contest to select seven young interns from around the world for a summer internship. Dia figures she’s got no chance, but it’s also the dream of a lifetime, so she enters.
She is shocked when she is selected, along with six other seventeen year olds, Poe, Franz, Cooper, Torin, Everleigh and Mouse.
Louisiana is a cult figure even in death. Her company, Darkly, was famous for its, well, dark, complicated, sublime board games filled with tricks and secret symbols. After Louisiana’s death the company went bankrupt and no more games were produced. Those that exist are now collector’s items and sell for immense sums.
So the interns are involved in a mystery. Why were they chosen? Why aren’t they staying in London as they were told they would? Is someone still playing games?
OK, so, the perfection part of this book? These games. I would love to get my hot little hands on any one of them; I don’t even need one of the special prototypes, just a regular one would be fine. Because they sound INCREDIBLE. They are “the secret club at the end of the alley you can reach only by following the faint footsteps in a locked graveyard yesterday.” Gimme, gimme, gimme!
The game within the story is pretty good too. Some of the other aspects of the book were maybe a bit more typical in terms of what I expect from YA, but it’s all well written and nicely done. I hope this finds a wide audience. And I hope Pessl has more adult books on the horizon as well.
***Edited to add. A quibble with the ending. I don’t know about the differences between U.S. and English law, but they are usually hew pretty closely. I’m a lawyer, and yes, lawyers suck, I totally agree with you there, and, in fact, I am the worst, so we’ll get that out of the way, but…..I don’t think this had to end the way Dia thought. There’s something fairly big she’s missing. Her lawyer would see it right away. I could be wrong but….
October 21, 2024
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.
After reading Night Film by Marisha Pessl years ago and absolutely loving it, I always thought to myself, you must request anything new by her.
I was lucky to get accepted to review her new book, Darkly and I had a blast with this mystery thriller!
Not only is Darkly captivating and gripping, but the world building and characters in this is well done.
I haven't thought about physically being in a board game in real life but after reading this, I feel the need to grab my game piece, spin the wheel, and jump into the action!
Summary:
Darkly is about an enigmatic woman named Louisiana Veda. She has built a game-making empire and then dies under mysterious circumstances. Her company named “Darkly” is on the brink of bankruptcy, and the games she created can go up to millions and are highly prized by collectors.
It’s discovered early in the book that there is one last game that was created before her untimely death. The game "Valkyrie" has gone missing since Louisiana Veda died and her company decides to do an internship for seven lucky teenagers from all over the world.
Our main character Arcadia (aka Dia) Gannon has loved "Darkly" games her whole life and is an amazing puzzle solver. She knows everything about Louisiana Veda, her company and all of the mysteries surrounding the woman, or so she thinks…
Dia gets the surprise of her life! She's chosen as an intern and must go to London for a life changing experience. While she's there, she must figure out who to trust, what happened to the missing "Darkly" game, and who really is Louisiana Veda.
Thoughts:
✔️ The world building is amazing! I’m a bit sad that this game-making company doesn’t exist in real life.
When Dia and others end up getting involved in the missing "Valkyrie" game, I was mesmerized and captivated by the details, experience and creepy feel of the game!
✔️ The characters are great! I’m not big on YA but I enjoyed this one. It’s not romance heavy or have unrealistic expectations and characteristics for teenagers.
✔️ Pacing and overall length of the book works well.
✔️ The plot twists are good. I had an idea of the plot twist at the end but there were a few earlier in the book that I did not see coming. Well done Pessl!
I’m very impressed by Pessl’s writing and world building. Just like Night Film, this new book feels like it’s alive and you’re fully engaged in its spell.
After reading Night Film by Marisha Pessl years ago and absolutely loving it, I always thought to myself, you must request anything new by her.
I was lucky to get accepted to review her new book, Darkly and I had a blast with this mystery thriller!
Not only is Darkly captivating and gripping, but the world building and characters in this is well done.
I haven't thought about physically being in a board game in real life but after reading this, I feel the need to grab my game piece, spin the wheel, and jump into the action!
Summary:
Darkly is about an enigmatic woman named Louisiana Veda. She has built a game-making empire and then dies under mysterious circumstances. Her company named “Darkly” is on the brink of bankruptcy, and the games she created can go up to millions and are highly prized by collectors.
It’s discovered early in the book that there is one last game that was created before her untimely death. The game "Valkyrie" has gone missing since Louisiana Veda died and her company decides to do an internship for seven lucky teenagers from all over the world.
Our main character Arcadia (aka Dia) Gannon has loved "Darkly" games her whole life and is an amazing puzzle solver. She knows everything about Louisiana Veda, her company and all of the mysteries surrounding the woman, or so she thinks…
Dia gets the surprise of her life! She's chosen as an intern and must go to London for a life changing experience. While she's there, she must figure out who to trust, what happened to the missing "Darkly" game, and who really is Louisiana Veda.
Thoughts:
✔️ The world building is amazing! I’m a bit sad that this game-making company doesn’t exist in real life.
When Dia and others end up getting involved in the missing "Valkyrie" game, I was mesmerized and captivated by the details, experience and creepy feel of the game!
✔️ The characters are great! I’m not big on YA but I enjoyed this one. It’s not romance heavy or have unrealistic expectations and characteristics for teenagers.
✔️ Pacing and overall length of the book works well.
✔️ The plot twists are good. I had an idea of the plot twist at the end but there were a few earlier in the book that I did not see coming. Well done Pessl!
I’m very impressed by Pessl’s writing and world building. Just like Night Film, this new book feels like it’s alive and you’re fully engaged in its spell.
November 12, 2025
les 100 premières pages me donnèrent l'espoir de retrouver le goût des nuits d'insomnie des romans de mes quinze ans, le reste fut une déception que l'on peut décrire par les termes suivants :
- je veux bien être un pigeon et dieu sait que je le suis (j'écris ces lignes quelques minutes après avoir commandé l'intégrale de Hunger Games jaspé et doré de partout pour la modique somme de 60 balles), mais ma condition d'oiseau des rues s'arrête aux mauvais dialogues adolescents : c'est non, c'est non, et je dis cela en tant qu'ex-quinzénaire s'étant fait bolosser car elle était la seule de sa promotion à dire les mots "en l'occurrence" : même les plus weirdos des weirdos adolescents disent quand même "stylé" et "grave" pour s'intégrer, j'en fais ici le témoignage, et il faut arrêter de mettre tant de propositions subordonnées dans la bouche d'adolescents de papier par flemme d'aller en écouter des vrais qui sont vivants et confort de pouvoir construire des personnages archétypaux dont on fait reposer tout le "glamour" sur un discours alambiqué censé prouver leur intelligence
- quand on ne comprend pas ce qui se passe, ce n'est pas intelligent, c'est mal fait
- je le redis : quand on ne comprend pas ce qui se passe, ce n'est pas intelligent, c'est mal fait
- je croyais qu'on s'était mis d'accord en 2013 pour arrêter les fins où, en cinq pages, trois révélations d'affilée se succèdent, avant un revirement tout à fait brutal qui sort de nulle part juste parce que l'auteur tenait absolument à être plus malin que le plus malin de ses lecteurs ? j'ai dû rater un mémo
- bonne soirée
- lisez autre chose que ce livre
- ou alors juste les 100 premières pages comme moi mais franchement quitte à lire du soap adolescent efficaço-gentillet on peut trouver mieux
- je veux bien être un pigeon et dieu sait que je le suis (j'écris ces lignes quelques minutes après avoir commandé l'intégrale de Hunger Games jaspé et doré de partout pour la modique somme de 60 balles), mais ma condition d'oiseau des rues s'arrête aux mauvais dialogues adolescents : c'est non, c'est non, et je dis cela en tant qu'ex-quinzénaire s'étant fait bolosser car elle était la seule de sa promotion à dire les mots "en l'occurrence" : même les plus weirdos des weirdos adolescents disent quand même "stylé" et "grave" pour s'intégrer, j'en fais ici le témoignage, et il faut arrêter de mettre tant de propositions subordonnées dans la bouche d'adolescents de papier par flemme d'aller en écouter des vrais qui sont vivants et confort de pouvoir construire des personnages archétypaux dont on fait reposer tout le "glamour" sur un discours alambiqué censé prouver leur intelligence
- quand on ne comprend pas ce qui se passe, ce n'est pas intelligent, c'est mal fait
- je le redis : quand on ne comprend pas ce qui se passe, ce n'est pas intelligent, c'est mal fait
- je croyais qu'on s'était mis d'accord en 2013 pour arrêter les fins où, en cinq pages, trois révélations d'affilée se succèdent, avant un revirement tout à fait brutal qui sort de nulle part juste parce que l'auteur tenait absolument à être plus malin que le plus malin de ses lecteurs ? j'ai dû rater un mémo
- bonne soirée
- lisez autre chose que ce livre
- ou alors juste les 100 premières pages comme moi mais franchement quitte à lire du soap adolescent efficaço-gentillet on peut trouver mieux
October 13, 2024
Let me just start this review by saying I love board games. So, when I saw an arc for a thriller that involved complex board games, I was sold. And, then the board game descriptions made it seem less like a board game and more like an escape room in a box that you could try multiple times. And, I disliked how this board game designer is described as ‘revolutionizing board games’ when we barely hear about these board games, and the rule books seem more like storybooks than rulebooks with how long they are. This part of the story was really frustrating, especially when I was excited to see a book representing the board gaming community.
The characters were also not great. They didn’t feel like actual teenagers, and Poe was not very likable. We are told he is a genius, but his insights were sometimes painfully obvious, like deducing that someone who stole from a famous person might not have liked her. Also, all the characters introduced themselves to one another, and I don’t know if I’ve ever read a more obnoxious introduction than Poe’s. And, none of the other characters really made much of an impression.
The plot was pretty meh, and I don’t feel like there was a lot of logic behind it. There were a lot of parts that left me confused, and not in a good way. And, I also couldn’t tell if the world was supposed to have magic or not. Some things didn’t seem easily explained by logic, but the book seemed to be set in a world without magic.
I was really excited for this book, and it was pretty disappointing. Maybe I’m just not the target audience for this book, as others have enjoyed it. But, from the perspective of a teenager, a board gamer, and a lover of a good thriller, I was not impressed.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
The characters were also not great. They didn’t feel like actual teenagers, and Poe was not very likable. We are told he is a genius, but his insights were sometimes painfully obvious, like deducing that someone who stole from a famous person might not have liked her. Also, all the characters introduced themselves to one another, and I don’t know if I’ve ever read a more obnoxious introduction than Poe’s. And, none of the other characters really made much of an impression.
The plot was pretty meh, and I don’t feel like there was a lot of logic behind it. There were a lot of parts that left me confused, and not in a good way. And, I also couldn’t tell if the world was supposed to have magic or not. Some things didn’t seem easily explained by logic, but the book seemed to be set in a world without magic.
I was really excited for this book, and it was pretty disappointing. Maybe I’m just not the target audience for this book, as others have enjoyed it. But, from the perspective of a teenager, a board gamer, and a lover of a good thriller, I was not impressed.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
December 21, 2024
My 3 star review of this is ENTIRELY the fault of the circumstances in which I read it. Specifically that I did it on audio, which I don't recommend! It's not that it's bad, it's fine (nothing amazing, but nothing terrible) but that I don't think a puzzle mystery is suited to audio. You can't miss any details, you need to pay close attention, and you want to be able to slow down and even flip back to previous parts. Not only did I listen, but I listened while traveling, meaning I was often distracted and had to rewind over and over again.
It was a bummer because, I realized at the end of this book, this is basically a YA Westing Game. It is very rare to find a book that actually has Westing Game vibes and that is as committed to them as this book is while also being able to tweak and revamp and modernize and create something that is fulfilling on its own. I would love to have read this in print and enjoy its playful absurdity, its world building, its over the top characters the way I think they should be.
There are not enough puzzle mysteries. Every new one is worth celebrating. And this one, despite the bits I missed, seemed like a really solid one.
It was a bummer because, I realized at the end of this book, this is basically a YA Westing Game. It is very rare to find a book that actually has Westing Game vibes and that is as committed to them as this book is while also being able to tweak and revamp and modernize and create something that is fulfilling on its own. I would love to have read this in print and enjoy its playful absurdity, its world building, its over the top characters the way I think they should be.
There are not enough puzzle mysteries. Every new one is worth celebrating. And this one, despite the bits I missed, seemed like a really solid one.
December 21, 2024
I absolutely loved Night Film, the first book I read by Marisha Pessl years ago, and I was excited to see similar themes in this one. The mystery figure at the center, the intricate puzzles, and the constant twists all felt reminiscent of Night Film. However, the execution here falls short in comparison. Night Film had such a gripping and well-crafted atmosphere, and while that's definitely present here as well, this book doesn't quite capture the same level of tension or sophistication.
I didn’t enjoy Pessl’s other YA book either, Neverworld Wake, so maybe I just need to accept that I like her adult fiction more. The book starts off strong, though; you get pulled right in with the introduction of Louisiana Veda, the mystery figure, and this series of wildly popular board games she created in her lifetime. But then, it all kind of falls apart. The author seems to lose her footing and her grip on the story she's trying to tell and the book drags.
A big part of this is also the weak character development. All of the characters lack depth, and this is one of those books where the 17-year-olds sound and act way older than they should. The other six members of the Veda 7 all felt interchangeable. I could never tell who was who—Torin or Cooper? It didn’t matter because they all sounded the same.
This is actually a complaint I had when reading Neverworld Wake, too. I couldn’t stand the characters in that one either, and they all felt like clones of each other.
The book also struggles with genre. I’m still not sure if this has any fantasy elements or not, because some things that happen just don’t seem possible in the real world, but none of it is explained. If this book had been longer, maybe there would've been more room for plot development because the premise is solid. It had so much potential, but because the way the Darkly games actually work is never adequately explained, you're left feeling confused as a reader, instead of intrigued. I think Pessl wanted the whole thing to come off as really myserious, but you're just frustrated when reading because you want to get to the bottom of how people are able to play these games.
This book had so much potential, and I just feel like I didn't get the awesome story that this so clearly could have been. The intrigue is there, but it doesn't live up to the high bar set by Night Film.
Still, I’m giving it 2 stars because, despite the mess, it was still pretty compelling, and I never wanted to put it down.
I didn’t enjoy Pessl’s other YA book either, Neverworld Wake, so maybe I just need to accept that I like her adult fiction more. The book starts off strong, though; you get pulled right in with the introduction of Louisiana Veda, the mystery figure, and this series of wildly popular board games she created in her lifetime. But then, it all kind of falls apart. The author seems to lose her footing and her grip on the story she's trying to tell and the book drags.
A big part of this is also the weak character development. All of the characters lack depth, and this is one of those books where the 17-year-olds sound and act way older than they should. The other six members of the Veda 7 all felt interchangeable. I could never tell who was who—Torin or Cooper? It didn’t matter because they all sounded the same.
This is actually a complaint I had when reading Neverworld Wake, too. I couldn’t stand the characters in that one either, and they all felt like clones of each other.
The book also struggles with genre. I’m still not sure if this has any fantasy elements or not, because some things that happen just don’t seem possible in the real world, but none of it is explained. If this book had been longer, maybe there would've been more room for plot development because the premise is solid. It had so much potential, but because the way the Darkly games actually work is never adequately explained, you're left feeling confused as a reader, instead of intrigued. I think Pessl wanted the whole thing to come off as really myserious, but you're just frustrated when reading because you want to get to the bottom of how people are able to play these games.
This book had so much potential, and I just feel like I didn't get the awesome story that this so clearly could have been. The intrigue is there, but it doesn't live up to the high bar set by Night Film.
Still, I’m giving it 2 stars because, despite the mess, it was still pretty compelling, and I never wanted to put it down.
January 7, 2025
* great premise, poor execution
* there's no was there wasn't any supernatural element present while playing the games, because otherwise things couldn't have worked
* it felt over-complicated at times
* the ending was very dramatic for no reason (i'm talking about the last couple of pages)
* pretty meh
* there's no was there wasn't any supernatural element present while playing the games, because otherwise things couldn't have worked
* it felt over-complicated at times
* the ending was very dramatic for no reason (i'm talking about the last couple of pages)
* pretty meh
December 3, 2024
I need to get this off my chest. What the hell kind of name of Choke?? I can’t believe I just read a book with a love triangle involving names like Choke and Poe?
Anyway, I liked this a lot but the plot stretched a little too thin for me. I had a hard time imagining the board games and felt they were overly elaborate at times. However the twists at the end were great and I genuinely did not see the second one coming which puts Darkly above others (such as The Inheritance Games) in its genre for me. Overall a fun time but the ending was unsatisfying and the loose ends tied up too fast.
Anyway, I liked this a lot but the plot stretched a little too thin for me. I had a hard time imagining the board games and felt they were overly elaborate at times. However the twists at the end were great and I genuinely did not see the second one coming which puts Darkly above others (such as The Inheritance Games) in its genre for me. Overall a fun time but the ending was unsatisfying and the loose ends tied up too fast.
December 21, 2024
Underdeveloped world-building, paper-thin characters, and a mostly incomprehensible plot. There are a few of Pessl’s trademarks—an elusive and tortured genius creator and eerie set pieces pulled from a horror movie. But other than that, it’s unrecognizable compared to works like Night Film or Special Topics.
I’m not sure if she’s lost her touch or if her insistence to write in YA is forcing her to lose it. But I probably won’t pick up her next novel unless it’s adult fiction and it’s hailed as a return to form.
I’m not sure if she’s lost her touch or if her insistence to write in YA is forcing her to lose it. But I probably won’t pick up her next novel unless it’s adult fiction and it’s hailed as a return to form.
September 19, 2025
I'm annoyed that this book didn't live up to its promise. All it needed was editing! There's a really fun story in here about a group of teenagers who are chosen to intern at a mysterious board game company (I know) and who end up participating in a real-life version of a lost game. But it jumps the shark in the second half and doesn't recover. At that point, the whole thing is just too silly to hold together.
I was willing to suspend disbelief because the first half of this book is great. Like, you've got multiple unsupervised 17-year-olds just wandering around London and/or a derelict board game factory with secret passageways. Characters are named things like Poe, Louisiana, Mouse, Everleigh, Arcadia, and Nile. The plot is both a mystery and a competition. Our intrepid heroine meets a new hottie (dark-haired and French) and reunites with a known hottie (blond and Southern). There's an escape room quality to the entire book that's fun. If the main character doesn't have the answer, she just breaks into a new location and searches for it. All great!
The trouble starts when the book confuses itself. There are seven teenage protagonists and they get mixed up, sometimes within the same ten-page span. The most egregious example is when . I'm not sure how some of the errors weren't caught before publication. And I'm not a particularly visual reader, but I had to reread several sections to understand what was actually happening. Is she running up the stairs, or on the ground floor? Where is the house on the mainland actually located? There's a real issue with characters moving from point A to point B. I think good editing could have helped ground the story and make it more readable.
I won't even address how silly the plot is, because that's not really the point. I love a silly plot when it's executed well, but unfortunately this is not.
This did make me want to give Night Film another chance. I hope Pessl goes back to adult fiction!
I was willing to suspend disbelief because the first half of this book is great. Like, you've got multiple unsupervised 17-year-olds just wandering around London and/or a derelict board game factory with secret passageways. Characters are named things like Poe, Louisiana, Mouse, Everleigh, Arcadia, and Nile. The plot is both a mystery and a competition. Our intrepid heroine meets a new hottie (dark-haired and French) and reunites with a known hottie (blond and Southern). There's an escape room quality to the entire book that's fun. If the main character doesn't have the answer, she just breaks into a new location and searches for it. All great!
The trouble starts when the book confuses itself. There are seven teenage protagonists and they get mixed up, sometimes within the same ten-page span. The most egregious example is when . I'm not sure how some of the errors weren't caught before publication. And I'm not a particularly visual reader, but I had to reread several sections to understand what was actually happening. Is she running up the stairs, or on the ground floor? Where is the house on the mainland actually located? There's a real issue with characters moving from point A to point B. I think good editing could have helped ground the story and make it more readable.
I won't even address how silly the plot is, because that's not really the point. I love a silly plot when it's executed well, but unfortunately this is not.
This did make me want to give Night Film another chance. I hope Pessl goes back to adult fiction!
December 14, 2024
If you're looking for the most plain-faced expression of objectively poor writing, you need look no further.
Marisha Pessl's writing is incompetent and lazy. It features a plot that is impossible to follow, with a three act structure that disintegrates immediately in her hands, perhaps imperturbable to her until only moments after penning it, after which she retroactively explains to the reader with the air of a falsified elaborate scheme.
Her writing style continues to be too narrow for a novel. Alliteration, extended metaphors, and the occasional repetition of key descriptive words, as if she's forgotten she's used them mere paragraphs before, leave her unable and unwilling to express plot in a way that gathers and releases tension. Her characters walk to an "X" in her scenes and monologue. She dumps endless details into her word choice, like trying to outwit some publisher AI algorithm, while fully forgetting the most basic of elementary details, like if Paris and London are in the same continent, or how old some characters are supposed to be.
I have read all of her novels and find it painfully pleasurable how Pessl continues to be published. She has done zero homework to understand how her novel might fit into the tradition of young adult, or how it hopes to subvert it. She doesn't seem to bother even attempting to improve, instead writing her novels under what likely is a fit of inspiration, without ever doing the hard work that comes afterward. Even if you were paid to read this, don't do it.
Marisha Pessl's writing is incompetent and lazy. It features a plot that is impossible to follow, with a three act structure that disintegrates immediately in her hands, perhaps imperturbable to her until only moments after penning it, after which she retroactively explains to the reader with the air of a falsified elaborate scheme.
Her writing style continues to be too narrow for a novel. Alliteration, extended metaphors, and the occasional repetition of key descriptive words, as if she's forgotten she's used them mere paragraphs before, leave her unable and unwilling to express plot in a way that gathers and releases tension. Her characters walk to an "X" in her scenes and monologue. She dumps endless details into her word choice, like trying to outwit some publisher AI algorithm, while fully forgetting the most basic of elementary details, like if Paris and London are in the same continent, or how old some characters are supposed to be.
I have read all of her novels and find it painfully pleasurable how Pessl continues to be published. She has done zero homework to understand how her novel might fit into the tradition of young adult, or how it hopes to subvert it. She doesn't seem to bother even attempting to improve, instead writing her novels under what likely is a fit of inspiration, without ever doing the hard work that comes afterward. Even if you were paid to read this, don't do it.
June 26, 2025
Why was the plot everywhere
December 27, 2024
Dia has always been interested in the Darkly games and the game designer behind them, Louisiana Veda. When the opportunity arises to intern for the Darkly company, Dia is shocked to find that her application is one of the seven to be chosen. However, the internship is not what it appears to be. The seven has been chosen to find one of Louisiana's stolen games, never made known to the public and is currently related to a missing teenage boy. Dia and the other interns will need to find their way into the game and find out who is responsible.
This book was a lot of fun and surrounded in mystery. Not only are you trying to find out who is responsible for stealing the Darkly game and how it relates to the missing boy, but you are also thrown into the mystery of who Louisiana was and the secrets that surround the Darkly company. I was captivated with Dia and her investigation. It seemed like every chapter there was a new twist making you question who could be trusted. Overall, this was a fantastic read, and I would love to read more work by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the opportunity to review Darkly. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book was a lot of fun and surrounded in mystery. Not only are you trying to find out who is responsible for stealing the Darkly game and how it relates to the missing boy, but you are also thrown into the mystery of who Louisiana was and the secrets that surround the Darkly company. I was captivated with Dia and her investigation. It seemed like every chapter there was a new twist making you question who could be trusted. Overall, this was a fantastic read, and I would love to read more work by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the opportunity to review Darkly. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
November 10, 2024
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. #PRHInternationalPartner
Darkly had a very interesting premise and an interesting setting that I really enjoyed. It was also very well-written and I loved that it was a bit of a mixed media novel. The story kept me hooked and overall, it was a quick and entertaining read that is perfect for this time of the year. I’d definitely be interesting in reading some of the author’s other books in the future.
Darkly had a very interesting premise and an interesting setting that I really enjoyed. It was also very well-written and I loved that it was a bit of a mixed media novel. The story kept me hooked and overall, it was a quick and entertaining read that is perfect for this time of the year. I’d definitely be interesting in reading some of the author’s other books in the future.
June 6, 2025
*deep inhale*.........*pained screaming*
1.5 ⭐ rounded up for entertainment.
Listen. Please understand that giving this book a negative review hurts me more than it hurts you. Night Film is one of my top 3 favorite reads of all time, and the excitement and anticipation I had for this book is beyond measure. Maybe that's part of the problem. Maybe I expected too much.
Overall, Darkly just felt like a lazy cash grab full of every ya cliche you could think of. From the very start the writing was bad and the setup was worse. My initial impression was that this felt like a weird cross between Ready Player One (yikes) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. There's a brilliant, enigmatic, wealthy board game mogul who died mysteriously and now a contest to find the seven brightest and best teens to come intern at her company has popped up. Whoever wins the internship contest gets...what exactly? No one even knows.
The main character, Arcadia "Dia" Gannon (somehow this came out before the new Sleep Token album, hilarious), is your typical ya female protagonist: the Mary Sue, mpdg, quirky "I'm just so unpopular and no one likes me" trope. She wears old lady clothes and works at her family's antique shop and everyone calls her "Nana" and she's just so ✨weird.✨ Except that naturally the gorgeous, rich, popular boy wants her and she wants him.
Another issue I had with this book is that...people just don't talk like this. You know the saying "Show, don't tell?" Well, there was a whole lot of telling in this book. Right away in chapter four, there's a conversation between Dia and hot, popular boy Choke (Choke??) discussing a Darkly game, and it goes like this:
“Oh yeah. I heard that one’s terrifying.”
“It is.”
“Why, exactly?”
“The gaming manual stipulates the game must be played at night. Outside. There’s a small black Darkly radio that plays the soundtrack, and the music crackles with the past, creating this feeling of a separate realm. Like, anything is possible. But the story the game tells—a twisted mystery unfolding with cards, dice, and envelopes, equal parts chance and skill—it stays with you forever. It makes you question the world you live in and the people you love. You feel a bond with the other players. You’ll never forget them. Then there are rumors about the lucky few who win.”
No one talks like this, Marisha. No two teens having a conversation are going to say "a twisted mystery unfolding with cards, dice, and envelopes, equal parts chance and skill." That's not a conversation, that's the text on the back of the game box. What is going on here? Am I hallucinating?
But wait, it gets worse. Eventually we meet the other "interns" who won a chance to play the game. And wouldn't you believe it, they are all...really bland interchangable charicatures I wasn't able to keep straight at all. Except for one. Poe Valois III. Because Poe is perfect, wouldn't you know. Poe is "so gorgeous that I actually backtracked to make sure he was real." POE reads classic novels! Anna Karenina, actually. So you know he's ✨special.✨
I am infuriated by how wonderful, spooky, and obsessive these board games are supposed to be, but we don't get any real details on them or how they are meant to be played. The details in this book are all half-formed, like Pessl had a dream that sparked a concept and then she was never sure how to flesh it out. Why is "Rasputin" the only banned Darkly when it's not the only 'dangerous' Darkly? What's it about? How do you play it? She came up with a bunch of names for cool sounding games but gave us nothing about them except that you can seemingly only play through once, few people ever really win, and if you do win you're never allowed to talk about it.
I know this review has gone on forever and I honestly think I'm still forgetting some things. I'm just so frustrated and annoyed about the entire book. I think it had an interesting plot concept and just really poor, lazy execution. I nearly rated this 1 star but decided on 2 because it did actually capture my attention, it was a quick read, and I wanted to know how it ended. But I'm so disappointed in this one overall, especially having loved Night Film so much and knowing that this author can do better.
TL;DR: Skip this mess. Go read Night Film.
1.5 ⭐ rounded up for entertainment.
Listen. Please understand that giving this book a negative review hurts me more than it hurts you. Night Film is one of my top 3 favorite reads of all time, and the excitement and anticipation I had for this book is beyond measure. Maybe that's part of the problem. Maybe I expected too much.
Overall, Darkly just felt like a lazy cash grab full of every ya cliche you could think of. From the very start the writing was bad and the setup was worse. My initial impression was that this felt like a weird cross between Ready Player One (yikes) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. There's a brilliant, enigmatic, wealthy board game mogul who died mysteriously and now a contest to find the seven brightest and best teens to come intern at her company has popped up. Whoever wins the internship contest gets...what exactly? No one even knows.
The main character, Arcadia "Dia" Gannon (somehow this came out before the new Sleep Token album, hilarious), is your typical ya female protagonist: the Mary Sue, mpdg, quirky "I'm just so unpopular and no one likes me" trope. She wears old lady clothes and works at her family's antique shop and everyone calls her "Nana" and she's just so ✨weird.✨ Except that naturally the gorgeous, rich, popular boy wants her and she wants him.
Another issue I had with this book is that...people just don't talk like this. You know the saying "Show, don't tell?" Well, there was a whole lot of telling in this book. Right away in chapter four, there's a conversation between Dia and hot, popular boy Choke (Choke??) discussing a Darkly game, and it goes like this:
“Oh yeah. I heard that one’s terrifying.”
“It is.”
“Why, exactly?”
“The gaming manual stipulates the game must be played at night. Outside. There’s a small black Darkly radio that plays the soundtrack, and the music crackles with the past, creating this feeling of a separate realm. Like, anything is possible. But the story the game tells—a twisted mystery unfolding with cards, dice, and envelopes, equal parts chance and skill—it stays with you forever. It makes you question the world you live in and the people you love. You feel a bond with the other players. You’ll never forget them. Then there are rumors about the lucky few who win.”
No one talks like this, Marisha. No two teens having a conversation are going to say "a twisted mystery unfolding with cards, dice, and envelopes, equal parts chance and skill." That's not a conversation, that's the text on the back of the game box. What is going on here? Am I hallucinating?
But wait, it gets worse. Eventually we meet the other "interns" who won a chance to play the game. And wouldn't you believe it, they are all...really bland interchangable charicatures I wasn't able to keep straight at all. Except for one. Poe Valois III. Because Poe is perfect, wouldn't you know. Poe is "so gorgeous that I actually backtracked to make sure he was real." POE reads classic novels! Anna Karenina, actually. So you know he's ✨special.✨
I am infuriated by how wonderful, spooky, and obsessive these board games are supposed to be, but we don't get any real details on them or how they are meant to be played. The details in this book are all half-formed, like Pessl had a dream that sparked a concept and then she was never sure how to flesh it out. Why is "Rasputin" the only banned Darkly when it's not the only 'dangerous' Darkly? What's it about? How do you play it? She came up with a bunch of names for cool sounding games but gave us nothing about them except that you can seemingly only play through once, few people ever really win, and if you do win you're never allowed to talk about it.
I know this review has gone on forever and I honestly think I'm still forgetting some things. I'm just so frustrated and annoyed about the entire book. I think it had an interesting plot concept and just really poor, lazy execution. I nearly rated this 1 star but decided on 2 because it did actually capture my attention, it was a quick read, and I wanted to know how it ended. But I'm so disappointed in this one overall, especially having loved Night Film so much and knowing that this author can do better.
TL;DR: Skip this mess. Go read Night Film.
March 15, 2025
Well written and a fun story. I enjoyed the character development and world building a lot. The author did a good job of keeping me engaged throughout the story, and the ending was surprising. I look forward to reading more by this author. I've been giving a lot of 2 and 3 stars lately, but this book definitely earned 4 from me. This book will live on, being sent around the USA, as a traveling book in LiterALLy BOOKiSh Book Club (on Facebook).
October 6, 2025
Storia intrigante e dal potenziale enorme: Darkly è un romanzo che cattura fin dalle prime pagine grazie a un concept davvero intrigante. Marisha Pessl ha una grande abilità nel creare mondi alternativi così credibili da sembrare reali. Dopo Notte americana (che ho amato alla follia!), qui l’autrice torna a giocare con le zone d’ombra tra realtà e invenzione, spostando il focus sui Darkly games, misteriosi e inquietanti giochi da tavolo capaci di immergere i giocatori in esperienze talmente intense da far perdere il contatto con la realtà.
Ho trovato il worldbuilding magnetico: i Darkly, con le loro regole e i loro misteri, sono un’idea irresistibile, e le ambientazioni – cupe, suggestive, con accenni gotici e horror – sono rese con grande efficacia. In alcuni passaggi ho provato qualche brividino.
Però devo dire che rispetto a Notte americana questo romanzo mi è sembrato un po’ più “leggero”. La scelta di rivolgersi a un pubblico YA si sente: alcune dinamiche sono meno complesse, i personaggi poco caratterizzati (con adolescenti che hanno intuizioni fin troppo brillanti, mentre gli adulti restano in ombra). Avrei desiderato anche qualche dettaglio in più sulle modalità di gioco, che rimangono a tratti macchinose e contorte e a tratti sfumate. Inoltre alcune piccole incongruenze nella trama mi hanno lasciata perplessa (qualche regola o limite imposto all’inizio poi non viene sempre rispettato).
Nonostante queste riserve, Darkly rimane una lettura avvincente e piena di fascino, soprattutto per chi ama storie cariche di mistero, atmosfere gotiche e giochi che diventano molto più di un semplice passatempo.
I lettori adolescenti e i giovani adulti, a cui il libro è rivolto, probabilmente lo apprezzeranno ancora di più. Personalmente continuo a preferire Notte americana, ma ho comunque trovato in Darkly quella scintilla di immaginazione e inquietudine che rende unico lo stile di Marisha Pessl.
PS= nota di merito per la presenza di vari inserti (lettere, ritagli di giornale, foto, mappe…) che ogni tanto inframezzano il testo. Proprio come in Notte americana questi inserti aggiungono note di realismo e rendono ancora più interessante la lettura
Ho trovato il worldbuilding magnetico: i Darkly, con le loro regole e i loro misteri, sono un’idea irresistibile, e le ambientazioni – cupe, suggestive, con accenni gotici e horror – sono rese con grande efficacia. In alcuni passaggi ho provato qualche brividino.
Però devo dire che rispetto a Notte americana questo romanzo mi è sembrato un po’ più “leggero”. La scelta di rivolgersi a un pubblico YA si sente: alcune dinamiche sono meno complesse, i personaggi poco caratterizzati (con adolescenti che hanno intuizioni fin troppo brillanti, mentre gli adulti restano in ombra). Avrei desiderato anche qualche dettaglio in più sulle modalità di gioco, che rimangono a tratti macchinose e contorte e a tratti sfumate. Inoltre alcune piccole incongruenze nella trama mi hanno lasciata perplessa (qualche regola o limite imposto all’inizio poi non viene sempre rispettato).
Nonostante queste riserve, Darkly rimane una lettura avvincente e piena di fascino, soprattutto per chi ama storie cariche di mistero, atmosfere gotiche e giochi che diventano molto più di un semplice passatempo.
I lettori adolescenti e i giovani adulti, a cui il libro è rivolto, probabilmente lo apprezzeranno ancora di più. Personalmente continuo a preferire Notte americana, ma ho comunque trovato in Darkly quella scintilla di immaginazione e inquietudine che rende unico lo stile di Marisha Pessl.
PS= nota di merito per la presenza di vari inserti (lettere, ritagli di giornale, foto, mappe…) che ogni tanto inframezzano il testo. Proprio come in Notte americana questi inserti aggiungono note di realismo e rendono ancora più interessante la lettura
December 8, 2024
2.5 Stars*
I was so excited for this book…
Darkly had a fantastic start that immediately drew me in, and for a good 80-100 pages I was enjoying the progression of the story. At around this point however, it begins to go rapidly downhill and falls…very, very flat.
Darkly suffers from a case of “too many ideas,” while not allocating enough time to thoroughly explore each one, and explain them in turn. While the characters were interesting, a lot of the plot beats arrived as the result of huge leaps in logic (with little to no actual sleuthing), and many of the puzzles and settings for Valkyrie were just too confusing and muddy to properly appreciate for their genius. In short, I just didn’t buy any of it. My suspension of disbelief was pushed to its limits.
It seems almost as if Darkly couldn’t decide on the story it wanted to tell; dramatic, meandering plot points are introduced at random, only to end up being inconsequential or just plain boring. The ending suffers for this. I was rather annoyed to slog through a story that went absolutely nowhere, contradicted itself in the last few chapters, and then threw in a completely random, incredibly dramatic reveal that I would have never guessed, anyway.
There’s nothing I dislike more in the mystery genre then when an author cannot trust their readers to piece a story together through artfully planted clues…so they just dump all the answers on them, no strings attached, right at the end of the book. Respectfully, I will not be discussing the end of the book, because the entire thing made me irate in how ridiculous and contrived it was.
I was so excited for this book…
Darkly had a fantastic start that immediately drew me in, and for a good 80-100 pages I was enjoying the progression of the story. At around this point however, it begins to go rapidly downhill and falls…very, very flat.
Darkly suffers from a case of “too many ideas,” while not allocating enough time to thoroughly explore each one, and explain them in turn. While the characters were interesting, a lot of the plot beats arrived as the result of huge leaps in logic (with little to no actual sleuthing), and many of the puzzles and settings for Valkyrie were just too confusing and muddy to properly appreciate for their genius. In short, I just didn’t buy any of it. My suspension of disbelief was pushed to its limits.
It seems almost as if Darkly couldn’t decide on the story it wanted to tell; dramatic, meandering plot points are introduced at random, only to end up being inconsequential or just plain boring. The ending suffers for this. I was rather annoyed to slog through a story that went absolutely nowhere, contradicted itself in the last few chapters, and then threw in a completely random, incredibly dramatic reveal that I would have never guessed, anyway.
There’s nothing I dislike more in the mystery genre then when an author cannot trust their readers to piece a story together through artfully planted clues…so they just dump all the answers on them, no strings attached, right at the end of the book. Respectfully, I will not be discussing the end of the book, because the entire thing made me irate in how ridiculous and contrived it was.
December 26, 2024
Honestly, I was into this even though it's definitely YA. Good YA, but modern YA is not really my thing, and the only reason I was reading it was because it's by Marisha Pessl. I wish she would go back to writing adult fiction, but whatever.
So, Darkly. It has a fun concept, it's a good mystery, some of it reminded me of Agatha Christie, which was a pleasant surprise. I loved the idea of these over-the-top intense games that changed the world, and the mysterious creator behind them. I loved the caution against idolizing someone whose work you admire. But the further this got the more predictable it became, which is a bigger deal for a mystery novel compared to other genres. Also, so much of this is underdeveloped and under-explored, particularly when it comes to the characters, and a big part of that is the "YA" of it all... but it just left me wishing for more, and slightly disappointed because I wanted to love this novel. It's enjoyable, but ultimately not as satisfying as I hoped it would be.
I might just have to make peace with the fact that Marisha Pessl will never write anything I will love nearly as much as Night Film.
So, Darkly. It has a fun concept, it's a good mystery, some of it reminded me of Agatha Christie, which was a pleasant surprise. I loved the idea of these over-the-top intense games that changed the world, and the mysterious creator behind them. I loved the caution against idolizing someone whose work you admire. But the further this got the more predictable it became, which is a bigger deal for a mystery novel compared to other genres. Also, so much of this is underdeveloped and under-explored, particularly when it comes to the characters, and a big part of that is the "YA" of it all... but it just left me wishing for more, and slightly disappointed because I wanted to love this novel. It's enjoyable, but ultimately not as satisfying as I hoped it would be.
I might just have to make peace with the fact that Marisha Pessl will never write anything I will love nearly as much as Night Film.
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