Review: Dark Parties~Sara Grant

3.5/5 stars

Title: Dark Parties
Author: Sara Grant
Publisher: Orion
Date: January 2012
Provided by publisher

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

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

Opening line: I'm standing in the dark, not the gentle grey of dusk or the soft black of a moonlit night but pitch black.

Closing line: Hope gives my heart wings.

First of all, how pretty is the cover of Dark Parties!? I'm a very big fan of snow so I love it and I love the connection it has with Neva our leading lady.
Its hard to write this review because there were things I loved about Dark Parties and things I felt a little confused about. The main thing confusing me, and it may just be me, was the 1 and only 'dark party'. I thought there would be more of them throughout the story but we only seem to have the one at the start of the book. But then I thought maybe that's the point, Grant makes us aware of past parties but as a reader we only need to know about this one because it's this party that sets events in motion.

I liked the idea of the Dark Parties. Every one lives in the Protectosphere, basically a big bubble that keeps everyone inside and 'safe' from what is on the outside because according to the government the outside world is bad and there is nothing there anymore. But Neva thinks differently & believes there is a world beyond the Protectosphere and after being forced to work with her father because of her rebelling ways against the Protectosphere, she discovers information about the outside world.

I really like Neva and thought she was a strong character and easy to relate to on many levels. I also like her best friend Sanna and couldn't stop thinking about her after she went missing, I'm say no more on that read the book to find out what happens ;) But it's safe to say Neva discovers some shocking things about the inside world.

Now, the love triangle. I wasn't sure how I felt about this at first because on one hand we have Ethan who is Neva's ex boyfriend trying with all his might to still be with her and live a good life. And on the other hand we have Braydon, her best friends boyfriend who just happens to kiss her while at the Dark Party. Up until that point Neva had never really liked him but the kiss seemed to change everything. I still can't decide how I feel about their relationship but I did like their little moments together.

What an ending!!! It wasn't a cliffhanger, which I liked, but oh my word the events and actions taken leading up to the ending were brilliant! Things happen that I did not see coming and you think you know a character but desperate times call for desperate measures and people change and some people were just not who I thought. The last 60 pages of the book were like a roller coaster of emotions and a few times I was saying 'noooo way' out loud to no one.

Overall Dark Parties was a book I gave 3.5 stars to because it that had me wanting to know what was going to happen next & then events at the end just shocked me. I hope there's more to come as I feel like it would be a series that developed over time.