Book Review: Into The Dark by Caroline T. Patti

Into The Dark
by Caroline T. Patti
August 18th 2015
by Month9Books
Paperback, 267 pages
A girl’s sweet sixteen party is supposed to be among the most memorable events of her life. But on the night of hers, Mercy Clare wakes in the waiting room of a hospital with no memory of how she got there. To make matters worse, she’s wearing something she’d never be caught dead in: her best friend Lyla’s clothes. 

Mercy’s nightmare is just beginning. The doctor arrives to tell her that it’s she who lies in the hospital bed waiting to die. A trip to the bathroom confirms Mercy’s fears, as Lyla’s face stares back at her and Lyla’s curvy figure pokes through her tight clothes. 

But finding out what’s really going on won’t be easy. Because if Mercy wants her body back, it might just cost her Lyla’s life.

A teenager gets accosted at her own birthday party and wakes up in the hospital confused about what happened and how she got there. Imagine her confusion when she looks in the mirror and discovers she is inhabiting the body of her best friend! Now she, as a "breacher", has to find a way to get back to her normal self, if that is even a possibility!

Introduced to a power she was unaware of possessing, Mercy finds herself immersed in a world where she is hunted by one group ordered to kill her and desired by another group that wants to harness her talent. Not knowing who to trust or believe she finds herself discovering more talents she will need to survive this disaster and save others she has come to care about.

I liked the idea of the book but felt a little confused for the first third of the story. As with most young adult stories I read, I find them a little unbelievable and either the characters are naive or seemingly too accepting of their bizarre situations (as are their friends and family!).

I enjoyed the fast pace but felt some choppiness in the delivery and the frequent changes in character roles a little disarming. Perhaps a little more background in the beginning may have prevented my distraction. The ending was abrupt, although left the feeling that there will be more episodes to come.

A unique story that I feel would be well-received by young adults whose minds probably think quicker than mine and adjust to conflicting situations without question, more than this old (wait!, I mean mature!) brain.

I give this 3.5 "jumping jack" sheep

Jeanie G

About the Author:

website-FB

Caroline T. Patti is the author of the Nettie series, which includes: The World Spins Madly On, Too Late to Apologize, A Little Faith and Life After You (Sept. 2015) She also wrote Into the Dark published by Month9Books. Caroline is a former teacher, librarian and coach. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two daughters. When she's not writing, she's probably on Twitter.