Dark Life

Dark Life
By Kat Falls
2010
297 pages

Summary: Climate change has destroyed most of the world and survivors find themselves either packed into stack cities or living on farms on the ocean floor. There is a lot of animosity and distrust among the two groups and that is heightened by the government’s control and rumours of mutants. Ty has spent his whole life on the ocean floor and wants nothing more than to get his own land. However, his dream becomes at risk when a topsider named Gemma comes looking for her brother and a band of criminals start attacking the underwater homestead. Together with Gemma, Ty quickly learns that not all is what it seems and that being different and having a dream is something to fight for.

Review: While I love dystopias I sometimes stumble if the books have too much science fiction aspects in them. I thought this would be the case with Dark Life, but I was pleasantly surprised. The world building is not too outlandish and is rather compelling. I thought Falls did an excellent job at creating a believable and incredibly interesting underwater world. The story is fast paced and there is a lot of action to draw readers in. I liked the elements of surprise and Falls does a good job at providing ample shocking revelations. Ty was a likeable hero, one that I think readers will appreciate. Gemma and Zoe both added a lot of spark to the story as well. The book reads in a very cinematic way and I think it would appeal to a wide audience.

It is categorized as being for children 9-12, but I actually think it’s better suited for a slightly older audience. Teens of both genders would easily enjoy this novel.

This is Kat Fall’s debut novel

If you liked Dark Falls, you might also enjoy: The Line by Teri Hall, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau and Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Rating: W3/4 C3/4 P3/4 O3.5/4 PP3/4 CR3/4
Grade Level Interest: MJ