Review: Pretty Dark Nothing

Pretty Dark Nothing by Heather L. Reid

Synopsis (From Goodreads): It’s been twenty three days since Quinn has slept for more than minutes at a time. Demons have invaded her dreams, stalking her, and whispering of her death. The lack of sleep and crippling fear are ruining her life. Energy drinks and caffeine pills don’t make a dent. When Quinn dozes off in the school hallway, Aaron, an amnesiac with a psychic ability, accidentally enters her nightmare. The demons are determined to keep them apart, and Aaron from discovering the secret locked away in his memory. Together, they could banish the darkness back to the underworld for good. That is, unless the demons kill them first.

I have to admit that the first thing that drew me to this story was the cover. I didn't even know anything about the story, but the cover looks creepy and beautiful all at the same time so it definitely had my attention, and then I read the premise, which made me want to read this story.

Pretty Dark Nothing is about Quinn, a girl who used to be top of her class, a cheerleader and popular, but that was before demons began invading her dreams. Now she's an insomniac, barely surviving on more than a few minutes of sleep at a time and living off energy drinks and caffeine pills. She keeps all of her weird dreams and demonic shadows a secret, afraid that if she told anyone they would think she's crazy - which she could be. When Quinn dozes off at school she could swear she's rescued Aaron. Aaron also has a secret. He's an amnesiac with a psychic ability and has the ability to enter her dreams. Maybe together they will be able to banish the darkness, but will the demons kill them first?

Heather L. Reid has created an interesting story and it could have been a very strong and creepy story, what with her ability to describe such vivid dark and deadly scenes, as well as portray Quinn's 'episodes' in a way that could make the reader question whether Quinn is actually being attacked or if she is crazy, but it's not easy to overlook some of the behaviours that Quinn has throughout the novel. Quinn plays the character of damsel in distress quite well, and it's easy to understand how that can work and be more realistic than if she were to be more capable, but the fact that she was too reliant on a particular boy, and not Aaron. Quinn's obsession with her ex-boyfriend was quite distracting and it became overwhelming, having me thinking why she's constantly pining over him when he's treating her like dirt.

Aaron's side of the story provided a good twist, but he was too nice. I couldn't stand how he kept coming back to Quinn's rescue when she barely even acknowledged him, let alone thanked him for helping her in dire situations.

Getting back to the plot, the story was full of twists and turns and the demons were perfectly describe, leaving the reader with a creepy crawling feeling. The demons attacking through dreams were very reminiscent of Nightmare on Elm Street (and I absolutely love Freddy Kruger), and I can't wait to see where the story continues in the next novel. I would recommend this to anyone who loves the darker YA paranormals, especially for fans of Nightmare on Elm Street.

Source: NetGalley

2013 Debut Author Challenge: #10 of 12