The best way I know how to describe a dark sky park? A place that eschews artificial light sources and embraces the natural beauty that the forest and the wide open sky have to offer. Sounds beautiful....as long as you're not afraid of the dark! Not a typical vacation spot, but one such park is at the heart of my latest read, Under a Dark Sky.
I said yes to a blog tour simple because I wanted to know what a dark sky park was and how it relates to the story. In this book it's the sight of a murder.
Eden Wallace is still reeling from the death of her husband Bix. She's cried all she can cry. Gone through bouts of anger and frustration. And after nine months has worn out the patience of her family and friends. She's still grieving and worst of all she's not sleeping. While most people sleep in the night, Eden is wide awake. Afraid of the dark, Eden spends her nights with every single light on. Once sunlight creeps through the curtains, Eden feels it's safe enough to shut her eyes. This fear of the dark often consumes Eden, she can't even step outside once it gets dark. But even Eden realizes it's time to face her fear. When the opportunity presents itself, Eden takes a leap of faith but she gets more than she bargained for.
Eden discovers Bix had a reservation for them at dark sky park. A few days exploring nature's beauty -- in the dark. What was supposed to a be surprise for their 10th wedding anniversary could prove to be Eden's salvation. But she should have read the fine print a little more clearly. Thinking she has an entire house to herself, Eden is stunned to find a young couple, Paris and Dev, already there. Paris and Dev are none too pleased to see Eden either, as they were anticipating sharing the house with their old college buddies. Yes, it's a house share and no one realized it until it was too late. Rather than risk getting stuck in traffic -- in the dark -- Eden reluctantly decides to stay just for the night and then head home. She'll stick to her room and let the youngins' enjoy themselves. Of course that's not how it goes!
As more people start to arrive, Eden gets a first-hand look at the so-called "tight" relationships her new housemates share. Sam is flaky and between jobs. Martha enjoys a playful but platonic closeness to Sam. Dev is friendly despite his fiancee Paris' surly demeanor. Hillary is bubbly and friendly, but she's clearly the newbie of the group because no one likes her. She only gets to partake of the reunion because she's Malloy's girlfriend. Malloy. He's clearly the leader of the group. Everyone gravitates to him. The men want to be him and the women want to be with him. Even Eden is drawn to his magnetic personality. In this house, Eden and Hillary are clearly not welcome. If Eden can make it through the night, she leave this frat house in the morning. What should have been a chance for Eden to relax is quickly shattered when Malloy is murdered. Once the murder happens, these "friends" turn on each other quickly.
This had the right elements for what I'm looking for in a thriller: a mysterious/unfamiliar setting, an unreliable narrator, and several potential suspects. I mean I'm a bit floored that someone would actually want to vacation in darkness. To each his own. But...the P A C I N G!! The pacing was just too slow for me. For me, the ending of chapter of a thriller should leave you thirsting for the next one. I never got that feeling with this book. Some of the characters just seemed like children who never grew up, and that's not something I can relate to. Malloy seemed like more than a man, he's practically a religion to these people. They revered him above all else. They went to him with every problem, triumph, and heartbreak. It seemed a little weird to me. Overall, the book is not all bad, but it just wasn't for me.
Rating: Give it a try
Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher (HarperCollins) as part of a blog tour with TLC Book Tours.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book for the tour.
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