Review of Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…. Now it’s our turn.
Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even worse is happening. An ancient evil has been unleashed, hooking on to weakness, turning the unwary into hunters, killers, crazies.
Mason: His mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground. Everyone he knows is killed.
Aries: A school bus, an aftershock and a crash. Pulled out of the wreckage by a mysterious stranger, she’s about to discover a world changed forever.
Clementine: An emergency meeting at the town hall that descends into murderous chaos. Outside the rest of their community encircle with weapons. How can those you trust turn into savage strangers?
Michael: A brutal road rage incident. When the police arrive on the scene they gun down the guilty and turn on the by-standing crowd. Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad?

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I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I was hoping for something good and boy, it really delivers. At first I wasn't sure if four POV's would work and I figured it would be quite confusing, but I kept up with each storyline easily and I loved how it all came together in the end.

Although there are a few unexplained things in this, such as why an Earthquake caused so many people to go crazy or why there are certain levels of craziness - some were complete zombies, others were calculating killers and some seemed completely fine, like our four protagonists - I found that I didn't really care. I was too caught up in the action and suspense, which is pretty much a constant. Right from the beginning the four are thrown into very different situations. Mason has just learnt of his Mother's death and is waiting in hospital, Aries is on a bus when it crashes due to the Earthquake and she first meets Daniel there, a mysterious stranger who seems to be hiding his own secrets. Clementine is in a Village Hall with most of her town when her Mother tells her to escape when a couple of men with guns turn up - upon leaving, the screams start. And Michael is on a Motorway with his friend when a an argue between two motorists starts a bizarre sequence of events.

Of all the characters, I think I like Clementine the best. Aries is smart but she her stupid moments around Daniel, who she seems to think she owes or something. Micheal is likeable but makes some pretty silly decisions when he's supposed to be looking after someone, and Mason doesn't ask enough questions! Clementine however is the smartest. She keeps herself in the shadows and makes it the furthest on her own, narrowly escaping the baggers a few times. She teams up with another one of the four later on, at a time when they most needed her.
I really hated Colin. He's a complete coward and I would have kicked him out of the group pretty quickly! He doesn't expect to have to get food or keep watch or anything and he's always making excuses. He's definitely one of my most hated characters in a book!

5/5


Received free from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review