Review Detail

The last book I consumed was so amazing that I knew it would be a struggle to love the next book I read just as much. Indeed, I think that, for the first half of Dark Eyes, I really did pick at the little things I didn’t like and made them seem (in my head at least) much worse than they were. By the time I finished it though, I decided that it was a pretty solid book.

Wallis Stoneman was born in Russia, but adopted by a wealthy American couple when she was young. Despite the privilege provided to her, she can’t shake the feeling that she just doesn’t belong in such an environment. Taking to the street, and now sixteen, Wally is sure to stick to close to the few friends she can trust, but when she accidentally stumbles upon a file which could finally allow her to discover the secrets of her past, she finds out that family does not always mean friend, and that some people are not afraid to destroy their own flesh and blood to satisfy greed and desire.

The Good - Touted as the young adult version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, this book should appeal to a wide audience, and the story itself is pretty unique for teen fiction, especially in this dystopian/paranormal/fantasy saturated environment. I thought the story flowed well enough, and the writing style was very typical for thrillers across the board, meaning that lovers of thrillers and adventures, in general, should be pretty pleased with Richter’s offering.

The Bad - The bottom line is, I don’t love thrillers. I like them, but I don’t love them. So while I thought this book was everything it promised to be, I just couldn’t get into it completely. I also don’t particularly enjoy third person or omniscient views, mainly because I hate shifting from one character to another. There is always one storyline in something like this which you enjoy much less than the others, and Dark Eyes was no different. I found myself skimming over the pages about Tiger and Klesko. Also, I couldn’t help thinking that Wally was rather bratty and her relationship with Tevin seemed unnecessary. Oh, and the closing action scenes were a bit too convenient if you ask me. But at least pretty much everything is explained.