Review: Dark Parties by Sara Grant

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Neva has been trapped since birth. She was born and raised under the Protectosphere, in an isolated nation ruled by fear, lies, and xenophobia. A shield "protects" them from the outside world, but also locks the citizens inside. But there's nothing left on the outside, ever since the world collapsed from violent warfare. Or so the government says...

Neva and her best friend Sanna believe the government is lying and stage a "dark party" to recruit members for their underground rebellion. But as Neva begins to uncover the truth, she realizes she must question everything she's ever known, including the people she loves the most.

Review:
Dark Parties was such a great read. I definitely enjoyed this dystopian book. The main character, Neva, was a breath of fresh air. I liked that she never gave up her individualism and beliefs. She did not like the way the government controlled people's lives, and she tried to do something about it. I loved her quiet, rebellious attitude. I enjoyed following her story.

The government was horrible (obviously). Controlling the lives of its citizens to the point where many people would just disappear like they never existed. In this world, a sixteen year old is considered an adult, and adults are expected to start their lives by being good citizens. Meaning they are expected to have sex to have babies. Neva notices that mostly girls are the ones to disappear. She keeps track of everyone she notices that goes missing in her secret journal. It was kind of shocking to discover what the government has done to them.

The romance in this book was definitely hot! Unfortunately, Neva's boyfriend, Ethan, has been pretty much brainwashed by the government. Before he was a carefree, rebellious teen, but he becomes a boy that only wants to start a family with Neva. I found it sad how crushed his spirit became.

Unfortunately for Neva, she discovers she has strong feelings for newcomer Braydon, her best friend, Sanna's, boyfriend. She cannot help the way she feels and neither can Braydon. I definitely liked Braydon, but I never completely trusted him. I still do not know what to think of him.

If you like dystopian books, I would definitely recommend reading Dark Parties. It is a quick read, and I enjoyed it. It has an interesting plot with many unexpected twists. I did not think it was predictable at all. There is plenty of action, and the ending was perfect in my opinion.

Rating: 4/5

Swords are for fighting!