Title: Dark Life
Author: Kat Falls
Genre: Post-apocalypse, Dystopia, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult
Publisher: Scholastic (US) / Simon & Schuster (UK)
Publication Date: May 2010 (US) / August 2010 (UK)
Hardcover: 304 Pages
The oceans rose up, swallowing up the lowlands. Earthquakes shattered the continents, toppling entire regions into the rising water. Now, humans live packed into stack cities. The only ones with any space of their own are those who live on the ocean floor: the Dark Life.
Ty has spent his whole life living deep undersea, helping his family farm the ocean floor. But when outlaws attack his homestead, Ty finds himself in a fight to save the only home he has ever known. Joined by Gemma, a girl from the Topside who has come subsea to look for her brother, Ty ventures into the frontier’s rough underworld and discovers some dark secrets to Dark Life . . . secrets that threaten to destroy everything.
In her debut novel, Kat Falls has created a breathtaking world where the deep can be dangerous, the darkness can be deadly, and sometimes it takes extraordinary power to survive.
Stand alone or series: First book in a planned series
How did I get this book: Review Copy from the publisher (UK)
Why did I read this book: What can I say? I love a good post-apocalypse novel – and apocalypse by way of global warming seems to be the soup du jour. Ever since I first read the blurb for Dark Life last year, I’ve been eager to read and review it – and with YAAM ending, I finally put my foot down to get it done.
Review:
Dark Life is the story of Ty Townsend, a teenager born and raised on the sea floor, four hundred-plus feet beneath the surface. After the world’s temperature rose, the ice caps melted, permanently changing the climate and topography of the planet with twenty percent of the (former) United States’ eastern seaboard submerged under new sea-level. With so much land gone, humans faced two choices – to cram together in strictly limited land residences, or to move to the sea floor. Those pioneers of underwater habitation – Dark Lifers – enjoy all the space they want, but face incredible hardships. The Commonwealth (which has instigated marshal law for decades) controls the flow of supplies to underwater districts such as Ty’s home, Benthic Territory, and can revoke it at will. A band of raiders, led by the fearsome criminal Shade has been terrorizing Benthic Territory, intercepting ‘wealth shipments of supplies and wreaking havoc. The Commonwealth issues an ultimatum to those in Benthic Territory – either they catch the raiders on their own, or else all supplies will permanently dry up, their already high taxes will go through the roof, and land ownership rights revoked.
An enraged Ty – just two years from getting his own land – resolves to do whatever he can to help catch the raiders. But, he has his own hands busy with Topsider Gemma, whom he stumbles upon in deep water. A runaway orphan determined to find her missing older brother, Gemma and Ty’s paths intersect in strange and unforeseen ways – both work together, with the fate of the underwater colony, and more, at stake.
Dark Life is Kat Falls’ first novel, and it is undeniable, action-packed FUN. Fast-paced, wonky and imaginative, I thoroughly enjoyed this science fiction-type underwater romp (even if it really strains the limits of belief). The first thing to say about Dark Life is how adeptly Ms. Falls urges the plot along – I’m talking Rachel Caine-style non-stop action and wonder. And, as I’m a sucker for a briskly plotted sci-fi thriller, this translates to Thea-crack. From a plotting and writing perspective, Dark Live is unabashedly Over-The-Top, and I mean this in the best possible way. Like, the way that Avatar is ridiculously over the top. Or Aliens versus Predator is ridiculous and over the top. Or Lost could be ridiculous and over the top. Dark Life has a ridiculous amount of twists and reveals, which leaves me one very happy camper (or is it diver?). The setting is wonderfully detailed and aesthetically awesome, evoking a sort of Avatar-under-the-sea meets The Abyss with bio-luminescent life (I can definitely see how this book will translate to the big screen). and I loved the divide between those in Ty’s underwater world, and those in Gemma’s topside realm. Of course, as the descriptions are filtered through Ty’s narrative and the majority of the story takes place in the ocean’s depths, it’s strange to see how humanity chooses to cling to its crumbling, crowded and polluted relics when such beauty, space, and life is available underwater. Through Ty’s lovingly detailed descriptions, Benthic Territory comes to lush, vibrant life.
And, with narrative in mind, the characters of Dark Life are solidly written as well. As a protanonist, Ty’s voice is honest and self-assured, painting a heroic character – even if he does lean towards the too good to be true category. As his foil, Gemma makes up for Ty’s goodie-goodie tendencies with her brashness, her tendency to stick her foot in her mouth, and her pushiness. Needless to say, the two make a good pair. (My only quibble lay later in the book as Gemma’s tendency to get abducted at the worst possible instant – there are at least three pivotal instances of this in rapid succession) Then there are the supporting characters of Ty’s family (how I LOVE Zoe), a scarred Doctor, and a ruthless gang leader. I won’t say much for fear of spoilers, but they are all wonderfully written.
Of course, there is the minor problem of believability. The idea of deep sea living is as foreign and irresistible as outer space, facing many of the same challenges. Granted, this is not a hard science fiction title and Ms. Falls is not a marine biologist or engineer – but Dark Life does push the boundaries of credulity. Tropical fish, humans and livestock walking around at 400 feet underwater, traipsing to the surface and back at will without nitrogen buildup in the blood (not to say anything about getting up to the surface from 400 feet below on a single breath at the end without massive embolisms)? These technical issues said, Ms. Falls does subscribes to the George Lucas/Gene Roddenberry school of physics – and as with Star Wars or Star Trek (or, since the esteemed Mr. Zemeckis is involved, Back to the Future), the rules of physics sometimes don’t need to apply if the rest of the world is as compelling as Ty’s happens to be. Plus, that’s not to say that there aren’t any technological gadgets in place to aid the suspension of disbelief – I love the idea of “Liquigen” (filling the lungs of divers, allowing them to breathe and not suffer any ill effects of pressurization) and the jellyfish-like homes, just as love the idea of terrafarming the bottom of the ocean using superheated water from black chimneys and bacteria. Oh yeah, there’s also the idea of “Dark Gifts” and how water pressure stimulates other parts of the brain, leading to talents like dolphin sonar and other superhuman abilities. Yeah, these things are impossible. But, so what? For the sake of the story, even though I’m at the outer limits of credulity, I’m willing to push skepticism aside because Dark Life is that much fun.
Wildly enjoyable with a plot that won’t quit and a highly imaginative scope, Dark Life is a winsome first novel from Kat Falls. And I, for one, hope to return to Ty’s world very soon.
Notable Quotes/Parts: From Chapter 1:
I peered into the deep-sea canyon, hoping to spot a toppled skyscraper. Maybe even the Statue of Liberty. But there was no sign of the old East Coast, just a sheer drop into darkness.
A ball of light shot past me — a vampire squid, trailing neon blue. The glowing cloud swirled around my helmet. Careful not to break it up, I drifted onto my knees, mesmerized. But my trance was cut short by a series of green sparks bursting out of the gorge. I fell back, every muscle in my body tense. Only one fish glittered like an emerald and traveled in a pack: the green lantern shark. Twelve inches long and deadly as piranhas, they could rip apart something twenty times their size. Forget what they could do to a human.
I should have seen them coming, even this deep. I should have known the squid had squirted its radiant goo to divert a predator. And now my helmet’s crown lights served as an even brighter beacon. With a jab to my wrist screen, I snapped them off, but it was too late — I couldn’t unring that dinner bell.
I pried a flare gun from my belt and fired into the midst of the electric green frenzy. Two heartbeats later, light exploded over the canyon, shocking the sharks into stillness, eyes and teeth glittering. Quickly, I scooped the anchor of my mantaboard out of the muck and hauled myself onto it. Lying on my stomach with my legs dangling, I twisted the handgrips and took off, making serious wake. If my lungs hadn’t been filled with Liquigen, I would’ve whooped aloud.
Not that I was in the clear. As soon as the flare died, the sharks would be on me like suckerfish on a whale. I thought about burying myself in the thick ooze of the seafloor. Bedding down with the boulder-sized clams had worked before. I chanced a look over my shoulder. Sure enough, the darkness twinkled with stars — vicious little stars, shooting my way.
Tilting the manta into a nosedive, I flicked on the head beams, only to have the light reflect off metal. A sub! I crashed into it and toppled, boots over helmet. The manta’s handgrips tore from my fingers as I slammed onto my back. Sliding down the sloped hull, I grappled for a hold without luck until my feet hit the bumper and I stopped short. My guts took longer to settle.
Without a rider, the manta would shut off automatically; I’d have to find it later. Right now, I needed to take cover. But why was this little rig sitting on the seafloor without a light on to announce its presence? Was it a wreck? If so, it hadn’t sunk that long ago. The polished metal hull was barnacle free.
I scuttled along the bumper until I found the circular door to the air lock. The panel cover dangled from one hinge with pry marks scoring its edge. I hesitated, wondering about those marks, when suddenly the hull gleamed with emerald light.
I slammed the entry button. Like a dilating eye, the hatch opened and seawater filled the small chamber. Plunging into the air lock, I whirled to see sharks streaking toward me from all sides. I hit the interior button whole-handed. As the hatch clinched shut, the sharks plowed into it like mini torpedoes. From inside, they sounded like Death pounding at the door. I slumped against the chamber wall and grinned. Nothing put a buzz in my blood like escaping predators.
How many rules had I just broken? Visiting Coldsleep Canyon alone: forbidden. On nothing but a mantaboard: absolutely forbidden. Exploring a derelict sub: off the sonar screen. But now I had to take cover until the sharks left. It was the smart thing to do. The safe thing. Not that my parents would ever hear about the sub or the sharks. With a gang of outlaws roaming the territory, they had enough to worry about.
When the last drop of seawater disappeared through the grated floor, I tipped back my helmet and inhaled. The air was rank but did its job: The oxygen-infused liquid in my lungs evaporated. Switching on my flashlight, I opened the next hatch and stepped right into someone else’s nightmare.
Blood dripped from every surface in the gear room — walls, benches, lockers. . . . Wet and glistening, it puddled around the prospecting tools that littered the floor. I slowed my breath as if that would lessen the metallic tang that now filled my nose — a stink that conjured up the blood-slicked deck of a whaling ship. Some fisherman butchered something big in here, that’s all, I told myself. A sunfish or a marlin. Nothing to panic about. Except . . .I edged farther into the room. No matter how hard it thrashed, a dying fish couldn’t have emptied the weapons rack, let alone ripped it off the wall.
Circling the overturned rack, I panned my light across the open lockers — all ransacked — and tugged at my suit’s neck ring. Usually my helmet didn’t bother me when it hung off the back of my diveskin, but now its weight choked me. The sharks outside weren’t doing my nerves any favors, either, knocking along the sub’s hull, looking for a way in.
As soon as the sharks stopped tapping, I’d head up to the sunlight zone and hunt for dinner like I should have been doing all along. But the tapping didn’t stop. If anything, it grew louder. Worse, I realized it wasn’t the sharks tapping at all, but . . .
Footsteps.
You can read the full excerpt online HERE.
Rating: 7 – Very Good
Reading Next: We by John Dickinson
Giveaway Details:
We have FIVE copies of Dark Life up for grabs, courtesy of the UK publisher. The contest is open to ALL, and will run until Saturday, August 21st at 11:59 PM (PST). To enter, simply leave a comment here letting us know what your “dark gift” would be (i.e. dolphin-like sonar, electric eel-like shock capabilities, superhuman swimming speed, whatever!). ONLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON, PLEASE! Multiple comments will be disqualified.
Good luck!
93 Comments
Bethany
August 17, 2010 at 1:36 pmHaving just read this, dark gifts are rather fresh on my mind. How can you beat sonar for practicality? But hey, it might be fun to shoot ink? Heheh.
anne morand
August 17, 2010 at 1:47 pmMy dark-gift ? I would be Karma. I would be the one that would be coming-around. You do good, I give you good. You do bad, I give you bad.
Nayá
August 17, 2010 at 1:48 pmOMG, I need this book!
Hmm… I think my dark gift would be ‘teleport.’ You know… sometimes we need it. I need it bad, at least.
Thanks for hosting. =D
Darren @ Bart's Bookshelf
August 17, 2010 at 1:53 pmSounds like a fun read. As for dark gifts… never being one to stand out in a crowd. Some sort of camouflage like ability would be cool. 🙂
kemendraugh
August 17, 2010 at 1:54 pmDefinitely the sonar! It’d be almost like a psychic ability, able to see things before they got there. SO COOL!
Danielle
August 17, 2010 at 2:00 pmSpeed, for sure.
alana
August 17, 2010 at 2:18 pmI’d like to be able to blend in to my surroundings. I’m from San Diego, but the ocean freaks me out. lol
Hannah
August 17, 2010 at 3:47 pmOoh I hadn’t heard of this one but it sounds intriguingly cool! My Dark Gift…I think it would be something like the built-in lighting system of an angler fish, so I could always see what’s going on and where I am no matter what. That would be pretty handy.
draconismoi
August 17, 2010 at 3:56 pmBioluminescence! And because it’s my Dark Gift, I think it would extend beyond myself…..I could transfer some glow-in-the-dark spores to keep other beings or objects lit up.
Breanne M.
August 17, 2010 at 4:10 pmThis has been on my TBR list for a little while… would love to win! I think I would want dolphin-like sonar as my Dark Gift.
Lillie H
August 17, 2010 at 4:19 pmHmm, I’m tempted to go for the sonar, but I think that I would like a chameleon-type dark gift. Not really invisibility, but the ability to blend into my surroundings.
Emily
August 17, 2010 at 4:45 pmI would totally want bioluminescence too- especially if it could be localized in just my hands (like a flashlight) or head (miner’s helmet!)
Kaitlyn in Bookland
August 17, 2010 at 4:56 pmThis sounds so good! Super speed for sure 🙂
kaitlynkline[at]gmail[dot]com
morgannee
August 17, 2010 at 5:07 pmi have wanted to read this for a while! i think my “Dark Gift” would be super speed. it would be awesome to go crazy fast underwater! 😉
SaraC
August 17, 2010 at 5:23 pmBiolumenescense is so cool!
Mary
August 17, 2010 at 5:46 pmOh my, the choices! I want a combo of camouflage and super-speed, like those fishies who lay in wait for their prey then snap them up lickety-split.
Jill
August 17, 2010 at 5:52 pmI think this book sounds great! My power???? I’d be able to blend and lay in wait and then be able to explode up and nab what I want 🙂
Mariska
August 17, 2010 at 6:03 pmMy choice Teleport 🙂 And this book sounds Cool!
Jasmine A S
August 17, 2010 at 6:22 pmHmmmmmmmmm, I’m kinda stuck between sonar and fast swimming. But I like sight more than speed, so I’m gonna go with sonar. 😀
Victoria Zumbrum
August 17, 2010 at 6:22 pmI would love to read this. Sounds ground. I would have to say my dark talent would be teleport. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com
Maryam H
August 17, 2010 at 6:27 pmI would definitely go for super speed that would be cool.
This book sounds like one of a kind!
Misha Mathew
August 17, 2010 at 6:28 pmPlease enter me.Thanks!
I choose superhuman swimming speed!
Misha
mishamary@gmail.com
jennifer mathis
August 17, 2010 at 6:44 pmI’d like to be able to breath underwater though swimming fast would be great too
meandi09@yahoo.com
Jocelyn R.
August 17, 2010 at 6:57 pmI’d like to be like a chameleon, to blend in to the scenery around me so as not to be too available to the predatory denizens of the sea. 🙂
Bella F.
August 17, 2010 at 7:02 pmooh, definitely dolphin-like sonar, but with a twist: it’d be an ESP sonar I could use to read minds or see ghosts 🙂
Amelia P.
August 17, 2010 at 7:20 pmI think that it would be kinda cool and useful to be able to spray ink like an octopus. It would make me feel kinda like a ninja, disappearing into smoke 🙂
rhapsodyinbooks
August 17, 2010 at 7:31 pmSonar sounds fun! Please enter me!
nbmars AT yahoo DOT com
Melanie L
August 17, 2010 at 7:51 pmI would want to be able to breathe underwater, or like some other people said, it would be great to be able change colors to blend in with my surroundings.
laarni lopez
August 17, 2010 at 8:50 pmweee! i would love to win this contest.. and my dark gift would be.. the dolphin-like sonar! :p
laarni lopez
August 17, 2010 at 8:52 pmi would like to get this giveaway! thanks for making this available to everyone! :p
i would have the sonar powers like a dolphin’s.. 🙄
Mezzowriter
August 17, 2010 at 10:56 pmI’ve been drooling over this book for a while.
Dark power? Nah. Honestly, I’d love to be able to swim. PERIOD. I have always envied people who can REALLY swim, not just splash around desperately.
Le sigh.
Kimberly B.
August 17, 2010 at 11:56 pmSounds great! I think my dark gift would be to communicate with animals. That way I could tell the bug that just terrified me to just leave!
Thanks for the great giveaway!
Sam
August 18, 2010 at 12:02 amMy dark gift would be biolumenscent electrogenic tentacles.. Oh picture the sparkly danger they would bring…
Cherry Mischievous
August 18, 2010 at 12:08 amI would have the dark power of obedience from everybody, that even my enemies would obey my command 8) …how cool is that?
Re-posted your contest at: http://contests-freebies.blogspot.com/2010/08/win-dark-life-at-book-smugglers.html
Squishy133
August 18, 2010 at 12:29 amWow, awesome review! This book sounds so new and interesting! 🙂
I’d love a chance to win it, and if I could choose my power of the deep would definitely be being able to psychicly talk to the fishies. I mean, how useful would that be when you’re about to be eaten by a shark! You could call the dolphins and hoards of angry fish to your aid! Awesome-sauce if you ask me. 🙂
Thank you!
Carol Thompson
August 18, 2010 at 1:26 amBeing underwater, I think I would choose to have senses like a shark, and they are the best hunters in the sea, namely extremely good sense of smell and the ability to sense the small amount of electrical energy given off by all living things.
Thanks
Carol T
buddytho {at} gmail DOT com
Caroline
August 18, 2010 at 2:05 amLooks like a brilliant book…I’d say that as it is probably pretty murky down in the depths (and I’ve terrible eyesight in real life) I’d like to have the ability to see in the dark – easier than sonar!
Adelina
August 18, 2010 at 2:08 amThis book sounds so awesome! My pick would be super speed underwater…and can I have the sonar too? 😉
Maureen
August 18, 2010 at 2:51 amI would pick the amazing swimming speed.
tymcon
August 18, 2010 at 2:57 amDefinetly sonar.
debp
August 18, 2010 at 3:34 amI would like to be able to control the fish and mammals of the sea.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com
Mrs. DeRaps
August 18, 2010 at 3:34 amMy dark gift would be the ability to regenerate like a shark. Lose a tooth in battle? No biggie…Just grow another in its place!
mrsderaps @ hotmail . com
Kaya
August 18, 2010 at 4:00 amGah, I want this book.
Ooh, I want speed definitely!
k_anon[at]hotmail[dot]co[dot]uk
Jessica S.
August 18, 2010 at 5:12 amI like the electric eel shock thing! That would be pretty cool!
Cheri
August 18, 2010 at 5:16 amelectric shock
Audra Holtwick
August 18, 2010 at 5:57 amDark Power would have to be dolphin sonar- would love to win a copy of this book -THANKS
Gerd D.
August 18, 2010 at 6:39 amThe dark gift on my wishlist would be bioluminescence.
Just think about it, being able to read by your own light…
Em
August 18, 2010 at 7:31 amMy dark gift would be super swimming stamina. I’m on my way to that one already. I never get to swim long enough because my friends get tired and need to head to shore.
Stacy
August 18, 2010 at 7:34 amI would love to be able to teleport.
Llehn
August 18, 2010 at 7:57 amI think my dark gift would be to be able to find food wherever I go.
Lisa
August 18, 2010 at 8:40 amThis book sounds like a really good read… Dark gift would probably be the ability to breath underwater.
Su
August 18, 2010 at 9:08 amI think I’ll have to put this one on my TBR List.
As for my dark power, I’d have to go with venom, like a lionfish… Or the ability to knock up my husband, like a seahorse. 😀
Addy
August 18, 2010 at 9:09 amMy Dark gift…hmmm…I think I’d want to be impervious to temperature and pressure changes (assuming I already lived under the sea) so I could swim to the deepest depths comfortably.
Marie
August 18, 2010 at 9:35 amI would love to be able to have full control of water, like to change currents, create waves, etc.
Linz
August 18, 2010 at 10:13 amThis book sounds fantastic. Thanks for the giveaway!
My dark gift would be the ability to see with the littlest amount of light possible so I could read underwater. 😉
Celia
August 18, 2010 at 10:46 amI gotta choose the super-speed swimming, maybe because I never do anything fast *sigh*, so that just sounds awesome to me.
Ryan
August 18, 2010 at 12:09 pmMagnetism
I would wipe all of my friends Credit Cards and save them from debt. Plus I could give my dog a metal collar and not get all tied up when he runs around my ankles.
Alexa
August 18, 2010 at 12:12 pmI’d go with breathing under water, but electric eel shocking abilities sound fun.
Sue
August 18, 2010 at 1:21 pmSuper speed for me. Thanks for the giveaway.
s.mickelson at gmail dot com
Kassa
August 18, 2010 at 1:36 pmI’m excited to read this one. If I had to choose, I’d want go-go gadget teeth. Things swim way too fast to catch up with them and seriously, just snapping out teeth and having them snap back I think would be awesome.
Julie G
August 18, 2010 at 1:37 pmI will take the bite power of a shark. Is that one available? (can you tell that it was recently Shark Week on the Discovery Channel?)
John J.
August 18, 2010 at 3:13 pmI’d have the gift of the anemone – though expanded. So I couldn’t be hurt by any other Dark Gifts, in exchange for the lack of having an ability I can use offensively. 🙂 All that video game playing has me thinking strategically.
vvb
August 18, 2010 at 3:58 pmability to re-grow lost limbs would be cool.
vvb32 at yahoo.com
Karissa
August 18, 2010 at 5:49 pmI would love to have a body that could breath under water and be able to handle super high pressure. That way I could swim down to find out what really lives deep deep in the ocean.
karissae(at)gmail(dot)com
Elizabeth
August 18, 2010 at 6:25 pmDark Life would be a great a edition to both my personal library and my classroom! What a terrific story to get the creative juices flowing in young readers/writers.
As for my Dark Power I would say Sonar!! What teacher wouldn’t want that?!
Julie
August 18, 2010 at 7:22 pmI’d love teleportation!!
julie102794[at]gmail[dot]com
SC8003
August 18, 2010 at 8:11 pmHm.. My dark gift could be staying in the water without needing to breathe. It would be great since I love diving and snorkeling. 🙂
You can reach me at luvpinkpanther@gmail.com
Jufuzle19
August 18, 2010 at 9:49 pm😀 they all sound so awesome! i can’t decide, but its definitely between camouflage and speed!
Eva SB
August 19, 2010 at 1:44 amI would love to have the ability to old my breath and stay under water for a long time.
Or gills, even better so I could breathe under water, but I’d have to have lungs too I could live on land as well . I don’t want to be trapped with ‘prune-skin’ for the rest of my life.
Kris
August 19, 2010 at 5:39 amI’ll go ahead and say super fast swimming. You can avoid a lot if you are just fasater than whatever it is LOL!
Megan
August 19, 2010 at 8:05 amUnderwater breathing or super speed swimming sounds pretty sweet.
Kaethe
August 19, 2010 at 9:26 amI want to generate my own bioluminescence. A built-in reading light would be handy, thanks.
Brittany Landgrebe
August 19, 2010 at 1:01 pmOoooh, this is such an intriguing book! And I can suspend my own belief at the drop of a hat, practically. LOL!
I’d totally be on for transportation. I thought sonar, but I’m no ninja. I’m a PIRATE! 😛
Mary
August 19, 2010 at 1:14 pmCan’t wait to read this book. My gift would be the ability to morph from being one creature to being another.
Gabriela
August 19, 2010 at 7:02 pmOk, I know it’s a total cliche, but my ability would be flight!!! 😀
Allison
August 19, 2010 at 7:19 pmMy dark gift would be breathing underwater!
Lisa Richards
August 19, 2010 at 10:26 pmMy Dark Gift would be to control the water, both it’s temp and where it was going
Sparkles
August 19, 2010 at 11:32 pmSuperhuman swimming abilities
Grace
August 20, 2010 at 2:03 amI’d want the dolphin-like sonar, but instead of detecting objects I can detect what’s going to happen in the future!
Ariana A.
August 20, 2010 at 3:00 pmI guess my dark gift would be able to surive deep ocean pressure. Think of the possiblities of exploration down there in the dark…
Breanne
August 20, 2010 at 5:26 pmOh my gosh I want to read this book soo bad!… Well for my dark gift I would choose camouflage.
Travis
August 20, 2010 at 6:52 pmSince this reminded me of Bioshock my gift would be like the Sonic Boom in that game!
Kevin S
August 20, 2010 at 10:50 pmWe know less about our oceans than we do about the far reaches of the galaxy — great setting for a post-apocalyptic novel! As for my Dark Gift, I would hope for a collapsible/cartilage skeleton so I could squeeze through narrow passages in coral and rock formations.
Review: Dark Life by Kat Falls : Bart's Bookshelf
October 27, 2010 at 2:26 pm[…] Being a bit of a dystopian fan, I had seen a little bit about this one over the last few months and was lucky enough to win a copy from The Book Smugglers back in August. […]
Anonymous
February 17, 2011 at 6:55 pmI would want to run on the ocean(not the floor) the OCEAN1
Anonymous
February 17, 2011 at 6:57 pmi don’t want the book cause I already have one so lets just put a dark gift… uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
the ability to live underwater without liguigen 😆
Josh
March 4, 2013 at 10:07 ammy dark gift would be underwater breathing and be able to go topside,and the ability to go to the deepest part of the ocean and survive there
Anonymous
April 24, 2013 at 8:01 pmhttp://thebooksmugglers.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif
chris
August 13, 2013 at 7:54 amive already read the book and it was AMAZING!
put it this way ive read every Harry Potter book and fell in love but if these books turn out the way i suspect they will then Ms. Rowling might have some competition on her hands lol
ok i personally believe that animals have a sort of sixth sense such as animals going crazy right before an earthquake, or a dog growling at a suspicious person. so i would want my dark gift to be the ability to….(drumroll please)…talk to animals!!!! and not just ocean animals
Anonymous
October 16, 2013 at 8:47 pmThis book sucks
Anonymous
October 24, 2013 at 5:04 pmthis bokk was baller
john smith
December 10, 2013 at 10:49 amthis book is bad
Jenna
October 18, 2016 at 8:19 amThis book was amazing!! I read it for a book project in my English class, and absolutely loved it!! It’s action packed, and always has you wanting to know what happens next. The plot is very clever- I would definitely recommend giving this book a read.