Review - Rip Tide (Dark Life, Book 2) by Kat Falls (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction/Adventure
Size: 320 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: August 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0545178433
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in Dark Life series
Source: ARC through Amazon Vine
Rating: 4/5 stars

I got an advanced reading copy of this series through the Amazon Vine program. This is the second book in the Dark Life series by Kat Falls. If you liked the first book,Dark Life, I think you will really enjoy this book too. This book is fast-paced, action-packed and full of wonderful sea life and technology.

Ty knows life under the ocean is dangerous but when he and Gemma stumble upon a township chained shut on the ocean floor and full of dead people they know something horrible is happening. When Ty's parents are kidnapped while out selling their catch the plot thickens. Now Ty and Gemma will have to outsmart legal and illegal government groups in order to uncover the mystery of the sunken township and get Ty's parents back alive.

For some reason I keep hoping that this series will be more about living under the sea and what it is like than about government conspiracy. I am not sure why I keeping hoping that. This book is definitely more of a conspiracy type mystery than anything else. There is some cool discussion about underwater technology and there are some encounters with dangerous sea creatures; but most of the dangerous encounters involve people who are trying to take him and Gemma out so that they don't spoil their plans.

Ty and Gemma are fairly likable if not completely engaging characters. They have a bit of a romance going off and on throughout the book; this is hampered by Gemma being terrified of being undersea (which is Ty's home). Both are very capable and noble characters that strive to do the best they can. Ty can be reckless at times, but usually not stupidly so.

The plot moves very quickly, making the book tough to put down. The mystery is very well done and takes a number of unpredictable twists and turns.

I would recommend for older middle grade set (probably 10+ years old) just because the story is very violent at times. There is a lot of people killing each other or getting mauled by sea life, also threats of torture.

Overall this was a solid addition to the Dark Life series. It is full of action, adventure, and mystery. The story is more focused around a conspiracy going on between two groups of humans than anything else. Think of this as an undersea conspiracy thriller of sorts. The characters are solid, but not completely engaging. The plot has some nice twists and turns that keep the reader on their toes. This book was more violent than the first, so just something to be aware of. I personally like the series but am not completely in love with it just because I am not a big conspiracy thriller fan. Those who love ocean adventures and thrillers will find a lot here to love.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 100+ Reading Challenge

Review - Dark Life by Kat Falls (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Middle Grade

Genre: Dystopia/Science Fiction
Size: 304 pages
Publisher:  Scholastic Paperbacks
Release Date: February 1, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0545178150
Stand Alone or Series: 1st in Dark Life series
Source: Borrowed from library
Rating: 4/5 stars

I had been wanting to read this book forever.  When I saw that the 2nd book in the series, Rip Tide, was due out soon I decided to pick this book up at my local library.  It was a great read.  It wasn't as complex of a story as I was hoping for but the characters were engaging and the world absolutely fascinating.

Ty lives in an undersea colony.  After earthquakes shattered continents and toppled them into the oceans humans have two choice: live on an overcrowded landmass or live in an experimental ocean colony.  Ty is the first kid to be born and raised undersea; it seems that growing up under that much pressure does something to children's brains giving them strange powers called Dark Gifts.  When Ty's home is threatened by the Seablight gang; the Commonwealth abandons the underwater colonies telling them to deal with the gang problem themselves.  Then a girl shows up named Gemma; she is a Topsider searching for her brother.  There is a lot more going on with the Seablight gang than anyone initially knows and Gemma may be tied to it all.

This was a very good read.  The writing style was a bit simpler than I was hoping for and definitely targets a Middle grade age group.  Still, it was easy to read and engaging.  I absolutely love the idea of humans trying to survive under the ocean.  Falls put a lot of thought into how humans would survive under the ocean and came up with some great ideas.  I also loved the idea behind the Dark Gifts and really hope we get to read more about that in future books.

The book is done from Ty's point of view; as a reader we spend most of our time with Ty and Gemma.  Both were very likable characters.  It took me a bit to really get engaged with them though.  Ty comes off as very stand-offish early on, Gemma as kind of a brat....but by the end of the book I really liked them and enjoyed reading about them.  The characters around them aren't filled out very well.  We do get to learn a lot about Ty's sister Zoe and she was also an intriguing character.

I was kind of hoping that the main conflict in this book was over something really central to the dystopian set up; I was a bit disappointed that it ended up being a gang they were trying to track down.  I guess I was hoping for something more far-reaching.  As I reached the end of the book though I was happy to see that future books in this series promise to introduce more far-reaching issues and conflicts.  This book was more like an introduction to this world than anything.

The book wraps up neatly but it is clear that there will be future stories involving Ty and Gemma and the Seablight gang.

While the book mainly focuses on building up this really cool undersea world for the readers there are some serious issues touched on.  Overcrowding is discussed as is "racial" discrimination (the kids with the Dark Life are feared, and there is a lot of tension between the Dark Life dwellers and the Topsiders).  You don't get to learn a lot about the broader world; the focus is kept pretty tight and just deals with the immediate area the characters live in.

Overall I really enjoyed the world that is set up here and ended enjoying the characters too by the end of the book.  I am eager to read about future undersea adventures and learn more about this world as a whole.  I was hoping for a story that was a bit more complex and for something a bit more far-reaching; this book is mainly introducing the reader to this world and doesn't delve very deeply into how the world got that way or the deeper consequences of what is happening to the world as a whole.  Still those were just my expectations coming in.
 
The writing style is pretty simple and easy to read; it's appropriate for younger kids as well as older.   Readers who love dystopians and are intrigued by the idea of humans living in the ocean should find this book an excellent read.

This book goes towards the following reading challenge:
- 100+ Reading Challenge