This Darkness Mine.  A novel by Mindy McGinnis.
Price: $17.99
Set for release October 10, 2017.

A blind date gone bad . . .

This Darkness Mine is the story of Sasha Stone, a highly disturbed over-achieving teen.  Mental illness and medical malady turns Sasha’s well organized life into chaos as she tumbles from grace.  She manipulates her parents, makes friends and enemies while waiting for a heart transplant, and manages to cost a social worker her job.  Absolutely no character growth occurs in the novel, so that in the end, Sasha is just as twisted as she was at the beginning of the book.

The most disappointing part of the read was that this novel had potential.  It could have been a paranormal horror story, a touching story of coping with mental illness, or a medical thriller.  It was none of those.  The story seemed to have no real sense of itself.

In honesty, I was the one person who shouldn’t have obtained an advanced reader copy of this book.  Like the main character I played clarinet in high school, and I went on to play in college.  I can assure you that no one, not even Roger Cole, my clarinet professor, likes the clarinet that much and reeds don’t splinter and get stuck in your gums during practice.  Also, in chapter two the author uses the word economics when she should have used accounting.  My master’s degree is in economics, so I know the difference and was a little perturbed.  I imagine the accountants will be, too.  As a result, I had trouble buying into the character’s persona and suspending disbelief, which affected my reading.

I didn’t loathe the book, but neither did I love it.  I gave my copy away because it didn’t deserve be too tossed in the rubbish bin, but wasn’t worth keeping either.  Do with that what you will.

This review was completed using an advanced copy of uncorrected proofs.