[Book Review] The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas

Phew. The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas is the type of YA that I need to read more of!

I enjoyed this book so much. I went into it not really knowing anything about it. I just heard a number of people raving about how good it was. So if you haven’t read the book yet, I’d recommend coming back to this post later on.

Let’s dive in!

My Thoughts on The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas

This book was a bit slow to start. When I had gotten 100 pages in, I was a bit confused as to why it was labeled a mystery. But closer to halfway through the book, the action really picked up and I had a hard time putting it down!

I have to say that while I am normally annoyed at books with slow starts, this time I really appreciated the pacing. The slow start here let us really get to know the characters, the town, and the history of the Ohio River Monster before diving into the faster paced second half.

Right from the beginning, I was drawn to many of the characters. I related to so many things that the main character, Tessa, said or thought.
For example:
“Um, hi.” I’ve forgotten how to speak, as I often do when I have to use the phone. 

I also really liked Callie, after she lightened up a bit of course. I was so worried about her drinking (teen drinking is not a feature of books I enjoy at all), so I’m glad that part of the story didn’t take a really horrible turn.

Decker was my favorite, even though his role wasn’t very big. He truly seemed like a great kid. I think Tessa being friends with Decker really helped her both from the storyline’s standpoint and also emotionally. She was so high strung around everyone, so I thought it was nice to see her relax a little around Decker.

I thought that this book was the perfect mix of mystery and thriller, and the author really balanced the two out perfectly. I thought the ending was so powerful because we we’re given small hints and clues along the way, but there wasn’t anything super obvious. There was just one factor that I guessed pretty early on, but the rest totally caught me off guard, which was very refreshing. I absolutely love when I can’t figure out the mystery until it begins to unfold right in front of me and things finally start clicking!

My only complaints are that 1) there was a bit of repetition and 2) the ending seemed a little bit rushed. But with the ending, I think felt that way just because the majority of the action happens and then the book is over a few pages later. However, I did really appreciate that after all of the action, Tessa finally got some closure on the things she had been trying to figure out on her own.

My Favorite Passages from The Darkest Corners

There are worse things in this world than monsters, and somehow, they always manage to find me.

I feel bad for Decker; it must be hard to have a spirit in this town. Everywhere you turn, there’s someone who wants to kill it.

I figure there’s only so much we can beat ourselves up about, things we wished we’d done differently, before we’re broken beyond repair.

Sometimes all you have to do is look at the roots to see if the rest of the tree is poisoned.

Melissa Laurence is, if you’re polite, what you’d call a “woman who can handle herself.” I’m not polite, so I’m thinking that Melissa Lawrence is the type of woman who will break your nose for looking at her the wrong way.

No one stole my life from me. It’s always been mine. I just have to figure out what to do with it next.

My Final Thoughts on The Darkest Corners

I would definitely recommend this book for someone looking for a really good YA mystery/thriller. The last page was AMAZING.

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Thanks for reading!