board game – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Darkly

Author: Marisha Pessl

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 11/26/24

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Game

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Delacorte Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

What would you kill for?

When an ad for an internship with the Louisiana Veda Foundation poses this question, seemingly every high school student in the country rushes to apply. Arcadia “Dia” Gannon has been obsessed with Louisiana Veda, the late game designer whose obsessive creations have attained a cultlike status, ever since she and her mom played Disappearing Act—but Dia has never won anything in her life. So she’s shocked when she’s chosen as an intern, along with six other teenagers from around the world.

Little is known about Louisiana Veda. Her game-making empire, Darkly, was renowned for its ingenious, terrifying toys and games, rife with hidden symbols and secrets. But after Veda’s mysterious death, Darkly went bankrupt, and production was discontinued. The remaining games are priced like highly sought-after works of art, with the rarest and most notorious items commanding tens of millions of dollars at auction.

Now the interns are thrust into the enigmatic heart of Louisiana Veda’s operation, and Dia immediately questions everything: Who are these other kids? Why do they all seem to have something to hide? And why was she really chosen? It soon becomes clear that this summer will be the most twisted Darkly game of all.

Content Warning: violence

I saved this arc to read for Fall and honestly after reading it, it was the perfect book for spooky season:

Likes:

+ There is a famous, mysterious game maker named Louisiana Veda. Her board games are rare and highly coveted. So when a chance to win one of these games presents itself to Arcadia Gannon, she takes it. The whole history and mystery about Louisiana Veda is very fascinating and interesting! It kept me hooked to the story because of the lore about her life and the unique games she created. It made me want to see one of these games in real life! The story is dark, and thrilling with some good twists.

+ There is a group of kids who are chosen for this internship but they realize their internship is actually an investigation! One person will win the grand prize if they can help the company who manages Louisiana’s empire with their quest – so who will win? Can these kids trust one another? There are many instances where I didn’t trust any of the kids and I liked that it kept me guessing.

+ I love the atmosphere and how spooky the island is where the kids have to stay during their quest. It’s the island where Louisiana Veda lived and her game factory which is all boarded up now. It’s dark, creepy and these kids are always trying to go in there in the dead of night. And speaking of creepy – the game itself where the kids have to participate – is straight out scary (if I ever had to encounter that in real life).

Dislikes:

~ There is a love triangle that wasn’t needed but since it’s there, I wish was more developed.

Final Thoughts:

This book was really entertaining especially because of the game-come-to-life concept and how dark the lore and history is about Louisiana Veda. I was intrigued from start to finish loved all the chills and thrills I had while reading this! You won’t find me playing Valkyrie haha, but I would definitely want to see these board games because they sound amazing. I hope there is a sequel to this book because I feel like there’s more to be explored in this fascinating world of Darkly!