34623558You know your son better than anyone. Don’t you?

When critically ill Jacob Wilson is given a life-saving heart transplant, his parents are relieved that their loving son has been saved.

However, before long, his family are forced to accept that something has changed in Jacob. Their once loving son is slowly being replaced by a violent man whose mood swings leave them terrified – but is it their fault?

Jacob’s girlfriend, Rosie, is convinced the man she loves is suffering from stress. But when his moods turn on her, she begins to doubt herself – and she can only hide the bruises for so long.

When a terrible crime is committed, Jacob’s family are forced to confront their darkest fears. Has the boy they raised become a monster? Or is someone else to blame?

Source Format Pages Publisher Genre Publication Date
Netgalley eARC 384 Avon Crime  July 13th, 2017

There certainly is a whole lot of ‘darkness within‘ the pages of this book. I requested a copy from Netgalley because, let’s be honest, the synopsis is really rather intriguing. I don’t want to say more about the plot in fear of spoilers but the idea Lisa Stone based the book on is really interesting and cool, even though scientifically not proven. Be ready to separate yourself from your fact-yearning, scientific mind in order to enjoy this book 🙂

Sadly, as far as the good idea goes, I wasn’t able to truly appreciate the book. Yes, it delivers on humanly darkness. Yes, it has many conflicts that create complex settings for characters to deal with and yes, everything ties in together nicely…

So, what went wrong?

For me, the delivery failed. It felt like reading a (really long) newspaper article or report of happenings rather than a story with soul, no matter how evil that lingering soul may be. I skipped paragraphs and pages at times because  didn’t feel they had anything of importance to add… Example: when Jacob’s mother is looking for Mary’s glasses, did we really have to follow her and the descriptions through all the rooms and drawers only to come to the conclusion at the rubbish bin? It felt like it was simply to fill a few more pages to fatten up the book. Example 2:  When Jacob went to ‘pay back’ there were a few Kindle pages of descriptions about his anxiousness and lead up to the actual scene. I frowned…  because when certain moments should have felt suspenseful and foreboding, they didn’t really feel as such. At all… Sometimes TMI is just TMI.

Yes, some readers may have an issue with the credibility in this story around certain events, but every book doesn’t have to be realistic. Sometimes it’s up to the reader to just be open minded and go with the flow. Credibility is not my ‘complaint’. I can overlook the vital elements that provide the foundation of the story and just enjoy the ride. It’s all about overall enjoyment for me. And in a way, certainly, The Darkness Within delivered an experience. I can truly say I won’t be forgetting this book for a while to come. Yes, the writing style let my expectations down, but the coincidences and characters’ behaviors will be playing in my mind for weeks to come.

With themes of abusive relationships, drug use and Mommies who decide to turn a blind eye against victims in order to protect their baby, this book will manage to cause turmoil in every reader. I definitely found characters to dislike, plenty of them.. most of them, apart from the one character. I just felt sorry for her.

I don’t know what to tell you guys. I’m so bummed that this book didn’t blow my mind. But don’t let me put you off at all. Especially when crime is your thing- definitely give this one ago- it explores quite a new ‘reasoning’ as to why a person acts bad. And whether you believe it or not, it’s bound to send a crime lover’s thinking process toward unexpected directions.

The ending? It certainly kept with the theme/theory the book is based on, but it’s a difficult one to accept. Yes, it’s unbelievable, but it’s also morally unacceptable and after all these crimes and wrong doings, who’s going to pay? One can only hope Lady Karma will take care of this one, y’all!

My rating: 3***. It was an OK book, but because this is an ARC and some of the niggles I had are probably more a personal preference then I feel I need to be fair. Everyone else cna make u their own mind about the book as they read it! 🙂

The Darkness Within will be released on July 13th and you can find the book on Goodreads ¦ Amazon UK ¦ USA