Written by: Kat Falls.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK.
Fortmat: Paperback.
Released: 29th April 2010.
Rating: 4.5/5.
Official synopsis: "Ty has lived under the ocean for his entire life. Following global warming and the rise of the seas, his family joined an underwater community in hopes of living in the new frontier of the ocean floor. But When Ty meets Gemma, a girl from "topside", who is searching the seas for her brother, she quickly makes his life very complicated. Together Ty and Gemma face dangerous sea creatures and venture into the frontier town's rough underworld as they search for her missing brother. But the deeper they dig, the more attention they attract, and soon Ty and Gemma find themselves being hunted by a gang of outlaws who roam the underwater territories causing havoc, and who seem to have eerie abilities. But Ty has a secret of his own, living underwater for his entire life has meant he has also developed a "special" power. Can he keep it a secret from Gemma and his family or is it time for him to finally tell everyone the truth?"
Dark Life is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the seas have risen, forcing human-kind to live on high rises of land, so close together, the only way to describe it would be like sardines in a tin! However, some have chosen a different way of life. They want a better life, and in their quest have become pioneers. They now live under the waves, known as subsea. With houses designed to replicate jellyfish, and technical feats you could only find in fiction (ie a bubble fence!), Dark Life is a book perfect for anyone with a big imagination. Who would ever think of raising livestock and farming on the sea floor?
It captivates you right from the very beginning, and you're not let go until the very last word! I loved this book so much, I cannot describe. Ty is a likeable character, who has lived subsea all of his life. Gemma is a Topsider, who knows nothing but living in just one room! You couldn't want for more opposite characters than one another, yet they mesh together so well.
Kat Falls' writing is top class. The book is beautifully written in first person, from the perspective of Ty. I'm not normally a fan of first person books, but in this case it really works. More than ever when reading, I felt like I was there, fighting against the dreaded Seablite Gang who are terrorising Benthic Territory.
Shade, the head of the outlaws, is terrifying. I won't spoil it for you, because his description when he first appears in the book is quite unique and was one of my favourite parts of the book.
Seriously, if you do not read this one, you are missing out BIG TIME! I hope that there's a sequel because at the end of this, I am begging for more!
And can I just say one more time, thank you so so much to Jo (Ink and Paper) for my copy! You are a saint!
