Darkly by Marisha Pessi (2024)
Bowled over by the ambitious, detailed world building that went into this complex YA mystery-adventure. By world-building, I mean the world of the byzantine board games created by young art student Louisiana Veda, who became a legendary figure of dazzling creativity and impenetrable dark secrets.
This fascinating woman died mysteriously after building 'Darkly', a game manufacturing empire on her own private, forbidding island. Also included in the circumstances of her death......the disappearance of what was rumored as her penultimate game, 'Valkyrie', supposedly a game that its players might not survive.
Now seven teenagers from around the world have been selected for a summer internship on Louisiana's island. And they've been tasked (with a huge grand prize)_ by the sinister, all powerful law firm that controls the 'Darkly' estate. They're to find out how obsessive gamers are now playing the elusive, stolen 'Valkyrie', including one boy who's disappeared while playing it.
Among these diverse teens who've taken up the challenge is Arcadia 'Dia' Gannon, whose fearless, perceptive sleuthing leads the group into no end of harrowing adventures. As the secrets and revelations of Louisiana's Veda's incredible star-crossed life unfold, there's danger, suspicions, and some heartbreaking surprises swirling around the 'Darkly' empire and all its legends and puzzling backstories.
By no means a fast paced thrill ride., the riddles, mysteries and layers of deception here are mind boggling and dense, but I simply couldn't stop turning the pages. And those games! I doubt I could ever play them, but they sound like they'd make me first in line to see the movie adaptations.
And there's nothing I love more than a mystery whose twists finally come at you like an avalanche, right up to the final pages. Add to that the incisive meditations on the tortuous life of a misunderstood artist and you've got yourself a 5 star read. (*****)
This fascinating woman died mysteriously after building 'Darkly', a game manufacturing empire on her own private, forbidding island. Also included in the circumstances of her death......the disappearance of what was rumored as her penultimate game, 'Valkyrie', supposedly a game that its players might not survive.
Now seven teenagers from around the world have been selected for a summer internship on Louisiana's island. And they've been tasked (with a huge grand prize)_ by the sinister, all powerful law firm that controls the 'Darkly' estate. They're to find out how obsessive gamers are now playing the elusive, stolen 'Valkyrie', including one boy who's disappeared while playing it.
Among these diverse teens who've taken up the challenge is Arcadia 'Dia' Gannon, whose fearless, perceptive sleuthing leads the group into no end of harrowing adventures. As the secrets and revelations of Louisiana's Veda's incredible star-crossed life unfold, there's danger, suspicions, and some heartbreaking surprises swirling around the 'Darkly' empire and all its legends and puzzling backstories.
By no means a fast paced thrill ride., the riddles, mysteries and layers of deception here are mind boggling and dense, but I simply couldn't stop turning the pages. And those games! I doubt I could ever play them, but they sound like they'd make me first in line to see the movie adaptations.
And there's nothing I love more than a mystery whose twists finally come at you like an avalanche, right up to the final pages. Add to that the incisive meditations on the tortuous life of a misunderstood artist and you've got yourself a 5 star read. (*****)
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