Hey and welcome to my stop on The Darkest Part blog tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. Click here to follow along with the tour! :D
Title: The Darkest Part (Living Heartwood)
Author: Trisha Wolfe
Release date: August 6th 2013
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Source: Review copy
Blog Tour organized by: YA Bound Book Tours
~ Synopsis ~
Pressing the boundaries of both the psyche and the heart, Sam and Holden embark on a dangerous journey that will test the limits of love.
Sam Wintry's life used to be almost perfect. She was engaged to her childhood best friend and high school sweetheart, Tyler Marks, planning an amazing cross-country honeymoon during her college break. But after a hit-and-run leaves her in ruin, she begins seeing Tyler's fractured, ghostly presence, and her family believes she's losing her mind. Not until she completes their journey, stopping along the way to scatter Tyler's remains, will Tyler be able to cross over. Only... is Sam ready for him to leave her?
When the black sheep of the Marks' family, Holden Marks, returns to check on Tyler's case, Sam convinces him to give her his brother's ashes. Despite their shaky history, she needs him... plus, he owes it to Sam and his brother. What she doesn't count on is Holden's relentlessness to go on the trip.
On the road, Holden realizes just how unhinged Sam has become. Dealing with her psychosis forces him to confront his dark past, making it harder to keep secrets hidden that should remain buried. Especially from Sam, the only woman he's ever loved. And as Sam starts to unravel the truth, she begins to question if the brother she's unwillingly falling for again is in an even darker place than her.
~ My Thoughts ~
My Rating: 5 / 5
After hearing so many great things about Trisha Wolfe's novels, I jumped at the chance to read and review The Darkest Part. All the praise is well deserved - she's a tremendously talented author who makes writing look easy. I became so involved in Sam, Tyler, and Holden's story that I was able to escape my surroundings for a while. It was so easy for me to slip away into Trisha Wolfe's writing.
I've always been afraid of my soul becoming trapped because of either unfinished business or being unable to let go of loved ones left behind. I tend to think of things like this a lot, and whether any of us admit it out loud or to ourselves, I think all of us think about what comes after death. That's another large reason this book appealed to me and made me want to read it desperately.
What I'm even more afraid of besides my soul becoming trapped rather than moving on is thinking about someone I love not being able to cross over. So I identified with Sam and her crushing fear that Tyler's soul could end up earthbound or even swallowed by darkness, meaning he would have no memories of who he was in life and would not be able to cross over into the light. He would never be at rest. If I knew that was a possibility for someone I loved, then I'd do everything in my power to prevent that from happening, no matter how much it would hurt me.
The Darkest Part has such a powerful story line that it only makes sense it would need powerful characters. The thing about these three main characters - Sam, Tyler, and Holden - is that while I really love them and think they're great characters, they're real. They aren't just good or bad; they're both. They're multidimensional with faults and all, just like people in real life. For instance, I found out shitty things that Holden has done in his past to Sam, but I still found myself liking him because I had insight into his thoughts and behaviors.
Secrets start coming out of the woodwork - Sam and Holden have one from Tyler, while Tyler and Holden have one from Sam - and everything between these three people have been so tangled up for so long that what I thought was a straightforward love story at the beginning turns out to be much more complicated. Sam begins to discover there was a lot about Tyler and Holden's lives that they held back from her while growing up.
The Darkest Part is a powerful and moving novel written with a lot of heart. Definitely don't miss this one!
~ Purchase Links ~
~ Meet the Author: Trisha Wolfe! ~
I'm the author of the YA Steampunk DESTINY'S FIRE (Omnific Publishing), ASTARTE'S WRATH NA Historical/Supernatural, and the upcoming YA Utopian FIREBLOOD from Spencer Hill Press, October 2013. My NA Dark Fantasy OF SILVER AND BEASTS available May 2013.
I'm the creator of YA Bound, a promotional site for the Young Adult genre. Also a member of SCWW and The Apocalypsies.
A proud business owner, I'm partnered with my partner, my husband. When I'm not busy doing all of the above, I'm a wife and mother of a gorgeous teen boy who's the sounding board for my male characters.
~ Social Links ~
I have heard so many good things about this book. I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy. Great review!
ReplyDeleteIt's everything great people say and more! Can't wait until you get to read it! Thanks so much! :D
DeleteSo many good reviews of this book! I'm definitely looking forward to reading it!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
It's one of the best books I've read this year, hands down. Hope you love it! :D
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