Brightest Kind of Darkness, YA Paranormal Romance (Book #1) [NOOK Book]

YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!!! =)

Brightest Kind of Darkness is the story of Nara, a girl who dreams her next days events before they happen, and a mysterious loner named Ethan. The events of the story lead Nara and Ethan to begin a budding friendship and eventually a romantic relationship. As their relationship grows and Nara's gift begins to fade, strange things begin to happen. The question is what will Ethan and Nara have left when this is all over.

My opinion: this book is a must read for anyone who likes a good paranormal romance. This book delivers on so many levels. I am not a fan of purely romantic books. Plot must be present between the love scenes or what's the point? P.T. Michelle does a masterful job creating characters that compel you to keep reading. Her use of sensory imagery is absolutely beautiful. Nara and Ethan's budding relationship is also incredibly beautiful. Begin rant. I cannot stand it when two characters "fall in love" the second they meet and are ready to die for one another in the next scene. What's that all about? Instalove is not love it's instalust. <deep breath> Rant over. Ethan and Nara's relationship begins as a friendship based on common interests and an uncanny understanding of each other. As they share more and more of their lives and secrets, we see a very balanced and loving relationship develop. They have their little blips, as any relationship does, and they also have some serious obstacles to overcome but there is a serious commitment to each other's needs and well being...especially from Ethan. Enter my absolute adoration for our male lead. Ethan is fantastic. When did he win my heart? The second he calls Nara "Sunshine." Call me cheesy, but that's my husband's nickname for me and I literally had an "AWWWWW!!!" moment as I read the book. Ethan is charming and lovable and also very funny, however there is a depth to him that you would not see in typical teenage boys. The reasons for this are explain in text, so I won't spoil that for you. Suffice it to say he has a hard-won maturity. I really love how Nara's affection for him is something that blossoms like real life love does. He becomes the most beautiful person in the world to her...he doesn't start out that way. Not that she thinks him unattractive at the beginning but familiarity makes her see his beauty more deeply. Ethan is also an extremely protective, sacrificial leading man, who will do anything to keep Nara safe. But the most incredibly refreshing thing about this entire romance is their mutual need for each other and the pure vulnerability of their love. Most YA books have a heroine who is utterly infatuated with their male lead and if something happens to separate them, live is over. Let's just kill ourselves or become useless lumps of crap because Mr. Wonderful is acting like an idiot. I mean really, girls? Or we've got Mr. Wonderful over here who says all these perfectly beautiful things that were obviously written by a woman. I don't need a soap opera, I want a real romance here. Something that could ACTUALLY HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE. Ok so people dreaming their next day doesn't happen in real life but the romance feels genuine unlike many books I've read. I'm very much looking forward to Lucid. =)

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

When Nara goes to sleep at night she dreams her entire next day.

When Nara goes to sleep at night she dreams her entire next day. What an awesome way to be prepared! I would honestly love to have that ability. But Nara sometimes hates it because she is bored. She lives the same day twice. Nothing is new to her. Until one day she stops dreaming her next day and she realizes how difficult it is to live through the day without being prepared. She has to study, she has to practice soccer because she has no clue where the ball will go, and she doesn't see the betrayal from a friend coming.

Then she meets Ethan, the new guy in school. He is shy and doesn't talk much but has a bad reputation from his past school. I really enjoyed the slow build of their friendship to eventually more. It felt real and natural. No insta~love and no love triangles. Ethan still has a mystery surrounding him but he is very supportive of Nara and eventually very honest as well. He didn't drag everything out for a long length of time. They had some great butterfly worthy scenes. I'm very picky in my romances so I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed their relationship.

Now onto the exciting drama. Nara never really tried to change her days unless something really bad happened to someone. When Nara tries to change things Fate comes in to correct them. Fate doesn't want Nara messing with his plans. The book then takes on kind of a Final Destination feel where Fate tries to inflict the damage on people that Nara stopped. But Nara wants to use her dreams for good. Why does she have this power if she can't use it? Ethan worries for Nara's safety if she continues to mess with Fate but maybe she can figure out a way to change it. Really looking forward to the sequel.

&quot;Imagine knowing you're going to have a bad hair day, or that you'll burn the toast for the eighty-zillionth time, or that Mount Everest will appear on the tip of your nose a half hour after lunch. That's when a ponytail, cereal and Benzoyl Peroxide come in handy.&quot;

&quot;But not touching you would be the hardest thing I've ever had to do.&quot;

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Very Cool!

A very well written romantic mystery! I hope there is a sequel! 605 pages

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended.

Although 64, I enjoy reading young adult paranormal books. I loved this one and I wouldn't begin to spoil it for you. Enjoy.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

So Good!!

This was truely an amazing book. The concept was very original and well written. I had a hard time putting it down. You will fall in love with Nara and Ethan. Well worth reading. On to read the 2nd book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I originally bought this book a few months back but I just now f

I originally bought this book a few months back but I just now finished reading it. I&rsquo;d heard a lot of great things from fellow book bloggers which had made me anxious to give it a try. However, when I first started it I had trouble finding that &ldquo;hook&rdquo;. I&rsquo;ll admit, I only read about 10 pages in so I didn&rsquo;t give a good first try. Now that I&rsquo;ve finally finished; I&rsquo;m left thinking: &ldquo;Why the heck didn&rsquo;t I continue reading months ago!?!?&rdquo; Brightest Kind of Darkness was fantastic. It had all the wonderful elements I love and need in a good book. The story line was fresh and full of mysteries. Even after book one I still don&rsquo;t really grasp what&rsquo;s going on but in a weird way I love that I don&rsquo;t. The obstacle(s) in book one weren&rsquo;t easily averted because their cause goes deeper and touches on a more sinister plot. Certain aspects that at first seemed normal and random turn out to be important and intertwined within the overall story, giving it a more complete and solid feel. I&rsquo;m not really sure where the story is headed next but I&rsquo;m glad that there is such a huge window of opportunity for it. I love being shocked and surprised!

P.T. Michelle does a fabulous job of capturing the essence of high school whether it be waiting for that darn bell to ring, studying extra hard for Trig, or the colorful students that inhabit the halls. All the major types and should I say stereotypes were represented. For instance, you&rsquo;ve got the jocks who are busying partying it up on the weekends and flirting their way around the field along with the loner-types who keep to themselves and seem to be burdened with a dark past. I found all the characters to be solid and very real.

Nara our main character and heroine really breaks through the highschool stereotype. Although she&rsquo;s a star soccer player she isn&rsquo;t quite as stuck up as her fellow teammates. From the outside it may seem like she&rsquo;s just another lemming fitting into the status quo but once you get to know her you realize she&rsquo;s pretty unique and independent. What I loved most about Brightest Kind of Darkness was the dilemma Nara is put in when she loses her dreaming ability. In the beginning of the book Nara speaks about her ability as a curse. However, the moment she loses it, she has a pretty hard time functioning without it. I.E. living her life day by day not knowing what to expect. It&rsquo;s one of those &ldquo;you didn&rsquo;t know what you had before you lost it&rdquo; scenarios because Nara didn&rsquo;t truly realize how big an impact her dreaming ability had on her day-to-day life. She&rsquo;s had this ability for 9+ years and has come to rely on it on a daily basis whether it be during soccer games or even taking a test. She&rsquo;s never had to study a day in her life (super jealous!). Among other things a good chunk of the book focuses on Nara coming to terms with her dream ability, does she truly want it back or is she better of without it. Things aren&rsquo;t quite as black and white as they first appear to be.

Brightest Kind of Darkness was a fabulous first book to a sure to be promising series. It was written beautifully with great descriptions and dialogue. I found that there was a good balance of narrative along with dialogue which to me, is very important. The characters really standout a fill-out the story well, along with the parts they play. I believe this books belongs in the Nevermore-domain, another book which is beautifully written and has a careful, complete, and unbelievably-awesome story line tinted with a darker-edge. I recommend Brightest Kind of Darkness to anyone who of course loves YA fiction with action, romance, mystery, paranormalcy, and of course a bit of sinister-ness.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Nara Collins is you typical sixteen year old, or not. She sees h

Nara Collins is you typical sixteen year old, or not. She sees her future before it happens, normally she wouldn't try and change it, as last time it went wrong, but this time she can't not do anything, she sees her school exploding by a bomb. And things start going downhill as Nara starts loosing her abilities. And at the same time she meets Ethan Harris loner, strange but really a good guy, not matter the rumours that are spreading around the school.
Are these two things related? Read to find out.
This books gives a whole new meaning to &quot;Don't miss with fate&quot;
I loved this story :) It's not your typical young adult book in which the girl suddenly discovers she's got magical powers and falls in love with her night in shinning armour.
Nara is a fantastic main character, strong and a lovely person although she's not perfect she tries to do what's right.
And then Ethan he's everyone's dream boy (or at least mine^^) he has that kind of mysterious guy going on at the beginning, and once you find out why you'll go ohhh. Although he does open up to Nara.
Their relationship was amazing it wasn't love at first sight, their relationship builds up as they get to know each other
The secondary characters were great Aunt Sage, Nara's parents, Samson. Although I didn't think much of her so called friends.
And the ending? A total cliffhanger.
The book keeps you hooked on from the first page and keeps you on edge right until the end.
Melissa.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Anonymous

I loved how the relationship between nara and ethan is built up, and they dont just instantly "know they belong together", or whatever. They are actually friends first in this book. Overall this was a very good book and i cant wait for the next one!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fantastic Book

Brightest Kind of Darkness is a true page turner. The pace is perfect, the characterization true to life, and the plot well-developed. Michelle has done an excellent job of merging "real" high school issues with a believable and perfectly structured fantasy world. I'm looking forward to the next book in this eries.

L. j. Charles

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pretty Good

This series reminds me of a mix between the Final Destination movies and the Twilight Series. Some parts were excellent and some fair. KIND OF PREDICTABLE. Not a fan of the Final Destination movies. However, I enjoy clean, romantic books with character relationships on different levels, including friendships.
J

I actually really enjoyed this book. I picked it up during the f

I actually really enjoyed this book. I picked it up during the free Amazon promotion and read it it one sitting. I found some trite elements, as other reviewers have mentioned, but they were far from overwhelming and easy to overlook, because the story was just that engaging. It's difficult for authors to stand out or come up with a new angle or viewpoint, especially in the YA and paranormal/urban fantasy genres where the sheer number of publications is overwhelming enough for any reader. The author did a good job of keeping the pace moving and presenting a unique storyline. I'll definitely be continuing with the series.

Incredible

I read the whole thing in 3 days. I couldnt put it down.

Loved this book!! I was instantly hooked on the characters and t

Loved this book!! I was instantly hooked on the characters and their romance (I know that sounds cheesy, but its true &lt;3 ) I can't wait until I get the next one and I would definitely recommended this. I don't think you will be disappointed. Hope this helped!

Took me by surprise

I wasn't sure what to expect here, but was pleasantly surprised by how this book evolved. Sometimes with books that are self published I am wary. This one blew that out of the water. It drew me in immediately. While not all of my questions were answered, I was okay with that. The twists and turns were great. I love Ethan, he's such a tortured soul and I can't wait to find out what is going on with him.

So many YA novels these days feel the same. This didn't. It's a unique concept and one that has not been done to death. Excellent job and now I'm off to read the sequel! Check this book out, you won't be disappointed.

Fantastic

This book is so captivating that I can't put it down! I couldn't wait to read the next one and can't wait for the third to come out!

Fantastic book!

Definite page turner with lots of twists and turns. Keeps you guessing the whole time and wanting more!!

I loved this book! It was very well written, and Nara and Etha

I loved this book!
It was very well written, and Nara and Ethan are extremely likeable and well-rounded characters!

I loved it!

I love everything about this book! I liked it so much that I finished it in one day. 5 *****'s!

Anonymous

This book is amazing i love it!!!! It was hard to put the bookdown kept me reading for hours.

I was turned onto this book by an interview and contest on Ilona

I was turned onto this book by an interview and contest on Ilona Andrews blog, and as it was $.99 for the e-book I decided to take a flyer on it. I am SO glad that I did.
I read this book in a day, because I simply could not put it down. So many entries into the YA genre today are either trite or so juvenile as to only really apply to their click market. Brightest Kind of Darkness is a bird of a very different feather.
Exploring a completely new take on paranormal fiction Ms. Michelle creates a truly layered story that, while firmly anchored in the YA realm and time-scope, reaches beyond age and setting borders to be an exciting a touching tail for all ages. This book had me on the edge of seat with anticipation, and I can truly say I did not see the ending coming&hellip;and I wouldn&rsquo;t change a thing. I plan to go out at the first opportunity to acquire the next book in this series. I want to know what happens in this story and to be able to spend more time with the characters I have gotten to know and love.
This is a five star book and a new author to keep an eye on in order to see a rising star in action.