Review by Booklist Review
Within the brightness of Arclight, people are safe, but beyond the perimeter of artificial light, the world is dark and inhabited by frightening beings known as Fades. No one from Arclight has survived an encounter with the Fade, except one teenage girl: Marina. Marina has no memory of her life before Arclight, and she is filled with guilt over the people who died attempting to rescue her, particularly the father of an enigmatic young man, Tobin. After it becomes clear that Marina has a strong but inexplicable connection to the Fade, she and Tobin enter dangerous dark territory to discover the truth. Told in the present tense, the episodic story relies on occasionally contrived dialogue to fill in past events that Marina cannot remember, and readers may grow frustrated as they must wait, along with Marina, to gradually understand how events connect. Nevertheless, an ever-popular romantic triangle and the promised revelation of secrets will propel fans of dystopian literature through this debut novel.--Colson, Diane Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Marina was pulled from the Dark at the cost of nine lives, and she is paying the price. Ostracized and abused by those whose parents died for her sake, Marina is all but alone in the Arclight, a safe zone where it is never dark. The Fade live in the Dark-chameleons, they steal humans from the light to an unknown fate. Marina dreams of their voices and frets that she has no memory of her life before her rescue. Then, after a short, violent Fade incursion into the Arclight compound, Marina finds a Fade survivor lurking in the hallway-and it recognizes her. Who is Marina, and what are the Fade? If she can establish trust with Tobin, a boy whose father was lost in rescuing her, Marina may find the answers she seeks, though some readers may feel that those answers are a long time coming. Still, McQuein strongly evokes the claustrophobic tyranny of adult authority and institutional spaces, as well as the irrational human faith in the voice of "experience," in this fine debut. Ages 13-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-In this dystopian thriller, the Arclight is the only safe place. Outside the perimeter of light there is nothing but darkness and the alienlike creatures that reside there. The Fade, a parasitic race that has almost completely taken over mankind, make any humans they come in contact with part of their own species. Those within the security of the Arc fight to keep the Fade at bay, because, except for Marina, no one has been known to survive an encounter with one of these dark and terrifying creatures. Marina is unable to remember anything about her past after being rescued by a team sent from within the Arc, and she is disliked by almost everyone because of the nine lives sacrificed during the mission. As she struggles to find out who she is and where she fits in, Tobin, whose father was one of the nine, reaches out to her despite his own feelings of loss, and together, they discover secrets about the Arc that have been buried for years. While told in the present tense, flashbacks from Marina's past help fill in missing pieces as the story progresses. Marina's previous life is somewhat slow to unfold, but readers will most likely enjoy the suspense and mystery of this futuristic tale.-Erienne Jones, Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, NC (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Safe within the carefully built haven Arclight, Marina is a teen with no memory of how she survived the Fade, nanite-built creatures that threaten to subsume what remains of humanity. Marina's memory loss as plot device is occasionally too convenient, but the engaging, fresh sci-fi setup is strong enough that readers won't mind. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In a dystopian future colony that holds back the monsters that have taken over the world, a girl tries to find her place. Marina has few friends in the Arclight compound. She was found outside, the only known survivor of the Fade, the light-fearing creatures who inhabit the Dark in swarms and who absorb any human they contact into their own species. Most in the colony fear that Marina could be dangerous. Only when Marina and friend Tobin leave the colony do they discover the truth--not only about themselves and their families, but also about the Fade and their own colony. McQuein's ruined future world at first seems as out of focus as her difficult-to-see monsters. For at least the first third of the book, readers must infer as much as they can from little information, giving the story the feel of a sequel to another book. Those who persist in piecing together the bits of plot will be rewarded. Relationships take on more meaning as characters confront a reality they had never suspected, and the suspense thickens. Marina especially stands out as an interesting and spunky character, enough of a rebel to take some major chances. A tension-filled read for those who wait. (Dystopian adventure. 12 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
