Darkly

By: Marisha Pessl

Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A must-hear thriller that will keep you guessing from the New York Times bestselling author of Night Film.

There’s nothing special about Dia Gannon. So why was she chosen for an opportunity everyone would kill for?

“Pessl is gargantuan: wildly smart, extremely surprising, a wordsmith, a queen. Read her.” —E. Lockhart, #1 New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars

Arcadia “Dia” Gannon has been obsessed with Louisiana Veda, the game designer whose obsessive creations and company, Darkly, have gained a cultlike following. Dia is shocked when she’s chosen for a highly-coveted internship, along with six other teenagers from around the world. Why her? Dia has never won anything in her life.

Darkly, once a game-making empire renowned for its ingenious and utterly terrifying toys and games, now lies dormant after Veda’s mysterious death. The remaining games are priced like rare works of art, with some fetching millions of dollars at auction.

As Dia and her fellow interns delve into the heart of Darkly, they discover hidden symbols, buried clues, and a web of intrigue. Who are these other teens, and what secrets do they keep? Why were any of them really chosen? The answers lie within the twisted labyrinth of Darkly—a chilling and addictive listen by Marisha Pessl.

This summer will be the most twisted Darkly game of all.

“Complex and captivating.” —Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows

©2024 Delacorte BFYR (P)2024 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Creative and unique, this is a special treat for readers who wish Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s The Inheritance Games had been set in the world of Jumanji." —School Library Journal

★ "Like a Darkly game, the whole is mesmerizing, improbable, deeply compelling, and best enjoyed after dark....Roll the die, flip the card: We have a winner."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Twists and connections are satisfying and surprising in this high-stakes thriller by Pessl, who takes familiar YA tropes and turns them on their head using confident prose."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Adventurous

I wish I could read this story again for the first time! It’s perfectly chaotic and tied with a big beautiful bow at the end!

A story I won’t forget

This book takes you on an adventure you will get lost in and not soon forget. It’s a new favorite.

Caught me at the first paragraph.

I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. I love the story, the characters, the mystery that lies within a mystery. It’s like nothing else I’ve read in this category. I listened to this at 1.5x speed and it was amazing.

I am left heartbroken

Why did I fall in love with the characters. The ending had me crying. I wanted more.

Dark, but beautiful

This book was a wild adventure of puzzles, dark underground worlds, and lovely written characters.

She never fails to create masterpieces.

The way MP’s stories are told, immerses the reader and leaves you craving more. Darkly has such twists and turns and takes you along for such an incredible adventure.

More Promise than Delivery

The premise and set up for this story make it sound like it's going to be an enthralling journey of twists and feints, but the reveals end up being pretty unsatisfying. There are limited explanations on certain aspects and some pretty precarious coincidences. And honestly, the book should have ended about two pages earlier. The very last part, the ending sentences are confused ridiculousness. Though they reflect some references from earlier in the book, the MC's actions don't make sense at all, and her reasoning that this is the best thing to do in the moment comes off as completely stupid.

Darkly and the Darklate Factory

Boring, predictable, clichéd. Pessl is phoning it in for the YA crowd. Unworthy reworking of Night Film and Roald Dahl’s classic.

The mystery and the ending was amazing!!

It definitely left me wanting so much more . Worth every minute of listening time. Beautifully written.

Backstory

At first I thought this book was going to be boring but then the further in you get the more exciting it gets n when you get to the end it's not what your expecting