Darkly by Marisha Pessl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**3.5-stars rounded up**
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In Darkly, Marisha Pessl introduces the Reader to the interestingly-mad world of an eccentric and infamous game designer, Louisiana Veda.
If you’ve read Pessl’s novel Night Film, you’re already aware of how well she can create an aura around a mysterious character. I’m looking at you, Cordova.
Our MC is a teenage girl, Dia Gannon, who submits an application for a coveted-internship with Veda’s gaming company, Darkly. Her application feels like a failure, so Dia is shocked when she discovers she’s been selected for one of the highly-competitive 7-positions.
Darkly, well-known for it’s darkly ((pun intended)) ingenious game designs, has laid dormant since its founder’s, Louisiana’s, bizarre death. The Darkly games that remain are so prized, they can go for millions at auction.
As the teens start their internships, more questions are revealed than answered. What even are these internships about, and why were these specific candidates selected?
The entire narrative turns into a puzzle, with Dia struggling to piece everything together. The stakes feel high, the atmosphere ripe with danger, but why?
It’s all part of the mystery of Darkly.
I enjoyed my time with Darkly. It’s a story I would consider reading again. I feel if my brain hadn’t been so fried by the holidays, I could’ve even enjoyed it even more.
There’s no denying Pessl’s insane-levels of creativity and I did enjoy the overall mysterious tone of this book. While I feel like my brain may have missed some of the finer details, I can still appreciate the level of attention that must of been required in Pessl’s execution of this story.
It’s not my favorite of her work, but a solid read nonetheless.
If you enjoy puzzle-driven stories, I feel you could love this. The characters are smart, driven and interesting. I loved the action, setting and the intrigue of Louisiana Veda definitely kept me turning the pages.
Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I look forward to seeing what other Readers think of Darkly and anticipate whatever Pessl writes next!