Book review: Dark Life by Kat Falls

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Description:
The oceans rose, swallowing the lowlands. Earthquakes shattered the continents, toppling entire regions into the rising water. Now, humans live packed into stack cities. The only ones with any space of their own are those who live on the ocean floor: the Dark Life.

Ty has spent his whole life living deep undersea. When outlaws attack his homestead, he finds himself in a fight to save the only home he has ever known. Joined by Gemma, a girl from Topside, Ty ventures into the frontier's rough underworld and discovers some dark secrets to Dark Life. Secrets that threaten to destroy everything.

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Review:
I was torn between giving this book 3 stars and 4. On the one hand, it was a fast-paced, enjoyable read that didn't bore me. However, I also found the story and the characters to be too shallow. In the end, I gave it 4 stars because I think I'm just too old for this book, and it will probably appeal more to younger readers.

Dark Life starts off with a bang and doesn't let up. I appreciate the series of actions strung throughout the novel. I just wish that the characters were a bit more well-developed. At the end of the book, I felt like I still didn't know much about the main characters, Ty and Gemma, except for superficial facts like Ty has a younger sister and Gemma is an orphan with an older brother. The other characters were also kind of one-dimensional, just there to move the plot along.

This is a book that had the potential to make the reader think about deeper issues. Unfortunately, it was written at a level for younger readers who may not understand there's more to the story, and adults will find it too simplistic to appreciate. Overall, this is an entertaining book if you want to lose yourself for a few hours but it could have been more.

I read this book as part of the Authors A to Z reading challenge. Next up: The Confession by John Grisham.