Book Review: Every Dark Cloud by Marisca Pichette

-

Cover for Marisca Pichette's Every Dark Cloud - cover shows a woman standing with a grey forest behind her, clouds parting above her, and below her is a bunch of glowing fungusThis was a fun, little read: an engaging novella that can be completed in one sitting (or two). 

Mallory lives in a dark, post-apocalyptic world where no one sees the sun. Through climate change, the temperature of the world has risen to the point where the sun scorches, and the heat is unbearable. Driven to extremes, humanity has built giant towers that spread thick clouds everywhere, blocking out all light from the sky. Mallory lives mostly content in her dark world, until Rein comes into her life. Rein is from somewhere Mallory thought impossible and upends Mallory's entire life.

The strongest part of this book is the world building. It may be a short novella, but the work Pichette has put into research and developing just how a world like this would function is impressive. I would love to see a movie or show based on this novella just to see how they present this dark world illuminated by fungus. It sounds eerily beautiful.

The plot is simple, but not in a negative way. Mallory helps Rein and a relationship of sorts develops between them as they uncover what is really going on in the world and how they can move forward. Mallory is kindhearted and clever. She uses her skills and knowledge in innovative ways to tackle the obstacles of her world. Rein is dealing with trauma but is also brave. Having a small cast of characters and a simple narrative, really lets the world building shine through.

I enjoyed this story and am grateful for the ARC I received in exchange for this honest review.

For fans of climate fiction, offbeat love stories, and amazing world-building.

Check out Marisca Pichette's website.

Buy/pre-order the book here.

 

 

Thanks for reading! 

Want to keep in touch? Sign up for my newsletter or Find me around the web

Want to support my writing? Buy my collection: Thin Slices: A Collection of Horror Flash Fiction

Or: Help me buy more books on Ko-fi

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Graveyard Smash: Women of Horror Anthology Vol. 2 - Kandisha Press

-
Image
 Welcome to my first post of Women in Horror Month 2022*   To start us off, I read and enjoyed my first Women of Horror Anthology by Kandisha Press. Each story in this collection falls under the theme of "Graveyard Smash", but still offers plenty of variety. While these are horror tales, none were too gory for me (though some came close) and I honestly enjoyed each story. My favourites: Until There's Nothing Left - J.A.W. McCarthy The collection opens with a heartbreaking tale of a young woman with an unusual power and her efforts to deal with loss and grief. This story brought tears to my eyes, even as it sent chills down my spine.   The Clockmaker - Sonora Taylor Easily my favourite story in the collection. With elements of fairy tales, Taylor weaves a story about a clockmaker who lets his pride get the better of him, with horrific results.   The Chimes ad Midnight - Paula R.C. Readman A creepy little ghost story about murder and betrayal. This story was chilling a...
Read more

From the Archives: Abduction Revelation and Awoken

-
Image
This week, I am once again pulling from my archives. I am almost finished the writing course I've been taking, which will free up a lot of my writing time and let me dedicate some time to this blog. The two reviews I'm sharing today are paired together because they are rather unusual. The first, Abduction Revelation, came to me from Twitter long ago. My profile listed "book nerd" as a descriptor, and this author suggested that I read his book. Maybe memoir, maybe fiction, it's the story of his life and how he was abducted by aliens. It was a fun read, but kinda weird. The second is Awoken by Serra Elinson, a person who does not exist. This was produced by Lindsay Ellis as a parody of Twilight-style romances and I played a teeny, tiny part in its creation. She asked her followers to vote on tropes, and that included me.   Original Review: This is probably the strangest book I have ever read. Not just for its subject matter, but also how it came to my attention. M...
Read more

From the Archives: Stolen by Lucy Christopher

-
Image
Original review posted to Goodreads July 29, 2016, review written 2014.   Review: I was wary of Stolen at first. The premise was of a young teenage girl who gets kidnapped by a handsome stranger and he holds her hostage in the Australian Outback until Stockholm Syndrome starts to sink its teeth into her mind. Too often, I find, stories (esp. young adult) try to sell that stalking=love, and typically with older men and young girls. "He's just SO IN LOVE with her that he can't help but be obsessed with her - isn't that romantic?" That kind of thing bothers me on a fundamental level. So, I entered this book worried. And at first, the book did nothing to soothe those fears. I listened to the book in audio format during a couple of long drives and my solitude as I cruised down road amplified the story in an unpredictable way. The vast majority of the tale is spent with only Gemma and Ty, her kidnapper, alone in the harsh Australian desert. The audio book, w...
Read more