Review: Dark Inside here. Just like the title says!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 18, 2013
I love short stories and collections and was ecstatic when Donna published these! A Human Element still lingers with me and I've been waiting for a while now to read the sequel, A Hidden Element. The Dark Inside has me even more excited now. You get more of some of the old characters and are introduced to many new ones.The Dark InsideThese short stories contain characters from A Human Element and the soon to be released sequel, A Hidden Element.The WellIt seems like no matter how hard he tries, Caleb can never be good enough in his father's eyes. When he hears about the mission to the new world, he jumps at the chance to escape the dying planet and maybe get out from under his fathers disapproving control.When his hopes are crushed, he's devastated. And then his mother goes missing.She's disappeared without a trace.The Well starts out being about Caleb and his conflicts with his father and his peers, and deepens into a mystery when his mother just vanishes. The author does a great job of misdirecting me, and I rushed to a wrong conclusion. This one is a deep, emotional read.The First TimeX-10 is not going to give in. He's not going to let the twisted Dr. Bjord control this experiment.He's scared of the human girl. Not for the usual reasons, but because he's afraid he'll give in to the rip, tear, kill, urges that are the base part of him.It's the first time X-10 has coupled with a female and he experiences some human emotions like nervousness, lust, and excitement. But can he control the monster inside, the one that needs to rend?Donna, through her characters conversations, made the tentative bond between the monster and the prostitute endearing for me. I wanted things to be okay, wanted both of them to survive this experiment.But she's a prostitute, he's a monster, and this is an experiment. A deadly one.The JobFelix is a Seeker. His partner, Maria, is all woman, all human.He's never felt attracted to her before, but he's made a mistake. He's let his guard down and things got messy. Now he has to clean it up.I was surprised a couple of times with this one. Had a few, `what the???' moments. This is twisted fun. Can't help it. I sometimes laugh at the dark stuff.Frat NightTara's so excited. Tonight she's going to do it with Jonah. She's been lying to him, telling him she's a virgin, so he'll woo her, romance her. But she's ready now. Tonight they'll finally be together.It was a beautiful spring night.Kind of saw some of this coming, but still got a shock. I was grinning and thinking, yes!The Tree of Sheltered SecretsShe was going to kill whoever did it. Whoever cut down her tree.She'd spent her childhood hiding in that tree, escaping into her own world. It was the only happy memory in her miserable existence. And now someone had hacked it down. It felt like she'd been cut down too.Someone had to pay.I felt sorry for Hilary. She had a horrendous life and now the only thing good was gone. I felt her rage build and as I read on, I wanted someone to pay. Pay big!The BeginningThey were seventy-five strong. Adrian and his crew silently entered the chosen town and quickly got what they needed with mind persuasion. No one realized the strangeness of these visitors.But that wasn't enough for Adrian. Oh no. He had to go and make it nasty, make two people do despicable things just for his pleasure.He also made his son Caleb and the others watch. It was a warning and a lesson.This one is so twisted. Adrian is a sick twist and I feel so sorry for Caleb. His hate for his father is changing him. Molding him. I hope he doesn't follow in his fathers dark footsteps.A Lucky StrikeBen is all alone with his foster-father now. His foster-mother is now buried and Frank expects him to take over her duties. All of them.As Ben fantasizes about ways to kill Frank, he knows it's only a matter of time before things turn real ugly.It's time to flee, but has he waited too long?I forgot this part in A Human Element. It's disturbing and sad. You see where Ben came from, what he endured, what shaped him.I'm surprised he survived at all.Excerpt - A Human Element ~ BenThis is an excerpt from A Human Element. It's another short about Ben taking place later than in A Lucky Strike. I'll give a tease and tell you what I got from it.Ben had no business being in Hud's Place."North of Hotel Street in Chinatown, or NoHo as it was called, carried its distinction as the known spot for prostitute action any time of the week. He swallowed the last of his beer and laughed to himself. SoHo could be a better name for the so-many-ho's that could be had around here."He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't have got so drunk. And he definitely shouldn't have stepped into it with the Marines.If he thinks the butt-kicking he just got from them was bad, the locals that get a hold of him, set him straight.If it weren't for the tall man, the familiar looking stranger with the bright green eyes, he'd be totally screwed.Ben just keeps putting himself in bad situation after bad situation. I hate seeing him in the self-destruct mode.I'm curious about the tall man, why is he always showing up at the worst times? Why is he following Ben?Seeing a character falter, make bad moves and stupid ones, helps me connect with them, makes them human for me. I'm connected with Ben.I enjoyed all of these stories. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be.....Ha! Not gonna tell ya!The Dark Inside gets Five Stars from me. Each story is distinct and wrings out my emotions.I received this book from the author for an honest review. My thoughts are mine.