Dark Shadows by Toni Vallan

My name’s Ella Raimi.

Until last week, my life was pretty normal for a sixteen-year-old. Until I spent that awful night trapped in the janitor's closet in utter darkness. Until the dreams began — suffocating, panic-filled dreams. My best friend Kyla stays with me, but the dreams still continue. And I wake each morning with cuts & burns on my skin. I don’t recall inflicting them.

And then there is the blood on my hands and my sheets when I wake up.

I’m afraid of myself and what I've done.

And I'm beginning to be more afraid of Kyla. And what she will do.

OMG! What a book! What an end!!

So far the best about starting this blog is discovering new genres and books that I wouldn't normally pick up and finding that I absolutely love those. This is one of those books.

From the first page we are joining Ella in her worse nightmare. Bullied, pushed and locked in a janitors cupboard at school over night. She is scared of the dark and is forced to spend the night in absolute panic, found only by the janitor the next day. She is in total shock, you can almost feel all her pain yourself. What a way to start. I am gripped from page one. Not only that but I find myself angry, angry at the school principal for how he is dealing with the situation. Angry at the kids that did this to her. This isn't an easy topic, sadly it happens in many schools. As a mother it's one real fear and it makes me rather emotional to read. Esp as the bullying gets worse to.

After her ordeal she finds herself having really dark dreams, but what's even worse is that she wakes up covered in blood. And it's not always hers. What is she up to at night? And why can't she remember? Now I am totally intrigued, what is going on? Is she capable of hurting herself or others? What is going on with her friend Kyla that stays over night but is always gone in the morning? It's the friend I can't put my finger on, and she is at the back of my mind at all times.

When one of her bullies turns up dead one morning she can't help but wonder if she has killed him. I can't help but hang on to every word, worried I will miss some clue as to what is happening to Ella. There is so many mysteries. 

I love Ella's mum and their relationship. It's the kind of relationship every mum and daughter should have. When Ella's word is falling apart she manages to confide in her mother, who deals with everything in the best possible way. But is she being completely open with her daughter? 

At this point I suspect everyone of something and it's nearly impossible to predict the end. And I have different suspicions myself. I am totally intrigues and drawn in, my guesses changing from page to page. What is real and what isn't? Why is she scared of her friend? Will Ella find a way out of the darkness that seems to drown her? 

This isn't your typical who done it kind of book. This is so much more then that. This is as good as physiological thrillers come. It will have you wondering from the first page till the very last one. 

To be totally honest I wish I could go on with my review. But if I do I might spoil it for other, what's best about this book is the surprises and I want others to experience them for themselves. 

Go grab a copy! 

Release date is 16. November 2015