Review: The Dark by Heather Self

The Dark by Heather Self
Series: The Portal Trilogy, #1.5
Published: December 30, 2012
Publisher: Self Published
Pages: 106

Mary Anne Moore doesn't know what she is. She can’t explain why she has lived so long. 
Or why she never gets sick. 
Or why the dreams she has come true. 
She has hidden herself as a lowly servant to the households of Dublin's English elite for decades, until the night that changes her life. Now her sole purpose is the child she never expected to have. She will do anything in her power to keep the black-eyed monsters from discovering him and turning him into one of them.
For Kieran Moore, the dark is an ever-present parasite, waiting to devour his humanity. His mother’s love and the girl in his dreams has kept it at bay for years, but the more time that passes—the longer he has to wait for her—the more it grows. When tragedy strikes, it is all he can do to keep from being consumed by the darkness that infects him. He must continue to hold on to the hope of peace her presence will bring him, because it’s not just his fate on the line, but that of the entire world.

This is the book when you realize the extent of Heather Self's world building skills. I enjoyed the One, appreciated the well developed characters, the topics the novel explored. My only issue was that I felt as if the ending left me hanging, that it came on much too fast (take as you will). This book gave me the resolution I was looking for.
I've only read a few novella's because the length limit makes it difficult to go into detail and deliver a complete picture, but Heather Self somehow manages to keep the plot going at a fast speed, while never sacrificing the integrity of the plot as she does it. And much does happen, and much is explained. Of course, it's also a classic "receive more questions than answers" situation - definitely puzzles I look forward to in future books.

The novella is told in two parts: first part, Ellie's (Kieran's mother) POV, third person; second part, Kieran's POV, first person. We don't know Ellie for long, but she's hard not to like. At first, she might come of as slightly conventionally unconventional. But then I learned some facts about her nature that completely changed my outlook on her. She's strong, in unexpected and expected ways, and I liked that about her. She lives her life with purpose, but she's never ignorant of the cost a life with purpose brings.

As for Kieran, I can easily see many people now jumping on his bandwagon. Which is good, but, just so ya know, I was totally your first fangirl, Kieran ;) This guy is something special, and I'm dreading the tragedy that is likely to befall him (and all the other characters) at some point. Honestly, we learn so much about his backstory, and the sacrifice he's gone through, all the while, never complaining. Complaining meant putting others at risk. And when you learn of the one thing he's been holding onto all that time, well, how could anyone deny him the right to deserve a chance?

If you read The One, read this. If you didn't read The One, go do it, and then read this. Throughly loved it, and can't wait to read more from this world