Popular books in the young adult genre seem to go through fads, paranormal romances and dystopian series being two of the more common ones from the past couple of decades. However, having the same types of stories over and over again makes the plots predictable and, therefore, increasingly unenjoyable with each new published book. It is about time for a new type of story to be introduced to this genre and that time has finally arrived with Zero, the first book in a new trilogy by writer Morgan Dark.
The one-hundred-million-dollar thief, Zero, is known for his robberies of high-class society; however, no one knows who he is, for his identity is concealed behind a silver mask. This does Kyle Bradford, senior at Drayton College, no good when he is accused of being Zero after special items around Drayton go missing. He sets out on a mission to clear his name and discover the thief's true identity. Yet a shadow follows closely behind Kyle's every step... Zero may be much closer than he thinks...
Zero has been translated to English from its original Spanish version and the English e-book will be available for purchase at the end of June. Not only does Zero offer an intriguing new story, but it also offers a new writer to the young adult genre both younger and older readers will fall in love with. Dark has a beautiful writing style that will speak to many readers. Her chapters are short, making for a quick read, and she puts just enough detail to paint a picture within the reader’s mind of what her characters look like and how her settings should appear. She is also able to put her readers within Kyle Bradford’s mind with her use of the first person. Zero would have been an even more intriguing read if it had been in the third person (similar to her use of the third person in her prologue), but her story carries strength with her audience knowing just as much of the mystery as the main protagonist, Kyle, does.
Dark’s real writing strength can be found in her characters. As far as characters go, Zero is an incredibly fascinating character readers will want to read more about. He strikes a slight resemblance to V from V for Vendetta, though the mystery behind Zero is much different and offers a surprise that many readers will more than likely not see coming. Readers will also find themselves becoming attached to Kyle, the main protagonist, and rooting for him to solve the mystery and catch the thief who chose him as a target. Aside from Kyle and Zero, there is not an overabundance of characters, therefore making it easy to keep track of everyone and for readers to easily pick their favorites. The dialog between all of the characters is also wonderfully expressed and really makes this fictional story more realistic.
Though the story itself takes place in America, Zero is not a typical American young adult novel. It is a wonderfully refreshing story that is far from cliché and is hardly predictable with nary a paranormal creature or dystopian element in sight, thank goodness. Dark does a wonderful job of keeping readers guessing with clue after clue until the mystery is revealed and, even with the mystery being present during the first read through, readers will find the second time reading Zero even more enjoyable. Readers also have another story to look forward to in Dark’s series for her sequel, Double Zero, was just released in Spain. The English translation, therefore, will not be far behind to offer even more enjoyment from the wonderfully talented Dark.
