I was approached by publisher Rubiños about this fantastic book called Zero by Morgan Dark that was just being released in English after being wildly successful in Spanish. With such a mysterious premise, and an author who is an American of Spanish heritage, I needed to give it a try. I am SO GRATEFUL I DID! Zero has got to be one of the most unique YA novels I have read in a very long time!
The start was a bit rocky. It felt cliche. All I could think was oh no, typical YA rich kid Gossip Girl type book where main character would turn into an amazing hero to stop villain Zero. I could not be more wrong. This book was so involved and well thought out, I am amazed by Morgan Dark’s foresight and planning. Once you finish Zero, you finally you realize how many small pieces fit into place, making the ending one that is extremely satisfying. It is an earned ending, and believable.
Character development may at first seem shallow, but the deeper you get into the book, the more you learn. You get hooked and want to find out more about why these characters do what they do and how I went from not really caring about Kyle, to becoming so intrigued and invested, I could not put the book down until I finished it. I want to say more about the “secondary” characters that also made an amazing impression on me, but I can’t without spoiling the entire book.
Zero by Morgan Dark is seriously a fantastic YA novel that is unlike any other on the market. If you’re looking to read something new and exciting, definitely pick it up! It is great to see an author actually respect their readers enough to give them a novel that forces them to think and piece things together, instead of simply following a typical and predictable YA trope.