I'm Not Supposed to Be in the Dark by Riss M. Neilson

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I'm Not Supposed to Be In Dark's gorgeous cover is enough to grab any reader's attention. But promises of ghosts and horror elements pulled me in. I received a copy from Macmillan for review.

Aria has a daily tea ritual at the insistence of her mother and grandfather to keep away the spirits but she doesn't understand her full connection to the dead. One day she notices a rosebush burning across the street at her childhood friend Derek's home. That same night she experiences strange visions and has questions she can't answer. Though she and Derek had a falling out he suddenly starts talking to her again and she decides to stop drinking the tea as she tries to piece together forgotten memories. When she discovers he's possessed, she has to figure out how to send the ghost to it's finally resting place.

This was a little different than what I expected especially seeing the books this was comp to but there were many things that felt refreshing to me. As someone who is not a very visual reader I thought the imagery used in this book was well done. It was vibrant without feeling too flowery and made it very easy to imagine things like the wisteria trees or the way Aria sometimes saw the world in gray. And the haunting moments felt so real.

I wouldn't call this a paranormal romance because while there is a romantic relationship in this book it's not the focal point. Instead the focal point if Aria discovering her true self and coming into her identity and gifts and the situation with Derek and the ghost who has possessed him help her do that. Even when Aria and Derek's relationship does get attention it's more in regards to rebuilding their friendship which I thought was well done. And while the discussion of taking their relationship to the next level doesn't come in until closer to the end, I still enjoyed their connection to each other.

So often in YA stories the main character is left to fight on their own with no support system. That was not the case here however. In addition to support from her friend's Derek and Brianna, she also has her family. Despite her grandfather and mother both taking actions to hinder her abilities in an effort to protect her from people who want to use her, they still support her decisions. While her sister, Adelia is busy with college with her freshman year in college she also manages to reach out to her and aid her when she can. 

Aria is mixed race and it's mentioned but her identity is not made a big deal which was refreshing. There was no talk about being stuck between two identities. Her race wasn't a driver of conflict. There was no over explanation of her culture. 

Though a little slow and uneven paced at times, Riss M. Neilson's engaging writing style kept me reading and I'm interested in reading more of what she has to offer.