Author: Andy Gavin
Publisher: Mascherato Publishing
Release Date: January 25th 2012
Pages: 382
Read it in: 1 day
Source: Novel Publicity / For Review
You can buy it on amazon.
Synopsis: Goodreads:
Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs.
1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand.
With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal?
No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be herself.
My Review:
So when I received the e-book for The Darkening Dream, I put it off - prints always take priority over e-books because they're easier for me to read. Then in the post came The Darkening Dream, in print, signed by the wonderful Andy Gavin. I couldn't refuse! As soon as I finished Wilde's Fire I knew I was going to start reading The Darkening Dream alongside Intangible, even though I told myself I wasn't going to read anything till I finished the two e-books. Oops!
I want to say Sarah is the main character, like the synopsis says, but I can't. In my eyes the four teenagers were equally as main as each other. SO! I'm going to introduce you to all four.
Sarah: She's Jewish and insanely clever! Turns out, she also gets visions from God - cool right? Wrong. When Sarah has a vision of a boy being crucified upside down on a tree, she's a little freaked, and chooses to ignore it. Until they find the body of the boy she had a vision about. All hell breaks loose then for Sarah and her friends, almost literally, as they encounter vampires. I mean, this vampire has your traditional vampires and they kick ass! Sarah has a romance affair with Alex, who unfortunately is wrong for her...
Alex: He's a Greek immigrant and definitely not Jewish which is why he is 'wrong' for Sarah. Although I suppose his bloodline also means he's wrong for Sarah. I mean I'd tell you, but it happens at the end of the book *cough*STUPID CLIFFHANGER*cough* so it would be a spoiler. Alex's Grandfather is a vampire hunter, and has passed on some of his knowledge to Alex. It's not at all surprising when Alex seems to know how to kill them...
Sam and Anne: I'm doing these two together because they're twins, although Anne is only 1 minute older than Sam. I love these two, I love Anne because she's a wimp! As much as I'd love to say I'd kick ass in a vampire apocalypse thing, I wouldn't. I'd be a wimp and I'd hide so I related well to Anne. Sam loves his sisters (little Emily is their younger sibling) and is desperate to save his sister when a warlock binds her to him - ouch, although not literally.
All the characters, including the vampires, are well explored in The Darkening Dream and it's obvious that Gavin thought long and hard about them, because they each have a history that is spoke about in the story. Although, I'm annoyed at how it ended... I'm sure The Darkening Dream is a stand alone novel, but I may have to look into it some more to find out if it will have a sequel - which I really hope it does.
Andy Gavin's writing is addictive and interesting. I loved reading his novel and I'd love for him to write more. The world he creates in 1913 Salem was interesting and was very real to my imagination.
This dark fantasy novel was brilliant, it has kick ass vampires, a group of clever, witty and awesome teenagers, twists in the plot, warlocks, a succubus, Egyptian Gods... etc Well, it just has everything to be honest. I definitely suggest you give this book a go! I really enjoyed it!
Rating: 5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment