Review: Blood-Kissed Sky by J.A. London

Blood-Kissed Sky 

Author: J.A. London
Series: Darkness Before Dawn, Book Two
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Format: Paperback, 338 pages
Release Date: December 26, 2012
Source: Mid-Columbia Libraries
 

Synopsis: 
 
Dawn always believed that vampires were the enemy until she met Victor. As he takes over as the new Overlord of Denver, she believes that things will finally start to get better, but instead, they get worse than ever. Day Walkers, vampires who can walk in the sun, are ravaging the city, terrorizing the citizens. Blood supply is low and if the vampires that Victor now rules over don’t get enough, they may become infected with the Thirst, a dangerous disease that will turn them into deranged killers. In a quest to find out more about the Thirst, Dawn travels across the country to where the disease first began. But will she be able to find the answers that will save them all before it’s too late?

My Review: 
 
This sequel to Darkness Before Dawn was wonderful. There was tons of actions and the plot really thickened and began to develop. Dawn seemed a lot older to me in this book, which made sense when I looked back on what she has been through. Living in a world infested with vampires, youth is stolen from you. She is determined to find out more about the Thirst as she fears that it is dangerous enough to start another war between humans and vampires.

So you know how in a lot of sequels the two characters in love pull away from each other? I find that extremely annoying and I was really afraid that this book was going to do the same thing. Victor tells Dawn that they are no good for each other and that he can’t be near her, but it is impossible for him to stay away. There are still plenty of steamy scenes between the two and I breathed a sigh of relief at that. My biggest complaint about this book is there not being enough Victor. He just took over as Overlord of Denver and I know he’s really busy, but I missed him. Not only that, he also has changed somewhat. I think deep down he is still the same Victor, but he has to put on this hard exterior for the vampires that he rules over. At times it was like dealing with a completely different character. But then he would see Dawn and the old Victor would sneak back in so I know he’s not lost forever, just struggling to find his way in his new role.

We get to know a lot more about Ian Hightower in this book. He is the hero amongst humans, the greatest vampire slayer to ever walk the face of the Earth. He was mentioned briefly in the first book, but in no detail. I thought he would be this awesome, badass guy, but instead he is a broken-down, borderline alcoholic. This was sad, but also very realistic to me. Thinking about how many vampires he has slain, but also how many friends he must have seen die in the process would wear a person down. He can still fight though and his skills are demonstrated throughout the book.

We also get to know Richard Carrollton, an Old Family vampire, and Faith Valentine, Victor’s half-sister better. They have become Dawn’s ever-present body guards sent by, who else, Victor. I really enjoy both of these characters. Richard is kind and has strong emotions (which for a vampire is rare). Faith puts up a cold exterior, but I think secretly she feels just as much emotion as Richard. Her emotions are revealed in tiny actions that she thinks go unnoticed, but Dawn’s attentive eye misses nothing.

Overall, this book was great. I only have two complaints. One I already mentioned, not enough Victor, and the other is how much the leader of the Denver agency seems to trust Dawn. Don’t get me wrong, I think she’s brilliant, but she’s a seventeen year old girl and he sends her on this dangerous mission across the country with only one Night Watchman to protect her. It just seems a little odd for him to put so much faith in a teenage girl. I guess that’s why it’s a book though, huh? Other than those two little things though, I loved it. Tons of action, lots of steamy romance scenes in addition to a couple other budding romances adding to the allure. Huge twist at the end and of course, like the last book, a ginormous cliffhanger ending. The final book in the series, After Daybreak, comes out June 25, 2013 and I will be dreaming of Victor until then. Happy reading all! 

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