Review: Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London

Darkness Before Dawn 

Author: J.A. London
Series: Darkness Before Dawn, Book One
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Format: Paperback, 342 pages
Release Date: May 29, 2012
Source: Mid-Columbia Libraries
 

Synopsis: 
 
They built the wall to protect themselves, to keep the vampires out, but what it really does is keep the humans in a cage, cowering in their homes whenever the sun goes down. Dawn has just lost both her parents and has been given the new role of delegate, meaning she gets to bargain with the vampire who rules over Denver, Colorado. This job is no easy feat for a teenage girl and although her parents taught her as much as they could about vampires, nothing could have prepared her for Lord Valentine…or for his son. As she gets to know both of these vampires she begins to wonder if she was wrong. Perhaps all vampires are not killers. One thing becomes clear as Dawn continues to try and learn how to be the best delegate possible: a war is coming and the wall will not be able to stop them.

My Review: 
 
How I love my vampires. (I’m a closet Twilight fan. Clarify: before the movies came out and ruined the books for everybody.) I enjoyed this particular book about vampires because all the humans know they exist and I have never read a book where this is the case. It was nice to have it out in the open and see how humans co-exist with the monsters. However, we also see just how weak humans are. The vampires rule over them demanding large amounts of blood to be donated. If they don’t donate…well the threat is implied. At first, people were running to donation centers, but after a while it wore off, as all things seem to do for us humans.

Enter Dawn. Her parents were delegates for the city of Denver before they were killed. Lord Valentine, the overlord of all the vampires in the surrounding area, requested that Dawn become their replacement. She is seventeen and struggling with all the things that normal teens struggle with, but this new job is forcing her to grow up quickly. Dawn is strong and open-minded. She is still in the process of grieving her parents, but also knows how important her new role is to the citizens of Denver. Lord Valentine is calculating and dangerous and each time she meets with him, her life is at risk. Even though he terrifies her, she still manages to stand up to him which shows just how strong and fearless she is.

Victor is the other main character in the book. He is a vampire and boy did I fall for him. I am completely in love with his character and only wish that he could be real and materialize magically in front of me. Call me crazy, but I get really attached to fictional characters. Victor is dark and mysterious, but also kind-hearted and caring. He begins to show Dawn that not all vampires are bad and that there could be a future where vampires and humans co-exist peacefully.

Other characters of interest include Michael (Dawn’s boyfriend), Tegan (Dawn’s best friend), and Sin. Sin is a new kid in school that rolled in on the train from Los Angeles. Everybody is infatuated with him. He is gorgeous and can hold his own in a fight, even against Michael who is the most skilled fighter in school. He instantly latches onto Tegan and starts hanging out with Michael and Dawn. Sin is definitely a bad boy. He convinces the group to do dangerous things that could get them killed and laughs off the dangers as if they are nothing. 

Overall, this book was really good. It had a smoldering love story and lots of action. There are lots of fights and near-death experiences that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The plot line is fabulous and gets more dark and mysterious as the book goes on. This one ended on a horrible cliffhanger. I have the second one, Blood-Kissed Sky, waiting for me on my couch right now. If you are a vampire fan, then you will enjoy this book. Happy reading all! 

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