Review : Darkness Before Dawn by J.A London

Summary (from Goodreads)

This electrifying new trilogy blends the best of paranormal and dystopian storytelling in a world where the war is over. And the vampires won.

Humans huddle in their walled cities, supplying blood in exchange for safety. But not even that is guaranteed. Dawn has lost her entire family and now reluctantly serves as the delegate to Lord Valentine, the most powerful vampire for miles. It isn’t until she meets Victor, Valentine’s son, that she realizes not all vampires are monsters....

Darkness Before Dawn is a fresh new story with captivating characters, unexpected plot twists, a fascinating setting, and a compelling voice. Written under the name J. A. London by a talented mother-son team, the trilogy is perfect for fans of True Blood and the House of Night and Morganville Vampires series.

Personal Thoughts

Vampires in dystopian societies are becoming a trend these days with books such as The Immortal Rules and The Hunt. I'm actually finding this new sub-genre pretty exciting. Darkness Before Dawn was an enjoyable read, but there was nothing to make it really outshine the previously mentioned books.

Darkness Before Dawn tells the story of orphan, Dawn, living in futuristic-Denver. In Dawn's world, vampires are common knowledge and these vampires are ruled by Lord Valentine. After her parents' death, Dawn is appointed as a delegate. Since her parents were murdered by vampires, Dawn has a strong aversion to them. Soon after, she meets Victor, Lord Valentine's son, who saves her from rogue vampires. Dawn begins to wonder whether all vampires are bad.

Dawn was an appealing character, but for some reason I couldn't connect with her. She had a likable personality. Unfortunately, I didn't identify with her. I liked the fact that she was head-strong and able to stand up for herself. She was a fiercely independent character and at times, she appeared fearless. I, initially, thought of her as a kick-butt character. She had a quite friendly relationship with Victor until she found out that he was actually a vampire. Dawn was scarred by her parents' and brother's death. She despised vampires and couldn't stand them. Because of this, she came off as rude to Victor. At times, I thought that her behavior was kind of mean since Victor had helped her on numerous occasions, but I guess I understood her position. Her lack of trust for vampires was something that was understandable. Moreover, I appreciated the fact that she gave Victor a chance to prove himself. It was great to see her shed all the stereotypes involving vampires and learning to comprehend that not all of them are bad. She underwent a mental growth of some sort and she ended up respecting and looking up to vampires like Victor.

As far as the romance department goes in Darkness Before Dawn, I must say I was a little dissatisfied. First of all there's a love triangle. At the beginning of the book, Dawn is already dating her childhood friend, Michael. I kind of liked Michael's character. He was someone who was independent and someone who strived to succeed. He wasn't afraid to sweat in order to achieve his dreams. I found that to be a remarkably admirable feature of him. However, towards the middle of the book, his demeanor changed. He became reckless and made stupid decisions. From that point onwards, I couldn't really feel much for his character. Victor, on the other hand, was a mystifying character. He was shrouded in secrets. He was the quiet and brooding kind of male character. From the first page that he appears on, Victor hooks you in. Although Victor was, according to me, a fascinating character, I didn't buy his feelings for Dawn. In my opinion, they didn't complement each other very well and their relationship was limp. I couldn't feel the chemistry between the him and Dawn. In spite of that, I relished the fact that there was no instant-love and that the two of them got to know each other. Now, if you don't like cheating in your books, then I don't recommend you read this book.

Darkness Before Dawn started splendidly with a bang. As the story progressed, the pace started to slow down and the story started to drag a little. I was, especially, upset by the final showdown. I suppose I wanted it to sort of explode and to finish well. It felt too rushed and I had a hard time figuring out what was happening. The world building in Darkness Before Dawn is actually very enthralling. It's a little different from other vampire books and I, personally, liked it. The writing is straight to the point and there's a nice flow to the story. Plot-wise, the book was interesting and had the potential to be something special. I guess some of the characters ruined my enjoyment of the book.

Darkness Before Dawn isn't a story I loved, but it's not one that I hated either. My feelings for the book are a little mixed, as of now. To be honest, there wasn't anything memorable about the book. However, I do strongly believe that the book has the possibility to shine in the next installment. Although I didn't crush over this book, I still think a lot of people seeking a different take on vampires will thoroughly enjoy it.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 3/5