6 March 2016

Review #360: The Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin



My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"Don't underestimate the allure of darkness, even the purest hearts are drawn to it."

----Klaus, The Vampire Diaries TV series



Andy Gavin, an American best-selling author, has penned an intimidating tale about vampires in his book, The Darkening Dream that unfolds the story of a soon-to-be-eighteen-years-old-teenage girl, who lives with her parents in Salem, which has recently been invaded by dark mysterious forces in the wake of finding Gabriel's trumpet that will mark the end of the world. This young girl along with her friends must traverse the dark path to stop the world from getting destroyed because this girl is gifted as she can premonite death.




Synopsis:

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.


Sarah is a highly knowledgeable and obedient Jewish girl whose mind is enriched with the folk tales of Gods and devils and with so many untold legends, and for that, all credits goes to her rabbi-turned-professor father. One day Sarah and her friends stumble upon a handsome Greek-immigrant boy named, Alex, who is a passionate hunter. Little did they knew that their first encounter with Alex might lead them to embark on a dangerous and life-threatening journey when they discover a corpse of unidentified boy in the bushes of Alex's home. On the other hand, Sarah gave no heed to her dreams where she saw that same boy's death. Now she is assured that her premonition is true where she heard the Archangel Gabriel’s holy horn that is a symbol to end of the world. But when she saw that same dead boy walking among the crowd, she and her friends must make a decision soon enough to save the lives of all. And this journey is not only life-threatening but will also enlighten them with hidden secrets under the name of peace and they will learn that vampires and warlocks are here to initiate the apocalypse. Will Sarah, Alex and her friends be able to fight this unholy fight against the monsters?

This story was an absolute thrilling experience for me considering the author's take on the supernatural elements from every possible angle, that made the book creepy and somewhat believable with the use of biblical meanings. Well, the beginning was bit slow for me as it took time for the story to open it's wings and fly to deepest, darkest corners of this supernatural journey. The author's writing style is articulate that contains an even dose of fear, horror and romance. The tone is dark from the beginning till the very end and the intricate detailing of each and every scenes gave me a bone-chilling experience.

Considering this is a story with teenagers, so there must be some kind of romance between the characters and that has been depicted by the author with lots of passion, sensuality and deeply moving emotions layered with pain and love. The love between Sarah and Alex is really sweet that progressed eventually with time and grew stronger with the dark forces hovering around them. There are also some sexual scenes among some evil characters which are not that PG-13, hence the book is recommended for a bit mature audience.

The narrative is free-flowing and engaging. The pacing changes from being very slow to really fast near the end of the story. There is a mystery that unfolds with little twists and turns and that which kept me glued till the very end. Before reading this book, I was in a doubt on whether I would like this story or not after seeing so many mixed reviews on Goodreads, but ultimately in the end, I felt for the story not too madly but in a likable manner.

The characters are quite remarkable and are strongly developed, highlighting their strongest attributes. The main character, Sarah, is fearless and would do anything to save the lives of those who matter. Alex is, too, a brave and determined young man who is caring and loving towards Sarah. The supporting cast of characters are also quite likable. The evil ones are even more fascinating as they won't let me look away from their dark nature even though they are look wise not that remarkable, and the author brought out the best of evil demeanor from them that ultimately gave me goosebumps while reading about them.

The story is set in the early 20th century and the author has done a vivid projection of that era from arresting the culture, religious attributes, societal norms etc strikingly into this story thus giving the readers a dose of that era through this eloquent words. And with such an enthralling book cover, it immediately captivated my heart and mind to open this book and to get lost in it's pages.

Overall, I enjoyed this intense and eerie ride with the dark supernatural creatures along immensely. And I believe all the YA fantasy lovers are surely going to love reading this dark compelling tale.

Verdict: It's surely gonna spook you!!

Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Andy Gavin, for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book. 
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Author Info:
Andy Gavin is an unstoppable storyteller who studied for his Ph.D. at M.I.T. and founded video game developer Naughty Dog, Inc. at the age of fifteen, serving as co-president for two decades. There he created, produced, and directed over a dozen video games, including the award winning and best selling Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter franchises, selling over 40 million units worldwide. He sleeps little, reads novels and histories, watches media obsessively, travels, and of course, writes.
Visit him here 


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