Review--Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London

Only sunlight can save us.
 
We built the wall to keep them out, to keep us safe. But it also makes us prisoners, trapped in what's left of our ravaged city, fearing nightfall.

After the death of my parents, it's up to me--as the newest delegate for humanity--to bargain with our vampire overlord. I thought I was ready. I thought I knew everything there was to know about the monsters. Then again, nothing could have prepared me for Lord Valentine... or his son. Maybe not all vampires are killers. Maybe it's safe to let one in.

Only one thing is certain: Even the wall is not enough. A war is coming and we cannot hide forever.


J.A. London's Darkness Before Dawn was more than I was expecting! Having had it on the TBR pile for months, I cannot remember what I expected exactly, but having finished it now I can say it's definitely worth a read!

The world is in difficult times. Humans and vampires live together, but it's not necessarily a peaceful harmony. More like the humans live in fear of the night when rogue vampires come over the walls that protect them and attack within their city. The Nigh Watchman within the city are the fierce protectors at night. Dawn's role in the story is the delegate. She tries to keep the peace between the nearby vampire ruler, Lord Valentine and the populace of Denver.

Despite her day job, Dawn is still just an ordinary teenager. She has a boyfriend, Michael, who strives to be a Night Watchman and her best friend Tegan who knows a lot about psychology and its relation to vampires. Then one night, after a mishap at a party, Dawn finds herself with a drugged out Tegan stuck on a bus with vampires, that's when Victor comes to her rescue and slays the vamps.

Dawn is intrigued by this new guy, but quickly learns that he is a vampire and Lord Valentine's son at that! Victor is not like other vampires, not that Dawn knows many, but something about Victor draws her to him and it's not his mind controlling powers either. He shows her that not all vampires are evil. She begins to see the humanity of vampires. But while under his father's rule, the vampires will never be truly taken care of. There will never be peace between the vampires and humans. A fact Victor wishes to rectify.

This was a very intriguing dystopian to read. There were times when the book moved a little slow, like I didn't know where the storyline was going. What was the purpose? What was the point? But things gradually pick up towards the middle and kind of stay steady with a high rising endpoint! There were definitely some shocking surprises at the end that made up for the dragging in between.

As to the romance, Dawn and Michael are a couple, but when you're reading about them it feels forced. True, Dawn cares for him in the beginning, but it's obvious from the moment we meet Victor, that he will turn into Dawn's love interest. And once again, there we have the forbidden love we have come to know from vampire romances. Although, in this story, I feel like the characters know the challenges that they face better. Dawn knows she doesn't want to be a vampire and that she will one day die. Victor knows that he will have to watch Dawn age. But yet, the two cannot seem to stay apart for long. Once they acknowledge their feelings for one another and are ready to embrace what a relationship might mean.

The ending was shocking and a bit of a cliffhanger! There's no telling what will be in store for Dawn and Victor now. The world they once knew has been changed drastically. We can only hope the change will be for the better!


Overall rating 3.5/5 stars