Way back in June, I won an e-copy of Jessica Sorensen’s Darkness Falls from Mostly Reviews. I finally got around to reading it.
Description from Goodreads:
When the disease spread through the world, people had no choice but to go into hiding. The Colony is hidden deep underground, far away from the vampires—humans that were transformed by the disease. The vampires are hideous, starving, and they will kill any human they come across.
Seventeen-year-old Kayla is a Bellator, a warrior that protects The Colony. In order to survive, there are three rules she must follow:
Rule #1—Never go out after dark.
Rule #2—Always carry a weapon.
Rule #3—No matter what, never EVER get bitten.
But what happens when the rules Kayla has always lived by can no longer apply? The Highers run The Colony and accept nothing less than perfection. One slip up can mean death. Kayla has always worked hard to follow the rules and strive for perfection. But during a moment of weakness, she lets her imperfections show. Her punishment is worse than death. She is chosen for The Gathering and is thrown out into a world full of starving vampires.
No one has ever survived The Gathering, at least that’s what Kayla’s been told. But when she runs into a group who insist they were once part of The Gathering, Kayla discovers the Highers have been keeping secrets. Secrets that could lead to a cure
Review:
Ok, so that was a long description but there is a lot going on from page one of this book, maybe too much. Honestly, I spent at least the first third of it confused. But when you are reading a first-person, present tense account of something from a narrator who is suffering gaps in her memory, I guess it shouldn’t be too surprising. She’s confused too. It took me a long time to get used to the narration style. I just generally dislike both first person and present tense. Once I acclimated, however, it was fine. I didn’t hate it too much. I did enjoy Sorensen’s writing style though. The use of frequent short sentences often gave the narration a curt feel that fit the main character, Kayla, really well.
Kayla is thrown into a world where everyone seems to know more than her, and everyone seems intent on keeping it that way. She is one tough cookie, though. She keeps right on trucking no matter what fate throws at her, even when it is an unusual number of amorous men. Tristan, Aiden, Sylas…it kind of felt like she must have been the only available woman in the Colony or something. Of the three I have to admit to leaning toward Sylas. I’m a sucker for a broken bad boy. What can I say?
On a completely unrelated note, was anyone else bothered by the fact that she carries a katana on the cover, but doesn’t use a sword in the book? I’m just saying. All-in-all I enjoyed it and quickly grabbed book two (Darkness Breaks) to see what happened next.
Description from Goodreads:
Kayla made her choice and now she has to live with it. She stays with the Day Takers, hiding in the city, staking vampires. But fighting vampires as a human is difficult.
Sylas constantly pressures Kayla to choose the life of a Day Taker. But until Kayla knows what Monarch is planning, she can’t make her choice. Plus there’s Aiden. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t stop thinking about him.
As Kayla’s memories resurface, the pieces of her history unfold. She learns of Cell 7, a place that Kayla believes holds the answers to the creation of the virus. But getting to Cell 7 is a dangerous mission. And with Kayla’s strength weakening, it’s one mission she might not make it through alive.
Review:
Darkness Breaks picks up just after Darkness Falls ends and is worth reading for Sylas alone. I adored him and am keeping my fingers crossed for his speedy return in book three (Darkness Fades). I found the juxtaposition of him and Aiden interesting. While one openly declares himself evil and the other tries ardently to do the right thing, you are still left wondering which one is really working for the forces of good in the world. Sometimes the ‘right’ thing isn’t always the RIGHT thing to do. It’s all yet to be seen though. I think I had as many questions at the end of the book as I did at the beginning.
I did start to think that maybe Kayla was a little too perfect. I realize, of course, that she was designed to be that way, but surely she needs a weakness somewhere. Her perfection started to strain the confines of credibility a little. I also started to wonder about the rest of the world. Kayla is on about saving it, but there is no indication beyond the assumption that the virus has spread worldwide or that this is the last enclave of humanity. It’s just a niggle, but it is there in the back of my mind.
I eagerly await the next book in the series. I enjoyed the characters and the hint of a romance that is so much more than a rushed lust-based affair. A worthy continuation of the series.