The next book that I’m going to write about is Welcome to the Darkness by L. M. Justus.
Front Cover
Synopsis
A typical teenager, seventeen-year-old Reed Hennessy doesn’t realize how lucky he is to lead a normal life until he loses everything, including his humanity. The attacker who slaughters his family and destroys their home turns out to be a vampire, a creature Reed had considered a myth.
Now a vampire himself, but with the unique ability to walk in sunlight, Reed struggles in the dark underworld he didn’t even know existed. His only two allies in his fight to stay alive are his reluctant mentor, Nathaniel, a vampire with over two hundred years’ worth of emotional baggage, and Sarah, a rookie cop with a secret ability of her own.
Together, Reed and his companions face a harrowing, cross-country journey before stumbling into a plot which could mean the end of everything for humans and vampires alike.
My Opinion
And after reading the book I’m happy to say that it wasn't. The book follows three main characters and their POVs change with each chapter. The main character out the three is Reed. He's a 17yr old who finds his family slaughtered by a vampire and subsequently he gets turned into one. His part of the book is told through the 1st person while the other two are in 3rd person. Surprisingly it didn’t feel disjointed while switching between the two styles. The structure flowed quite nicely in fact.
The other two characters are; Sarah, a young cop, in her twenties, who is drawn into Reed’s life due to her special power of being able to read minds. And the last of the trio is Nathaniel, who is a veteran vampire who reluctantly acts as Reed mentor. He’s your typical vampire; cool, detached and aloof. But as the story moves along, you do see that icy interior melt.
Reed does have a unique talent in that he can walk in daylight and is immune to silver, but apart from those two qualities, he's a newbie in the vampire world. I kind of liked the fact that he isn’t invulnerable and does have his ass handed to him more than once. He needs guidance and that is where Nathaniel came into it.
I liked the interaction between the 3 characters and each had their own personality. Although I did find myself slightly less drawn to Nathaniel's character. Personally I would have liked to have seen more development on him.
My one major concern with the book was the romance between Reed and Sarah. Reed is 17 years old, and that is shown clearly. He acts immature and is brash. All traits you would expect in a teenager, and due to the age difference it did feel a little bit awkward reading the romantic scenes between them, but the issue was highlighted in the book, and as the story progressed you kind of get used to it.
Another minor point was that the book trailed off during the middle, but it did pick up towards the end, and I like where the story is heading in the next instalment I don’t want to give too much away but I will say one word; Zombies!
Conclusion
I would say the book is perfect for people who want something quick to read. It’s not heavy, as in emotionally investing, and is quite a short book. Perfect to read when on holiday or over a bored weekend.
I really did find the book enjoyable. It was a light read; something to pass the time, and I'm definitely interested in reading the next book, which unfortunately, will not be out until 2014.
Out of 10 Stars:
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