Book Review: The Darkening Dream

The Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Mascherato (January 14, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1937945014
• ISBN-13: 978-1937945015

The Darkening Dream is the chilling new dark fantasy novel by Andy Gavin, creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter.

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.

Cover: I’m more to covers with real models at the background, but, oh man, just look at that cover. Isn’t it gorgeous? I love the combination of colors and the added feel like it’s anime/manga..:)

First, I’d like to talk about the characters. This book isn’t just about vampires but actually, a variety of powerful and terrifying creatures are mixed in the story. We have an elderly vampire, a demon-loving Puritan warlock, Egyptian gods, and many more. Plus a tale about angels/archangels. Oddly though, I love all the characters, good and bad. Each of them is unique, fresh and remarkable. Everyone of them had his own story to share, which makes the book really interesting. And there’s a vivid distinction of who’s the good guys and the bad.

Another great thing about the book is how well the author writes. Andy Gavin wrote to connect the readers to his characters. From the moment I read the first word until the end, I was in Darkening Dream’s world. I feel the characters, I’m with their journey. The story was well-thought of that’s why the chapters flow naturally leaving the readers enough dread and suspense of what would happen next.
Even until I finished it, I was still amazed at how good this was.

Though not entirely unique, it’s like breathing fresh air, when reading about the vampires of this book. Forget about beautiful/kind vampires that girls fall in love, hello to vampires who are monsters and kill for blood. It still gave me goosebumps of what vampires could do and can’t do a long time ago. Old traditions which I thought had long forgotten came back in this book, like how a vampire can’t enter a home without invitation, vampires turning to bats, burning in the sun, etc.

One thing though, the constant POV changes were a little bit distracting. There are times that I am so into one character’s POV, then it would change in the next chapter. I don’t get into some of it, but nevertheless I’m with the story. And except for the early 20th century vampire, I feel like I was in the modern world.

I really hope there’s a sequel. For me, the story isn’t finished yet, a lot of things that are left unanswered and there are mysteries to uncover and monsters to conquer… and the twist at the end isn’t what I expected.

Darkening dream is a dark vampire novel that was written with passion, that you feel the emotions, dread and excitement of the author while writing this. Packed with action, suspense, fangs and a little bit romance, this book would leave you both satisfied and wanting for more. Highly Recommended to vampire and paranormal fans out there!




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