Book Recap: Darkness Before Dawn by J. A. London

Cover Inspection:
I think the cover is very commonplace.
I still think it's beautiful, nonetheless.

SUMMARY (book description based on GoodReads):

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.

BOOK REPORT CARD:

Cover	3.0
Plot	3.0
Writing	3.0
Characters	2.0
Ending	3.0
Overall Rating	3.0 Very Good! (89% to 92%) * highest rating possible is 4.0

LOCATION/SETTING:
Darkness Before Dawn is a dystopian story, where the vampires control the world. It has been fifty years since vampires made themselves known. There was even a war between humans and vampires. This war ended with a treaty called VampHu. But this treaty did not prevent some rogue vampires from killing people.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
The main character is Dawn. Her parents were killed by Valentine, the Vampire Lord three months before the story opens. At the beginning of the story, she's in a relationship with Michael, her childhood friend. After her parents died, she was called to be a delegate, the human ambassador to the vampires.

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT:
Dawn is the human ambassador to the vampires. One night, when she was coming home after a party, a group of vampires attacked her. Then this dark, mysterious boy saved her, and it turns out that this boy is the son of the vampire lord. Dawn struggled to resist his charms, but she can't help falling in love with him. And for him, she risks everything.

LOVE:
I found the story very easy to get into. The first chapters presented some details and a background or history on how things came about. For this reason, it was easier to understand the events that followed.

I am also very happy with the action scenes and the fight scenes in this book. The book was peppered with it from start to end, which made the book really exciting. Another thing I loved is that, part of the story is politics. This made the plot thicker and more interesting, at least in my opinion. There was an added depth to the story as there exists a power play between the vampires and the humans. This made me ask: who is the one manipulating? Who is the one being manipulated?

There was also some nice twists in the story. And I loved the ending. I am a sucker for drama and the ending of this book is just so, very dramatic. It's probably the ending that made me itch to read the sequel.

NO LOVE:
This is one of the books where the main character is molded to be tough and kick ass. However, I failed to see it in action because there was not enough fight scenes where Dawn, the main character actually held her own. Victor was always there to save her. Another thing that annoyed me about Dawn's character is that she is an ungrateful bee with an itch to Victor. That boy has done nothing but save her a million times, and be sweet and kind to her, and all she does is push him away.

I also don't get why Michael, Dawn's long time sweetheart, was deliriously in love with Dawn one chapter, and in the next chapter, he acts like she doesn't exist. It was uncharacteristic of him. After all, they're not only in a relationship, they have been friends since childhood. That has to count for something, right? On the other hand, Victor and Dawns intense feelings for each other is just too much, too soon. They haven't spent enough quality time to get to know one another (as Dawn spent most of her energy resisting Victor).

FAVORITE CHARACTER:
I loved Valentine, the villain in the story. Being a vampire lord, he's sophisticated. He exudes an aura of class and power.

 
FAVORITE LINE:

“You’ll never lose me, Dawn. Since I met you, for the first time in my life, I truly understand what I’m fighting for. You are every sunrise that I will never see.”

MUSINGS:

There is a love triangle in this story. There isn't a strong connection with either boy, however. I didn't feel the electricity. But the story is very interesting. By reading the blurb, one would assume that this book is similar to Julie Kagawa's The Immortal Rules. Aside from the fact that this is a post apocalyptic vampire story, there is very little similarity with Kagawa's work. Whereas The Immortal Rules focused on survival, Darkness Before Dawn focused on politics. Also, Darkness Before Dawn is not as dark as The Immortal Rules. The world is not as scary, or probably, there isn't enough details that would make the story as dark and scary. This is not to say that i did not like it. I did enjoy reading this book. All I am saying is that it is less similar to The Immortal Rules and more similar to The Pledge by Kimberly Derting and Jessica's Guide to Dating on The Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey.

By the way, the prologue said that there is something special about Dawn, But the book didn't really dwell on it. It didn't really answer why she was such. Maybe in the next installment?

DOODLES:
Still looking for the trailer.

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:

J.A. London

SIMILAR READS:
Jessica's Guide to Dating on The Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

CONTENT REVIEW:
profanity: moderate
violence: heavy
sexual content: mild
mature themes: mild
age recommendation: 13+