A Novel with Thoughts and Ponderings

DARK AWAKENING

Author: Kendra Leigh Castle ISBN: 9781609418373 7/2011 PARANORMAL Publisher: GRAND CENTRAL

Dark Awakening by Kendra Leigh Castle
Enter the world of the Dark Dynasties . . .

For centuries, shapeshifting vampire Tynan MacGillivray has prowled the night as an outcast, valued only for his ferocious hunting skills. When a feud among the immortals escalates into all-out war, he is ordered by his ruthless queen to locate a Seer—a human woman with a special gift—who can secure victory for their clan. Ty's search leads him to a quiet New England town, but once he has the Seer in his grasp, her touch awakens within him a hunger like he's never known . . .

Lily Quinn has always been different. Since childhood, she's had vivid nightmares and an eerie sixth sense. When a sexy, silver-eyed stranger demands her help, Lily plunges into a new world of danger and sensuality. With Ty, she discovers sizzling passions she cannot deny and powers she cannot control. Soon, it is clear that Lily is much more than a Seer-she holds the key to ancient secrets and unthinkable destruction. But will a vampire's vow of eternal protection stop these evil forces . . . or unleash her dark destiny?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

DARK AWAKENING is an odd book for me. Usually with books, I either love them or hate them, but very rarely do I just feel neutral about a book. This is one of those rare times. I'll start off this review by giving a tip of the hat to Kendra Leigh Castle. When I read that the hero was a shapeshifting vampire, I was a little worried. My Gary Stu, the male version of a Mary Sue radar was going off. I was afraid that the powers would be too strong, too out of the ordinary, and just all around frustrating. I was pleased to find out, however, that this is one of the few times my radar was wrong.

In the world Kendra created, shapeshifting vampires are the norm. In fact, the hero of the story is a low blood and slave to the ruling dynasty of vampires.  The world that Kendra built was my favorite aspect of the book. The political system of vampires was one I was very interested in learning about, considering that two of the vampire dynasties are lead by Vlad Dracul and Hecate. It showed that not only had Kendra researched old vampire legends—Vlad Dracul inspired Dracula—but also researched other types of myths. Hecate is better known as the Roman goddess of witchcraft, and to see her mentioned definitely showed me the author had put a lot of effort into this. I'm hoping the political system plays a bigger part in the next book.

Parts that bugged me about DARK AWAKENING where the two main characters. The hero was a sympathetic and frustrating one. He was born a slave, and even though he didn't like being a slave, he never fought against it. He also thought too little of himself to do anything. Even when it came to his interest in the heroine, he wasn't willing to go against his owner to be with her. So to me, there wasn't really a lot of romance in this book, but more tension than anything else. Another thing that annoyed me was the heroine's reaction to something at the climax of the book. I thought it was completely unrealistic, and it just made me lose interest in her.

Overall, DARK AWAKENING is an okay book. I'd recommend it to anyone that likes paranormal books, but I'd avoid it if you are looking for a good romance though.

Caitlin Turner

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