Review: The Darkening Dream

(from amazon)
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 in Andy Gavin’s chilling debut, The Darkening Dream.

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, a 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.

My Review:
Vampire tales are a dime a dozen these days.  Rarely do they have the bite that gets my attention and my imagination buzzing. The Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin is now officially on that list (the good one)! The cast of characters and the history he has created, lend this book a sense of dread laced with humor. No pretty vampires to seduce the heroine. No sympathy for the devil, because the devil will rip your throat out! The vampires in this book maim, kill, and torture their victims and commit acts of pure evil. Nothing fluffy about them at all!  There is a very clear distinction between the good guys and the bad! I find that utterly refreshing.

Now that we have that out of the way let's just say that the writing in awesome. Andy Gavin has a talent for writing a fun scene. The story flows from one well crafted line to the next. His eye for the fine details is very clear. The main characters are solid and interesting. Sarah and Alex are two teenagers that are separated by family traditions and history, but are quite similar in mindset and intelligence. There is of course an attraction, but it does not come across as cheesy at all. It's a sweet attraction that give a little heart to the story. This peppered with a supporting cast of characters that make you want keep reading until the last page is turned, makes this book a must read! It's easily recognizable that Andy Gavin writes  what makes him excited! This book will satisfy any fan of the vampire genre and then some!


Free Chapters: 
The first two chapters of the novel are available online here.

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

**thank you goes to andy gavin for providing me with a copy for review***