Darkness Before Dawn (Darkness Before Dawn #1) by J.A. London

Title: Darkness Before Dawn (Darkness Before Dawn #1)
Author: J.A. London
Release date: May 29, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 342
Source: Publisher

This electrifying new trilogy blends the best of paranormal and dystopian storytelling in a world where the war is over. And the vampires won.

Humans huddle in their walled cities, supplying blood in exchange for safety. But not even that is guaranteed. Dawn has lost her entire family and now reluctantly serves as the delegate to Lord Valentine, the most powerful vampire for miles. It isn’t until she meets Victor, Valentine’s son, that she realizes not all vampires are monsters….

Darkness Before Dawn is a mediocre read but it’s a fun one.  The writing is easy and quick to get into, the characters are likable, and the story is gripping.  I will definitely be checking out the sequel.
Darkness Before Dawn is not your typical vampire book.  It’s set in a dystopian world where vampires rule. When the vampires came out to humans war broke out and did not end well for the humans.  Humans now have to give blood to vampires and they are terrified of them.  The world is bleak, most of the vampires are evil, and humans have very little hope left.  That’s where Dawn comes in.
Dawn is pretty bad-ass.  She’s afraid of vampires, sure, but she can still fight them.  Her fear only helps her against them because she never gets cocky. She’s also super loyal, remarkably free-thinking, and a very kind person.  She’s certainly a little close-minded at the beginning of the book but she is not afraid of change.  That is her best quality. 
Now the summary makes it seem like there is only one love interest by there are two.  However it doesn’t feel like a love triangle. It’s not insta-love between Dawn and either of the guys.  Both relationships are very well-developed and it’s easy to see why Dawn might be torn.  Both Michael and Victor are great guys.
The writing is very easy to get hooked on.  It’s a simple writing style that never feels bogged down.  At times it does feel like the author is telling rather than showing but it wasn’t bad enough to detract from the story.
My one real complaint with Darkness Before Dawn is that things were rather predictable.  There was very little about the story that I couldn’t guess.  Things were hinted at throughout the story and the hints just gave things away.  There was really no mystery to this book, at least not for me.
Overall, Darkness Before Dawn is a great book for vampire fans.  It’s a solid start to the series.

Looking for more reviews of Darkness Before Dawn?
All Things Urban Fantasy’s review
The Bookish Babe’s review

Series:
Darkness Before Dawn (Darkness Before Dawn #1)
Blood-Kissed Sky (Darkness Before Dawn #2) – 2013

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9 comments

  1. Sounds like a book I might like, maybe. I usually hate when a book is predictable unless it has other qualities to make up for it. I love the cover though, so pretty! 😛

  2. I agree with your review. By the time Valentine’s secret visitor was revealed, I was like “I knew it.” Not to mention, the ending was rather clichéd.

    In the end, I did enjoy Darkness Before Dawn. The love triangle totally made me a fan.

  3. This sound a bit like The immortal rules from Julie Kagawa: a book I loved, so I’ll be checking this one out! I love the fact that the main heroin is kick-ass and that the love interests are well-developed 🙂 I don’t really mind predictable books, so I think I’ll enjoy this one ^^

  4. I really liked this one. I don’t always like love triangles, but this one really worked.

    It was a fun read!! The sequel was just as good I think. Did you continue the series?

    Lovely review 🙂