The Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin Review and Giveaway

The Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin
★★★★☆
Release Date: January 10, 2012
Publisher: Mascherato Publishing
Age: Mature YA
Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural, Paranormal, Historical Fiction, Vampires, Horror
Source: Author for review
Buy it: Amazon On sale for 99 cents! until June 29th.

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 her very soul.

The Darkening Dream is a finely tuned thrilling dark historical fantasy about vampires with a witty female lead and some surprising twists throughout. Andy Gavin uses a slew of supernatural aspects alongside a seemingly normal 1900s Salem, until dark forces are revealed, to mold an intelligent suspense.

The characters in this book are not to be taken lightly. It's a deep and meaningful read filled with complex situations, backgrounds, and characters. Sarah begins living this nightmare of a tale alongside her close friends and discovers things about not only legends, but her family as well. As the storyline grows so does her involvement and realization of the world around her. People they thought they knew turn out to be less neighborly.

I don't do horror, and not that I would classify this solely as a horror  because I wouldn't, but there were some pretty frightening images throughout. Andy Gavin's writing is marvelous and thoroughly detailed. This dark fantasy definitely left me feeling for light switches in dark hallways. And the pieces to the puzzle fall into place nicely, especially as the story changes narrators, which I really enjoyed. Overall, it's a pretty unique read, filled with suspense and surprises.

The use of multiple paranormal and religious aspects were refreshing additions to the story. It's a wonderful and detailed read, disturbing and seething at times, but this portrayal of vampires and demons is what I like to read about. It's how vampires were meant to be imagined, I think.

And, I have to take a second to mention the breathe taking cover! I find it hard to stop staring at!

Get your 99 cent copy of The Darkening Dream today on Amazon only (June 25-29)

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About the Author

Andy Gavin is an unstoppable storyteller who studied for his Ph.D. at M.I.T. and founded video game developer Naughty Dog, Inc. at the age of fifteen, serving as co-president for two decades. There he created, produced, and directed over a dozen video games, including the award winning and best selling Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter franchises, selling over 40 million units worldwide. He sleeps little, reads novels and histories, watches media obsessively, travels, and of course, writes. Find out more here.