Five years ago, vampires came out of hiding and took over the world. It was meant to be a quick enslavement but it turned into a bloody battle that brought humanity to the brink of extinction.
Isabelle Bryant is one of the “lucky” survivors, now living in hiding, scavenging for food through deserted towns.
And she’s tired of it.
So she’s devised a plan: find the king of the vampires and drive a stake through his heart.
Except that wickedly sensual king Marcus is nothing like the monster she expected. And while landing on his bed was part of the plan all along, discovering that he might hold the key to humanity’s survival certainly wasn't. The catch? Saving humanity also means ensuring vampire survival. It means giving up hope for a return to a human-ruled world.
As sparks fly and hate becomes heat, Isabelle must pick a side -- before the darkness devours them all.
City of the Fallen - Dark Tides #1
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Buy Link: Amazon
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My Review:
It is ridiculous how I never get tired of these stories, but it's true! Definitely a favorite of mine in the paranormal genre.
Diana Bocco did an amazing job of offering a fresh spin on a much used story line.
Fast moving, suspenseful, creative, and a uniqueness in the characterizations I really enjoyed.
A little background - the story takes place in a post-apocalyptic time. Vampires have invaded the world, coming out of the shadows and have practically wiped out the human race. Five years later, humans are hiding at night, and scavenging during the day for food and supplies. Survival is day to day with seemingly no hope in site. The situation gives the word "alone" a new meaning.
The story opens with Isabelle making the decision to go to the vampire compound to kill the vampire king.
Driven to the decision by desperation and near starvation for herself and the small group she is with, she knows if she can make it there, she can offer herself as a "pet". Many humans have done this and in exchange, they receive food, shelter, and protection. They just have to share their blood and bodies.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Her plan to kill the king is good in theory, how she is going to manage it, well, that's something totally different. But first she needs to make it to the compound.
The first leg of her journey to the compound was a bit hair raising with some serious action!
After finally making it, barely, she does meet the king and he is very taken with her. What Isabelle didn't anticipate, being just as taken with Marcus, the king.
Their relationship was extremely passionate and very tentative, neither quite understanding the draw. I loved their relationship but it is only the back drop to the story on a whole.
There are bad vampires out there that Marcus and his followers know about. The "rapids". These vampires have gone rogue and are slowly starving to death due to the shortage of human blood causing the "void", a form of vampire insanity.
The story is very fast moving with a lot of action. Some may not enjoy that but I loved it. Hate waiting for things to happen! And things certainly do happen!!
I am going to stop here otherwise I will be giving away spoilers, and I never do that *evil grin*
I really did love the story and highly recommend it, especially if this genre is a favorite of yours. I am also super excited book 2 is scheduled to be released in December.
The ending literally had my heart in my throat, it was insanity at it's finest!!
Absolutely loved this story and will forever be stalking the author! Review will also be posted on my
Loved These shelf on Goodreads.
About the Author:
I've been a fan of all kinds of dark creatures since I was a kid (even before I discovered Stephen King at the age of 10). If it crawls in the night and tugs at your covers while you're sleeping, chances are I've written about it. It's probably no surprise that I'm a big fan of old buildings, urban exploring and things that go bump in the night. Oh, and Halloween, of course -- but that should go without saying.
Growing up, I wanted to be Indiana Jones. I ended up not pursuing a degree in Archaeology (although I toyed with the idea for a while) but I did become a huge lover of travel and history. Aside from traveling to all corners of the world, I've also lived in five countries in three continents -- including three years in Siberia and two in Vietnam. I'm currently living in Thailand.
I have a soft spot for animals (which is why you can be sure that in my stories, the dog will always make it) and right now have three wonderful -- but slightly crazy -- dogs in my life. And yes, they move with me from country to country. Too bad dogs can't accumulate frequent flyer miles!
In my other life, I also write nonfiction: articles, books, and even quizzes for the Discovery Channel website. I really can't help it -- I'm a nerd at heart and love research and discovering new things. Could be the Indiana Jones in me pushing me along.
When it comes to life, I'm pretty fearless. I figure life is too short to live it too safely -- so I take risks and I try to have fun, whether that means snowshoeing in the middle of Siberia or going ghost-hunting in an abandoned asylum. And yes, I've done both.
Buy links are provided as a courtesy to the reader and do not constitute an endorsement by this blog or its owner. ARC provided by author via tour host.
My question for Diana is where she got her book title? I know a lot of times the titles come from lines in the book. Is this the case here??
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting and for the review!
DeleteHere's the funny thing about the title: it showed up in a dream. And once I "heard" it in my dream, I realized it was perfect. The word "fallen" represents so much in the story: humanity has fallen and so has most of the world. And the vampires in the compound, the ones like Marcus, are some sort of "fallen angels." They're not good but they're not bad either. They walk a line between the two worlds. Plus, there's a "falling" at the end of the book. Book two (Night of the Fallen) continues that idea as well.
Thank you for hosting today!!
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