*[Blog Tour Review & Giveaway] The Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin

 

Summary:

 

The Darkening Dream is the chilling new dark fantasy novel by Andy Gavin, creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter.

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 herself.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 382 pages (E-book)

Source: Review Copy

Available Formats: E-book & Paperback

Publication Date: January 10th 2012 by Mascherato Publishing

 

The Darkening Dream was completely unlike any book that I've read before. At first I was really caught up in the summary of the novel which definitely catches the reader's attention as well as the stunningly dark and mysterious cover paired alongside it.

 

The fact that I liked the book so much caught me completely off guard and I'm really glad I gave this debut novel by Andy Gavin a chance. The Darkening Dream brings together a fantastic mixture of fantasy, mythology, paranormal, historical fiction and the added bonus of a wee little bit of romance mixed in for good measure.

 

At 382 pages this novel is on the longer side but I think that is a large part of what made it such a great read. The amount of detail that went into the writing of the novel is wonderful, usually I'm not one for books that are excessively detailed so I was glad to see that this novel was detailed in all the write places and I didn't feel bogged down by needless descriptions.

 

The book centers around Sarah, Alex, Anne, Emily, Sam, some Egyptian gods, a 900 year old vampire and a Puritan minister who's in a sexual relationship with a succubus and of course the novel is set in the perfect place Salem during the beginning of the 20th century.

 

I was very impressed with the plot of the novel, that fact that the author drew on so many genres, created realistic characters and the fact that the novel was written in such a way that there was always another plot twist every few pages that kept me on my toes. Plus the book was told in shifting perspectives so I really got a feel for all the other characters not just Sarah which was awesome.

 

The fact that the book always had me guessing, and wanting to read late into the night which I did the other night staying up past 4 a.m. because I had to see what happened next really had me hooked. I thought the author did a fantastic job in telling the story and the plot was outstanding and I can't help but wish that this book were turned into a series because when I finished it all I wanted to do was return to the characters and their mysterious adventure.

 

Overall, this was a fantastic debut. It is completely and utterly unique in both the caliber of the writing as well as the plot. I think this would appeal to a wide variety of readers who like fantasy novels and paranormal novels. While the book has been shelved many times as young adult on Goodreads there are certain themes in it that are probably better suited to older teens 17+. This is one novel that I think I'll have to purchase in paperback and one that I highly recommend giving a try. I for one hope the author continues in his writing career because I for one can't wait to read more of his work and I know for a fact that Mr. Turning the Pages will love this one as soon as he can get his hands on my Kindle long enough to read it.

* I received a free copy of this book for review purposes. I was not compensated in anyway to give a positive review and all thoughts and opinions herein are my own.

I read this book for the following challenges:

2013 Paranormal Reading Challenge

 

2013 150+ Books Reading Challenge

2013 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Really Liked It!
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

To "Subscribe" to Andy on Facebook CLICK HERE

To "Follow" Andy on Twitter CLICK HERE

To become a "Fan" of Andy on Goodreads CLICK HERE

To "Follow" Andy on Pinterest CLICK HERE

To find Andy on Wikipedia CLICK HERE

To visit Andy's Website CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Barnes & Noble CLICK HERE

 

Author Bio:

 

 

Andy Gavin is a serial creative, polymath, novelist, entrepreneur, computer programmer, author, foodie, and video game creator. He co-founded video game developer Naughty Dog and co-created Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter. He started numerous companies, has been lead programmer on video games that have sold more than forty million copies, and has written two novels including The Darkening Dream, a dark historical fantasy that puts the bite back in vampires.

 

Giveaway:

 

Enter to win a $50.00 Amazon Gift Card, 1 Signed Poster, 1 Signed Game,

and 4 Bookmarks

 

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway