Welcome to the Darkness

It's no secret that I'm quite addicted to books about vampires. There's something about the line they walk between utter beauty and complete violence that has always fascinated me. Which is why I was really pleased with the way L.M. Justus handled these vampires. Welcome to the Darkness chooses to focus on the dark side of vampire kind, something that isn't put into the spotlight very often. I found this intriguing, and it is definitely what kept me reading on.

A warning to those with certain sensitivities, this book starts right off with blood and gore. Reed's family is murdered in front of him and, if that isn't bad enough, he becomes the very thing that he now despises. I think that Reed's initial shock and despair were written very well. It's painfully obvious that he doesn't want the new life he's been given. He doesn't instantly accept it and move on. However I do have to admit that, after a while, his attitude started to get to me. Reed wasn't an easy personality for me to like.

Instead I chose to focus on the other characters while reading. Nathaniel has an old-world charm about him that makes him instantly likable. I adored the way he grew so much during this book and, by the time I was at the end, he's really the one I was rooting for most. I also really liked Sarah and her feisty attitude. Her ability really adds a whole other level to the story line. The one issue I had, and I'll be vague as to not spoil it, was the relationship between Sarah and Reed.

The story was fast paced for the most part, although I did feel that some scenes were a little choppy because of it. The story is solid though, and easy to fall into. If anything might put you off while reading Welcome to the Darkness, it will be the changes in POV. The chapters switch between the characters and, oddly, Reed's is the only one in first person. It was a little disconcerting for me at first but, once I dove deeper into the characters, I stopped noticing it so much.

I have to say that I see a lot of potential in Reed's continuing story. The ending is spot on and the type of cliffhanger that makes you eager for more. I'd love to see more character development in book two, and am looking forward to having some of the questions I had answered! I'll be here to see where this story will take me next.