Review: Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London

                                         Book: Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London
                                         Pages: 342
                                         Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
                                         Source: Library

Short Synopsis: After the death of her parents, Dawn becomes the new delegate and must tend to Lord Valentine with the issues of vampires loose in the city, getting more blood for the vampires, and the overall safety of the citizens in the city. 

My Thoughts: An interesting take on the vampire genre, I was skeptical on some areas of the story, but was an entertaining read.

Only sunlight can save us.
We built the wall to keep them out, to keep us safe. But it also makes us prisoners, trapped in what's left of our ravaged city, fearing nightfall.
After the death of my parents, it's up to me--as the newest delegate for humanity--to bargain with our vampire overlord. I thought I was ready. I thought I knew everything there was to know about the monsters. Then again, nothing could have prepared me for Lord Valentine... or his son. Maybe not all vampires are killers. Maybe it's safe to let one in.
Only one thing is certain: Even the wall is not enough. A war is coming and we cannot hide forever.
--From Goodreads

Ever since the death of her parents, Dawn has become the new delegate to society through Lord Valentine's wishes. She must deal with Lord Valentine and the vampire issues. Aside from the vampire drama, Dawn also faces human criticism, with certain citizens thinking that they can do a better job than Dawn does. 

And ever since the war ended and a wall was built to keep out the vampires, the citizens seem trapped too. Dawn must come up with ways to give more blood to the vampire community to please Lord Valentine, and find a way to help the humans with the vampires running loose in the city as well. It isn't until Dawn meets Lord Valentine's son, Victor, and together, they just might come up with a solution to some of the problems. 

I think it's safe to say that the vampire genre has been over done. But this novel had a little bit different twist that I enjoyed. Dawn, the main character proves that she isn't always strong and independent but manages to think things through and tries to come up with solutions to her problems. 

I found Lord Valentine to be a bit annoying at times, and frankly a bit peculiar. He insists on Dawn wearing victorian era clothing every time which was a bit odd, and he didn't seem like a very effective leader of the vampire race. 

And though Dawn is only a teen, I didn't think it was fair that she had to be the delegate to serious issues while she was still in high school. At times Dawn did feel like a teen and at times she had a sense of an adult, which felt a bit wishy washy with me. 

And there is a love triangle involved in this story as Dawn is already taken by an egotistical boyfriend named Michael who didn't seem all that considerate. But as soon as she meets Victor, she is almost immediately drawn to him. It felt a little bit insta-love with me, but it was still entertaining to read nonetheless. Overall, a very entertaining read and I can't wait to read the next installment.

Would I recommend this book: Yes

Rating: I give this book a 3.5/5.