Belinda Reviews: Mia James' - "Darkness Falls"

In the second installment of the Ravenwood mysteries life couldn’t be more complicated for April if she tried.

I mean how is your love life supposed to survive when you’re a Fury (basically the carrier of a virus only deadly to Vampires) and your tall dark and handsome boyfriend is one of the undead?

How is your family life supposed to prosper when you’re still recovering from having your dad die in your arms after a Vampire attack? And forget about the survival of your personal life when a fair majority of your fellow class members are being seduced into becoming food for the emerging Vampire community.

Sure it’s crazy, but it’s all part and parcel in the life of April Dunne.

This series is set in London and, though I’ve never been, I felt like I was really in amongst it all. The gothic romanticism mixed in well with the bitter cold to create a spooky backdrop for the dramas surrounding this unfortunate young lady.

The popular people, or the ‘faces’, are delectably narcissistic, and the idea of April and her friend Caro striving to infiltrate them gives me the heebie jeebies.

There is enough intrigue to keep you turning pages, though there is an infuriatingly obvious information source being deliberately avoided. By the end of the book I was face-planting in frustration.  I hope this issue is resolved in the third book.

I had a measured amount of empathy for April, and at times her hasty recovery from horrible situations made me cringe.

If you are looking for a Vampire mystery and like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series you’ll find enjoyable similarities, making this series one to consider.

As with most series, I suggest starting from the beginning. By Midnight is the first book and the next is untitled at this stage, but looks to be due out midway through 2012.

Paperback, 352 pages

ISBN 0575095598 (ISBN13: 9780575095595)

Expected publication: March 1st 2012 by Gollancz (first published March 1st 2011)

http://www.ravenwoodmysteries.com/