Sunday 18 October 2015

(ARC) Book Review (499): Becoming Darkness (Haven #1) - Lindsay Francis Brambles


Becoming Darkness

Publication: 1st October 2015
Publisher: Switch Press
Pages: 496
Genre: Paranormal, Dystopian
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Buy It: Amazon Barnes & Noble 
Like everyone else living in Haven, seventeen-year-old Sophie Harkness is an Immune--a carrier of the genetic mutation that protects her from the virus Hitler unleashed upon the world more than half a century ago. A virus that wiped out most of humanity and turned two-hundred million people into vamps. But after her best friend is brutally murdered and several attempts are made on her own life, Sophie becomes determined to find answers to what seems to be a conspiracy running generations deep. And when she questions the peace treaty that keeps her small community protected, Sophie begins to discover terrible truths about herself and what it means to be human in a world ruled by darkness.

Lindsay Brambles' debut young adult novel is a story of an alternate universe: Hitler won the war, our modern technologies never evolved, and the Nazis' terrifying reign still continues. This fast-paced novel will appeal to readers who guzzle up genre mashups and are looking for a fresh hybrid to sweep them away.
 
My Thoughts.
The synopsis of Becoming Darkness ticked off all of the boxes when it comes to what I enjoy reading, I thoroughly adore the paranormal genre, with vampires being my favourite supernatural beings of choice, add to that the historical element and the horrifying yet intriguing notion of a world where Hitler was never defeated and instead rules the whole world, the twist is what sets this book apart from so many others, the virus Gomorrah was released and turned most of the worlds population that were non-immune into vampires, with the sole remaining humans residing in Haven in America, the only dwelling of the humans immune to the disease, and that's where we meet our heroine Sophie who unbeknownst to her will find herself a part of the conspiracy surrounding Haven and the Third Reich that will change her life forever in ways she could never have imagined.

There's so much to love with this story, when I first got my hands on a copy I was a little surprised by the long length of the book, I of course had reservations that maybe with so many pages that this book would be slow and would subsequently drag a bit, but I was so wrong, I wasn't bored even once which I was so happy about, Lindsay knows how to write a story which is captivating, tense, heartbreaking and full of mystery and intrigue, from the concept through to the execution which was pretty much flawless, I am beyond anxious to read the next book, and while I know it's beyond impossible I wish that a certain character who sadly died during the Eva Braun airship crash would somehow miraculously appear, I was none too happy with the early exit, especially as this series is going to be a trilogy, but that was my only real complaint, everything else about this book was fantastic.

I give this a very well deserved 5/5 stars.


Lindsay Brambles is represented by Kelly Sonnack of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. He was born in Ottawa, Canada in 1959. In ‘68 his father, an electrical engineer, signed on for a job overseas. This led to a decade of living and traveling in countries such as Pakistan, Iran, and Tanzania.

After grade three, Lindsay’s formal education was largely through the Ontario Ministry of Education correspondence course. He has spent most of his post-academic life in a variety of unrelated jobs, ranging from construction to childcare, all while pursuing a vocation as an artist.

When not engaged in the literary arts, painting, or earning money in less creative pursuits, Lindsay enjoys anything fitness related (especially cycling), collecting Gold Key comics and motion picture soundtracks, tinkering with computers, and just about anything that will expand his awareness of the world around him. Passionate about science and technology, he is especially interested in astronomy, cosmology, and quantum mechanics.

Lindsay is at present busily working on several books, not least of which are the sequel and final novel in the Haven trilogy (of which Becoming Darkness is the first in the series).


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