Blog Tour: The Darkening Dream By Andy Gavin (Review + Giveaway)

I would like to welcome Andy Gavin to The Avid Reader today. Thanks for stopping by Andy. Please be sure and check out Andy's novel The Darkening Dream. Please check out my review of The Darkening Dream. Don't forget to enter the giveaway before you leave.

Book Title: The Darkening Dream

Author: Andy Gavin

Published: December 25th 2011

Publisher: Mascherato Publishing

Kindle Edition:

Pages: 382

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The Darkening Dream

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The Darkening Dream

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, a 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.

ONLINE REVIEWS

The Darkening Dream

"Wonderfully twisted sense of humor" and "A vampire novel with actual bite" -- Kirkus Reviews

"Inventive, unexpected, and more than a little bit creepy!" -- R.J. Cavender, editor of the Bram Stoker nominated Horror Library anthology series

"This book will satisfy any fan of the vampire genre and then some!" -- Must Read Faster

"In a similar vein to George R.R. Martin's writing style, Gavin often dangles his characters in the maws of danger and doesn't shy away from ... their blood being spilled." -- Andrew Reiner, executive editor of Game Informer magazine

"Now this is a vampire novel! It flows so perfectly between character point of views, it's a great blend of historical fiction, mythology and paranormal." -- Little Miss Drama Queen Reviews

"Action-packed and suspenseful, and there were twists all over the place." -- Les Livres

"Andy Gavin has taken a bevy of supernatural elements, compelling characters, and an intricate and superbly developed storyline, and expertly weaved them together to create an original and enthralling book." -- Word Spelunking

Sarah Englemann:

Our Protagonist

Sarah thinks of herself as a normal seventeen year-old. Well that's not exactly true, she's pretty sure she's exceptional, but only when it comes to school and books. The rest of it: fitting in, boys, that doesn't come as easy.

And she certainly doesn't believe corpses can leave their graves and try to kill you! But the undead can be convincing. Not to mention that she keeps having these horrible visions.

The bookish thing, that she gets from her father. And he isn't exactly Joe cool either, even if he is named Joseph. But things are clearer for him. He doesn't have to fit in, he's got his Rabbi cronies from the old world to hang with. But this is 1913, and Sarah's a modern woman. No way she's going to put up with corsets, no vote, and popping out a big brood.

Again, none of this takes into account what happens when something really old takes an interest in her. A sorcerer who was ancient when Sarah's people crossed out of Egypt has turned his evil eye her way. And Papa Joseph has his secrets too. Turns out the family wasn't the only thing he brought to Massachusetts from Europe. But he's sure all that is ancient history.

However the dead have all the time in the world. The vampire Nasir has been sent to sniff around. And he loves a good hunt. To further complicate things, this is finally the year when Sarah meets that boy.

About The Darkening Dream

As the modern world establishes itself and pushes the supernatural into the shadows, the supernatural fights back.

An ominous vision and the discovery of a gruesome corpse lead Sarah and her friends into a terrifying encounter with a fledgling vampire in 1913 Salem, Massachusetts. Eager to prove themselves, the young heroes set out to track the evil to its source, never guessing that they will take on a conspiracy involving not only a 900-year vampire but also a demon-loving Puritan warlock, disgruntled Egyptian gods, and an immortal sorcerer, all on a quest to recover the holy trumpet of the Archangel Gabriel. Relying on the wisdom of a Greek vampire hunter, Sarah's rabbi father, and her own disturbing visions, Sarah must fight a millennia-old battle between unspeakable forces, where the ultimate prize might be Sarah herself.

Alex Palaogos:

The exotic newcomer

Alex's life right now is boring, and he knows it. Sure the move to America was exciting: the train ride across Europe followed by the luxurious ten-day party that was the steamer crossing. But after unpacking last May, he settled into a monotonous regimen. He reads, wanders around the yard, rides his horse Bucephalus, or plays chess with tight-lipped Dmitri. In the evening or early morning Grandfather is more likely to be awake, but even when they do talk, the old man is usually distant and distracted.

So when he meets Sarah and her friends, the opportunity to talk to people who aren't servants or wheelchair-bound octogenarians is just too good to pass up. Besides, she's a girl, and a smart and beautiful one at that. Hell, if he was bound to a post and forced merely to watch her, he'd count the day well spent.

Then they find the body - and common as ordinary evil is, Alex knows better. Grandfather does to. It has to be one of them. One of those things. New world or not, wherever you go things stay the same. The old man insists Alex stay out of it.

But standing on the sidelines is no way to impress a girl.

About The Darkening Dream

As the modern world establishes itself and pushes the supernatural into the shadows, the supernatural fights back.

MY REVIEW

The Darkening Dream

The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I received a copy of The Darkening Dream from the author via Innovative Online Book Tours.

Sarah is just like any other girl of her time who wants the same things and do the same things. She lives in Salem, Massachusetts in 1913. She has two best friends who are twins, Sam and Anne. They have all been best friends since they were children. Now as they have grown older Sam is beginning to see her as the woman that she is starting to be. Sarah and her friends are of a different faith and obviously go to different churches. But this has never interfered with their friendship.

Sarah is at the age where it is time for her to start thinking about marriage and having a family of her own. Her father the Rabbi Joseph is on the look out for her a suitable husband of the Jewish faith. Sarah has no intentions of getting married anytime soon and always tries to distracts her father when the subject comes up.

Sarah, Sam and Anne meet a new guy Alex a Greek immigrant who has just moved to Salem. When Sarah sees Alex for the first time she likes him. She is like whoa, what is going on this is not what she has planned for her future. Besides Alex is not of the Jewish faith so therefore she can not have a relationship with him. Her father and mother would not allow it. So Sarah and Alex have to hide their feelings for one another from everyone including Sam and Anne or so Sarah thinks.

Sarah, Anne, Sam and Alex go on a picnic together and while Sam and Alex are competing as men do trying to prove who is better at shooting a gun. Anne and Sarah find a body in the woods and this where all their troubles start. The body that they find is a friend of Anne and Sam's little sister Emily. But as they say the dead don't stay dead. Later they see the body whose name is Charles walking around. Alex tells them that he is a vampire. Alex knows a lot about vampires he knows how and when to kill them again. So they all wait until dawn and go to his grave and dig him up just as the sun is coming up and put a stake through his heart.

After killing this new, baby, fledgling vampire they now think they are vampire hunters and decide that they have to go after the 900 year old vampire that turned Charles into a vampire.

Sarah's father has taught her a lot about magic and warding spells. I think that is what they are called. A spell that will keep evil spirits or a vampire out of your home. The vampires in The Darkening Dream are of the variety that has to be invited in before they can enter into someone's home.

The big guy, the master vampire Mr. Nasir is a very evil vampire who has to drink blood from a human if not every night at least every other night. And he doesn't care what kind of person they are. In some of the vampire books that I have read some of the vamps won't drink human blood at all or hardly ever. Some will drink human blood but they try to be discreet about it and pick someone who is homeless and probably has no family or anyone that will come looking for them. They do this so that they can stay hidden from the humans and stay alive or not be killed again. But the vamps in The Darkening Dream enjoy feeding from and tearing a human apart literally.

The Darkening Dream is one of those novels that will drag you in to its lair in the first chapter. From the very beginning you are hooked and you do not want to stop turning the pages until you reach the very last page. Speaking of the ending although I did like the ending very much I really really hope that there will be another book. I want to know more about Sarah and her life. And what about Alex? Will Alex and Sarah be together in another book? What about Sam and his feelings for Sarah? Will Alex and Sam compete for Sarah's attention, her love?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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 vampire.

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GIVEAWAY

1 $50.00 GC

1 Signed Poster

1 Signed Game

4 Bookmarks