Synopsis

Skata only has one goal in life—to seek out the vampire who turned his wife and kill it. When he finally tracks the vampire to the small nowhere town of Salvation, South Carolina, he realizes he has stepped foot into something bigger than himself. He’s going to need help—and that help may come in many forms.

Between the vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters, and an unusual preacher, Skata may be in over his head.

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Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time, many years ago, I discovered a magical unicorn named Mirriam Neal. I followed her blog religiously, squealing like the fangirl I am every time she’d post snippets of her utterly epic looking stories, soaking up her wise words, adoring her article posts, and wishing she’d get published because I NEEDED HER BOOKS.

Through a series of (very) fortunate events, I got to know some girls who were in a writing group with Mirriam Neal. Via them, and in a string of even more fortunate events, I ended up on the beta-reader list for one of Mirriam’s stories, of which I had read snippets of on her blog and wanted to read so bad. Next thing I knew, I was in Mirriam’s beta group, was getting to read her utterly fabulous, unique, spectacularly awe-worthy stories (and fangirl unashamedly), became a part of a group of the most fun girls you will ever meet, and ended up getting to closely know some who are, to this day, a few of my very dearest friends in the world. It was a magical, glorious time, and one of my greatest blessings.

The book that I first beta read which got me into this group and changed my life?

Dark is the Night.

And, today, some years later, I get the pleasure to tell you…

DARK IS THE NIGHT IS BEING PUBLISHED!

Beautiful graphic by Morgan Farris.

*screams in excitement for a thousand billions years*

I have been waiting for this day for so long, guys. SO LONG. The amount of squealing and hilarity and inside jokes this book produced during the time Mirriam was writing it and we were beta reading it is off the charts. I have been wanting to be able to share it with the world ever since and NOW I CAN!!!

Dark is the Night releases October 25th (this Friday!), and I am on the official blog tour. I’ve got a full review for you lovely elflings, so prepare thyself. There will be a lot of fangirling ahead. (You know how I roll.)

THE RUNDOWN

I’m going to get this out of the way first: this book is a dark urban fantasy. It is about vampires and werewolves. I do not read books about vampires and werewolves. That is just not a genre I’m into. Vampires gross me out, gonna be real. Usually these urban fantasy books are over the top and icky and weird and against everything I believe in.

This book? This is a Christian vampire story (yes, I’m 100% serious) and one of my favorite novels ever. It gave an explanation of vampires that made me totally okay with the concept, and looked at things in a very unique, interesting light. It is so original, guys! In the best way possible. Remember, I first wanted to read this story merely by reading snippets and tidbits of it on a blog. You’d think the second I saw the word “vampire” I’d recoil. But nope! This one is different. So if you’re like me and wrinkle your nose at the mention of vampires and werewolves, well, keep reading. I might just change your mind. *grins*

The story opens with our protagonist Skata—a thirty-two year old guy who is hunting down a particular vampire who caused the death of Skata’s wife. His hunt has led him to Salvation, South Carolina, a hot, tiny nothing of a town. Or so it seems.

When Skata gets wounded and has to stay in Salvation while he recovers, he finds himself entangled in the middle of a sinister plot—one that may threaten all of Salvation. This loner is now forced to team up with a snarky vampire and a rather unorthodox preacher to save the town.

CHARACTERS

Oh gracious, guys. GUYS. This is the crown jewel of this book. The characters are what first made me want to read it, and are what made me fall in love with it. This is such a dynamic cast. And, let me tell ya, Mirriam knows how to weave realistic, lovable people. It is her specialty! Even if this type of book is not your thing, it’s 100% worth reading for the characters alone.

Skata: Grumpy, witty, lost, hurting, wants-to-be-left-alone, but-if-you-hurt-his-loved-ones-he-will-stab-you-in-the-eye. Ah, Skata. He is a force. But an utterly lovable force. Something akin to a prickly teddy bear. His life has, um, not been pleasant, let’s just say. After a tragedy, he went off on his own to hunt down a particular vampire. And he can do it too. The man is tough as nails and knows how to hold his own, but inside there is a deep pain that just makes you ache for him. He uses that pain to keep going, feeds it, lets it numb him to rationality. But you know, deep down, he is a good man, even if he will tell you otherwise. Just…ugh! THE FEELS. His journey is an excruciatingly emotional one. One that left me in tears by the end of the book. #TrueStory He is prickly and intense and sometimes has a mouth on him but there is so much more to him than the Tough Guy façade. Just…just don’t cross him because he will punch you in the face and usually not regret it. AND I LOVE HIM. SO MUCH.

Angel: *muffled fangirl shrieking* Where do I even begin??? I have been waiting so long for everyone to be able to meet Angel. AND NOW YOU CAN. Remember how I said this book is 100% worth reading for the characters? Yeah. Angel himself is 100% worth it. Literally, if I didn’t like anything about this novel, I’d still give it 5 stars for Angel alone. (Except I love almost everything about this novel, SO.) Angel is, in fact, a vampire. Looks thirty-four, is actually…way older than thirty-four. Heh. His first language is Snark. So. Much. Snark. The boy struggles to speak anything else, and we love him for it. He is also well-versed in Flirting. As well as Being a Pain. He is carefree, loves a good party, pretends everything’s fine when things are most certainly not fine. Basically as opposite from Skata as any single person can get. But, like Skata, there is a lot more to him than what’s on the surface. He is, without a doubt, one of my top favorite fictional characters IN EXISTENCE. Yes. He is that amazing.

Okay, I have to pause for a minute to talk about him and Skata because oooooooooooooooooooh man. YOU GUYS. Skata and Angel’s relationship. XDD Skata ends up having to stay with Angel for a while, and is 1000000000% done with Angel within 0.2 seconds of meeting him. Angel’s lackadaisical, out-for-a-good-time personality grates on Skata’s constantly uptight self 25/8 of the time and it’s HILARIOUS. Best bromance ever? Yes, yes they are.

Colton: Colton a.k.a. the Preacher a.k.a. Done with Absolutely Everything and Everyone a.k.a. the only Voice of Reason. You gotta love ‘im! It seems like in most fiction, especially paranormal/urban fantasy/what-have-you, the preacher ends up being the antagonist. It gets so annoying after a while. Like…why are the men of God the bad, completely unreasonable people??? Can we not? WELL. Mirriam did not. Colton is pretty much the only one in the whole novel with a good head on his shoulders. He can also preach the Bible and own a heaping pile of weapons, all of which he can use. Because why not? He’s such a southern man and I loved it. Skata’s first impression of him was that he looked more suited to a herd on a ranch than a flock in a church. He takes no nonsense from anyone, all while still being loving, understanding, and wise. He’s so, so good for Skata and Angel. Because, well, they could use some love and wisdom…and the occasional smack in the head. And Colton will totally dish out both. They were a great threesome. What’s more perfect than a hunter, a vampire, and a preacher teaming up? Come on now.

Easton: Sweet, bubbly, kind, but will totally call you out when you’re acting up—Easton is a refreshing female character. These types of stories tend to only provide the Tough Girls, with only sass and zero personalities. Not so with our dear Easton! I loved her softness. In a world with so much darkness, she is a beam of sunshine. I loved how everyone was protective of her while she, in turn, helped the characters see that there is goodness in the world, and it’s okay to feel things. She goes through a lot in this novel (*sobs forever*), and is not afraid to cry and be vulnerable. But these things weren’t shown as weak. They were natural. There was no shame in her having emotions and just, ya know, being a person. I adore Easton so, sooo much! All these tough, broken men needed her to show them there are still good things in the world, and that they’re worth fighting for. But don’t worry! Easton will still call you out on your nonsense if she’s pushed too far, and can totally hold her own. She was such a great balance! Also, I will ship her with a certain other character to my dying breath. As in, they are one of my top, top OTPs on this planet. So. There’s that.

THERE ARE JUST SO MANY GOOD CHARACTERS. Those four are the main players, but there are a ton more that bring the novel to life. Everyone is so complex and just real. Plus, half the time you don’t know who you can trust and it’s so twisty and delicious and just yesssss. Also, the villains are just downright chilling. I could go on and on and onnnn, but I’ll spare you and just say Mirriam Neal knows how to create characters. She is a The Master at character creating. The end.

OTHER THINGS TO LOVE

The Writing Style: The style of this book is very quick and simplistic, making for a fast, easy read. AND YET. There is so much life to it. The author has a way of bringing up a perfect image of the scene in a mere sentence. Her ability to awaken all five senses with just a couple of words is #GOALS And while we’re on this subject…

The Setting: The small, southern town setting is just perfect. I feel like the town of Salvation is a character in its own right. The details the author put into it makes it come alive. Sticky heat, cheesy diners, southern accents, simplistic lifestyles, seemingly quiet but with a dark secret. It’s such a great setting!

The CHARACTERS: Oh wait, I already said this. But but but THE CHARACTERS. Just…ahem. Yes. Ilovethemsomuch. But they’re so well written, guys! Mirriam isn’t afraid to make her characters messy. There are no caricatures here. They are messy, emotional, real people. To add to that…

Banter, banter, BANTER: Dialogue has been Mirriam’s trademark for as long as I have read her stories, and this novel just exudes with witty, hilarious, deliciously banter-y dialogue. Honestly, if there wasn’t a plot and it was just the characters going at it back and forth for 300 pages, I’D BE FINE WITH THAT. The banter gives me LIFE. Especially Skata and Angel’s, but really all the characters can dish it and mmmmmm yes. GIMME. The dialogue also feels so real. (Yes, this keeps going back to the characters but THEY’RE SO GOOD.)

Powerful but Subtle Themes: This is technically a Christian novel. (And I had no idea I needed a Christian vampire novel in my life until Mirriam wrote one, but here we are!) But it’s not a preachy book in any sense. The “preaching” is veryyyy subtle. AND YET. That just makes it all the more powerful. Remember when I said Skata’s arc made me tear up by the end? Yeah. The message is so subtlety woven around the edges, you don’t even realize it’s there until BOOM! you’re tearing up and realizing how beautiful and powerful it is. Proof we can write powerful themes without shoving it down our readers/viewers throats! The simple, subtle, quiet Christian message of it was done just masterfully.

TWIIIISTS: It’s been a while since I first read this, and my memory is the size of a pea. I had not realized how much of the plot I had forgotten until I got to reread this final version. But THE TWISTS. Through so much I was internally screaming “OH MY WORD I FORGOT THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED.” Ah, good times, good times. Reading this book is reminiscent to riding on a loopy, death-defying roller coaster. AND I LOVE IT!

Feels Here, Feels There, Feels Everywhere: Pretty sure this is self-explanatory. There. Are. Feels. Thiiiings happened. Very Bad Things. Very Awful No Good Bad Things. This author is not afraid to let her characters get hurt…physically and emotionally. But I loved that. It keeps us readers on edge because you never know what terrible things might happen next. Will any of them even survive? WHO CAN KNOW??? Like I said, a roller coaster! Things get super dark. BUT. It just makes you root for the characters all the more as they go through so much to keep people safe. And just… *sniffles* MAH BBYS. <3 (Oh look, there I go fangirling about the characters again. #NotSorry)

There is really hardly anything I disliked about this novel. Which is saying something, because, as I mentioned, vampires and werewolves are usually a big no for me. There is some content though that isn’t my favorite to read, so we’ll jump right into that.

CONTENT CAUTIONS

This is an urban fantasy through and through. Thankfully, there’s no weird sexual ickiness that usually comes with that genre. Angel is quite a playboy and a flirt, but there are no actual sexual scenes.

The big thing is the violence. There is violence, and a lot of it. People are tortured, stabbed, bitten (by werewolves and vampires), kidnapped and chained up, shot—the works. I’m not even very squeamish when it comes to literary violence, but one torture scene had me grimacing and going blech with the best of them. And there is blood. Soooooo much blood. If you have a weak stomach for these sorts of things, you maaay want to pass this one up. This book, especially by the last half, does not shy away from the gore. But it totally fits the genre and plotline. I just wanted to give you guys a heads up.

There is also some language. Skata himself has a bit of a potty mouth. Which I get why. It totally fits his character. The author was going for realism here, and she nailed it. If these characters were real, they’d totally be the types to spat out a word here and there, especially under their circumstances. There was a little bit more language than I like, but it’s not like these characters were saints. They’re messy, tortured, growing people. And yeah, it makes sense they’d curse on occasion. (But don’t worry, there are no f-bombs or anything like that.)

Some of the characters also drink alcohol. A couple of scenes are in a bar-type place. Angel has a party at his house that gets a little wild, though we more hear the chaos than see it. Just a smattering of things like that, but nothing excessive.

And, of course, there are vampires, which is a touchy subject. BUT the reason I’m totally okay with this book is because of how the author handled the whole vampire thing. She took a Christian spin on the subject and really made you think.

The main thing I’d be concerned about for readers is the violence and language. This is not a book I’d recommend for young readers or anyone sensitive to violence. I’d definitely say it’s for the 16+ age range.

CONCLUSION

This is not normally the type of book I read. And yet it’s one of my favorite stories of all time. These characters stole my heart and will forever have it. The easy writing style, the twists, the hilarious banter, the setting, the feels—it all captures you right away and won’t let you go. At least that’s how it was for me.

Yes, it gets violent. It’s about vampires and werewolves. But it’s so much more than that. It’s about the evil inside of people and how to overcome it. It’s about learning to move on from the mistakes we’ve made in the past and to find hope in the future. It’s about fighting to protect what goodness there is in the world. It’s about people. Messy, disastrous, ridiculous, beautiful people. There is darkness, but there is also so much hope.

This is not your average vampire novel. This story and these characters mean more to me than I can ever express into words. Even if this is not your usual genre, I highly recommend you give this one a try anyway. You can thank me later. *winks*

. . . 5 out of 5 stars . . .

Oh, and did I mention this is just book #1? OH YES. This is just the beginning of the Salvation series. There is much more pain to come!

Also, if you want to read a Mirriam novel that doesn’t involve lots of violence but instead is full of whimsy and delight, then I shall forcefully shove gently nudge you over to Paper Crowns. Which is also one of my favorite books in the history of ever ever ever. Did I mention it’s reminiscent of Diana Wynne Jones? Need I say more???

In conclusion: Mirriam Neal writes magically spectacular books in all genres in you should read them.

MIRRIAM NEAL is an author frequently masquerading as an artist. When she’s not scrubbing paint off her hands, she’s thinking about writing (actually, if she’s being honest, she’s always thinking about writing). A discovery writer, she tends to start novels and figure them out as she goes along and likes to work on several books at the same time—while drinking black coffee. She’s a sucker for monsters, unlikely friendships, redemption arcs, and underdog protagonists. When not painting fantasy art or writing genre-bending novels, she likes to argue the existence of Bigfoot, rave about Guillermo del Toro, and write passionate defenses of misunderstood characters.

To learn more about her fiction and art, visit her website: https://mirriamneal.com/, where you can find a full list of all her social medias, or join the Citadel Fiction newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/b1h5v9

And don’t forget, there is a whole blog tour going on right now to celebrate the coming launch! Book reviews and interviews with Mirram herself abound! You can find a list of the schedule and links HERE.

LET’S TALK!

Let’s discuss all the things! Urban fantasy—yay or nay? Does this book interest you? Have you read anything by Mirriam Neal? (Because you should.) Are you excited about Dark is the Night AT LAST releasing? Because, if I haven’t made it clear yet, I AM!!!!

NOTE: I received a free ebook copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.