Review: Interesting take on ghosts, realms, and vampiric creatures, especially the dhampir
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 31, 2013
Daniel Dark is a typical teenage boy until one day he receives a package and his whole world flips upside-down.  From there, he sets out on a journey to find his family, but ends up discovering himself.I enjoyed the exorcist portions of the book.  I would have liked to have seen more of what works in terms of successful attacks against evil rather than simply what does not work.  I felt the blending of Christianity and the beliefs of native Americans worked well.  As a Christian, I was not offended.The characters were a little choppy at times.  Daniel could have been accepting of all of his parents, yet he was not and there was little explanation.  Daniel's father also took curious actions.  It is difficult to believe that a man of the cloth would have such a hard time adopting a child.  How could he be so wrapped up in his own ideals that he is ultimately shown to have little feelings for the son he raised?  I can't help but wonder if the author did this on purpose to show a possible metaphor for homosexuality:  A son born a particular, unacceptable way and raised in a loving, Christian home yet who cannot be accepted as anything but evil by his father.Many short chapters filled this book.  Many books arbitrarily divide the story into sections, but not necessarily chapters.  Here, however, most chapters contained real complete scenes within.  Although some chapters were not longer than a couple of pages, the length was more than adequate to convey the scene which was the focus of the chapter.  This was refreshing.The ending left a central conflict unresolved.  The door is wide open for a sequel.  This is very welcomed.  Bring it on!The book could benefit from another round of editing and then polishing.  There were problems with descriptions, points of view, and rather hollow scenes lacking depth. These should all be smoothed over. (Hence the three stars.)The book shows an interesting take on ghosts, realms, and vampiric creatures.  This was my first dhampir story.  The concepts and theories introduced were intriguing.  There is definitely something here.  Hopefully, technical issues will be fixed and the text reworked before the next edition.  I would be willing to see what else the author had up his sleeve.This book is totally PG-13.  No sex.  Violence consists of vanquishing evil creatures and entities.  Only one notable profane word in the whole book.  However, the subject matter with respect to parental relationships may be an aspect to consider since it might warrant a more mature young adult audience.Disclaimer: All books reviewed by me have been received via purchase, lending, or given to me by an author or publisher for the purposes of an honest review. No reviews are purchased. They are my own opinion.