Review: Of Light and Darkness by Shayne Leighton

Bookish Details:
Series: The Vampire's Daughter (Of Light and Darkness #1)
Pages: 258
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Release Date: June 28th 2011
Buy It From: Amazon US - Amazon UK

Synopsis:
When one human stands before an army of impossible obstacles, the likelihood of overcoming them in this coming-of-age modern fairytale may result in war between light and darkness.

Abandoned as an infant in Prague, naive and strong-willed Charlotte Ruzikova was raised by one of the last Vampires left alive. As a human, she knows no other home than the one nestled deep in the woods of Eastern Europe, where Witches drew spells of enchantment, Phasers threw tea parties, and Elves are the closest in kin. Charlotte has lived her life in the dark with her Guardian, content to having him to herself and reveling in his attention, until she's realizes she wants more...

Resident medical doctor and Vampire, Valek Ruzik fears the day his ward would come of age and blossom into a fine woman, and he is forced to confront his own motives as time is of the essence once his past catches up to him, and their lives become endangered...

As genocide and war threatens their secret society, the dictator in power is ready to wipe out Valek's race, but Charlotte will not allow that to happen. Fighting for the only one she's ever loved and truly believed in, she will do whatever it takes to save their love...before the sun comes up and light takes over.

My Review:

Usually I avoid Vampire books in fear of them being cliché but I can tell you now that this is a Vampire book like no other. Set in a world full of Witches, Elves and even giant talking spiders, this book really is in a league of its own!  

Of Light and Darkness follows the story of Charlotte who was discovered on the streets as a child by Vampire, Valek. He raises her like a daughter but as she is growing into a woman, things are starting to change. Valek isn’t seeing her as a little child anymore and Charlotte loves him more than a father. 

I really adored this story and found it hard to stop reading! I love the world that Shayne has created within the novel. The unusual characters are awesome (I’d quite like an Edwin of my own please!). I really adore Valek. I enjoyed reading about him and wanted to know more about his life. 

I sympathised greatly with Charlotte and Valek’s situation. They’re both unsure of how to deal with their growing feelings for each other due to the fact that Valek has raised Charlotte like a father. 

The ending to the novel was fantastic. There were so many ‘OMG!’ moments during the last few chapters and I’m definitely excited to see what’s next in store for Charlotte, Valek and the others. 

This book is a great read and personally I felt it was a breath of fresh air when it comes to Vampire novels. I’d like to thank Shayne for redeeming Vampires for me! 

Royal Rating: