Dream Catchers: Reviews: [1-ENG] Review: Sons of Darkness

Series: A Night Vigil

Volume: 1/?
Publisher: SOL Publishing
Genre/s: urban fantasy
Length: -
Pages: 284

Read in: English
Review copy format: epub

Rate:✮✮✮✮✮✮

Hunting down a creature that was a human being but now is only a bloodthirsty beast, Travis Dominick, ex-priest and former member of a secret church organization dealing with dangerous, supernatural creatures, crosses paths with Brent Lawson, private investigator, hunter and ex-soldier, whose past is no less interesting that his own. Although Travis saves the man's ass, their relation is far from being friendly, as they both are stubborn, proud and used to lonely hunts. But when people start to go missing, locals can't part with their dead relatives and misfortune chases misfortune, Travis and Brent are forced to work together if they want to prevent a catastrophe and survive.

"Sons of Darkness" is a new urban fantasy novel written by Gail Z. Martin, which begins a new series: "A Night Vigil", and which acquaints us with the new characters, with which we will experience several exciting adventures. As always with this author, she created some really interesting and multidimensional leads, whose charms we simply can't resist and whom we immediately love wholeheartedly. Mesdames et Messieurs, let me introduce you to Brent Lawson and Travis Dominick! Two in their own way charismatic men, whose lives fell apart like a sand castle due to demons and other infernal smut. They have many things in common, in even more ways they differ from each other, but one thing is certain, the author paired them in such a way that together they are able to bring out the best from each other. What's more, in the novel we get to know them really well from almost every angle and thanks to this fact, we immediately feel that to us they are more than just fictional characters. As we form closer bonds with them, they become almost our family members. The supporting characters are just as good, as they not only make us like them a lot but they also encourage us to get to know them better. In short, in this respect, Gail Z. Martin really showed how good she is in creating her characters.

Fast, well-constructed and smoothly presented action is another of the advantages of "Sons of Darkness". Thanks to it, the reader feels like being tied up to a chair with a string of words, completely drawn into the world of the novel and constantly wants more and more, unable to stop reading. It is also worth noting that Gail Z. Martin perfectly combined the investigation, construction and presentation of the characters and the world, as well as the already mentioned action. All these elements work together truly perfectly. I would also like to add that the author offered us a very interesting and eventful plot, thanks to which the pace of action remains dizzying from the beginning to the end, but in no case we can say that the novel is overly rushed, as all events are presented with necessary and relevant details. When we are reading this book, all this makes us feel as if we weren't just passive observers, but part of this adventure and were actively involved in everything that takes place there.

Another of the undoubted advantages of "Sons of Darkness" is a total lack of romance, which makes it a pure, one hundred percent urban fantasy novel. This makes this book rare and truly unique, if we consider the rather small number of fiction that can boast about being truly "romance-free". Let's be honest, not everyone is in favor of the novel, in which the romantic topic is one of the main plot elements. Even I, although I love m/m urban fantasy with all my heart, sometimes feel like reading a book without a love story in it and instead filled with action, adventure and magic. And that's what I found in "Sons of Darkness". What's more, I have the impression that thanks to the fact that the author doesn't dwell on the romantic aspects of protagonists' lives, she devotes even more space to their past and emotions that it still evokes in them, to working on the paranormal problem that is the main part of the plot, as well as to building mutual relations, both between Travis and Brent, and between them and the supporting characters. Therefore, in this case the lack of romance is a great thing and I hope that it won't change in the next volume.

I think that one of the main themes of the novel, which is grief, also deserves appreciation. The author really surprised me because in this case she didn't refer only to what is generally known from human experience but to some extent also to psychology. In this way, she also built some of the problems the characters face on a very human foundation, although they are connected with demons. It is also worth noting that she presented grief in two ways. On the one hand it heads towards "darkness", as in the case of two supporting characters who lost their loved ones, on the other "darkness" reaches for grief, which is illustrated by the demons feeding on human emotions. So I think that Gail Z. Martin approached the subject at a really interesting angle, which deserves our recognition.

"Sons of Darkness" is a novel in which three "literary forces" – characters, plot and action – combine to create a truly fantastic, addictive whole. The readers jump headlong into adventure alongside fascinating, beautiful and experienced by fate protagonists who immediately become part of their everyday life. This is not the novel you simply read, you live it!

Headcanon: Brent rarely goes out on dates, but when he does go out, about 85% of them end up with Travis calling him about the "hunting job" which can't wait.

Fanfiction idea: For several months in Pittsburgh young people aged 17-21 are going missing. It turns out that vampires are behind it, as they plan a massive event of turning all kidnapped kids into their own kind at the same time. During one of Brent's dates, he gets a call from Travis who found a vampire nest. So Brent makes up an excuse and leaves the restaurant. During the nest hunt, it turns out that the girl with whom he was earlier on the date is in fact one of the vampires.

AU idea: Brent is an Iraq War veteran who returns to his country suffering from PTSD. It turns out that at that time his wife found herself a lover and she doesn't want Brent in her life anymore. The man ends up on the street. In one of the shelters, he meets Travis, a young priest who decides to help him get back on his feet.