Rule #1- Never go out after dark.
Rule #2- Always have a weapon in hand.
Rule #3- No matter what, never EVER get bit.
The colony; a place where people were safe. The outside was no longer a safe place. A virus had gotten out of hand and now after dark the world belonged to the undead; the vampires. They were awful looking creatures that were shedding their skin so much you could see bones. They were fast and strong, and crazed for blood. When they were hungry, their eyes would rain blood. All the more reason that if you were a Bellator, a retriever of things, to stick to the rules (as shown above). Kayla a.k.a. Juniper, was a Bellator. She was the best. She was strong and fast. Her wounds healed inhumanly fast. But she was also not very good at following the rules. Her adopted father, Monarch (who is the colony's doctor), is always reminding her not to ask too many questions. The Highers don't like it. They run the colony. But they run it with fear. The mark of the Highers were their white hair, the language they speak, and their ghostly eyes. It is forbidden in the colony to know how to read. And breaking the rules could mean the end of your existence.
"...the Highers are always right, even when they're not." The strange thing is that when someone dies or they are chosen for The Gathering, it's like people just forget that they ever existed. The Gathering is like a weeding out process that is done. And Bellators are always chosen.
Because of her defiance, Kayla is chosen for The Gathering and thrown out in a body bag into the desert
with two others, Maci and Bernard. Maci is just seven and has the gift of fore sight. And Bernard was a fellow Bellator. The problem is that when you are in the colony you forget things. People don't remember who they were before or much of their past period. No one is to even hint that they remember the world before the vampires. With the medicine that Monarch pumps into the Bellators, they heal so quickly that Kayla does not know what a bruise or a scar is, or even a broken bone. When Kayla, Maci, and Bernard get out of the body bags, they have syringes for each one of them with vials of black liquid. The black liquid is supposed to save them, keep them from dying. Bernard uses the vial and starts acting strange, aggressive. That's when Aiden and his group catches up to them. Aiden seems like a very nice guy looking out for Kayla. He has some feelings for her and knew her when he was in the colony. But she doesn't remember him until she regains a few of her memories later on. Time and time again Aiden lies to Kayla saying it was to keep her safe. Kayla doesn't like to be lied to.
Aiden and Kayla make a treacherous journey to the city where fires always burn and there are more than just vampires hanging out at night. There are also Day Takers. The Day Takers are those that chose the vial after they came out of The Gathering. They have fangs and drink blood but look human still and act somewhat human still. Day Takers have more of an ability to control their thirst. They cannot come out in the sun either but they, unlike the other vampires, can stay in the shadows and not be burned to death. When in the city they run into several Day Takers, including Aiden's brother, Sylas, who was also a member of the colony. While Aiden is less willing to help Kayla get her memories back, Sylas is more than willing to help her. After all, if she gets her memories back, she just might be able to do what Monarch programmed her to do; save the world.
The colony, no matter how safe it seemed to those blissfully unaware, seemed more like a cult where the Highers were influencing the mind of the regular people there, the Adeptis. Why live life like that? I guess given the alternative of living outside where every minute and hour is a fight for survival, it makes the choice easier for most. But Kayla is not most people. She craves her freedom from that influence. But the choice of whether she stays in the colony or not is made for her and Kayla ends up in the desert with other people. The only thing is that besides seven-year-old Maci, pretty much everyone is afraid of her. Not even the vampires outside will touch her. They are afraid of what she is and what she could be. According to Maci, people were afraid of her because she was different and people didn't understand her. It would stink to think that there might not be a place in the world for you. That you were probably the only one that could save it and yet at the same time no one was accepting of who you truly were. That was where Sylas came in. He was more accepting of her than anyone else. Aiden wanted her to be who he thought she was. He fancied himself in love with someone who probably in reality did not even exist. Kayla was tired of pretending so once she is free of the colony and the group she met with Aiden, she becomes more like herself. Well, as like herself as she could be considering the circumstances and her lack of memory. Aiden doesn't like what he sees so he decides to lie to her a lot to save her from herself. He decided to stay human instead of becoming a Day Taker. But Kayla is still on the fence and he fears that she will choose the life Sylas did. Aiden fears he will lose her forever.
Such a great book! The second in the series is
Darkness Breaks and the third is due to come out soon! Be looking for
Darkness Fades on Amazon! Right now you can get
Darkness Falls for the Kindle for free on Amazon.
*quotes via Jessica Sorensen (Darkness Falls Series Book 1)
*image via Jessica Sorensen (Amazon)
Aria was lost. Braith's guilt riddles him. He feels responsible for her capture but knows that she cannot be caged. His anguish is terrifying to all that are around him. Aria's family and even the vampires with them stay out of Braith's way. "His entire body shuddered as he grasped hold of a small tree. His muscles rippled as he ripped it from the ground and hurled it through the air. Gideon and Ashby scrambled to get out of the way as it bounced in their direction. Braith stood, shaking as he tried to gather some semblance of control, but he was quickly spiraling toward something dark and dangerous." 
