Tomes of Shadowstalking

Welcome to the land of shadows, where evil is the greatest power, where nightfall marks the birth of terror, where your very soul is at risk. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with black magic and dark souls and encounter the monsters rule these wicked places.

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

If you told Mary-Lynnette Carter that there were really such things as vampires and werewolves and that they were all around her, she'd probably just stare blankly at you before returning to her contemplation of the night sky. But it is just that activity that leads her to the truth of it all: that there are vampires and there are werewolves and they are all around her. Because she's forcibly made aware that there isn't just one vampire nearby but five, and that a person she'd known her entire life was actually the last member of the family that gave Mad Dog Creek its name. Now she's stuck in relationships she can't avoid and some which she'd just as soon terminate as endure. But she's exchanged blood with three vampire sisters, tying herself to them irrevocably. She's become close friends with a wolf determined to make her his own at any cost. And she's identified the one person in the world who she truly belongs with and will never feel complete without...and it's the very soul that angers and irritates her the most! What's an ordinary mortal girl to do?

Daughters of Darkness doesn't wholly rely on the reader's knowledge of Secret Vampire to carry its story out. The plot contained in its pages does mention some events that took place in the first book of the Night World series and even involves a character from it, but other than that there is really no direct relationship to the book. Although L.J. Smith provides greater detail about the Night World in the first book, she reveals the same information in fewer words and phrases. This isn't a criticism of the author, however: I'm sure you can appreciate the necessity of outlining the parameters of a new world in the first book of a new series, right?

In many ways this book plays out like an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. It helps that the author actually incorporated the scene where Darcy tells Elizabeth that he loves her against his will and against his character. Really, though, these are not reincarnations of Miss Elizabeth Bennett or Mr. Darcy, certainly not when one is a vampire who might live forever and the other is a closer avatar of Emma's Emma Woodhouse. There are similarities, however, in that Mary-Lynnette is quite as strong-willed as Elizabeth is, and quite capable of protecting herself from verbal attacks. And Ash Redfern is as proud as Mr. Darcy is, and their fall into unwanted love is similar as well since in many ways Ash feels himself to be of the elite (and actually is).

While a YA novel--like all of L.J. Smith's other books--Night World: Daughters of Darkness offers its fair share of humor and sobriety, making it an interesting read throughout the course of the novel. There are some moments when it becomes terribly cloying and sappy--usually when the vampires are trying desperately to act human--but these only add to the pleasure of reading the book!

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