Search - Darkangel

VERY different vampyre tale. Excellent, but feels more like fantasy than traditional vampire horror. Leads to the 2 sequels, but quite easily good enough for a stand alone novel as well.

Mysterious lands where an evil Queen, destroyer of the guardians of the lands, steals young boys and twists them into Darkangels, pale predators who sweep over villages and steal 12 maidens to be their brides. Stealing the souls of the brides leaves them helpless wraiths wandering their husband's castle in torment...and the last young woman a Darkangel steals cements his power. The last girl stolen, Aeriel, thinks there may be something in the beautiful and terrible Darkangel that could be saved, and begins to feel more sympathy than horror toward his poor brides, and the starved and maltreated stone gargoyles that guard his Mountain castle.

Interesting fantasy

This reads like a lyric fairy tale, but a dark one. You fall into its depths, and don't want to quit reading until the very last page.

From facing page: THE DARKANGEL--- Aeriel remembered the first time she had seen the vampyre, a creature with wings as deep and dark as the sky. They drank the light and diminished it; they were wings of pure shadow. It was only when those wings unfolded that Aeriel discerned the figure of a man. Never before had she seen a living being so cold and evil...or so compellingly handsome. His magnificence, his splendor and sureness, took her breath away. When he looked at her, her strength failed her. She could put up no struggle as he folded her in his wings and carried her away...

This is the first book in the Darkangel Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce. This was an excellent book, very fairy tale like in the telling and an interesting, somewhat traditional, take on vampirism.

Aeriel's friend is taken away by a vampire to become his bride. Aeriel is determined to find her friend and take her back home. When the vampire comes to take her she finds herself in a castle where only a gnome-like mage, gargoyles, and the wraiths of the vamp's wives are her company. Aeriel must find what she needs to do to free the wraiths from the vampire's clutches. Her quest will take her on a magical and fantastical journey.

The writing for this book is a bit dated but good. At times the writing is incredibly descriptive. The story is very fairy tale like, slow-moving at times with lots of deliberate description. There isn't a ton of action here. The pacing is variable; at times the story moves forward at a very deliberate pace then all of the sudden months have gone by. This story is not for people who are really into high action or fighting scenes. If you are into fairy tales then this is the story for you; that is the best description for this book....classic fairy tale style.

Overall this is a beautiful story and very gothic. It is also a fairly short book; takes maybe a couple hours to read. Appropriate for young adult readers or maybe even younger readers who don't scare easily. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series :-)