When Poppy Applebaum was a little, her father disappeared into an unearthly darkness, never to be seen again. Several years and psychiatrists later, her grandparents struggle with a terrible secret, whilst Poppy investigates a string of occult murders, hoping to find a trail to her missing father. Is it just coincidence that handsome detective, Brendan is on the case, and why are her grandparents so keen to keep her off its scent?
Light of Darkness, is a dark fantasy with romantic elements. It follows Poppy, a young woman, determined to find the truth to father’s disappearance, no matter how horrific the answer might be. It could be particularly appealing to a young teen, or a reader keen on mystery and romance. This suspenseful thriller is very much a story of relationships and the things are loved ones never tell us.
Characterisation
The characters are well set up with some nice hooks so that a reader can invest themselves emotionally in their story. The main proponents, Poppy and Richard are particularly well drawn, but are only developed as far as the genre and length of the story can realistically allow. However, the characters are believable and have intriguing relationships. On the other hand, at several points in the novel I did find my self wishing to know more about them.
Plot
The plot of the novel is very much tied up in its suspense and thrill. Victor Wright’s telling of the story is exciting, with just the right amount of mystery to keep you hooked. The plot compliments the characterisation and the writing style perfectly.
Writing Style
Victor’s Wright’s writing style, blows a lot of his contemporaries right out of the water. There is a reason he has won several awards and nominations for his fiction. Light of Darkness is well structured and has keenly paced action versus tension from start to finish, the author is adept at foreshadowing, hooks, set-ups and dangling tantalising hints, which makes for quite the page turner; highly recommended to both readers and burgeoning writers, to see how it’s done. The novella’s style is less strong when it comes to the romantic sections and veers between YA horror and teen romance; however, I surmise this is mostly due to its length. All in all the story is quite simply told, but is wonderful when it comes to suspense, action, and overall pace.
Conclusion
Light of Darkness is very much for the fantasy thriller junkie. If you are looking for an author who knows how to write suspense and mystery with a splash of fantasy horror, then this is the book for you. His characters are engaging, his story is original and well thought out, and his action sequences are fantastic.
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