Review by Randomgold -- Nightlord: Sunset by Garon Whited

[Randomgold]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Nightlord: Sunset" by Garon Whited.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Eric has a decent, but far from perfect, life. He has a good job that he likes and good friends that he likes. His fiancé did just break up with him for no reason though. That was depressing. So depressing that Eric spent the night getting stone drunk. This is usually a bad thing, but for Eric, things went very well.

He wakes up in an unfamiliar bedroom, hungry and with a pounding headache, and has to figure out where he is and who he spent his night with. The latter question turns out to be the gorgeous and oddly dedicated Sash. The two spend some time together, with Eric finding out he kind of likes her.

After eating far more than he reasonably should, Eric finds a few changes in his body. He is stronger, faster, and thinner than he ever has been before. He also seems to have developed a nasty allergy to certain times of the day. When he confronts Sasha about these changes, he finds something that changes everything.

Eric is now a daywalker; a type of vampire that is technically only a vampire at night. And, as long as he avoids direct exposure to sunrise and sunset, he gets the best of both worlds: able to walk in the sun and eating real food during the day, while getting tons of neat vampire powers at night. And he does not even need to kill regularly to keep everything going.

But problems soon come to pass. Namely, there is a group of well armed assassins out for his head. Eric takes that as well as he can ever hope to. He still has friends to back him up, and turns out Sasha is as dangerous as she is beautiful. So, he settles in to a comfortable life of immortality with only a few gun toting fanatics to get in the way.

Then Sasha is killed. Eric does not take that very well, and he wants vengeance. So, he goes out to get it. And, in the course of finding it, he is thrust into a world he did not even know existed. A world where magic is commonplace and vampires are given some mixed reviews.

Nightlord: Sunset by Garon Whited is takes the old vampire legends almost everyone is familiar with and gives them a few new spins. It both pays homage to and adds to vampire lore in new and creative ways, breathing a new, unique view on the ever evolving genre.

As the book is told in diary format, we get a good look into the protagonist’s mind, giving a flawed, sometimes sporadic view of the world. Details can be inserted seemingly at random at times, and occasionally feel unnecessary. But, because of the thoughts and opinions of the narrator, those instances can feel like character building just as often as they are annoying.

Humor is used effectively, but not frequently enough to call this a comedy. Romance is also present, but in a more natural way. No love at first sight here. The important characters are well done and vivid, and minor characters still have presence, even if they are not as fleshed out.

The plot of the book is well paced, although can feel meandering and unfocused at times. A lot happen the Eric on his journey, and not all of it feels important, even if callbacks and references are made to past events. This does make the world feel more fleshed out, and even seemingly minor events can become important later on, but it still feels overblown at times. Not enough to kill the enjoyment of the book, since these moments are uncommon at best, but they might turn some readers away.

Ultimately, I would give Nightlord: Sunset 3 out of 4 stars. I greatly enjoyed the book, finding it a fun read. Lighthearted when it needs to be, but not afraid to be dark and grim when warranted. While some people might find the format and certain story choices to be a turn off, it is still a good, solid read that I would recommend for anyone who enjoys fantasy books.

******
Nightlord: Sunset
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like Randomgold's review? Post a comment saying so!