Darkness Falls by Jessica Sorensen

Darkness Falls (Darkness Falls, #1)

by Jessica Sorensen

When the disease spread through the world, people had no choice but to go into hiding. The Colony is hidden deep underground, far away from the vampires—humans that were transformed by the disease. The vampires are hideous, starving, and they will kill any human they come across.

Seventeen-year-old Kayla is a Bellator, a warrior that protects The Colony. In order to survive, there are three rules she must follow:
Rule #1—Never go out after dark.
Rule #2—Always carry a weapon.
Rule #3—No matter what, never EVER get bitten.

But what happens when the rules Kayla has always lived by can no longer apply?

The Highers run The Colony and accept nothing less than perfection. One slip up can mean death. Kayla has always worked hard to follow the rules and strive for perfection. But during a moment of weakness, she lets her imperfections show. Her punishment is worse than death. She is chosen for The Gathering and is thrown out into a world full of starving vampires.

No one has ever survived The Gathering, at least that’s what Kayla’s been told. But when she runs into a group who insist they were once part of The Gathering, Kayla discovers the Highers have been keeping secrets. Secrets that could lead to a cure.

Reviewed by clairelm on

4 of 5 stars

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This is a brilliant vampire story with a difference. Unlike the usual YA 'vampires are beautiful, deadly creatures' theme that tends to run through books, these vampires are more like the zombies from films. They're proper vampires and they don't actual feature too heavily. Add in a city controlled by a group who relish power and fear above everything else, some hybrids who don't seem to fit either group and a set of outsiders who managed to survive in the brutal wilderness, you have the perfect setting for a dystopian adventure.

I really liked Kayla. She's a strong willed character with a forgotten past who has to fight both herself and the system to survive in the city, and then the people she should be safe with, outside. As her memories come back, Kayla learns more about herself, and it's not all welcome news. She faces the biggest decisions of her life, and her memories are haunted by a question. 'What lies behind the red door?'

The other characters as well, particularly Monarch and Maci are well written and Kayla has a great surrounding of supporting characters who help make the world seem real and push the story along.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 5 October, 2014: Finished reading
  • 5 October, 2014: Reviewed