It can be hard to write a werewolf/vampire YA these days. Folks look at it and say “Oh, lord, a Stepanie Myer wannabe.” I suppose when Ms. Myer started shopping Twilight, folks looked at it and said “Oh, lord, another Anne Rice wannabe.” But I digress.
My point, and I do have one, is that genuinely terrific novels in that genre, with deeply moving scenes and terrifically complex characters often get overlooked. Hopefully, this won’t happen to Darkride, a terrific little read that had me locked into my seat until it was done. Well, fine, I took bathroom breaks. Not to share.
Again, this is not yet another teen were vs. vamp romance. It’s terrific fun (favorite line: “I just want you to know I had a nice time at the dance. You know, before the werewolf attacked) but still made this adult actually cry during one particularly poignant scene (Old Yeller has nothing on…well, no spoilers here) It’s not grim, but Ms. Rede spins a story set in a real world, one that has tough choices and no perfect answers. No cheap emotional shots here, just well crafted characters that you will find yourself caring deeply about.
I’ll also say that it was nice to see a paranormal YA romance that espouses strong values about love and family. There’s no falling back on the stupid parent cliche, there’s genuine deep love between the teens and the adults who care about them. As Ander says, we all need a pack.
Bottom line, a must buy for the teens in your life. But you’ll want first dibs on reading it.
A Warbird in the Belly of the Mouse
Legacy on Amazon
Leviathans in the Clouds
Writers of the Future
David Parish-Whittaker 