Blood-Kissed Sky by J.A. London

Blood-Kissed Sky is the awesomesauce sequel to Darkness Before Dawn. If you haven't read it yet, check out my review of Darkness Before Dawn here. Blood-Kissed Sky was awesome. There is a love triangle in it, but it's the kind I like. I hate when a girl waffles between two guys for ages. Dawn (the main character) got to the point pretty quickly. Michael (her boyfriend from book one) finds out that she's in love with Victor (awesome vampire, but everyone hates vampires except Dawn) and says that they're done. Don't get me wrong, I love Dawn and Michael, but by getting rid of the romantic part of their relationship opens doors that couldn't have been opened otherwise. Michael has a very big brother attitude towards Dawn. I love that he thinks he, and can, protect her, but Dawn really doesn't need it.

Dawn is totally kick-butt. She *might* not realize it though. Dawn lives in a dystopian world where the fourteen vampire families have taken over the fourteen remaining cities. Vampires are supposedly evil (and many are), but Dawn meets Old Family vampires such as Victor, Faith, and Richard who begin to change her opinions. Funny how falling in love with a vampire will do that to a person. The evil vampire Sin who is known as a Day-Walker, self explanatory, has his sights set on getting Dawn. For what, no one knows exactly. Dawn faces down vampires with prowess. She is a spectacular fighter, in more than just the physical sense. She fights for what she believes in. Vampires, good and evil alike, are no match to her superior mind, skills, and wit. She can talk her way out of almost any situation with her diplomatic skills, and if she can't, she's got friends who will fight beside her. One of my favorite characters is Dawn's good friend Tegan. She has got spunk. Tegan has confidence off the wazoo, but isn't afraid to admit when she needs help.

The plot of the book is awesome. The pacing is a little slow though. From the beginning, there is some info readers can infer from what's happening to Dawn. Her friends actually throw the correct option out there, but it's immediately dismissed. Even by the end, there are some aspects that seem obvious but Dawn doesn't realize/accept. I'm okay with the fact that Dawn doesn't accept some of the things she's told over the course of the book. She struggles. From the first page though, Dawn's journey is building. There's not a super distinct ending I have in mind, but there are some things I'm wanting/expecting. The final book, After Daybreak, comes out in June and I really don't want to be disappointed. I have high expectations after the first two books. Blood-Kissed Sky is overall, really good. I have to give it five stars.

Author Bio:
J. A. London is the mother-son writing team of Rachel Hawthorne and her son, Alex London. Rachel has written many novels for teens, including the popular Dark Guardian series. Alex, a recent graduate with a degree in Historical Studies, enjoys combining history and fiction to create unique worlds. The Darkness Before Dawn series is their first joint project.

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Synopsis:

There's nowhere left to hide.

I thought vampires were our enemies—they controlled our lives, isolated our cities, and demanded our blood—until I met Victor. With Victor taking over as the new Lord Valentine, things were supposed to get better. Instead, they're worse than ever.

Day Walkers, a new breed of vampires who can walk in the sun, are terrorizing the city. Blood supplies are low, and if Victor's vampires don't get enough, they will become infected with the Thirst—a disease that will turn them into mindless killers.

To stop it, I must journey across the desolate wasteland to the very place where the sickness began. I can only hope that the answers that await me are enough to save us all . . . before it's too late.

Title: Blood-Kissed Sky
Author: J.A. London
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release: December 26, 2012
Series: Darkness Before Dawn
Pages: 368