Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book from the author. This has not influenced my review.*
I love prequels because they usually let you get to know a character more and understand them better, and that’s exactly what this one did.
I already felt terrible for Dominic from what I knew of his past, but this prequel really fleshed out his experience with being turned into a vampire and showed the reader the horror of it. From reading the series, I knew that Dominic was an emotional person who held his relationships in life very near and dear to his heart. This novella really showed how much he loved life and family and friends. So to see it all so violently ripped away from him… it’s different knowing a thing about a character’s past vs. reading the firsthand account of the thing. I’ll admit I thought Dominic was a bit cliche in the first book of the series, but now I get it. I understand Dominic’s thoughts and feelings and actions a lot more now.
I also felt this one showed the reader a little more about the vampires in general, what they can do, what it’s like for newly turned vampires, etc.
Anyway, this prequel novella doesn’t really add any new information to the story, but it’s well-written and does a great job of showing Dominic’s past and letting you understand him even more, so if you’re interested in that, give it a read!
Recommended For:
Fans of Books 1-3 in S.K. Ryder's Dark Destinies series. Anyone who likes vampires with a bit of uniqueness, romance, enemies-to-friends, and tortured heroes who just want to be loved.
More Books in the Series:
Book Review: Dark Heart of the Sun (Dark Destinies Book 1) by S.K. Ryder
Book Review: Dark Lord of the Night (Dark Destinies Book 2) by S.K. Ryder
Book Review: Dark Child of Forever (Dark Destinies Book 3) by S.K. Ryder
Book Review: Dark Awakening (Dark Destinies Prequel) by S.K. Ryder
I do like prequel novellas, although I haven’t read a lot of them. I think they’re a great idea if you’re really invested in a character.
They can be great when you’re really into the series or the character!
I haven’t read Dark Awakening, but I love when prequels (and any novella set in a world, really) flesh out a character and help us get to know the character better!
Same, it can be great!
Hi Kristen, great review. I love prequels. I haven’t read this series, will it hurt to read this prequel first? Sometimes an author wants the reader to come into a story without any preconceived ideas but I sometime find that it’s a great way to get a feel of an author’s style before committing to a full length novel.
Thanks! I don’t think it would hurt to read the prequel first, but I’m pretty sure the books were written with the prequel last, so I’m not sure.
For some reason the cover is giving me Star Wars vibes, even though I know it has nothing to do with Star Wars, haha. I’m glad it was enjoyable even if it didn’t really add anything to the overall story.
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
I can kinda see the Star Wars vibes lol.
I love the series and I actually enjoyed reading this one. I liked to know how Dominic became a vampire and I totally felt for him. Glad you enjoyed it!
I’m glad you enjoyed it too! It did really make me feel for him too.
I like novellas that add information to a series, whether it be prequels or about side characters.
Karen @ For What It’s Worth
Same, depending on the character though, since some side characters I don’t care about.
I love prequels too. They usually explain all the world and plot mysteries that were driving me crazy! 🙂 Turned into a vampire backstories are one of my fav!
Prequels can be great!
I do love when prequels happen and make us better able to understand either the villain or some other vital character in a story. I am glad you were able to enjoy this one! And it’s nice that you were able to really see the horror of turning into a vampire and how much it completely changed his life… many authors skim over that rather than go into detail.
Yeah, it is skipped over in many vampire stories, but this author did a great job with that.