DESCENDING DAWN

CITY OF THE DEAD: VOLUME ONE

From the City of the Dead series , Vol. 1

In this supernatural novel, a human police detective hunting a killer reluctantly joins forces with the vampires she abhors. 

A special squad for vampire-related crimes has its first case, with human detective Iliana Dawn and her partner at the helm. Their modern world is still adjusting to the Great Revelation that outed vampires. The United States made bloodsuckers illegal, but as Georgia fights the federal law, most of them gather in Acheron, “dubbed the City of the Dead.” Dawn now has a crime scene with two human bodies—one staked to a wall—and a teen vampire inexplicably on the premises. It’s a tough case that only gets worse when her and vampire Marcus Knight’s bosses stick the investigators together. Neither is happy about it, though Dawn, as readers soon learn, has a good reason to hate “Fangers.” The homicide investigation puts them close to the Black Sail (“the group that enforces the laws of vampires”) as well as a mysterious substance that some Fangers apparently crave. As Dawn tries to unmask a murderer, she absorbs quite a bit of Fangers’ lore and may even reevaluate her dismal opinion of them. Roberts packs hefty worldbuilding into this series opener. There are, for example, numerous discussions about vampires, from how they survive without draining humans to the different “types” of the undead (including the garden variety Lichs). But Dawn leads the story with panache, a stubborn, able detective who more than holds her own in combat with vampires and humans. Her journals form the narrative, and while her voice is divertingly cynical, they offer largely traditional storytelling—plenty of dialogue and certain particulars saved for later reveals. Still, the mystery thrives, as further stake deaths (this time with vampire victims) complicate the investigation. Roberts wraps up the engaging novel satisfactorily but allows some questions, including about a 21st-century war between Russia and America, to remain unanswered for the sequel. An engrossing vampire tale with a richly detailed plot and backstory.

Source page

Descending Dawn by EW Roberts is a rip-roaring start to a new series that blends urban fantasy with some police procedural in a recipe calculated to satisfy your appetite for great reading.

The foreshadowing introduction tells us that Iliana Dawn is a “unifying force of destruction” who starts World War Three and brings together humans and the undead. Descending Dawn is the beginning of her tale as it explains how she is transformed into that which she hates most, a vampire.

A title character needs to be strong and well-formed and will almost certainly be flawed. Dawn delivers on all counts. She is an angry police detective assigned against her will to investigate a series of murders involving the undead. Vampires, by the way, have most definitely walked among us for thousands of years—they’ve finally come out of the shadows and become a deadly, reviled, but protected species with whom humanity is uneasily coming to terms with sharing the world.

Sniping, sassy and sarcastic; Dawn is still a likable character. Thrust into a mothering role by the untimely death of her parents in a car accident; despite calling her a demon, Dawn is honest enough to admit that her teenage sister is less trouble than she herself was to her long-suffering mother. An ex-husband is reviled but not introduced to the story. Dawn’s partner in crime-solving, Kershaw, deserves a medal for staying focused on the job instead of throttling his prickly co-worker.

Headstrong and unstoppable, Dawn plunges along, determined to solve the murders by finding the undead responsible and sending them to the Black Sail for vampire-style justice (purportedly far harsher than human punishment). Forced to work not only with Kershaw, who she hates, largely because he can tolerate her nasty moods; she must additionally play nice with Marcus Knight—a vampire with serious political clout (or problems) in the undead world. And Knight’s devoted assistant, the beautiful Ava, who is not human, not vampire, not alive, and not amused by Dawn’s petty antics.

There are entertaining touches throughout the story, such as the option to buy bottled blood from the corner store. Baby blood is the ultimate, expensive indulgence—and gleefully faked by those brave enough to rip off a blood-sucking death dealer.

Roberts cleverly closes out the police procedural arc of the story for a satisfying conclusion to Descending Dawn; while sending the broader arc of Iliana Dawn’s transformation into a unifying force of destruction soaring into a series spanning adventure.

This is a well-written urban fantasy from a confident author who pens a full cast of interesting characters and neatly weaves together the threads of legend, urban myth and familiar crime stories into an intriguing plot. The worst thing about Descending Dawn is that book two has yet to be released! Once you get a taste for the writing of EW Roberts, I guarantee that you will be hungry for more.

Manybooks site

Reviewed by Jaylynn Korrell

A fresh vampire mystery that delves into the struggle of human-vampire integration

E. W. Roberts takes a classic idea and runs with it. In Descending Dawn, the first book in the City of the Dead series, the author integrates vampires into normal society in the largest city in Georgia. While they struggle to be accepted and are unwelcome in most states, they aren’t necessarily a secret anymore. This brings on a conflict that readers can get excited about.

Our introduction to Iliana Dawn is one that promises potential greatness, but that isn’t where we start with this story. We’re taken back to the beginning of her legacy as seen through the first of many journals she kept. 

Iliana Dawn is a cop with a strong prejudice for vampires. Her father was a preacher who preached against the integration of vampires into society, and in many ways, Iliana is continuing his work through her profession. 

When she is assigned to a newly formed vampire unit, she’s forced to work with a vampire named Knight and a new partner named Kershaw, both of which annoy her to no end. While investigating a crime involving a young vampire, Iliana’s world is turned upside down and she’s forced to rethink everything she’s ever known. 

The intermixing of humans and vampires in society along with the mystery of a heinous crime pushes the want-to-read-more factor even further in this first book of the series. The crimes leave many potential culprits. Readers won’t know who to trust or whose side to be on as an investigation plays out with alarming consequences. Descending Dawn is an exciting read. 

But Iliana is a tough character to follow, as her prejudice toward vampires feels harsh and unjust at times. She can’t help but speak down to and about vampires, and I don’t know if her previous experience with them warrants such a hateful response. 

Thankfully she’s forced to ease up after forming relationships with Knight and Jewel. While Jewel tugs at her heartstrings for being a child, Knight intrigues Iliana with his soft nature and expertise. Her reliance on the both of them opens her up in ways that didn’t seem possible in the beginning of the story. Although perhaps she should have held onto that cynicism a little bit longer. 

With captivating prose and a successful whodunnit approach, Descending Dawn is a great start to a promising series. Readers will be glad to know that more of these are coming. A good first book keeps us looking forward to the promises of the storyline; from what we can tell in this one, the story is far from over.

Source page