Official Review: Dark Stranger The Dream by I.T. Lucas

[Cee-Jay Aurinko]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Dark Stranger The Dream" by I.T. Lucas.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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It always amazes me when authors of speculative fiction take an old idea, dice it up into tiny little pieces, add a few ingredients of their own, and create something entirely new and profoundly captivating. In Dark Stranger The Dream (The Children of the Gods Series Book 1 by I.T. Lucas, the vampire spinoff creatures we meet are called near-immortals. Kian, belonging to a small clan of near-immortals, is totally gung ho about a mortal woman named Syssi. The irony of this whole situation is that when his sister Amanda first tries to hook him up with her, he is entirely against it. When he sees her for the first time, however, he wants nothing more than to divest her down and penetrate her with his... fangs.

Of course, there are other things he wants to do to her besides bite her. Come now, people, this is a paranormal romance novel after all. Enticing to ardent romance lovers as this may sound so far, there are certainly other factors to look forward to as well. A member of Kian's clan has been assassinated by a near-immortal who belongs to another clan called Doomers. After ransacking his sister's lab, the Doomers come across a notebook containing the names of Amanda's research subjects in it. Syssi is rated the strongest, and because of this, she might be a potential near-immortal. Will Kian get to her before the Doomers do?

Like Annani, the last remaining goddess she bestows on us, I.T. Lucas knows her colorful selection of characters very well. Inconsistencies play no part in this awe-inspiring bundle of nocturnal monstrosities, ancient humanoid automations, and inducements so akin to erotic romance novels that promises to hook its talons into its readers and steer them to the very edge of their covert imaginings.

With her quality of writing barely bordering on sophistication, I.T. Lucas's talent for the written word certainly deserves its own unambiguous round of applause. If not for the aforementioned, then certainly for the accolade due to a read engrained with a flawless buildup and execution of developments. The one vice apparent to me is how high the level of the paranormal element is in contrast to the romance element. Readers might be in serious danger of forgetting what genre it is the book they're reading falls into. Albeit so, readers might agree upon reaching this novel's cliffhanger conclusion that the tone is certainly set for the next two installments of a series that promises to be quite a ride.

If you are a reader with one foot planted firmly in E.L. James's Fifty Shades Trilogy, and the other in novels similar to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series, then this one is for you. In regard to my overall opinion, I don't think this novel is balanced well enough; the genre scale favors the paranormal side heavily. My rating is 3 out of 4.

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Dark Stranger The Dream
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Like Leon Durham's review? Post a comment saying so!

[zeldas_lullaby]

Wow, great review! I think any lover of paranormal romance would dig this book!

[bookowlie]

Hey Leon, great review! The book sounds interesting, although I am not normally a fan of supernatural tales. It's always a plus, though, when an author offers a fresh take on an old idea.

[Levi]

I enjoyed your review, Leon. I like the way you inject your personality into your reviews to make them unique. The low level of romance in this book, comparatively, is the only chance I would pick it up, as I'm not interested in romance in a book. However, it does sound like an interesting story.

[bluemel4]

Great review. I love it when authors start thinking outside the box with vampires. I usually like paranormal romance novels, but this does not sound like the one for me.

[Cee-Jay Aurinko]

Yikes! I missed a bracket! Thanks bookowlie, zeldas lullaby, bluemel4, and escapeartist for your kind words. I try not to be too mechanic in my reviews.

[zeldas_lullaby]

I never would have noticed that, Leon!!

[Cee-Jay Aurinko]

@zeldas-lullaby

Thanks. It's just something I fear before I sit down to actually write it.

[zeldas_lullaby]

I understand. But the quality of this review surpassed that mistake such that I had to search for it when you mentioned it. Don't worry--it's the big picture that matters!!

[Cee-Jay Aurinko]

@zeldas-lullaby

I hear you.

[bookowlie]

Yikes! I missed a bracket! Thanks bookowlie, zeldas lullaby, bluemel4, and escapeartist for your kind words. I try not to be too mechanic in my reviews.

Oh, you missed a bracket? You must immediately withdrawn your review and leave the forums for 1 month.

[zeldas_lullaby]

BookOwlie! Shame on you. You meant to say "withdraw." You are banished!

[bookowlie]

Oh my, I never proofread my posts...I should immediately leave for a month.

[Cee-Jay Aurinko]

@bookowlie

Haha! I can't stay away too long from you guys.

[zeldas_lullaby]

@bookowlie

Haha! I can't stay away too long from you guys.

Same here! You guys are my homeys!!