Well, I have been a fan of thriller novels and I have explored many several sub-genres within this genre. I have read detective fiction, crime fiction, romantic thriller novels and so on. However, I did have experience in reading one of the earliest vampire fictions, perhaps the father of all, Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I did enjoy a few others eventually but could not have so much pleasure that I could extract from Stoker’s lyrical journey of mysterious and notorious Dracula. However, after Twilight Saga, there has been a flood of vampire fiction and the present one, that I am about to review, is one of the same lots. Shairoz K. Anwarali’s novel A Dark Love Story unfolds slowly and we are introduced to the protagonist, a rather reluctant one, Ella. And then, the novel takes its course.

What I liked in the novel is that the author has tried to be original and avoided being a simple copy machine. She has made her attempts in creating the plot that keeps the readers occupied with the semi-conscious thoughts of Ella and her fears about getting involved in a romantic relationship with someone who acts rather mysteriously, Parker, a vampire that Ella discovers a little late in the novel. However, the introduction of a werewolf has almost become necessary for any vampire novel to be complete… and we get one here as well!

The language of the novel has been fairly managed for the readers of the day. We cannot expect too many fancy words or too much classical jargon and I support this idea. The author has maintained this fairly well. The theme shifts from being focused on a mortal-immortal love story to many other things – the well-being of someone’s ideas and revelations of protagonists’ past lives as well as past relationships. So, there is more to A Dark Love Story than finale clash between werewolves and vampires or otherwise… for originality and for imaginative ideas, we will have to give the due to the author. She has done the best she could in her maiden attempt.

Well, the novel lacks a few things that we try to find as critical readers to seek its relevance beyond the pages. It is for the entertainment of the readers and if we stop there only, the author has done well. However, the moment we try to find things that the readers might carry beyond their relationship with the book, it will be difficult for them to do as the novel does not offer anything in a considerable amount beyond entertainment for the reading hours!

Takers:
Will Ella become a Vampire?
Will there be Vampire vs Werewolves scenes?
Will Parker keep saving Ella because he…

So, this is a perfectly fitting novel that will be enjoyed by young readers of the third decade in this 21st-century! Are you one of them? Get a copy from Amazon India by clicking the link below:

Buy the novel – click here to buy now from Amazon

Review by a book reviewer for Featured Books