The Darkening (Dawn of Ascension), A Review

And a new era begins! Second Earth has been saved, Greaves has been destroyed all is well... yeah right. The king is dead, long live the king. While Greaves has been destroyed he was brilliant enough to consider all the outcomes and he prepared for the worst. Yes even his own demise. Three generals and almost a million Death Vamps have survived to fight again. The battle for Second Earth is bloodier than ever.. 

While all of her Ascension books have totally bowled me over, in a way The Darkening shows Caris Roane's true brilliance. The Darkening is the beginning book in her Ascension Novella Series.. about life that happens after the battle, these novellas will be about the Militia Warriors.. Like Gideon in Brink of Eternity. It is a compelling and wonderful story about finding one's destiny in all things.. just as all of her Ascension books are. What makes this book so exceptional is that it is a novella. I usually don't like novellas because they are usually just too short. But Caris does an absolute fabulous job writing a complete story in a short amount of words. This book read like a much longer one, that does not mean that it dragged on and on but that it told a complete and fascinating story!! Go Caris!!

After escaping 10 years of capture and torture Samuel Daman has a new power.. it is beyond powerful and something no one has ever seen on Second Earth before. He fears using it because the one time he did, during his esc ape, innocents were killed. He has no control over it. The only problem is.. if he doesn't unleash his power, Warrior Santiago will die.. He is battling 13 death eaters and no way will he manage to destroy them all. So Samuel releases his power and brings the wrath of the What-Bees on to his shoulders. A Demand for an explanation is made. Why had he hidden his powers? Did he not know that they were living in dark times and everyone MUST give their all? Why would he hide something this important from the What-Bees and Militia Warriors? Knowing that he no longer has a choice, he accepts that he must train and learn how to control his powers. At his initial training, he is overwhelmed by a scent of flowers so compelling he all but looses himself to it. 

Vela Stillwell, has loved desperately and deeply.. she lost her Militia Warrior Husband five years previously and has lived in darkness ever since. All she wants is to finally escape her job at HQ and move to work with the blood slaves in the clinic that Fiona has created. She wants to help others heal, since she knows how deeply an attack and escape from Death Eaters can be. She knows she can help. The only problem is, she started having dreams.. finding herself  looking at battles as they happen but from a distant place. A Darker world where the edges seem blurred. She has no clue that her Darkening powers have emerged and Destiny has a different roll for her to play. While she fights her dreams she is suddenly struck by the breh-hedden . and suddenly her entire world has tilted on it's axis and all she can do is hang on and enjoy the ride.

Samuel and Vela are absolutely perfect for each other. Each protects their inner core in their own way, letting things that have happened in their pasts control what is happening now. Their entire lives are lead in a way that shields them from others. Sure Vela seems more open. less distant but this is the greatest way to protect one's inner self. Distraction, illusion, smoke and mirrors. Samuel lives a more obviously lonely life. The lone wolf.. ready to defend but his wall his thicker, stronger and more obvious. Too bad those walls like the ones at Jericho must come down!

Sent on a mission to save the one man Samuel claims as a friend, Vela and Samuel find themselves wandering The Darkening on Third Earth. Learning that all is not well on Third and that there are those who want the powers from Second to help destroy Third. They also find help in some very unexpected places. 

There is so much going on in this book that it is just hard to fathom it is only a Novella!! It reaches in and grabs your emotions and compels you to feel for these two. To share their journey and to wonder at all that they accomplish. I am so glad that Caris finished the battle with Greaves and yet didn't force us to leave Second Earth and her awesome Vamps.. This is such a lush creation that to leave it forever would just about break my heart.. There will be several more Novellas based on the Militia Warriors but never fear, Caris has promised that their will be more books about the What-Bees we love!! After all Luken, Santiago and Zacharius still have to find their Brehs!

Enjoy all! 

Shauni