What do you think?
Rate this book
Blood and Darkness #1
Awakened Dawn
Mavis was my name, and you could say I have had a bit of a tough go. Following a tremendous personal loss, I was entombed by my own daughter rather than allow me to expose our secret to the world. I woke up in a mausoleum and two centuries have passed. All I want to do is drink a bit of blood and maybe find a beautiful modern maiden to entertain what's left of my soul. However, sinister forces are ever at play in my world. Even a queen who is two-centuries usurped cannot rest. Vampyrs are dying and the royals including my only surviving child are all in danger, as are the communities around us. Set in modern New Orleans, this is the tale of the Lower Queen, Mavis Aubrey the mysterious vampyr who once led most of Britannia. Come follow Mavis as she struggles to learn how to function in the post-modern world and the vast array of new challenges rising to greet her. Contains mature themes.
259 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 18, 2021
92 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
Aria Storm
48 books49 followersAria Storm is influenced by a lot of major authors from a wide range of genres and time periods. The earliest influences come in the form of Lord Dunsany, William Shakesphere, H.P. Lovecraft, Thomas Hardy, and Edgar Allen Poe, . Modern influences include, Gary S. Kadet, Chloe Neill, McKensy Hunter, Laurell K Hamilton, Timothy Zahn, and K. F. Brenee
Aria Storm avidly believes in representing LGBTQIA+ people with valid heroes/ heroines, and plot which can be sizzling at times, but also has other aspects outside the queer sex. This author's entire adult life has been devoted to becoming a better storyteller, and to bring LGBTQIA+ characters to everyone. Most of the Aria Storm works have been Lesfic, but the author also publishes various other genres, and is about to expand even further in the near future.
Aria Storm avidly believes in representing LGBTQIA+ people with valid heroes/ heroines, and plot which can be sizzling at times, but also has other aspects outside the queer sex. This author's entire adult life has been devoted to becoming a better storyteller, and to bring LGBTQIA+ characters to everyone. Most of the Aria Storm works have been Lesfic, but the author also publishes various other genres, and is about to expand even further in the near future.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
pass
December 19, 2021No rating. I barely got into it before I could tell the writing style was not for me, so I am going to give this one a pass.
Love the cover though!
Love the cover though!
June 17, 2021
Its not terrible, but you'll need to be forgiving
There are typos that seem to crop up more and more as the story progresses, numbers alongside letters, like m0ouse, instead of mouse(forget the actual words this happened in) and other smaller spelling errors. The MC is OP, and if thats your bag then no worries, but she feels like she is written to be perfect, and while there are struggles, there's often situations that feel like it's just reexplaining how much better she is than everyone else. Also, she personally is poly, but there's no actual relationships in this first book, she is starting to feel around two different women, so that may change in the future I do not know. Gripes aside the world is interesting, and despite my initial inclination to leave it after the first, I am interested enough to still read the second
There are typos that seem to crop up more and more as the story progresses, numbers alongside letters, like m0ouse, instead of mouse(forget the actual words this happened in) and other smaller spelling errors. The MC is OP, and if thats your bag then no worries, but she feels like she is written to be perfect, and while there are struggles, there's often situations that feel like it's just reexplaining how much better she is than everyone else. Also, she personally is poly, but there's no actual relationships in this first book, she is starting to feel around two different women, so that may change in the future I do not know. Gripes aside the world is interesting, and despite my initial inclination to leave it after the first, I am interested enough to still read the second
June 15, 2021
What an interesting and well developed paranormal world. I'm looking forward to seeing how this storyline will progress. The best is discovering the next in the series is already out.
As aside, this needs better editing. There are such odd mistakes.
As aside, this needs better editing. There are such odd mistakes.
August 21, 2021
Didn't make it through the first chapter
I couldn't tell you about the plot or characters of the book because the were so many grammatical errors, including the spelling of some common words. This book is much more suited for people that are able to overlook continuous errors, or don't have a good grasp of grammar.
I couldn't tell you about the plot or characters of the book because the were so many grammatical errors, including the spelling of some common words. This book is much more suited for people that are able to overlook continuous errors, or don't have a good grasp of grammar.
March 31, 2022
Dnf'ed pretty quicky.
The writing feels amateurish to me, too on the nose and just not credible. I read that some enjoyed the world building ; I couldn't. The writing annoyed me (lots of eye-rolling) and took me out of the story.
The writing feels amateurish to me, too on the nose and just not credible. I read that some enjoyed the world building ; I couldn't. The writing annoyed me (lots of eye-rolling) and took me out of the story.
July 15, 2023
2.5*
Ah, this one is frustrating. I think I understand what the author was trying to achieve with their writing style, but it just didn’t hit the mark for me personally. There were just too many words which weren’t needed, which made this book quite difficult for me to read.
I enjoyed the story, and the character development. I will continue with the series, because I want to know how the relationships develop, and where the story is going.
Hopefully the next read will be easier for me.
Ah, this one is frustrating. I think I understand what the author was trying to achieve with their writing style, but it just didn’t hit the mark for me personally. There were just too many words which weren’t needed, which made this book quite difficult for me to read.
I enjoyed the story, and the character development. I will continue with the series, because I want to know how the relationships develop, and where the story is going.
Hopefully the next read will be easier for me.
September 8, 2021
interesting story concept
The story itself is interesting and has a decent plot. That being said it’s a very difficult read because the author goes off on tangents after nearly every sentence of dialogue. It makes it very difficult to follow the scene.
The story itself is interesting and has a decent plot. That being said it’s a very difficult read because the author goes off on tangents after nearly every sentence of dialogue. It makes it very difficult to follow the scene.
added-it
December 21, 2023🎁 FREE on Amazon today (11/4/2021)! 🎁
December 11, 2021
Interesting
Nice start to the series. It was interesting enough that I'm going to be reading book 2.
Takes a bit to get used to the old timey language.
Nice start to the series. It was interesting enough that I'm going to be reading book 2.
Takes a bit to get used to the old timey language.
July 31, 2023
This is really bad... There are spelling errors and grammatical errors everywhere. The writing is so amateur that I'm next to certain it's a teen ager's attempt at a novel. Maybe not first attempt, but definitely not a mature writing effort. The characters don't make sense. The way they behave doesn't make sense. Would you find a vampire in a building somewhere and just casually decide to take her on a drive over to the nearest blood bank? The writing is repetitive. The dialogue is awful.
It's just not well executed. This is a fish out of water story with a sort of time travel element to it, so you'd expect lots of out of place observations, but instead of indicating the things that are unusual to the main character, the author will straight up tell you in the most ham fisted way. There will be a comment about the main character's clothing followed by a little paragraph where the author lets you know this is basically a way of pointing out that there was a lot of misogyny in the 18th century. It's ridiculous. The characters are equally ridiculous.
You want to know the worst thing, though? The thing that really made me quit this book was that the main character is supposed to be from two hundred years in the past, and so of course she doesn't speak in a modern way, but the author chooses to represent this by having her sound like a cartoon version of a Victorian prostitute. This makes zero sense even in a comedic light, because the main character is supposed to be a vampire queen. There's no reason she should be shouting things like, "Feck! Get yer bloody 'ands off me, ye' nutty lass!" Ok, I made that one up, but she does talk exactly like that. Furthermore, the author seemed to want to keep varying things she'd say, but didn't have a great grasp on how to make someone from that era talk, so sometimes she uses metaphors that don't make sense, such as "DO ye want a fecking lynching mob at our every beck and call!?!" That is a direct quote, and what the hell does it mean? To be at someone's beck and call does not mean to be chasing them doggedly. It means to be available to serve them. Definitely not what the author was going for.
I'm sure there's something in this book that has attracted some people to review it positively. Some people said the world building was good. I couldn't see it. It didn't seem to be adding up to much when I dropped it. I'd personally recommend giving this one a pass, even though the concept is somewhat interesting. The book itself doesn't really live up to the potential of the idea. There are certainly better fish out of time stories for you to pursue.
It's just not well executed. This is a fish out of water story with a sort of time travel element to it, so you'd expect lots of out of place observations, but instead of indicating the things that are unusual to the main character, the author will straight up tell you in the most ham fisted way. There will be a comment about the main character's clothing followed by a little paragraph where the author lets you know this is basically a way of pointing out that there was a lot of misogyny in the 18th century. It's ridiculous. The characters are equally ridiculous.
You want to know the worst thing, though? The thing that really made me quit this book was that the main character is supposed to be from two hundred years in the past, and so of course she doesn't speak in a modern way, but the author chooses to represent this by having her sound like a cartoon version of a Victorian prostitute. This makes zero sense even in a comedic light, because the main character is supposed to be a vampire queen. There's no reason she should be shouting things like, "Feck! Get yer bloody 'ands off me, ye' nutty lass!" Ok, I made that one up, but she does talk exactly like that. Furthermore, the author seemed to want to keep varying things she'd say, but didn't have a great grasp on how to make someone from that era talk, so sometimes she uses metaphors that don't make sense, such as "DO ye want a fecking lynching mob at our every beck and call!?!" That is a direct quote, and what the hell does it mean? To be at someone's beck and call does not mean to be chasing them doggedly. It means to be available to serve them. Definitely not what the author was going for.
I'm sure there's something in this book that has attracted some people to review it positively. Some people said the world building was good. I couldn't see it. It didn't seem to be adding up to much when I dropped it. I'd personally recommend giving this one a pass, even though the concept is somewhat interesting. The book itself doesn't really live up to the potential of the idea. There are certainly better fish out of time stories for you to pursue.
January 7, 2022
Interesting. It's been on my to-read list for a while now, but I finally got around to reading this. It's going to be a slow-build and one that I enjoy. Now, I'm a monogamist myself, but I do not point fingers or say rude things toward poly people, I just don't agree with the lifestyle myself and don't accept for ME. I know I can barely handle my gf sometimes, so I know I couldn't handle more than her. She's plenty enough for me. However, I like the progression made. I like the worldbuilding. I like the slow trust and relationship being formed between the two, I have read the second one and third books coming soon already, but I just wanted to post a review for this first book. I hope 3 and the rest will be better and will continue to just read them at a leisure pace.
August 13, 2021
This is an unique and fun take on vampires that I enjoyed very much!
Aria Storm has created a new spin on vampire mythology with this first book in her Blood and Darkness series, with her Celtic vampire queen and Viking sidekick. While the tale does have plenty of darkness, it is sprinkled with wit, particularly the banter between the deposed queen and the Viking, creating a nice balance between dark and light. Her character's introduction to slang and technology of the 21st Century is also quite charming and fun.
In all, a great start to this series, and I look forward to reading more!
Aria Storm has created a new spin on vampire mythology with this first book in her Blood and Darkness series, with her Celtic vampire queen and Viking sidekick. While the tale does have plenty of darkness, it is sprinkled with wit, particularly the banter between the deposed queen and the Viking, creating a nice balance between dark and light. Her character's introduction to slang and technology of the 21st Century is also quite charming and fun.
In all, a great start to this series, and I look forward to reading more!
April 6, 2021
Really good
First the bad there are a few little errors that are annoying, a couple times the characters seem to forget something that was said just a few pages before and end up repeating the same thing. Also early on the MC referes to Zeus and Hades even though she's Celtic, eventually tho she does start to refer to Celtic Mythology.
Now the good, all the characters have their own identify and are memorable. The story is a good set-up for what's to come, while being entertaining in its own right. I'll definitely be looking for book 2.
First the bad there are a few little errors that are annoying, a couple times the characters seem to forget something that was said just a few pages before and end up repeating the same thing. Also early on the MC referes to Zeus and Hades even though she's Celtic, eventually tho she does start to refer to Celtic Mythology.
Now the good, all the characters have their own identify and are memorable. The story is a good set-up for what's to come, while being entertaining in its own right. I'll definitely be looking for book 2.
February 28, 2022
Great action story
I enjoyed all the major characters. The prior ‘Queen’ had an interesting life. Two centuries in a coffin could drive anyone mad. Finding her way in the modern world was both irritating and interesting. She received assistance from her best friend Olaf. She met the princess of the wolf clan and things got interesting from there. Great read. If you love the paranormal this is the book for you!
I enjoyed all the major characters. The prior ‘Queen’ had an interesting life. Two centuries in a coffin could drive anyone mad. Finding her way in the modern world was both irritating and interesting. She received assistance from her best friend Olaf. She met the princess of the wolf clan and things got interesting from there. Great read. If you love the paranormal this is the book for you!
Read
August 11, 2021A bit rough but well worth it
So this series is a little rough. The author has already addressed having hired a new editor to republish later so that's fine. However I love this series, it's very well done with a lot of good ideas. There are some consistency errors and typos but I think it's still well worth the time and I can't wait for the next set in the series.
So this series is a little rough. The author has already addressed having hired a new editor to republish later so that's fine. However I love this series, it's very well done with a lot of good ideas. There are some consistency errors and typos but I think it's still well worth the time and I can't wait for the next set in the series.
May 22, 2025
The Maryest of Sues who we are constantly told is the bestust of people, that started colleges for minorities in the 1800s and everybody loves loves loves! However her actions do not match her praise as she is constantly doing dumb things with no forethought.
I'll skip talking about the world and characters because this is just a porn, and like a pizza girl delivering pizza to an apartment of two horny lesbians, nothing else really matters. So how is the romance and sex? Not good. Somehow the love-at-first-sight fated mates trope isn't handled well, the author can't decide between love or harem, her dick-in-a-box best friend is somehow involved just to make everything gross. Ugh. Just watch a porn and read a real book instead.
I'll skip talking about the world and characters because this is just a porn, and like a pizza girl delivering pizza to an apartment of two horny lesbians, nothing else really matters. So how is the romance and sex? Not good. Somehow the love-at-first-sight fated mates trope isn't handled well, the author can't decide between love or harem, her dick-in-a-box best friend is somehow involved just to make everything gross. Ugh. Just watch a porn and read a real book instead.
June 22, 2025
19 What a great concept. Ignore the synopsis, the story starts with the aftermath of being entombed. But then the protagonists irregular use of what the author thinks is old timey language mixed with trying to understand modern concepts got way too much. And the plot stalled really. So, I couldn't quite finish it.
May 10, 2021
Blood and Darkness
One of the better vampire books I've read. Well written with enough hummer added to lighten the mood. Not one but two lovely love interests to keep things lively. Can hardly wait til book two comes out.
One of the better vampire books I've read. Well written with enough hummer added to lighten the mood. Not one but two lovely love interests to keep things lively. Can hardly wait til book two comes out.
July 26, 2021
Scintillating start! Few if any text errors. Don't expect much in the way of intimate encounters! Mavis the lead character is fierce yet humble and genteel. If all of the following books are this well written this is going to be a. pleasure to continue!⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡!🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹doz roses!!!
August 6, 2021
Nice
Why can’t I just leave a five star review why do I have to review it with 20 words anyway it was pretty good I liked it it flowed really well and it kind of reminded me of a video game like elder scrolls it was pretty good Yep pretty good
Why can’t I just leave a five star review why do I have to review it with 20 words anyway it was pretty good I liked it it flowed really well and it kind of reminded me of a video game like elder scrolls it was pretty good Yep pretty good
February 5, 2022
An Interesting Vampyr Story
This story is definitely a slow burn with a cliffhanger of the reader wanting to know how Mavis will vanquish the evil in New Orleans. This is a great introduction of the characters in the series.
This story is definitely a slow burn with a cliffhanger of the reader wanting to know how Mavis will vanquish the evil in New Orleans. This is a great introduction of the characters in the series.
August 30, 2024
loved it
Funny, action packed read, I’m surprised just started this book yesterday evening and it’s already over by morning. Now my eyes are tired from reading almost all night, a complete page turner this one.
Funny, action packed read, I’m surprised just started this book yesterday evening and it’s already over by morning. Now my eyes are tired from reading almost all night, a complete page turner this one.
April 18, 2021
Good
I liked the action, humor, and dialog. Looking forward to #2. A few typos and didn’t care for the entire book being in bold print.
I liked the action, humor, and dialog. Looking forward to #2. A few typos and didn’t care for the entire book being in bold print.
July 22, 2021
Powerful
Action packed page turner making you want more! This is a great book that is filled with history, great characters and great dialogues. I can’t wait for the next one!
Action packed page turner making you want more! This is a great book that is filled with history, great characters and great dialogues. I can’t wait for the next one!
August 19, 2021
Excellent as always!!
Can't get enough of this series. I stay up to all hours reading it and recommending it to anyone that likes fantasy!!
Can't get enough of this series. I stay up to all hours reading it and recommending it to anyone that likes fantasy!!
January 31, 2022
Plot was good
Plot was good. I think it needs better editing. Sometimes I felt like there were too many words trying to fill the space. But overall I liked the book.
Plot was good. I think it needs better editing. Sometimes I felt like there were too many words trying to fill the space. But overall I liked the book.
May 25, 2022
Originally
August 3, 2022
I loved this series. Unexpected story development is great. I read this series straight through. It is that addictive.
May 14, 2021
What a great series. Very funny and with so much cultural discussion.
May 29, 2023
A fun setup for a vampire story.
Mavis is the Vampire Queen of New Orleans who runs her court with compassion, reason and strength... until her daughter was murdered and she was entombed to curtail her rage. Now 200 years later she awakens to a new world and new threats form her distant past.
I haven't read a vampire book in quite a while, but this was a fun one. A former queen returns 'from the dead' and now slowly has to adjust to everything from cars, phones and changing attitudes.
I'll be picking up the sequel more than likely.
Mavis is the Vampire Queen of New Orleans who runs her court with compassion, reason and strength... until her daughter was murdered and she was entombed to curtail her rage. Now 200 years later she awakens to a new world and new threats form her distant past.
I haven't read a vampire book in quite a while, but this was a fun one. A former queen returns 'from the dead' and now slowly has to adjust to everything from cars, phones and changing attitudes.
I'll be picking up the sequel more than likely.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews