He took everything from her. Now she’s determined to make him pay…
London. Narissa Knight is obsessed with revenge. For ten years, the twenty-five-year-old has hunted for the vampire that murdered her father. Desperate to put an end to her futile search, she resorts to offering herself up as a meal to the bloodsucker elite.
Garnering the attention of handsome century-old Calin, she attempts to have him unwittingly aid her quest for vengeance. But as the lies and secrets begin piling up her quarry turns the tables, and Narissa finds herself confronting the most devastating secret of all…
Is the cost of retribution too high even for her?
Dark Creatures is the first book in the chilling Dark Creatures episodic urban fantasy saga. If you like brooding vampires, shocking reveals, and fast-paced action, then you’ll adore Ella Stone’s supernatural tale.
I am an author of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Fiction. I'm passionate about my family, reading, writing and cats. The order of which can change on a day to day basis.
Unfortunately, this was painfully dull. The characters had no personality whatsoever, especially Calvin, the Vampire, and Naz was a complete idiot. The level of reckless stupidity was out of this world. I kept going with it, as I'm desperate to find a decent UF I haven't already read, but I just couldn't deal with it anymore.
I like the story. I like Ella Stones writing style. the world building is pretty good. One of my hang ups is the characters and I'm still just trying to like the main character. but I like the stories direction.
I have never hated a character so much . Not only is she useless but also stupid. In the 10 years that she has been looking for her dads killer she has learnt no fighting or defense skills. ALL SHE EVER DOES IS SCREAM FOR HELP. Her plans (if you can call it that) are so stupid a 5 year old could have made a better plan.
The story is predictable but I’m fine with that I like a good cliché. The other characters although better than the main character, are very one dimensional and at times just as dumb as the main. I will be reading the second book but only because I bought the first 3 books as a package deal. Hopefully it will get better. I wouldn’t recommend this series but I have seen worse.
Much better than I expected. My main problem was that there are quite a few major and glaring plotholes. None of them are a complete game-breaker for me so I could just intentionally suspend disbelief but what makes them worth pointing out is how blatantly obvious they all are. I can't imagine them being just an oversight.
It was surprisingly hard to keep up with all the happenings especially early on because the book very much reads like a continuation of a series and not like the first book. This is indeed the case. There exists a series of short stories but they are listed as the "Dark Creatures Prequel Collection" and calling something a "Prequel" explicitly generally implies to me that it is a later addition to a series of events that happened chronologically before the original series. But judging from the release dates of these books it seems like this is not actually the case here. The prequel really is the prequel in every sense and probably should be read before this series. I could work out everything important for the plot and understand all the character motivations but it felt a bit rushed and crammed probably because I missed out on previous character and relationship development.
On one hand, I am intrigued by the end which is fortunately not the horrible cliffhanger ending the book seemed to steer towards, but on the other hand, I am not sure if it is a good idea to get deeper into the worldbuilding considering how spotty and unbelievable the bits in this book already were. Continuing might actually ruin my experience if the worldbuilding doesn't improve by quite a lot which my experience generally doesn't happen.
Edit: It was even worse than I feared. The second book is a complete shitshow front to back. All the details I gave the benefit of the doubt turned out just as bad as I feared and sometimes even worse. I have to subtract a star after learning how bad it really gets.
While technically an "adult urban fantasy " this one reads like YA. The heroine is rash to the point of stupidity. She has more than earned her "red shirt". Unfortunately, the other characters are whiny and rather 2 dimensional so I didn't even care for her "Scooby Gang". So when 1 of them dies, other than wishing it was little miss red shirt, I just didn't care. Not much plot development other than an ill conceived revenge "plan". Definitely Not continuing on in this series.
Dark Creatures is an urban fantasy and the first book in the Dark Creatures saga.
Mature student Narissa has spent ten years trying to convince Blackwatch, human enforcers of peace with vampires, that a vampire killed her father. But no one believes her, so she does all that she can to find the proof herself.
Narissa repeatedly puts herself in danger while she pursues her goal, but her dedication comes at a price; she leads a lonely life with few friends.
With a surprising twist and a fast paced finale, the story is set to continue in book two.
This was an quick book to read with an reasonably interesting storyline, which I hope develops further as the series grows.
Wow! I received this audiobook earlier today and have just finished it! How refreshing not to have loads of sex in a vampire and human relationship! It's a fab audiobook and the narrator was great too! An easy to listen to voice. I also liked the fact that it was set in London. I have downloaded the book as I just can't wait for the audiobook !
This was a solid idea, but is bogged down by technical issues.
None of the characters feel fleshed out. The most insight we get is for Naz, and it's still not that much. It's like they get one thing to define them and that's it. Naz-revenge. Oliver-Blackwatch guy. Calin-goody goody vampire. Rey-witch.
It's unintentional, but Naz isn't likeable. She's obnoxious. I get why she's frustrated, because everyone parrots the "The Blood Pact prevents vampires from killing humans" line over and over as if no one could POSSIBLY break that rule, but she goes about proving it in the worst way possible. And Rey is incredibly naïve to think they can waltz into a vampire den with zero issues because "The Blood Pact will protect us." Come on, now.
There's a Naz chapter, then a Calin one that jumps ahead, but then flashes back to right when Naz's ended. What was the point. It should have started with him leaving Naz, then going to the meeting. The way it is throws off the flow.
The multiple POVs is a waste. Anyone who isn't Naz has a POV to show the reader what's happening when Naz isn't there. This is a lazy way of storytelling. An author should be able to make the reader understand what's going on without having to spell it out for them like this. Especially when we get the villain's POV. And giving Oliver ONE chapter was pointless.
Most of the conflicts were solved too quickly. Naz's issues with her old boss come up once and are gone because Calin threatened him. Rey knows just the place to find Naz's father's murderer and one trip leads to his identity being revealed. Naz kills said murderer through an out of nowhere plot point. I thought the murder mystery would be dragged out for a few books, but no. A few blunders and the answer falls in Naz's lap, then she takes revenge. Ho-hum.
I don't believe I wouldn't be surprised if she shows up later in the series. Which I probably won't continue.
DNF - This had the potential to be great, but there was too much going wrong. Naz is unlikeable. Her revenge plans are ill thought out. There’s not a rule Naz won’t break. I want to read action and drama, not have crazy unreasonable things happen just to have something happening. Adding crazy does not equal exciting. I wanted to like this, but once I took a step back, I had no desire to go back to the confusing and immature world.
I found this really long-winded and quite boring. There are flashes of stuff that might be interesting, but I just don't care enough to keep reading. Got to the bit where they're going to the underground club place, and I just want to yawn. Life is too short to read books you're not getting on with. Sorry.
I could not get into this book at all. It was a bad sign when I had to go back and reread chapter 1 to see if I had missed some bit of vital information that would have made the plot make sense. Alas, no.
This is my first book my the author and it was an entertaining read/listen! This was an interesting start to a series with a neat supernatural world. Vampires (and other creatures) exist and there's an accord to keep them from annihilating and subjugating all humans kept in place by Black Watch. Though, of course there are those that don't really like the rules put in place, and that's why Nas has some issues. Nas is kind of a typical protagonist, because she is on the broke side, rather than wealthy, continuing to go to school to stave off finding a job (same, girl), and she has some daddy issues. Specifically, a vampire didn't follow the accords and brought about the demise of her father when she was younger. Cue some slightly unhealthy coping mechanisms and obsessing over the crime, plus everyone lightly gaslighting her into thinking it was obviously not a vampire. So she fits the mold of a typical urban fantasy female protagonist, and I don't mean that in a bad way. Nas is an interesting character. She has heart, but she is a little misguided in someways (not in a bad way, but in a way that makes her more personable and relatable).
There's like a hint of romance, but I wouldn't really consider this a story with romance. There is also a cliffhanger! So if you don't like those, stop worrying because the series is already complete and in audiobooks, too! This book also has multiple POVs, which I liked because it helped get to know the other characters and their motivations better.
The narrator was new to me and I think she did a good job with all the voices. She did have a stronger accent than I was expecting, but I was able to get used to it quickly, and it really added to the British setting of the story. I listened at 1.2x speed.
Murder, corruption and a broken pact which threatens the peaceful status quo. A great start to this new UF series.
This is the first book in a new Urban Fantasy series from Ella Stone, set in modern day London, UK.
This book is beautifully written and fast paced. I was glued to it and read far into the early hours of the morning because I didn’t want to put it down.
There is a 200 year old pact between humans and vampires. Most humans are blissfully unaware of the supernatural world around them. Vampires no longer hunt but are supplied with blood bags and the occasional live donor. Killing humans is expressly forbidden.
Not all vampires are happy with the status quo. Murders still happen. Naz is searching for the vampire who killed her Father in front of her when she was a teenager. Her desire for revenge is all consuming and controls every decision she has made in the decade since his death.
Her mission takes her into the heart of the Vampire Council, where she encounters the corruption and bloodlust which she had suspected was there but also help and support which she hadn’t expected. Her journey puts her and her friends in mortal danger. Can she find the guilty vampire? Even if she does find him, can she and her friends survive the encounter?
I loved the characters. They are very relatable. The interaction between them is believable. There is good development of all the main characters throughout the book. The world building is excellent and the supernatural elements easy to understand. There is a beautiful, big, shiny hook at the end and I’m definitely being reeled in for book two. It can’t come fast enough.
There was absolutely no way I could have predicted the ending! I was actually flabagasted, totally unexpected but at same time, it makes perfect sense! Talk about a twist, I just love it when I'm caught unaware! I read this book in one sitting, couldn't stop. But let me start from the beginning. Narissa witnessed her father's murder by a vampire 10 years ago but no one believes her, not her father's colleagues in Blackwatch, not her friends, no one, afterall, there was a signed agreement wasn't there? Naz decides to take matters into her own hand, she has to find her father's killer, so she embarks on a dangerous quest to find him, even going so far as to put herself in harm's way. She lies her way into becoming Calin's donor but he's not quite what she expects. When she doesn't get the answers she want, she takes it even further and gets herself into an even worse situation, where all hell breaks out and her friend Rea is attacked. Narissa is a very realistic character, her emotions true, her attitude snarky but determined. I enjoyed reading how she navigates her terrible decisions and their consequences and quite frankly, her irresponsible behaviour and personal need eclipses rational thought. Her friendship with Oliver and Rea are true to life and both are great characters. As she plunges head first into the dangerous world of vampires, she finally finds her father's murder but the outcome is one of the more unpredictable ones I've read! A great start to the series, I'm so ready for book 2!
This book was entrancing. Icouldn't put it down until i finished it. Naz is a broken girl that has to find the vampire that killed her father. She puts not only her life but the lives of her close friends in danger. She has blinders on and cannot see what she is doing. I really felt for her, she comes to the conclusion that her life has not meaning until this mission is completed. She is so like many of us when we put our minds to something and damn the consequences. The story really shows her struggle and the means she will go to to complete it. I loved all the character and how they fit together and enhance Naz'sj story. I was on the edge of my seat when she finally sees the end of her life's mission. Will she succeed or will it end. Just when i think that the story is ending, Ella throws you an amazing totally unexpected turn that leaves you with your mouth hanging out, eyes wide and a "what the hell just happened here". I recommend this story because of how the author uses really life and mixes it with a great fanatsy storyline. I cannot wait to read the next installment.
Our heroine witnessed her father being murdered by a creature that officially doesn't exist. When no one believes her or will help, she sets out to find the killer herself. But the path of vengeance is taxing and can be very costly...
This is book one of the series, so a fine place to start.
This is a fast paced urban adventure series. The story is well written and easy to read with an intriguing setting. I definitely look forward to learning more about it in future books. The characters are also well developed with realistic personalities. Our heroine has some growing up to do as she is rather rash and focused on her revenge, not really thinking through her actions. I am hopeful that she will get a chance to grow in the future books. Otherwise, it might just be a very short series. Overall, a nice introduction and I look forward to seeing where it goes next.
Recommended . I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes
This was an interesting story. It is quite dark due to it's vampiric nature. Narissa swore her fsther was killed by a vampire but nobody believed her. Blackwatch, the compant her father worked for, refused to help as well. So she set out to find the vampire with the scar. She first paid a vampire blood donor to switch places with her so she could get information. She met Calin the vampire who fed from her and they kind of became friends. A she kept searching for answes she found a place where the vamps gathered to on people sent by blackwatch. Naz and her witch friend decided to sneak in, that was a mistake. Once inside Naz couldn't believe her eyes. It was more like a revel. Wild things were happening and it didn't seem that the blood pact was keeping the vamps in check either. Then she saw the one shhe was looking for but that's when the trouble started. The story was kind of slow going but the ending was very eventful and surprising.
What a fantastic read! I am so impressed with the depth of the characters in this book...not just the FMC & MMC, but supporting ones as well. Not only do the characters respond to situations realistically, but Ella definitely has the ability to literally transport you into the story with her!
This book surprised me at the end...which isn't always easy to do... and I loved it! I cannot wait to read the next one in the series and I highly recommend this one if you want a book that is: Easy to read (and listen to), hard to put down, & has a well-thought out and executed plot!
Narration-Elyse is my favorite narrator and she did not disappoint with this one! She has a way of bringing the characters to life with inflection. Any book narrated by her will be amazing!
Overall, it's a good story. Naz (Narissa) has been looking for her father's killer for ten years. She has no real friends, but her acquaintances from Blackwatch, Oliver and Rey, are good substitutes even though they don't believe her claims about her father's murder. Things never seem to work out quite the way Naz would like but this title brings together many of the elements from the Dark Creatures Prequel Collection. I wonder where the next title will lead.
Action-packed. Entertaining. Great world building. Haunting. Scary. Tragic. Twisted. Unpredictable. Wonderful characters.
I received a review copy of this book from a third party. This is my honest review.
This book pretty much runs full speed into the story line and I really enjoyed it. The main character is out to avenge her fathers' death from a vampire, which everyone says is impossible due to a 'blood pact', between humans and vampires, that has been in place for hundreds of years. So she has to do everything on the sly, with the help of her best friend, a witch, and her best friend and ex, an agent of the human group set up to protect humans and make sure the pact stays intact. It was exciting to the end, which is, of course, a cliffhanger, so I'm off to grab the next book! * I was given a copy for an honest [always] review *
This is a great start to a new series. The FMC, Naz is consumed with finding the vampire who killed her father, despite a centuries old pact forbidding vampires from committing these types of crimes. I enjoyed that there are multiple supernatural factions at play in this gritty urban fantasy. Surprisingly, one of Naz’s secret supporters turns out to be a vampire named Calin, who begins to question everything he has been told over the years. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next book.
Vampires, witches and wolf shifters...oh my! No really this first book was a great introduction into all the types of characters I enjoy. Well, I will say I still haven't made up my mind about Narissa yet. She is very me oriented without the thought of how her actions will affect others. So, I will need to see how the next book goes. But bypass my personal feelings on Narissa and I have all positive remarks on how much I enjoyed this first book in a series that I seriously think is going to just keep better.
I read the book over a period of 2 days. The reader is drawn right in to the story. It is told from the different characters perspectives. This was confusing at times, I had to go back and reread to try and figure out what the character was talking about. I do not want to give away any of the story but when you get towards the last part, I was totally lost and confused. Keep reading though because it will make some sense but the author is still very stingy with the explanations. And this of course was to get you to buy the next book in the series. So I give the end of the story 2 stars.
Dark creatures by Ella Stone. The dark creatures saga book 1. London. Narissa Knight is obsessed with revenge. For ten years, the twenty-five-year-old has hunted for the vampire that murdered her father. Desperate to put an end to her futile search, she resorts to offering herself up as a meal to the bloodsucker elite. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Read In one sitting. I loved Narissa and Calin. Can't wait for the next book. 5*.
I will say this book has a pretty good twist near the end, and worth finishing the book for. The heroine of this book has experienced so much loss already and is on a destructive path of vengeance. She feels alone, even though she has two good friends. They just don't believe her. Most of the book is a slow burn, with a few points of action. Personally I most likely will not be continuing this series, but it is well written with good character development.
This is an awesome start to a new series and it is basically a one stop shop for the paranormal fix you might be craving. This has a youthful approach and a freshness to the writing style that is quite delightful and the romance part is a slow burn and tastefully done. The characters will astound you and at times that youthful attitude will have you either grinding your teeth or cheering them in the thick of things.
This fast-paced urban fantasy kicks off with Narissa's relentless pursuit of justice for her father's death, believed to be at the hands of a vampire. With a gripping blend of danger, deception, and supernatural intrigue, the story weaves a compelling tale of loyalty and betrayal. Narissa’s determination, the fugitive witch’s addition, and family secrets keep readers hooked, setting up an exhilarating saga for fans of vampire thrillers and urban fantasy adventures!
What would you do if no one believed a vampire killed your dad, even though you'd witnessed it?
Naz takes matters in her own hands. She makes bad decision after bad decision, but a lot of that stems from having nobody to trust or to confide in.
I enjoyed this story. The plot was different from your normal vampire book. The characters were all flawed and could use more depth, but they have potential.
I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next in the series.