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Descending Dawn: City Of The Dead: Volume One
Vampires have come out of the shadows but are illegal everywhere except Georgia, where they have congregated in the city of Acheron. When vampire-hating detective Iliana Dawn is assigned a case involving “Fangers,” as she calls them, she reluctantly accepts assistance from one of the despised group. Little does she know the deadly repercussions this case will have for her...
271 pages, Paperback
Published February 11, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 12, 2022
This was much better than I expected but I had a few issues with it.
I have to say, apart from a few things a good editor should have caught this was very much on par with much more successful books in the genre.
While I like the cover in itself, it lead to very different expectations than what is actually in the book.
The cover gives the impression of a story that leans much more on zombie tropes and gives off (post-)apocalyptic vibes. But this first book at least is very much a vampire story not only in name but also in how vampirism and vampire society works. This was lucky for me because I actually prefer stories like this but the cover might lead to wrong expectations.
The blurb from Amazon:
"Vampires have come out of the shadows but are illegal everywhere except Georgia, where they have congregated in the city of Acheron. When vampire-hating detective Iliana Dawn is assigned a case involving “Fangers,” as she calls them, she reluctantly accepts assistance from one of the despised groups. Little does she know the deadly repercussions this case will have for her..."
It's a story about vampires having lived among humans in secret for thousands of years but some time before this book takes place they outed themselves to the public. There is a whole ecosystem of blood-providing services and even synthetic blood on the horizon.
The MC is a police detective and gets caught up in an investigation that involves vampires which also pulls her into various political shenanigans of vampire society. Most of the vampire politics stay a mystery in this book and it's mainly about the MC and the case but it seems very much like this will change in later volumes and I for one am intrigued.
This book does all sorts of things that imo only help to make it more difficult to follow the story.
This is very much a linear story in which we encounter new characters at a reasonable pace which is easily interesting enough at any given point to keep the reader's attention. And it could be easily told linearly. Instead, it's kind of a mix between a diary and an autobiography the MC wrote as an unreliable narrator with various false starts aborted thoughts which kind of spoils the entire story outline from the get-go.
It makes it much harder to follow the story because we jump between ominous and sometimes vague prophetic-sounding interludes, current time, and the actual story that the author is trying to tell.
This brings all kinds of drawbacks with it without actually having any benefit.
Now I suddenly have to remember a lot more characters at once and I also have to keep straight which character belongs in which time period.
There are all kinds of very heavy-handed foreshadowing going on. Calling it foresledgehammering might be more accurate though.
The book takes away many of its plot twists from the very start which makes a story that would've been very interesting and intriguing on its own into a waiting game to finally catch up with all the major events we have already been told beforehand.
Maybe this is just my personal preference for linear stories and a dislike of unnecessary complications. All this unnecessary fluff just lead to a lot of eye-rolling on my part.
It kind of feels like someone printing his book in font size 6 but leaving enough blank space between lines so it doesn't even save on paper. It's just tedious to read.
A lot of the things the author does there are writing tools more commonly used in epic fantasy world-building, and to me, it seems like the author just imitated those without actually understanding their purpose because none of them added anything substantial to the world, the plot, or the characters.
Another problem that caught my attention was the need of the author to justify world-building among other things. It made it a lot more awkward instead of less so. The most glaring example was the MC explaining something to another character so we, the readers, could learn about it. This might have been slightly strange because you might have expected the other character to already know this but any seasoned reader very clearly recognizes the purpose of this so it's not a big deal. But instead, the MC points out that she knows that the other person also already knows but that she will repeat the entire thing to him again knowing he already knows anyway. In the end, all this does is draw attention to this world-building device and make it painfully obvious.
There are a few more examples of this weird kind of overjustification and overexplaining of things that should've been left as low-key as possible.
Now, both these points are mostly just nitpicking, the latter even more so than the former. They are really not anything major but I still wanted to express them.
My biggest gripe is the ending. There are two related twists at the end one of which is not predictable (imo) and the other I saw coming very early on. This in itself was a bit disappointing but not too surprising considering the story spoiled basically everything else with its weird format.
But what really annoyed me was not the plot but the non-stop flood of utter stupidity that came out of nowhere just to allow for some more drama within the story climax. It's completely unnecessary and instead of ramping up the tension it just caused a whole lot of eye-rolling on my part. Not only is it unnecessary and frustrating but it also goes against everything we have learned about these characters and their competence and fighting prowess so far. It's kind of like if tony stark would've gotten beaten up and almost killed by a few street punks while wearing his fully functioning iron man suit. But muh drama I guess.
While this was obviously very frustrating to me it was really only a very small part of the story as a whole.
One last gripe and then I am really done, I promise. The MC is very cagy about her own past and why she hates vampires but at the very end a lot of this past is unceremoniously info dumped onto the reader. Some of it came completely out of the blue. It seems like the author held back all that back story in the hopes of being able to use it with some impact later on but then he was already done with the story so he just had to kind of get rid of that info. This came across as lazy and I wouldn't have minded if he kept at least some of it for the second book.
I will most likely read the second book if it ever comes out. You never know with small authors like this.
It's a KU freebie and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that is interested in the premise.
I have to say, apart from a few things a good editor should have caught this was very much on par with much more successful books in the genre.
While I like the cover in itself, it lead to very different expectations than what is actually in the book.
The cover gives the impression of a story that leans much more on zombie tropes and gives off (post-)apocalyptic vibes. But this first book at least is very much a vampire story not only in name but also in how vampirism and vampire society works. This was lucky for me because I actually prefer stories like this but the cover might lead to wrong expectations.
The blurb from Amazon:
"Vampires have come out of the shadows but are illegal everywhere except Georgia, where they have congregated in the city of Acheron. When vampire-hating detective Iliana Dawn is assigned a case involving “Fangers,” as she calls them, she reluctantly accepts assistance from one of the despised groups. Little does she know the deadly repercussions this case will have for her..."
It's a story about vampires having lived among humans in secret for thousands of years but some time before this book takes place they outed themselves to the public. There is a whole ecosystem of blood-providing services and even synthetic blood on the horizon.
The MC is a police detective and gets caught up in an investigation that involves vampires which also pulls her into various political shenanigans of vampire society. Most of the vampire politics stay a mystery in this book and it's mainly about the MC and the case but it seems very much like this will change in later volumes and I for one am intrigued.
This book does all sorts of things that imo only help to make it more difficult to follow the story.
This is very much a linear story in which we encounter new characters at a reasonable pace which is easily interesting enough at any given point to keep the reader's attention. And it could be easily told linearly. Instead, it's kind of a mix between a diary and an autobiography the MC wrote as an unreliable narrator with various false starts aborted thoughts which kind of spoils the entire story outline from the get-go.
It makes it much harder to follow the story because we jump between ominous and sometimes vague prophetic-sounding interludes, current time, and the actual story that the author is trying to tell.
This brings all kinds of drawbacks with it without actually having any benefit.
Now I suddenly have to remember a lot more characters at once and I also have to keep straight which character belongs in which time period.
There are all kinds of very heavy-handed foreshadowing going on. Calling it foresledgehammering might be more accurate though.
The book takes away many of its plot twists from the very start which makes a story that would've been very interesting and intriguing on its own into a waiting game to finally catch up with all the major events we have already been told beforehand.
Maybe this is just my personal preference for linear stories and a dislike of unnecessary complications. All this unnecessary fluff just lead to a lot of eye-rolling on my part.
It kind of feels like someone printing his book in font size 6 but leaving enough blank space between lines so it doesn't even save on paper. It's just tedious to read.
A lot of the things the author does there are writing tools more commonly used in epic fantasy world-building, and to me, it seems like the author just imitated those without actually understanding their purpose because none of them added anything substantial to the world, the plot, or the characters.
Another problem that caught my attention was the need of the author to justify world-building among other things. It made it a lot more awkward instead of less so. The most glaring example was the MC explaining something to another character so we, the readers, could learn about it. This might have been slightly strange because you might have expected the other character to already know this but any seasoned reader very clearly recognizes the purpose of this so it's not a big deal. But instead, the MC points out that she knows that the other person also already knows but that she will repeat the entire thing to him again knowing he already knows anyway. In the end, all this does is draw attention to this world-building device and make it painfully obvious.
There are a few more examples of this weird kind of overjustification and overexplaining of things that should've been left as low-key as possible.
Now, both these points are mostly just nitpicking, the latter even more so than the former. They are really not anything major but I still wanted to express them.
My biggest gripe is the ending. There are two related twists at the end one of which is not predictable (imo) and the other I saw coming very early on. This in itself was a bit disappointing but not too surprising considering the story spoiled basically everything else with its weird format.
But what really annoyed me was not the plot but the non-stop flood of utter stupidity that came out of nowhere just to allow for some more drama within the story climax. It's completely unnecessary and instead of ramping up the tension it just caused a whole lot of eye-rolling on my part. Not only is it unnecessary and frustrating but it also goes against everything we have learned about these characters and their competence and fighting prowess so far. It's kind of like if tony stark would've gotten beaten up and almost killed by a few street punks while wearing his fully functioning iron man suit. But muh drama I guess.
While this was obviously very frustrating to me it was really only a very small part of the story as a whole.
One last gripe and then I am really done, I promise. The MC is very cagy about her own past and why she hates vampires but at the very end a lot of this past is unceremoniously info dumped onto the reader. Some of it came completely out of the blue. It seems like the author held back all that back story in the hopes of being able to use it with some impact later on but then he was already done with the story so he just had to kind of get rid of that info. This came across as lazy and I wouldn't have minded if he kept at least some of it for the second book.
I will most likely read the second book if it ever comes out. You never know with small authors like this.
It's a KU freebie and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that is interested in the premise.
March 13, 2023
Throughly enjoyed the storyline and read
June 10, 2022
Good read
I really enjoyed this book. Must say I didn't like the main character much at first but she grew on me in the end. A good murder mystery with vampires with lots of hints of other things so I am hoping and looking forward to more
I really enjoyed this book. Must say I didn't like the main character much at first but she grew on me in the end. A good murder mystery with vampires with lots of hints of other things so I am hoping and looking forward to more
September 27, 2022
love the book .. great story with great twist at the end ... oh dawn im excited for the second book
February 3, 2023
You'd imagine that every day you stepped out, amidst the hustle and bustle of a metropolis, you'd only have to deal with your busy schedule, time and traffic, and of course, different kinds of individual characters, but the one thing you missed out would be that you'd be sharing your city, with the undead.............. Yes, with vampires.
E. W. Robert's Descending Dawn (City of The Dead), is a gripping fantasy crime fiction, of Acheron, a city where vampires lived and walked amongst men, unbeknownst to most people. It tells of how Iliana Dawn, a woman with her own demons from her past, must use her skills as a detective to penetrate the vampire world, in search of answers to a murder she's investigating. What horror-laced truths would she uncover? What lengths would she go to, to uncover the truth, and how much would she overcome her demons, or perhaps, fall further to the caprices of new ones?
Descending Dawn is a testament of an author, who is a genius in the art of emotional manipulation. This book bears all of the suspense, mystery, and plot twists of a great crime story, but the author blows the reader out of the water, by merging it with the intrigue and action of fantasy fiction, making this book guaranteed to keep readers turning the page. I precisely enjoyed the teaming up between Knight and Dawn in the pursuit of answers to the spiral of mysteries, but all the while, each sought to pursue their agenda, through collaboration. I also enjoyed the transition from one key character to another in the story, and how they all complemented one another through the course of the tale.
Another key factor that led to the overall enjoyment of this book, was the simplicity of tone and language, across the entire storyline. The author keeps it straightforward, and comprehensible. This is an important feature not many fantasy fiction novels boast, let alone, fantasy crime fiction. Descending Dawn was also thoroughly and professionally edited, ensuring that there were no grammatical or punctuation errors, which made for a smooth reading experience.
E.W. Roberts makes quick work of fantasy crime fiction with this emphatic piece. A great addition to any bookshelf, and a book to be enjoyed by lovers of crime and action thrillers, mystery and fantasy fiction, and even horror stories. And if you thought this is as good as it gets, then wait until Roberts writes volume two, (and I hope, real soon) as this was just volume one.
E. W. Robert's Descending Dawn (City of The Dead), is a gripping fantasy crime fiction, of Acheron, a city where vampires lived and walked amongst men, unbeknownst to most people. It tells of how Iliana Dawn, a woman with her own demons from her past, must use her skills as a detective to penetrate the vampire world, in search of answers to a murder she's investigating. What horror-laced truths would she uncover? What lengths would she go to, to uncover the truth, and how much would she overcome her demons, or perhaps, fall further to the caprices of new ones?
Descending Dawn is a testament of an author, who is a genius in the art of emotional manipulation. This book bears all of the suspense, mystery, and plot twists of a great crime story, but the author blows the reader out of the water, by merging it with the intrigue and action of fantasy fiction, making this book guaranteed to keep readers turning the page. I precisely enjoyed the teaming up between Knight and Dawn in the pursuit of answers to the spiral of mysteries, but all the while, each sought to pursue their agenda, through collaboration. I also enjoyed the transition from one key character to another in the story, and how they all complemented one another through the course of the tale.
Another key factor that led to the overall enjoyment of this book, was the simplicity of tone and language, across the entire storyline. The author keeps it straightforward, and comprehensible. This is an important feature not many fantasy fiction novels boast, let alone, fantasy crime fiction. Descending Dawn was also thoroughly and professionally edited, ensuring that there were no grammatical or punctuation errors, which made for a smooth reading experience.
E.W. Roberts makes quick work of fantasy crime fiction with this emphatic piece. A great addition to any bookshelf, and a book to be enjoyed by lovers of crime and action thrillers, mystery and fantasy fiction, and even horror stories. And if you thought this is as good as it gets, then wait until Roberts writes volume two, (and I hope, real soon) as this was just volume one.
February 18, 2023
E. W. Robert's Descending Dawn (Vol.1) is a fantasy crime fiction thriller, about the city of Acheron, dubbed the City of the Dead. He tells a riveting story of a city where vampires have lived and died and lived again, and how their world which had for centuries been kept hidden and exclusive from human knowledge, might now be in danger of having all of that loss.
The book centers around the journey a young woman must undertake, in the effort to discharge her duties and unravel a murder and the trail of evidence would lead her like Alice, into wonderland.... only that this was not any kind of wonderland but the world of fangers, of Lichs and Revenants and Strigois, and of course the very rare to find Ancients. She must then find a person who knows how the vampire world lives and breathes to guide her through this journey of discovery and hope that she doesn't herself become the next murder being investigated.
Roberts in no small way, wrote a terrific story in Descending Dawn, as he right about encapsulates everything you can hope to find in a great novel. Top notch plot and characters, a pulsating storyline, simple and yet awesome language and tone, throughout the book.
A lot of credit should also be given to the editing team, whose meticulous editing skills meant that there was not one error in the novel, making it all the more enjoyable to read.
Some of the best parts of this novel for me, would be Iliana's escapades with Knight, and how constantly close she was with danger and possibly death, and still wouldn't relent. Maybe she was just bluntly stubborn, or maybe she was more confident in Knight's capacity to protect her than she was even willing to realize.
It goes without saying that Roberts writes a novel of immense value, both for entertaining as well as intriguing the mind.
A book that'd be enjoyed by all, but precisely lovers of crime thrillers, fantasy fiction, suspense, and danger with a fine measure of horror in between. Descending Dawn meets all of the criteria and some more.
And the best part of it is that Roberts is back again, with volume two.
The book centers around the journey a young woman must undertake, in the effort to discharge her duties and unravel a murder and the trail of evidence would lead her like Alice, into wonderland.... only that this was not any kind of wonderland but the world of fangers, of Lichs and Revenants and Strigois, and of course the very rare to find Ancients. She must then find a person who knows how the vampire world lives and breathes to guide her through this journey of discovery and hope that she doesn't herself become the next murder being investigated.
Roberts in no small way, wrote a terrific story in Descending Dawn, as he right about encapsulates everything you can hope to find in a great novel. Top notch plot and characters, a pulsating storyline, simple and yet awesome language and tone, throughout the book.
A lot of credit should also be given to the editing team, whose meticulous editing skills meant that there was not one error in the novel, making it all the more enjoyable to read.
Some of the best parts of this novel for me, would be Iliana's escapades with Knight, and how constantly close she was with danger and possibly death, and still wouldn't relent. Maybe she was just bluntly stubborn, or maybe she was more confident in Knight's capacity to protect her than she was even willing to realize.
It goes without saying that Roberts writes a novel of immense value, both for entertaining as well as intriguing the mind.
A book that'd be enjoyed by all, but precisely lovers of crime thrillers, fantasy fiction, suspense, and danger with a fine measure of horror in between. Descending Dawn meets all of the criteria and some more.
And the best part of it is that Roberts is back again, with volume two.
October 26, 2025
Descending Dawn City Of The Dead hooked me right away. Iliana Dawn is a detective who absolutely does not trust vampires, yet she is suddenly forced to work side by side with one in a city where the undead are legal only within its borders. I really enjoyed how her tough attitude clashes with the world she is investigating. The tension feels real and the danger grows with every step of the case.
The story mixes crime, mystery, and supernatural elements in a way that makes it impossible to stop reading. You can feel that the case she takes on will change everything for her. I am already excited to see where the next part of this series goes.
A dark and thrilling start to what promises to be an incredible vampire series.
The story mixes crime, mystery, and supernatural elements in a way that makes it impossible to stop reading. You can feel that the case she takes on will change everything for her. I am already excited to see where the next part of this series goes.
A dark and thrilling start to what promises to be an incredible vampire series.
October 11, 2023
Vampire story worth reading no sex scenes what?
If you looking for a good mystery vampire story without sex scenes. One thing I don't get if your a detective in the police force your gun shots should be spot on. Detective Dawn seemed to miss more than I would deem realistic. I also would of like a sex scene or two but that's just my thing.
If you looking for a good mystery vampire story without sex scenes. One thing I don't get if your a detective in the police force your gun shots should be spot on. Detective Dawn seemed to miss more than I would deem realistic. I also would of like a sex scene or two but that's just my thing.
May 8, 2024
A new twist on the detective vampire
What would you do if you could right wrongs, punish evil? Would you only punish the ones you caught or would you turn them over for justice?
What would you do if you could right wrongs, punish evil? Would you only punish the ones you caught or would you turn them over for justice?
June 15, 2024
It made me cringe over and over. It is sloppy writing at best. Absolutely not my kind of book.
I have to say: avoid at all costs.
(Please forgive my poor English, my excuse is I’m Swedish)
I have to say: avoid at all costs.
(Please forgive my poor English, my excuse is I’m Swedish)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews