Perfect for fans of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, this intriguing urban fantasy follows the story of Kat Chanter, who discovers that the world she knows is controlled by ancient creatures who feed on blood. And she might just be one of them …
Lately things have been getting weird for pathology technician Kat Chanter. She’s been craving raw meat, and having dreams so realistic they’re scary. When she accepts a job offer from the prestigious Hema Castus Research Institute, she hopes she’ll have the chance to discover what’s wrong with her, but instead, her move to New York thrusts her headlong into a treacherous hidden world, where the wrong move could be fatal…
Tarot, witchcraft and astrology all take on a frightening resonance in Dark Child’s richly imagined alternative reality where vampiric beings live among us, hidden by magic. Dark romance tangles with paranormal fantasy and page-turning suspense in this enthralling tale of ‘dark child’ Kat Chanter, half-human and half-vampire, who has woken an ancient prophecy and must face a formidable destiny.
My Rating: 
The premise of Dark Child was fairly appealing, though its execution left much to be desired. It started off very slowly and couldn’t keep my attention – to the point where it took me two weeks to finally finish reading it. I wasn’t invested in any of the characters and there was virtually no character growth; Kat was far too passive and willing to accept whatever she was told, the love interests (because of course there had to be a love triangle) were subject to the typical hero and bad boy archetypes, and the villain didn’t even seem that bad. It wasn’t until halfway through the book, when the unalil were introduced, that the action picked up and I became interested enough to read to the end. Unfortunately, the ending was quite abrupt: nothing was really resolved, leaving me with a feeling of disappointment and more questions than answers.
Despite this, Dark Child possessed a few redeeming qualities. Shape-shifters and vampires are quite prominent in paranormal fiction, and West managed to provide a fresh take on these supernatural beings and the legends and lore surrounding them. If I hadn’t been told that Dark Child was originally released in five episodes, I wouldn’t have guessed it: there were no obvious breaks or awkward transitions.
Overall, while Dark Child was much different from The Mortal Instruments, it was very similar to many other paranormal novels that I’ve read: cliched, enjoyable at times, and completely forgettable.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
