Book Review: "The Darkening Dream" by Andy Gavin

The Darkening Dream is the chilling new dark fantasy novel by Andy Gavin, creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter.

Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs.

1913, Salem, Massachusetts - Sarah Engelmann's life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand.
With the help of Alex, a Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex's elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah's own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah's continuing visions reveal?
No less than Gabriel's Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be herself. - from Amazon.com

I find it hard to sit here and think of what I need to say about this story. I originally picked it up on a whim based on the story synopsis, and that the cover actually looked interesting, and not some quick, generic-picture photoshop the author did to put it out on the market. It sat on my "to read" list for quite some time, until I started seeing that a few other people I know had started reading it, and I had to jump on the band wagon so we could share/swap ideas about the story.

I was a bit put off at first, as it takes place in the early 1900's, and I am not one for historical fiction. But aside from the time era it takes place, and the location (Salem, Mass. of famed witch trials) that is about as "historical" as it gets. Bring in the religions, myths of vampires, throw in some Egyptian gods of old, and a bit of scare, then you'll find yourself drawn into the story, as I was. 

When I reached the end, I felt a bit upset. To me, there seemed to be something that just left me feeling like a was hanging in the wind. Maybe it was intentional from the author, to leave an opening for a continuation story...? Either way, I felt a tad angry at that feeling as the final page appeared (unexpectedly I might add). It has been quite some time that I have felt this much at the end of a story. Otherwise, was truly well-written in combining many forms of belief in the fight of Good versus Evil. Would love to see a possible continuation, but haven't seen any additional information of such at this time.