Darkness and Light
Author
Kathryn Nichole
Publisher
Outskirts Press
No Review Copies Left
Cristian West, a famous artist, doesn't understand why his mind is haunted by an image of a very beautiful woman. He sees her constantly in his thoughts and feels as though he knows her. One day, during an exhibit of his new masterpiece, he sees the woman that he thought only existed in his mind in the flesh. What Cristian doesn't know is that the past and the present are about to collide and his life will never be the same again.
Reviews
Reviewed on 02/03/2012 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Pamela Leffler
Reviewed on 11/07/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Charity Nadeau
Reviewed on 07/24/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Jessica Goodard
Being a famous artist, someone that people adore and admire isn’t enough for Cristian West. He is haunted by the face of a woman that he is sure he has met before but for the life of him, he has no idea when or where. His obsession causes him to spend countless hours creating a masterpiece, a portrait of this mysterious woman, as beautiful as she is haunting. For the most part, he is satisfied with capturing this woman in his art, Cristian has no idea that by doing so, the past and present are about to meet and when they do, his life will forever be changed.
This book begins as a typical romance does. Man is in love with mystery woman he is sure he knows but cannot place and is determined to find. But there the typical becomes the atypical. The story takes a turn that even the most seasoned of readers will not expect, unless they are forewarned or read a review which reveals all, which this one will not do.
The mystery woman, by the name of Sage has a past, and a fascinating one it is the reader and Cristian will both find out. It is a past that none could imagine and then again, it is a past that fit’s the book just as well as Cristian fits Sage within his mind. It is haunting, surprising, frightening, thrilling and even sad, but what it is not is ordinary.
Though this book with it’s characters of Sage and her friends, who also refer to her as “Queen” is somewhat a book that plays on the “theme of the day“…vampires. It removes itself from the same, by taking this much used (and often misused) theme and twisting it in a way that even this reviewer did not foresee. While vampires are very important to this book and play a large part of the story, there is a story behind the story. There is emotion that the reader feels of lost love, life changes, longing, and even love that is behind the scenes.
When danger from Sage’s past enters the picture, Cristian finds himself in danger as is expected (and quite neatly done) within this book. What happens next in the book is not this reviewer’s to reveal. To do so, would steal from the reader, the anticipation and discovery of some of the most well written parts of this book. For this is not a book that can be put into a typical “vampire story” mold. It is much more than that. Those who read this will come away with a feeling deep inside that only they can describe, if they can even find words for it. And the lessons learned within this book will affect each reader in a different way. I have no doubt that my young niece will find a lesson within it’s pages that I did not, just as the lesson I discovered may be missed by my niece. For this book is a book that can speak to a wide audience, each reluctantly closing it to ponder the story within.
The author Kathryn Nichole has done a wonderful job of taking a much written about subject, vampires and made it new within the pages of her book. I would recommend this book for not only young adult readers but those who are older as well. For as much as the story is interesting and mesmerizing. It is also one which will grasp the reader and haunt him/her afterwards. Well done Ms Nichole. I applaud your book and highly recommend it for any reader who enjoys vampire stories but wants something a bit more than the standard fare.
Reviewed on 06/26/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Susan Pettrone
This story touches back into the past to show us the strong attraction of love at first sight. It shows how those in our lives can interfere with our choices in love and cause more heartache for all involved. This was the case for Sage, whom back in that past time, had the love of her life stolen from her and was turned by her father, into a vampire against her will for survival. Sage returned to Egypt where she took up her place in line as Queen of the Vampires, as her family was eliminated by hunters.
Sage gains a new family for herself when she adopts other vampires into her home and even though she is reclusive still from her lost love, she finds comfort with them. However, after many years have passed, she feels a ‘pull’ to return to New York, which is where she lost the love of her life. At this time, Cristian West, a well-known artist, is just about to release his recent work. His newest masterpiece features a haunting image of a young woman from his thoughts. It bewilders him as he is not sure if he has seen this woman previously or if she is a figment of his imagination. His answer arrives when he presents the portrait at his gala event.
Sage and her coven are in attendance at Cristian’s gala and she is taken by surprise when Cristian unveils his new portrait, as it is in her likeness. When Sage notices Cristian, she is amazed as she feels she is glimpsing her long lost love. What Sage comes to realize is even though she has reunited with the lost soul of her old love, is that she still is not truly happy or at peace, especially when many near-death events occur after reuniting with Cristian. She learns that the love of her life was actually in front of her all along.
“Darkness and Light” by Kathryn Nichole does feature a wonderful tale of lost love, hate and discrimination. This story does indeed show that love conquers all, is sometimes found in the most unlikely places and often right in front of us. Nichole does manage to capture the emotions of the heart as well as how others can be un-accepting of those we choose to love. While I enjoyed this story, I found that the dialog between the characters was rather sloppy and not very smooth to follow. This made it harder to understand and get a good grasp on what the character was thinking, feeling or even saying; which could cost her on this story. I say this as I was very close to putting the book down as I found myself re-reading lines as I was unable to track what was occurring at times. As this tale is open to a sequel, I am hoping that Kathryn Nichole will clean up the dialog by breaking it out as it is normally portrayed; as well as paragraph breaks when switching to other ‘scenes’ when featuring others in the story.
Reviewed on 06/06/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Ann Hauer
“Darkness and Light”, takes readers on a journey of forbidden love, loss, and letting go. It was love at first sight for Sage, a native of Barbados, and a young post Colonial boy, Christian. Not only was there love hindered by the fact the they were of different races, they were hindered by the fact that Sage was the daughter of vampires, soon to become one herself. Soon we find ourselves transported to the modern day world where we meet with Christian who is now an artist captivated by the image of a beautiful woman. The woman of his paintings has held his thoughts prisoner, as he wonders who she is. Finally he spots the Sage, will they be able to correct the wrongs of the past, or will they forever just be a distant memory floating through the depths of their mind? Kathryn Nichole has a knack for knowing what’s hip in the world of writing and has produced a story of love & loss that spans the generations. Her characters are well rounded and her plot thoroughly carried out in rich detail, she has also included vampires which will be a selling point.
Reviewed on 04/16/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Angela Simmons
