When Darkness Begins
If you could change time to save your first love—even
if it meant turning your back on the universe—would you?
It is time for the Vechey youth to earn their place as
time-guardians. The near-immortal Vechey protect the universe from the
devastating Manipulators—devourers of souls, mindless seekers of chaos. First,
the youth must survive a mysterious and deadly ritual created by the
all-powerful clan leader Eterili. Having regenerated thousands of times with the
birth of each universe, Eterili is taking this one as hers and bending all in
it to her grand designs.
Catha’s time-slipping skills are underdeveloped. She
is time-blind—unable to see through time, unable to protect herself from the
ritual. The Vechey shun her for being different. Her parents ignore her as
if she were already dead.
Aithagg loves Catha
unconditionally and will do anything to save her. He tries desperately to
unlock the ritual’s mysteries and find a way to help Catha survive with him. Or
will saving Catha enable the Manipulators to destroy the universe?
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My Review
When Darkness Begins is a fascinating read. It's a sci-fi/fantasy prequel (can be read as a standalone), but it's also more than that. It's an emotional (at times) coming of age story . It's YA with "vampires", if you will, but it's also a well-written, engaging read that will draw you in and leave you breathless.
Romance, time-travel, and immersive world-building blend together to create a story that will thrill readers who enjoy a vivid, imaginative imagery, and a complex storyline.
While it did take me a little bit to get into, I did enjoy it, and I found myself drawn in to a unique world where "vampires" are tasked with protecting time from those who seek to destroy it. There are multiple timelines, and the story follows a few different characters, but it's relatively easy to keep track of and follow along with.
Fans of YA sci-fi/fantasy stories will like this one.
4 stars!
Author Bio
–
Tina O’Hailey is a professor in animation and game programming, caver
and occasional mapper of grim, wet, twisty caves (if she owes a friend a favor
or loses a bet), whose passion is to be secluded on a mountain and to write
whilst surrounded by small, furry dogs and hot coffee. Tina was once struck by
lightning.
She has served as an artistic trainer for Walt Disney Feature Animation,
Dreamworks and Electronic Arts. Any movie credit she has is minimal and usually
found in the special thanks section. The meager credits do not account for the
great honor it was to teach talented artists who worked on numerous feature
films and games.
She has authored animation textbooks “Rig it Right” and “Hybrid
Animation” published by Focal Press and the Darkness Universe novels “Absolute
Darkness” and “When Darkness Begins” published by Black Rose Writing.
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