Rainbow Reviews

BOOK BLURB:
Kicked out of his house by his father and stepmother so he won't infect anyone with his gayness, Daniel is a little adrift. He has plenty of doubts about the gay life, too, until he meets Roderick, who teaches him that there are a lot stranger things in the world than men who love men. Roderick has designs on Daniel, but they're far from honorable, which Daniel soon figures out to his dismay.

Enter DeVante, Roderick's creator, who's furious about Roderick's treatment of Daniel. Between learning about his new world and a family emergency that pits Daniel against his estranged family, Daniel has a lot to deal with. Finally, Daniel must decide who he is, what he wants, and if he's willing to sacrifice human life to get it.

BOOK REVIEW:
“DeVante’s Children” by S.M. Johnson is an excellent paranormal story dealing with vampires. The characters are all fully developed with histories, passions, and idiosyncrasies.

The main character, Daniel, is a young man drowning his emotional hurt with drugs and self-destruction. He is willful yet naïve, intelligent yet foolish, impulsive yet cautious. In short, Daniel is a typical young man finding his way in the world, after being unfairly treated by his family. His internal turmoil in dealing with the many challenges and curious events that befall him is a realistic and engaging one. He is an intriguing character.

Roderick is the other main character and a fascinating creature. He, like all the vampires in this tale, is in turns seductive and very scary. He is enamored of Daniel, but he is also a creature of prey, and Daniel is food. This conflict, for Roderick, is his weak spot and is almost the undoing of both of them.

All the various vampires are well defined. They have complete back-stories that reveal a lot about each of them. They all walk a fine line between civilized and monster. Unlike a lot of vampire stories in which the vampire is portrayed as seductive and superhuman, these ones are actually scary. Their desire to not only feed but enjoy the hunt, like a cat plays with a mouse, really emphasized their inherent danger.

The story is well written and the plot moves along at a quick pace. There are a couple of plot arcs that develop over the course of the tale, and it is interesting to see how they all get tied together. There is enough here that it reads like an epic tale, just not as long.

This is a great paranormal story, and a lot of fun! Enjoy

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