Customer Reviews

Sanctuary of Darkness

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In his first year of life and after the untimely death of his father, Titus McGuire along with his sister and mother move to England with his new stepfather in the year 1582. Unfortunately his stepfather is a retched man. His marriage to Titus' mother had been arranged and after bearing her new husband a son - he tires of her. Years later Titus witnesses the death of his mother and sister at his stepfather's hands - burned at the stake for conspiring against the church.

Titus desires a life of his own as well as a bride. Unfortunately, he is denied at every turn until Titus' suddenly finds himself smitten with his stepbrother's fiancé. Deciding to risk everything, Titus escapes his life of bondage for true love but is haunted by dreams and visions of another woman pulling him back home. Soon he is torn between his love for his wife and his enchanting dream girl - he must choose and his choice lays the foundation for a series of events that Titus may regret for centuries to come.

Written under the pen name of Titus McGuire, the first half of Sanctuary of Darknessis a strong story of forbidden love and betrayal. I was reminded of the way Ken Follett sets up his novels with characters which desire to be together yet are denied at every turn. The tension between Titus, the stepfather, stepbrother, and two love interests is a compelling read. However, the second half of the story, once Titus becomes a vampire, takes a different turn. The story remains a compelling read, but the relationship tension that drove the first half of the novel gives way to the challenges of living life as a vampire.

I found myself frequently frustrated with Titus who becomes a creature of emotion frequently questioning his love and life long dreams with a variety of women. His desire for revenge at all costs and abandonment of his children (not sure what happened with his first child) had me shaking the book at times. None-the-less, I was completely drawn into this world and could not stop turning the pages. Though the end reaches a climatic conclusion, the author leaves open a number of story arcs setting of the fruits of a sequel. All and all, an entertaining, though at times, frustrating read.

I must say that from the beginning this book had me hooked. Set in first-person, the story begins with an introduction by the main character, letting you know from the start that he is a vampire. However, the story then steps back and takes the reader into this character's life, telling of just how this transformation took place for him. It tells of his life before he was immortal, and the turn of events that took place and brought him into his newfound state of damnation. It also tells of the unfortunate tragedies that befall him after he is made immortal, allowing for a fuller and more complete story.

However, despite being a vampire novel, this is much more dramatic than your typical horror story. To me, this is a little less "horror" and much more "story", telling the life of this character in a very believable way. The author here has truly made the myth of vampires seem very believable, taking away the usual aspects that one would normally find in a vampire novel. There are no bats, or any mention of garlic for that matter, but instead a realistic story that left me hooked to the very end.

Though comparisons are few and far between, all I can say is that if you like such works as Anne Rice's early vampire novels, or maybe even some of Stephen King's work, then take a chance on this novel. You shouldn't be disappointed.

I think this was an excellent book, much better than I was expecting. Being an Anne Rice fan, I was skeptical at first, but very glad I gave it the chance.

It is written in first person and takes place in - I believe - the 16th century. The author was very careful to keep it as historically accurate as possible, which adds to the feel of the book. The first part of the book deals with the main character's mortal life, while the second part begins the story of his life as a vampire leaving you anxiously waiting for the next book in the series.

As I read, I found myself drawn into the story, getting emotional and even crying at points. I wanted the characters Leonard and Louis to get what they had coming to them and I absolutely loved the way the main character got his vengeance on Xavier. Note: there is some graphic violence as well as some sex in this book and I would not recommend it for anyone under 17 unless they are very mature for their age.

In reference to another review, yes the main character has like 4 different love interests in the story, all of whom at some point he feels he's in love with. I feel this adds to the believability of the story. I mean, come on. How many young men aren't like that. Indecisive when it comes to relationships. Every man I've ever known has been. Just my thoughts :). But, I do feel it made the character more believable and gave you a deeper insight on how he thinks.

The tragic ending also adds to the realism of the book. How often in life do you really get the happy ending? Overall, I feel that is what made it such a wonderful book - the believability and realism and the author's ability to draw you in and get you emotionally attached to the characters.

I believe any true Anne Rice fan - and I mean fans of the books, not fans of the movie QotD - should give this author a try. However, if you want your vampires to sparkle then maybe you should continue reading the children's books. The vampires in this book are "real" and are meant for a more mature audience.

Sanctuary of Darkness is a wonderfully written tale of a young man, born in the late sixteenth century, whose life is turned upside down when he becomes immortal against his own will. Now, he is forced to live the life of a vampire, or go mad trying.

This is an interestingly written tale, for a vampire novel. The characters are most believable, and the romantic/dramatic twists to the story line make it appealing to more than your hard-core vamp lovers.

A wonderfully written book that keeps the audiances' attention not only with a magnificant story, but with the writer's poetic skill with words.

McGuire has a good book for his first. This is written in a first person point of view and is about a man named Titus McGuire who is trying to understand his dreams as well as the change that has taken hold of him. Being raised by a preacher in a small villiage he had always lived under his fathers control; until he is bitten by a vampire and is turned. He als has visions of a woman, which adds to the story line.

The story moves a long well enough and there are parts when you want to slap the character but it is a good first book. I am looking forward to a second to see how the characte grows. If you want to learn more about this book before buying I sujest you check out the authors website to learn more, also you can email the author with any questions you might have about the book as well.

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Just copy and paste this link if it doesn't work.

I ordered this book based on the reviews alone. I was looking for a break from the usual young adult sagas I normally read. I was really hoping for more from this book.

First of all, the main character is named and written after the author. This itself seemed very odd to me. When I read a vampire novel, I usually create a distinct image in my mind of who the characters are to me based on their personalities and the author's descriptions. It was difficult to do this after seeing Titus McGuire's website - he is far from the handsome leading vampire I normally envision.

The story itself was very good, just not very well written. The story was set in old Europe, so the manner of speaking and customs were difficult to understand at times making it a very slow read. Another thing that bothered me throughout the book was the number of love interests of the main character. He kept waffling back and forth between 4 different women he was in love with. I think I actually yelled out loud at one point "Come on, just pick one already!"

In my opinion this story could have been so much better. This story is certainly not lacking in love or sex, but there is not much action or suspense. If you're looking for a new vampire saga, I suggest looking past this one.



ADDED TO REVIEW:

I almost changed or deleted my review completely based on the few comments thinking I may in fact be misleading. I am not offended by any comments, but after thinking about it I don't believe it is my review that was misleading but rather the five star rating the book had when I purchased it. I would certainly not put this author anywhere near the realm of Anne Rice for those who may looking for Vampire novels in her style, so I don't feel I would be misleading them away from this book.

I stand by my original review. The story itself was very good. BUT - I still feel elements in the story should have been elaborated on to make more sense, I still think the main character should have been written better, and after all is said and done I am still disappointed in this book.