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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dark Lullaby - A Review, September 15, 2007
Premise: Gabriel Diaz is an idealist. He loves debating about good and evil, justice versus murder. His relationship with his ex-girlfriend Liz is friendly, though he knows she would let it be more again if he wanted. But he doesn't think he loves her. Yet more fodder for moral discussions in his own mind. His childhood in Puerto Rico was not a happy one. Though he and his twin sister survived, it has colored his perceptions. The unusual bond he and his twin share hasn't failed to impart to him her fears of her current pregnancy, having lost a daughter hours after birth three years ago. Yet all these hanging issues and more get put on hold when he meets Kamilah. Foreign and beautiful, she drives him to distraction. And she seems as fascinated by the moral issues of justice and darkness as he is himself. Then little things start happening the closer the time for his trip to visit his sister for the impending birth comes. Is there a form of darkness at work here or is he only letting his imagination and worries run away with him?
Review: Filled with several exotic locals, Dark Lullaby makes for a plethora of the unusual and foreign. The Middle Eastern mythology used is also not one seen often, so it made for a very refreshing change and caused the horror aspects to be even more poignant. Gabriel has to face the very moral issues he's been battling in his mind, pushed and prodded toward an end that will affect the lives of more than just himself. While who the evil persona is was never in question, the goals and resolution weren't clear until the end, making the read much more exciting. If you like chills, foreign settings, and moral dilemmas, this book is for you!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mesmerizing Turkish Horror/Romance Tale , September 10, 2007
Dark Lullaby is the story of Gabriel Diaz, an astrophysicist with a passion for intellectual discussions and Belgium beer. When Dark Lullaby begins, the ending of a tepid 3-year-relationship has left Gabriel wondering if he is even capable of love. And then, he meets a hauntingly beautiful woman called Kamilah, who profoundly affects him on all kinds of levels.
Gabriel's joy is quickly tempered by fear, as he starts to wonder what is really going on with Kamilah. When he travels to her homeland in the dark forests surrounding the Black Sea, it becomes clear Kamilah has an evil design on Gabriel's beloved sister Elena, who is about to deliver her first child.
The author of Dark Lullaby is Puerto Rican born Mayra Calvani, who has published fiction in a variety of genres--horror, paranormal, satire, mystery, literary fantasy, and children's. Her stories and articles have appeared in publications such as Enigmatic Tales, Twilight Times Ezine, New Mystery Reader, Long Story Short, Musings: A Magazine of Words, Writer Gazette, Scribe & Quill, Absolute Write, The Bloomsbury Review, Mosaic Magazine, and El Nuevo Dia newspaper
Calvani's writing style is strong, powerful and direct; qualities that make her stories and characters come alive. Dark Lullaby uses the fascination of both Turkish folklore and powerfully imagined sensory detail to draw in the reader. It is the kind of story that is complex and compelling and just pulls you along, to the point that you won't want to put it down.
You don't have to be a fan of horror or paranormal romance to like this book. I'm not and I found it both entertaining and mesmerizing.
Reviewed by Cheryl Swanson, Gotta Read reviewer and author of Death Game [...]
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping, atmospheric paranormal set in exotic Turkey, September 11, 2007
Even though astrophysicist Gabriel has promised to visit his pregnant sister in Belgium in time for the birth, he agrees to accompany the young, mysterious and very attractive Kamilah on a trip to her family cottage in Rize in the mountains on the Black Sea. There, amidst the splendour of the Turkish countryside, strange things begin to happen. First he loses his cell-phone, his one link to the outside world. Then he begins to feel physically ill. With terrifying nightmares, hellish hallucinations and threatening encounters assailing him from all sides, Gabriel is plunged into a maelstrom of inexplicable supernatural events that threaten not only his very sanity but his integrity, not to mention the peace of mind of his twin sister far away in Belgium.
For Kamilah is not the young innocent she appears to be, and she has an agenda that is both shocking and bizarre. It will take all Gabriel's strength of mind to resist being corrupted by her, as well as courage and ingenuity for him to escape from her clutches. And even then it might be too late...if not for him, then perhaps for his niece yet unborn and therefore highly vulnerable.
Dark Lullaby is an atmospheric paranormal horror that grips you from page one and refuses to let go until you've raced, breathless, to the end. The prose is so smooth there are no speed bumps as you devour the entire novel in one or two sittings. The exotic setting of the Turkish countryside is detailed and enjoyable, and characterization is superbly handled, making all the main characters come to life. The subject matter is chilling and spooky, and the suspension of disbelief is constant.
Highly recommended for fans of paranormal fiction, especially horror aficionados, though there is nothing to stop other readers from enjoying this too. Only make sure the more faint-hearted among you do not read this alone at night. You have been warned.
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