Mémoire from the Dusk - Review & Giveaway

Mémoire from the Dusk-Book One: House of Vyras by  Danae Ayusso

Description ~

It was only a matter of time before those that dwelled in the Dusk, those creatures and immortals that were simply villains in bedtime stories and forbidden love interests in movies, were pulled from the shadows and cast into the world of man. 

After the witches and warlocks were forced to go mainstream, the Fraternity of Vampyres and Brotherhood of Wolves fought to keep their existence hidden in the Dusk where is had been since the beginning of time.

But as they found out, nothing could stay hidden forever.

The Vampyres were forced to go mainstream, to join the warlocks and witches in their hominal plight, and as quickly as they stepped out of the Dusk, their Houses started to be decimated by an unknown threat.

The Brotherhood, in fear for their people, scattered those of the founding Houses of the Vyras, hiding them in the darkest recesses the world of man had to offer, and that was where Bijou and the others found themselves.

Bijou Bryn of House of Beauvais dit Sainte Jéme was the General for the Brotherhood’s Fear, the Vyras army that helped to bring order and control to the Vyras in the Dusk and to protect their people and interests. Simply saying her name caused a shiver of fear to race down the spine of even the oldest primordial, and all those that gazed upon her shook with fear that they would be on the receiving end of her legendary wrath. War, killing, and upholding the Brotherhood’s laws and orders was all the six-century vryas knew, but in the blink of an eye the only existence she knew was no more and she found herself banished with five other vyras to the middle of a Podunk town in America.

Pointe à la Hache, Louisiana, was supposed to be a Dusk-less existence, a banishment to hominal Hell that would show the former general of the Fear what it meant to co-exist with man, a place where she and the others would be safe since those of the Dusk were apparently being targeted, however nothing was ever as it seemed.

The Dusk-less existence was filled with illusionary immortals, disgusting werewolves of questionable means, and mystery that seemingly resolved around a cook that was consumed with guilt, secrets and regrets of his own. As quickly as Bijou found a sliver of contentment, it was extinguished by nightmares of the past and regrets that she had harbored for centuries. 

Once Bijou accepted her banishment and the new world she was forced into, she was cast back into the politics of the Dusk she was trying to stay out of, and found her world shadowed in a darkness that would bring only misery and loss.

My Review ~

Memoire from the Dusk starts out kicking butt and ends up leaving me craving the next book, right now! 

Our heroine Bijou is not your typical main character, but from what I've read of Danae's books this is always a very good thing. Her main female characters are always very unique, and also pretty badass. Ronain, one of the male characters, is a perfect foil for Bijou's slight psychotic tendencies. The supporting characters, Elan, Dominic, Fitz, Camille, and even Alice the human owner of the bar are at times funny, crazy, and get the hell out of their way scary. The last bit really applies most to Elan and Bijou, with a little bit of Dominic showing up here and there. 

Danae's worldbuilding skills are excellent, the story she crafts and the world she creates as the setting draws you in and doesn't let you leave until the very last word. Her characters are always multi-faceted and complex, even the characters with smaller roles, or the more human characters. The world of the House of Vyras series is very detailed and spans centuries of the characters histories. Granted there are only glimpses of their pasts, but they are just as detailed and just as much of the storyline as the current setting is to the plot. 

When I hit that last word on the very last page it was with a, "No! it can't be over already" feeling. I can't wait to read the second book in this series when it is released. You might be asking to yourself, 'If she enjoyed it so much, why not a perfect 5 star rating?' The only reason the story didn't get the full 5 stars was because some of the terminology. This world uses a good amount of Greek in the first 20% of the book, and as I don't know Greek it made it slightly difficult to slip completely into the world.

I would recommend this book for anyone that enjoys strong female leads, hunky vampires, badass werewolves, and snarky dwarves. 

4.75 out of 5 Stars ~Reviewed by Chris 

This review is the property of Chris and not be shared or copied unless by the Publisher or Author or unless credit is given.

Links ~

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mémoire-Dusk-Book-One-House-ebook/dp/B0086H7K52

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/m-eacute-moire-from-the-dusk-book-one-danae-ayusso/1116451486?ean=2940014735773

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/136734

Visit Danae Ayusso online at:

http://www.danaeayusso.com

https://www.facebook.com/#!/AuthorDanaeAyusso?fref=ts

http://danaeayusso.blogspot.com/

Giveaway

Simply leave a comment below Thanking Danae Ayusso and a way to contact you in case you win for your chance to win an ebook copy of Mémoire from the Dusk. There will be three winners!!