Everdusk, The Lightslayer was beyond amazing. The way Jack writes his scenes with such detail, I can literally see it happening. I have always loved vampire books and especially a good vampire series. This is the second book in Jack’s growing series, but the first book of Draconia. If you have read Fame Has It’s Price and loved it, you are gonna really love Everdusk.

The book starts out action packed and just continues to spiral down the world of Draconia. You meet soo many amazing new characters and get a little preview of their lives as you go on this journey with Jack and his Degenerates. You will fall in love with characters and some you will hate. But I promise you, the book will leave you wanting more. There is love, heartache, loss, spice, betrayal and found family. This is going to be the best new vampire series to date.

Jack Townson is an exquisite writer. From the action scenes, to the scenes of Gothic romance and the dialogue of ever-compelling characters, the story draws you in and keeps you at the edge of your seat! An absolute must-read for anyone who loves the night and all her beloved creatures, who craves action and themes of drama and found family in abundance. I cannot wait to see what comes next from the mind of such a rich and talented minded man like our beloved Jack Townson.

And the cherry on top: the cover art as well as the end of the book. Such love and passion for those who collaborate everyday to make this beautiful world a reality...

To my bestest friend, my Sire, and the stepfather I never had: I will never stop being your loyal Messenger. I cannot wait to see how far you soar, and I want to be there alongside you when you do.

Forever yours in Draconia and beyond; The Messenger of Death, aka Alisibeth Townson.

Never have I been more sad to DNF a book. I was enthralled by the first Jack Townson novel, finishing it in three days - but the smooth, engaging writing just isn't present here.

The story is a good one, and I'm definitely keen for more of Jack's adventures. Unfortunately the book starts with a giant gulf of no information: we last saw Jack as a battered fledgling vampire on the streets of New York. Now he's a powerful Vampire King in a fantasy realm... with no real explanation of what happened inbetween. I was concerned that we were heading into fanfiction-Mary-Sue territory, rather than the very real and human Jack I'd got to know before.

We do get a massive exposition-dump in the early chapters, but surely Jack's mentor would have explained the history, geography etc of the world before this? It's very confusing.

The difference in writing between this and the first book is stark. While I love the purple, dramatically-gothic prose, the constant deluge of adjectives can be overwhelming; they also conflict within paragraphs and even sentences. We go from 'growling' to 'whining', determined to chaotic, and it's hard to get a sense of the atmosphere as a result. Also some of the verbosity makes descriptions confusing, and I found myself having to reread sections to understand just what was going on. Boots don't walk on their own, eyes don't run down faces - 'he strode' or 'she cried' would be just fine. Also I found myself having a mental drinking game every time there was mention of talons/claws or descriptions of hair. I'd be dead pretty quickly!

There's glimpses of the old style, such as Jack's kindness to little vampire Maharet (got the reference there!), and I wish the natural vibe of that scene extended into the rest of the story.

I can only presume that this is a draft version of the book while it's still undergoing edits, but it feels as if it's been rushed to NetGalley too soon. This edit certainly doesn't do justice to the previous tale. I'll keep an eye for the final copy in the hope that the issues are fixed, and hopefully my return to Jack's adventures won't be as frustrating by then.

Great new grim urban fantasy full of monster and romance goodness. Great characters and atmosphere. Dark, grim, but oddly comforting.