Darkside by Tom Becker

Darkside by Tom Becker

Summary:

Through the prologue, the reader learns Ricky has gone missing, abducted!

Jonathan Starling has been self-sufficient for some time and his father has always been distant. Often spending countless hours in his secretive study, Jonathan’s father, Alain, has not spent a lot of “quality” father-son time with Jonathan. When, once again, Alain becomes ill and experiences one of his “darkenings”, Jonathan finds himself alone. This is the perfect chance to investigate his father’s secret study, which leads Jonathan to the Darkside, a mysterious and seedy side of London. Jonathan also comes under attack, and Alain refers him to Carnegie, a resident of the Darkside for protection. Jonathan needs Carnegie’s protection as he is being hunted for an evil form of Darkside entertainment, while Ricky has already been captured for this purpose.

To the Lightside of London, it appears that Jonathan has also gone missing.

Residents of the Darkside are hunting for Jonathan, while authorities of the Lightside are also searching for Jonathan. Who will find him first? Will good win over evil? Will Jonathan and Ricky survive? Come over to the Darkside to find out…if you dare.

Review:
Full of mystery, vampires and werewolves, and a dose of history, this was a wonderfully suspenseful book that I could not put down! It was eerie enough that I wanted to continue reading, but not full of gore that it was too gross to read. The best part of this book was its unexpected twist during which I let out an audible gasp as I read it! I am not alone in my opinion of this book. The Lincoln Middle School book club read this book for its March selection. All participants gave this book a 10! Luckily, the series continues with Lifeblood. Available in the UK, the series contains 5 books in total which many American readers anxiously await.

Awards:

2007 Waterstone's Children's Book Prize


Links:

For more spookiness, or to learn about the author, visit the Darkside http://www.welcometodarkside.co.uk/index.tao?PageId=home