L.A. Banks The Awakening

The Awakening

L.A. Banks

Griffin, Jan 2003, $12.95, 272 pp.

ISBN 0312316836

She is known by many names; Slayer, vampire huntress and Neturu come to mind and she is feared by the forces of darkness who wants to destroy her before she reaches her twenty-first birthday and comes into her full powers. She is protected by seven Guardians and together they battle the creatures of the night. Her one weakness is Carlos who if he traveled another road would have been her guardian but at twenty-three he is a powerful mob boss who makes a fortune dealing drugs.

Fallon Nuit, a rogue vampire master wants to control all vampire activity on Earth and to have the slayer killed before her twenty-first birthday. He turns to Carlos but before the transformation is complete he is whisked away to the vampire council who will make him a master vampire if he destroys Fallon Nuit and the Neturu Damali Richards. He accepts the deal without signing any contracts because his own goal is to protect the slayer, even from himself and help her even though she discovers what he has become and rejects him.

Make no mistake, all the vampires in THE AWAKENING are evil beings who think of human beings as cattle. Carlos is different because as he was turned he was praying and so there is hope for him if Damali will give him a chance. This is a fantastic urban fantasy tale and all the loose ends will be tied up in the final book in this series THE HUNTED.

Harriet Klausner