Daughter of Darkness

Rulers of Darkness #2

by Steven G. Spruill

After Rulers of Darkness, Kirkus Reviews proclaimed, “Spruill has a grip on the medical suspense/horror novel far firmer than Robin Cook’s,” while Library Journal stated, “Both mystery and horror fans will enjoy this intelligent and suspenseful thriller.” Now Spruill is back with Daughter of Darkness, blurring the borders between myth and reality to spin a novel of unearthly thirst. Dr. Jenn Hrluska is young, beautiful, and everyone’s choice for best intern at Washington, D.C.’s Adams Memorial hospital. When she finds the freshly killed body of a stranger on her doorstep, her initial shock turns to an irresistible thirst for the blood surrounding the body, for Jenn is a her life depends on feeding on the blood of “normals.” Until now, Jenn has survived by transfusing blood from sleeping victims, harmlessly. With bone-chilling certainty, she recognizes that this body has been left as an invitation to reclaim her destiny of taking blood by deadly force. And only one person would have left the body for her—her father, Zane. Jenn’s grandfather, Merrick, sealed Zane in a tomb ten years ago to end his murderous rampages. Since then Jenn has pursued her life, ignoring her true nature. But now Zane has escaped and begun to insinuate himself into Jenn’s world. Beginning with cruel pranks to remind her of his powers, Zane soon commits a murder that brings Jenn to the brink of exposure—or death. Unjustly imprisoned for murder, and facing the possibility of dying without a supply of fresh blood, Jenn decides she must escape and use her unearthly powers to defeat Zane once and for all. As father and daughter confront each other, however, Jenn realizes that the love that links them might just be as imperishable as the deadly curse they share.

Genres: Vampires, Horror, Fiction, Paranormal, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jessica Johnson]

I really enjoyed the second book in this series. The story opens with Jenn as an adult working as an intern to become a doctor. Merrick has taught her the ways of blood transfusion to resist the urge to kill, allowing her to focus her efforts on helping people. However, her world is turned upside down with the appearance of a body in her apartment and the fear that Zane, her murderous father, may still be alive. I really enjoyed learning more about Jenn and the relationship she has built with Merrick. I also enjoyed seeing glimpses of Katie and Gregory as Merrick is able to be with his family. If you enjoyed the first book, I would definitely recommend reading this second installment as the story continues and we learn more about the characters from the first book.

[Connie]

Not too bad. A couple differences from other vampire stories I have read. Three generations, Merrick the grandfather, Zane the father, and Jen the daughter. Interesting family dynamics. Also a bit of a medical drama thrown in because the daughter is an intern. I had fun with the story. It kept my interest. If you want a decent story that moves along at a decent (not breakneck) pace, then this book may be for you. There seems to be lots of books with this title. Spruill is the only one I have read.

[Lauren]

I really enjoyed how this came together in the end.

[Jesslan Rose]

Daughter Of Darkness By Steven G. Spruill

[Sara]

For me, this book was such a huge disappointment as a follow up to Rulers of Darkness. Daughter of Darkness felt very clumsy and not nearly as well thought out as Rulers; additionally, I felt very little connection to the main character of Daughter. The involvement of some characters seemed unnecessary or contrived, included simply for the sake of unneeded added drama. The ending, though somewhat satisfying, was a little abrupt.

In spite of the problems I had with Daughter of Darkness, I am still interested in what ultimately becomes of the characters; unfortunately, it appears that the final novel in the trilogy, Lords of Light, is out of print and cannot be found even in my statewide library. If anyone has read it, I would love a short synopsis!

[DeCarabas]

I was very disappointed by this book, but through no fault of its own. When your main character is trying to choose between vampires who are trying to act like humans, and vampires who act like, well, vampires, I'm obviously going to root for the latter. Which I don't think was the response the writer was going for.

[Stephanie Grant]

I absolutly loved this book! I happened upon it at a garage sale about 6 years ago and bought it for a quarter and believe it or not I loved the book so much I named my first born son Zane after one of the main characters (a vampire) in the book! I just wish someday I can meet Mr. Spruill and get my book autographed!!! I totally recommend this book if you like vampires and mysteries!

[Jackie]

The sequel to Rulers of Darkness, unfortunately I only read it once years ago and I haven't been able to find a copy since. Its a great story.

[Patrícia Albano]

A good story but a bit short comparing with the first book

[Karliejess]

This Book,
was absolutely amazing, Honestly I have been searching for it for years, because there are so many titles like this one...
If you like Vampire Books, I highly recommend this one. I believe this is as modern as you can get for Vampire living among humans.. I haven't read it in years again but Honestly the memories I have from this book are so Vivid in my head it's like a movie. The Story telling was absolutely wonderful. Would definitely recommend. :)