The Beauty in Darkness: A Vampire Story Paperback – July 11, 2016

The Beauty in Darkness is the story of a young woman, Edrea, who is mortally wounded by a human attacker and then “turned” by the vampire Pierre, supposedly as an act of mercy. Forbidden by vampire law from ever again seeing her family, Edrea struggles to cope with their loss—especially with the loss of her beloved sister Rena—and the murderous passions of her new lust for blood. Although she initially finds solace in her connection with nature, Edrea soon fears that she is a pawn in an undead society divided into two rival factions: the Décret, to which her maker Pierre belongs, and the Shevet. Meanwhile Rena, in separate chapters, searches desperately for her lost sister, unaware that finding Edrea will put her own life at risk.The novel has enough suspense, horror, and spicy vampiric sex to please fans of its genre. But The Beauty in Darkness distinguishes itself by its moving portrayal of the deep bond between the two sisters, Edrea and Rena, and its emphasis on both family ties and the natural world as sources of inner strength. Additionally, the conflict between the two vampire factions, one of which (the Shevet) is of Jewish origin, summons—for this reader at least—associations with the horrors of World War II, adding depth to the story. These elements make this book a unique contribution to vampire fiction.

Fairly classic vampire lore. The story and characters are well thought out and written in a style that grabs you and keeps you interested. If you like a good vampire story this one should feed your fix!

What a beautiful story. The characters took on life as real flesh and blood people, not perfect, but looking for answers in life. The writing was flawless and created vivid images like poetry. I couldn’t help but be drawn into the story and could not put this book down. It was a different take on vampires and embracing life as one. Bravo, well done!

The storyline was interesting and had potential. It could definitely have benefited from stronger editing. It reads with a distinct "English as a second (or third) language" feel which becomes very distracting. Excessive use of the thesaurus leaves the reader questioning what the original thought behind all the effusive descriptions might have been. Overall I believe the author shows promise and the sequel potentially worth reading. My apologies to the author if this review seems harsh; I mean it only a constructive way.

I don't usually read vampire stories these days, Watched a lot of vampire films in my earlier years. This story concentrated on Edrea and her adjustment to being a vampire. The story is well written with a lot of descriptive detail and the night surfing and the fiery pit elicit some powerful imagery. Overall, I enjoyed the characters and the plot and thought it was an excellent debut novel. Well done Leah Reise and thanks for a pleasurable read.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed getting to know Edrea and her sister. I read this book non stop from beginning to end. It was that good.The reason I didn't give it five stars is that there was a rather detailed sex scene and the author expressed a belief that the Bible is full of stories that people made up and that religion teaches people that they have rights over other people in the name of God.

Very sensitively written. For me, the heroine was full of love and couldn't reconcile her loving self with the unlovable creature she had become. And then to become involved in a power-bid when she was trying to learn more about her new nature was almost more than she could handle. But her feisty self endured her change of Life Status, and she found some new blessings as she moved into her new home, and I can't say much more without giving a spoiler-alert, so all I CAN say further is that this is a very promising first novel and I think this author has a great future with her vivid imagination and story-telling creativity!

This book surprised me with how much I like it. It took me while to really get into it but once I did I couldn't put it down. It is a nice blend of emotions from heartbreakingly sad and very angry at times. I lovd reading her transition from her human life to her vampire one. this is the first book I have read that actually took the time to go through the grief of loosing so much and also the joy of gaining a lot. It is a genuinely good story. I dont know if it is a series but it kind of left somethings open at the end. I hope this is a series because i could easily get lost in reading it. first time reading a book fom this authur and I hope to read more.