Book Review: City of the Fallen by Diana Bocco

City of the Fallen (Dark Tides #1) by Diana Bocco
Genre: Adult Fiction (Paranormal Romance)
Date Published: June 23, 2013
Publisher: Self

Five years ago, vampires came out of hiding and took over the world. It was meant to be a quick enslavement but it turned into a bloody battle that brought humanity to the brink of extinction.

Isabelle Bryant is one of the “lucky” survivors, now living in hiding, scavenging for food through deserted towns. 

And she’s tired of it. 

So she’s devised a plan: find the king of the vampires and drive a stake through his heart.

Except that wickedly sensual king Marcus is nothing like the monster she expected. And while landing on his bed was part of the plan all along, discovering that he might hold the key to humanity’s survival certainly wasn’t. The catch? Saving humanity also means ensuring vampire survival. It means giving up hope for a return to a human-ruled world. 

As sparks fly and hate becomes heat, Isabelle must pick a side -- before the darkness devours them all.

City of the Fallen is the first book in the Dark Tides series by Diana Bocco. Isabelle lives in a scary world taken over by vampires. These aren't your friendly sparkly vampires either. Humans are on the verge of extinction. Desperation sends her to the arms of Marcus, the vampire king. Her goal is to kill him. Honestly, I wasn't sure what killing him would really accomplish to begin with. Wouldn't someone else just step up to fill his shoes? I liked Marcus pretty quickly. I would like to know more about him and his back story. I think we'll probably get some more of those details in upcoming books. I hope so anyway. We are given the point of view of both Marcus and Isabelle which I enjoyed because it gave me the mindset of both of these characters. I found it interesting how human history has been re-written over the years, according to Marcus. As it turns out, Isabelle has more to worry about then vampires like Marcus. There are worse kinds of vampires out there, and this could mean the extinction of more than one species. At least, that's how it looks to me. This series definitely has me intrigued, and after that cliffhanger, I want to know what happens next!

Check out my review of book 2 in the Dark Tides series!

I've been a fan of all kinds of dark creatures since I was a kid (even before I discovered Stephen King at the age of 10). If it crawls in the night and tugs at your covers while you're sleeping, chances are I've written about it. It's probably no surprise that I'm a big fan of old buildings, urban exploring and things that go bump in the night. Oh, and Halloween, of course -- but that should go without saying.

Growing up, I wanted to be Indiana Jones. I ended up not pursuing a degree in Archaeology (although I toyed with the idea for a while) but I did become a huge lover of travel and history. Aside from traveling to all corners of the world, I've also lived in five countries in three continents -- including three years in Siberia and two in Vietnam. I'm currently living in Thailand.

I have a soft spot for animals (which is why you can be sure that in my stories, the dog will always make it) and right now have three wonderful -- but slightly crazy -- dogs in my life. And yes, they move with me from country to country. Too bad dogs can't accumulate frequent flyer miles!

In my other life, I also write nonfiction: articles, books, and even quizzes for the Discovery Channel website. I really can't help it -- I'm a nerd at heart and love research and discovering new things. Could be the Indiana Jones in me pushing me along.

When it comes to life, I'm pretty fearless. I figure life is too short to live it too safely -- so I take risks and I try to have fun, whether that means snowshoeing in the middle of Siberia or going ghost-hunting in an abandoned asylum. And yes, I've done both.

To learn more about Diana Bocco and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads & Facebook.