Dark City

Dark City is the second volume of the planned Shadow City trilogy, a post-apocolyptic fantasy set in a future Los Angeles following a "Glitch," which destroyed civilization. What remains is a community of humans centered in the ruins of Hollywood and a nearby alliance of Vampires. Part of the alliance is that the humans voluntarily give to the blood bank. The alliance is necessary because with the Glitch came an opening to another dimension where the Dark Ones dwell and plot and Earth, if it can be conquered, is a way station to their arch enemies. Between scavenging in the ruins and fighting off the Dark Ones, life is pretty busy in what they call the Zone. Besides being post-apocolyptic, it is part urban fantasy in the sense that the vampires are mesmerizing and tempting and the most powerful one of all, Eurydice, is the femme fatale of the new world dressed in leathers astride her motorcyle and no man can resist her.

Also, the Zone can count among its allies a cyborg named Bombshell cause she just is being as she is made of titanium and has a wicked sense of humor and a sort of superhero, Colton, who arrived from nowhere with no memory of his past, although in this volume we finally get to know his past. Within the post-apocolyptic world that Mocikat built, everything remains consistent and believable. The action is furious. It is a fun read, but stay tuned for a conclusion in book three.

The world is a mess, something called the Glitch has decimated the human population but there are survivors. The survivors have to eke out an existence between the harshness of the land and a vampire colony with an agenda of their own and the Dark Ones who seek to end the human race. There is also a cyber race that assists the humans. It certainly is not an easy world for anyone to navigate.
We meet all the characters a couple of weeks after a major battle has occurred in which the humans with the assistance of the vampires have secured a major victory over the Dark Ones. Everyone is smarting from their wounds and even victory has had a cost. At the start of the story everyone is regrouping and developing strategies for their next moves.
For the humans, it is about affirming their alliance with the vampires through blood. For the Dark Ones it is about preparing for the ultimate battle. For the two central characters to this story, Eurydice and Colton it is about revealing more of who they are and how they figure in the yet to be released final instalment.
Eurydice, by age an ancient vampire but by appearance is frozen in time and is stunning. She is a woman playing all sides and has been traversing this environment by herself. However, she decides that she needs to start her own vampire clan and looks to bring in Louis, a young man who will die of radiation poisoning. What complicates matters for Eurydice is her relationship with Vincent and the strong connection they have. Colton, who was discovered outside of the zone, has no memory of where he came from but has extraordinary powers. However, Colton is suffering a mystery ailment and is not willing to confront what is happening. This is the launch pad for the story but then you throw in the political gamemanship, the manoeuvring of the major players and you are in for a heady ride as the reader.
What I did not realise that this was the second book in a trilogy and to be honest it did not matter. As you are whisked straight into the action and quickly catch up with what has been and what is coming. You realise it is a trilogy as the ending certainly makes that clear. It did take me some time to come to grips with the large number of characters and the roles they all play. None of the characters are vanilla, they all have their own foibles and strengths. The world is well crafted in taking the known and twisting it to the worse possible scenario. I truly do not want to say too much as I don't want to give away anything for those waiting for the book to arrive so they can learn the plight of their favourite characters.
For those who have read the first book, I am sure they will have no problems continuing their reading investment with the second. For those coming to the story for the first time you will not be disappointed.
This is a fast paced read created in an interesting world and has a intriguing cast of characters.

Dark City
The people in the Zone are trying to survive, not only from the weather and harsh conditions that leave them with little of anything including food but also from the rebel vampires and The Dark Ones.
I didn’t read the first book in this series but did not feel that I was missing anything. Although I am not normally a fan of post apocalyptic books I loved the combination of the urban fantasy and post apocalyptic worlds colliding (vampires are one of my weaknesses).
I found that it did ramble a bit in places but there was plenty of action that kept me wanting to turn the pages.
I look forward to the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review

Dark City (Tales of the Shadow City #2) by Anna Mocikat is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. I really enjoyed this second book! I didn't like that it ended in a cliffhanger! The characters are the same but we get to know more secrets about them. More interactions that lead to conflicts in the Zone, and out! So much action and the sci-fi/fantasy mix makes this a terrific read. Dark Ones, mutants, vampires, cyborgs, and other creatures along with zealot religious freaks keep tensions high! Can't wait for the next book. Gave this a 4 1/2 star rounded up to 5. Took off half star for cliffhanger, I hate cliffhangers!

Anna Mocikat did it again. She’s presented us with a unique world and great, well-rounded characters.

Dark City continues the story of Colton, the people of the Zone and their struggles and fights with the Dark Ones. Well wow...I’m amazed again. I loved Dark City in its entirety. The world-building? Just astonishing. I can feel how much thought and effort Mocikat put into building up this world.

Mocikat tells the story of the last people of Earth through multiple perspectives which gives the reader insight into the lives of all the different players. This helps better to understand what’s happening and get to know each character more. Colton, Jean, Eric and Bombshell have all become my favourite characters and I can hardly wait what happens to them next.

She does an amazing job pacing the story, giving and withholding information. She gives answers to some questions just to present you with more questions in the next sentence.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boack Rose Writing for my copy.

The action has been ramped up in this sequel to Shadow City. I devoured Shadow City in a day's time, and I'm sad it took me longer to get through this one (thanks book slump that's making it impossible for me to read). In that vein, please note that some of my review may be slightly biased/tainted because of my slump mood.

We learn more about this world and creatures as the characters continue with their crusade to live in a broken world. The characters are well-rounded and compelling, with each being unique in their voice and actions. I love the various creatures and mythologies wrapped up in this story. It's so well-done and doesn't feel forced. It's very unique, and Mocikat provides each with her own twist that makes them fit perfectly in this world.

I really enjoyed it and, if you've read the first book, you'll like this one. Cannot wait for book 3!

The Story
It picks up three weeks after the end of Shadow City. Just like its predecessor, Dark City is a fast-paced novel with multiple POVs intertwined. After defeating the Overlord of the Dark ones everyone in the Zone sees Colton as a hero while the nightmarish creatures regroup to attack.

Colton starts having blackouts, sometimes even during missions, which puts his life and his team at risk. Despite claiming he’s okay, he agrees to go with Bombshell to the Academy for an extensive check-up. After a novel and a half of wondering what Colton is and why he has no memory of his past, we finally find out and I seriously doubt that you can guess the truth. This is a spoiler-free review, so I’m not going to tell you, but it will blow your mind.

The truth about his origin comes with sad news and I’m looking forward to seeing how the author will deal with his situation in the next novel.

The other mystery is Vincent. We learn more (but not everything) about him and his orders too. He is intrigued by the feelings Eurydice stirs in him because it’s all new to him. In the end, he has a difficult decision to make.

We get to read some more cinematic style fights, narrated blow by blow with great effects. Eurydice is as badass as she was in Shadow City.



The characters
There are several plot-twists character-wise. The first of them is Louis. We already knew from Shadow City that he was sick with radiation poisoning and most likely dying. His character arc is spectacular as he goes from the sweet little boy who would do anything for his sister, to the vengeful teen (because his sister Jean has taken an interest in Colton and gives him more attention than she gives her brother) who wants Colton dead. You’ll never guess who sways his loyalty? Without giving too much away, let’s say that Eurydice has a hand in it.

“From afar, they looked like two normal teenagers hanging out on a roof. But in truth, they were two dark souls understanding each other without words. A deadly killer everyone feared, and her apprentice, who they would fear even more someday.”

We get to see Eurydice quite often through Louis’s eyes and she’s more fascinating than ever.

“What happened next, Louis could only describe as some sort of dance, the art of killing shown to perfection.
Louis watched how Eurydice continued her dance of death and destruction, which had an alluring, morbid beauty.”
They share a memorable night together which makes Eric suspect he has an affair with a vampire (because he picks up vampire scent).

The Ending

Dark City ends with a bang! The people from the Zone go on a witch hunt with unexpected results and Vincent does something amazing and leaving everyone in shock. I'm sure there will be consequences for his actions and I can't wait to see what's in stock for him in the next book.
https://www.summonfantasy.com/book-reviews/dark-city-tales-of-the-shadow-city-2-by-anna-mocikat-book-review