AFTER DAYBREAK by J.A. London

Rating: A-
Synopsis:
Our last hope lies with our oldest enemies.

When we lost the war with the vampires, our world changed. The Old Family overlords trapped us in a few scattered cities and demanded our blood. Then Victor- the first vampire I've ever trusted, ever loved- came to power, and I hoped for peace between our kinds. Only now a new type of monster, Day Walkers, has emerged, and their maniacal leader is threatening to destroy us all, human and vampire alike.

The Old Family Council is stubborn and proud, unwilling to acknowledge the danger. But once I claim my birthright as the last living member of the Montgomery line, they will have to listen to me.

Neither fully human nor vampire, I am the bridge between both. Even if I'm not sure where I belong anymore, I know that the only way any of us will survive is if we stand together.

My thoughts on the book:
After Daybreak is a terrific end to a good series. This trilogy improved with each installment, and the conclusion ties up loose ends and shows just how much each character has grown throughout the course of the series. Dawn and company face old enemies and find surprising allies in this book, and I enjoyed how her view of the world changes so drastically. There are a few instances in which the prose is a bit too flowery, as well as a few copy-editing mistakes, but overall, this is an excellent conclusion. This is one dystopian trilogy that has a happy ending, and for that, I am truly glad. I would recommend this book and series to anyone who likes dystopian novels that don't leave you feeling as if your soul has been ripped out. 

I've always liked Dawn as our leading lady, and she does not disappoint in this final installment. Sometimes I've disagreed with her, but she really grows into someone whose views are mature and moderate, rather than adolescent and extreme. She is also much stronger this time around, and she handles the unexpected news of her heritage surprisingly well. She doesn't want to believe it, and because of that, this novel is really about her learning to accept herself, and through accepting herself, also accepting the world around her. I really enjoyed watching her become the character she is at the end of this book. Victor also grows quite a bit and becomes more "human" than he already was. I really liked him as a leading man, and I feel that he reached a good point in his development as well. The same goes for Faith. She grows a lot in this novel. Michael, Tegan, Rachel, and Jeff aren't as present in this novel, but I think that is because Dawn is growing up and changing. They do make a few appearances, though. 

The book is tightly plotted, and I didn't find any holes. Also, there's a sense of urgency that flows throughout the novel, which caused me not to want to put the book down. There are a couple of typos that weren't corrected, but other than that, the book is problem free. Aside from the momentary lapses of flowery writing, in which it seems that the authors are trying too hard to be deep and poetic, the story is well-written. The ending ties up almost all of the loose ends and leaves the reader with a feeling of hope. 

Overall, I really enjoyed After Daybreak, and I'd recommend it to anyone. Be prepared to lose some sleep with this one, though. 

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