Personal Darkness

While "Dark Dance" (the first and previous book in this series) was told from Rachaela's point of view, "Personal Darkness" is split between her and her homicidal daughter, Ruth. It begins shortly after 12-year-old Ruth has slaughtered and burned several of their family members. She is now free to roam London, searching for an elusive woman nobody remembers (Mrs. Watt, Ruth's nanny) and murdering those who invite her into their home. (Remember, readers: never welcome a vampire into your home unless you intend to have your blood sucked. ;)The Scarabae soon hear about Ruth's heedless killings on the news, and they realize she must be stopped for good. Malach takes the responsibility of locating Ruth, and upon finding her, keeps her as a prisoner until he decides to release her--if he ever chooses to do so.Meanwhile, Rachaela has been seduced by another Scarabae: a beautiful young woman named Althene who has a lot more in common with Rachaela's late father/lover (Adamus) than she realizes. This whole situation is quite shocking, and I should warn you now: if you're offended by incest and/or cross-dressing, then maybe this book isn't for you. But if you could care less or are even more interested, then I highly recommend this book and series--"Personal Darkness" being the second installment, "Dark Dance" the first and "Darkness, I" the third."Personal Darkness" was the first book I ever read by Tanith Lee (after being hooked by her writing in a short story, "Bite-Me-Not", in "The Penguin Book of Vampire Stories" edited by Alan Ryan) and is still my favorite book in this trilogy. I loved the seemingly randomness of this story, and, of course, I loved the subtle vampire presence. This is definitely a must-read for all gothic vampire-lovers. You'll love it!

It took me over three months to get ahold of this book, but it was WELL worth the effort. The ending of "Dark Dance" dissapointed me, because I wished for more of the story. "Personal Darkness" picks up right where it left off, which pleased me extremely much.Let's just say that I've never in my entire life read a better author than Tanith Lee. Her writing is exemplary, managing to be dark without being melodramatic. Her skill with words is unsurpassable -- she creates SUCH vivid images that everything else looks dull in comparison. Her characters are rich and exotic, the storylines of her books are beautifully dark.Read "Dark Dance" first, but then by all means, read "Personal Darkness." It's perfect for vampire lovers that can't seem to find a good enough book. I'm half in-love with Malach (one of the characters that premieres in Personal Darkness), and can't see why they'd categorize this book as horror when you've got such a gorgeously yummy character like that. My only advice is to set aside alot of your spare time for this book -- it's meant to be read in one sitting, or you'll go insane from the suspense. And this is the kind of book that leaves you thinking for awhile after reading it. You really just can't be disapointed after reading anything by Tanith Lee. This is the kind of book that I can see satisfying everyone. It's morbid enough for the horror readers, fantastic enough for the fantasy readers, and erotic enough for the romance readers. As for everyone else, well, you really can't hate this writing style, it's magnificent. ;)

Well, the book is worth five stars, but since you can't find it anywhere, there's almost no point in reviewing it. The book is so good, however, that I suggest going to a good library and searching for it there. Personal Darness is the sequel to Dark Dance, where the reader first meets Rachaela, a beautiful young woman with clouds of black hair and blue eyes. Rachaela is completely alone, a little silent insland in the middle of bustling London, but her life changes drastically when she goes to the countryside to live with her father's family, one of the most bizarre and unusual groups of people in literature. In Personal Darkness, the story takes right up where Dark Dance left off, and winds its way through several different plots. The twists and turns are unexpected and truly... different, gothic and mad, with the original cast of characters still in top form, and a slew of new ones who are equally compelling. This is a lush, strong, strange, gothic, extremely unusual novel. I don't really know how to explain it. For a while there it seems to be Tanith Lee's answer to Anne Rice's vampire series, but turns completely upside down and mutates into an altogether different story. Like all of Lee's work, the story hides under the guise of formula, but remains its strange, original, different self. If you ever come across this book or its predecessor, I strongly suggest you pick it up. The wonderful characters of Rachaela, Althene, and even Ruth are worth it, and the character Malach, a white-haired warrior-priest who debutes in this novel, is absolutely gorgeous. I highly recommend it.