Dark Lullaby by Mayra Calvani

By: Unknown on Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Title:  Dark Lullaby

Author:  Mayra Calvani

Published:  Oct 29/13

Page Count:  233

Genre:  Dark Fantasy

Shelf:  Review Copy

Rating:  ★★★

Book Blurb:

At a trendy Turkish tavern one Friday night, astrophysicist Gabriel Diaz meets a mysterious young woman. Captivated out of his senses by her physical perfection as well as her views on good and evil, he spends the next several days with her. After a while, however, he begins to notice a strangeness in her—her skin’s abnormally high temperature, her obsession with milk products, her child-like and bizarre behavior as she seems to take pleasure in toying with his conscience.

The young woman, Kamilah, invites him to Rize, Turkey, where she claims her family owns a cottage in the woods. In spite of his heavy workload and the disturbing visions and nightmares about his sister’s baby that is due to be born soon, Gabriel agrees to go with her.

But nothing, not even the stunning beauty of the Black Sea, can disguise the horror of her nature. In a place where death dwells and illusion and reality seem as one, Gabriel must now come to terms with his own demons in order to save his sister’s unborn child, and ultimately, his own soul.

Dream Realm Awards Finalist!

Reviews:

“Mayra Calvani is a masterful storyteller… Dark Lullaby is complex and compelling…” –Habitual Reader

“Dark Lullaby is an atmospheric paranormal horror that grips you from page one and refuses to let go until you’ve raced, breathless, to the end.” –ePinions

“Dark Lullaby is a page-turner. A horror story from the top shelf! You’ll love it.” –5 stars from Euro-Reviews

“This is a terrific horror…” –Harriet Klausner

“Dark Lullaby will capture you with its rich descriptions, its exotic location, and the need to uncover the dark secrets hidden within its pages.” –Cheryl Malandrinos, The Book Connection

My Review:

Calvani has a straightforward writing style with dark undertones. This is a well written novel with a solidly built plotline. In this story Calvani takes the everyday battle of good vs evil, both in the world and in an individual, and brings it forward in a big way. She also builds the world in which her characters find themselves. As a reader you can visualise each of the different scenes based on Calvani’s awesome descriptions.

There is a lot of character development at the beginning of this story, so it starts out quite slow slow and was very hard to get into. That said, Calvani ends up creating some vivid individuals to carry her story forward. The very passionate characters in this novel are real and raw. Each one is unique but still easy enough to identify with. Some real dense topics get discussed in a manner that seems completely natural. Not only does this advance the plot of the story, but it really helps to develop them mentally for the readers.

As a whole this was a unique novel. Although the subject matter was very interesting I found the story as a whole hard to get into.

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About the author:

Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults and has authored over a dozen books, some of which have won awards. Her stories, reviews, interviews and articles have appeared on numerous publications such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal, Multicultural Review, and Bloomsbury Review, among many others. When she’s not writing, reading, editing or reviewing, she enjoys walking her dog, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Online Links:

Website www.MayraCalvani.com
Blog www.thedarkphantom.wordpress.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mayra.calvani
Twitter https://twitter.com/mcalvani
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/272703.Mayra_Calvani
Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/94529