They must also wrangle with the understanding that in fighting against the human-eating vampire, they would also be fighting for these Naturals who have forced an unbearable existence upon the Unnaturals. While Ayanda is determined to take down the evil that is Isadora and her lackies, the other Unnaturals are hesitant to fight against such a lethal creature.

Each character comes with their own set of skills and abilities as well as their own set of demons they must reconcile with. The resurfacing of a familiar evil will connect Ayanda with other Unnaturals such as Jette Jekyll, Belle Frankenstein, and Yurei. Unnaturals and the Dead,’ says, ‘The meat murder us all.’”Īyanda does not have to fight this evil herself. Ayanda’s particular set of skills, similar to those of vampires, may make her the perfect hero to fight against these killing things. A common enemy for the Naturals and Unnaturals, however, are the Risen Dead: vampires.Īfter five centuries of inactivity from these Dead, the cool and calculating vampire Isadora comes to Venice to wreak havoc, feeding on the Naturals and turning the Unnaturals against them. “The uncanny feeling, the menacing sense of wrongness soaks the colors in my head, deadening them to a sea of rotten blood.”Īyanda Draculesti navigates a world of “Naturals” and “Unnaturals,” a world dividing humans from those who have been tested on, mutilated, and reconstructed by alchemists who prey upon helpless children.

Drawing from multiple Gothic literary influences like Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Bram Stoker, Safra beckons readers to lean their ears in close, to listen for the haunting whispers that tell this captivating story.Ĭombining science fiction technology with Gothic and grotesque fantasy, this novel feels timeless yet futuristic, an anachronism well-juxtaposed. A dreadfully delightful homage to Gothic classics that offers something entirely of its ownĬhildren of the Night by Zan Safra bewitches readers every step of the way.

Children of the Night by Zan Safra