The Shock of Night (The Darkwater Saga #1)

by Patrick W. Carr (Goodreads Author)

When one man is brutally murdered and the priest he works for mortally wounded on the streets of Bunard, Willet Dura is called to investigate. Yet the clues to the crime lead to contradictions and questions without answers. As Willet begins to question the dying priest, the man pulls Willet close and screams in a foreign tongue. Then he dies without another word.

Willet returns to the city, no closer to answers than before, but his senses are skewed. People he touches appear to have a subtle shift, a twist seen at the edge of his vision, and it's as though he can see their deepest thoughts. In a world divided between haves and have-nots, gifted and common, Willet soon learns he's been passed the rarest gift of all: a gift that's not supposed to exist.

Now Willet must pursue the murderer still on the loose in Bunard even as he's pulled into a much more dangerous and epic conflict that threatens not only his city, but his entire world--a conflict that will force him to come to terms with his own tortured past if he wants to survive.

My Review: 8.5/10

This was a great read! At about 10% in, I couldn't put it down and subsequently shirked all duties (and sleep) for the next day and a half.

It's not for the faint of heart- there is a lot of bloodshed and violence that is described almost casually. There is war in the past and war in the present and looks like war in the future, so if you're sensitive to the realities and casualties of such, this may not be the book for you.

Usually I am in that category myself, but as I was familiar with Mr. Carr's works, I knew what to expect. Speaking of which, if you've read his previous series (The Staff and the Sword) you'll notice some similarities in set up and plot points; a super secret organization charged with keeping the good in the world and fighting evil, corruption within, etc. Yet it is definitely still its own story, and even better in some ways.

I am eagerly anticipating the next book in the series!