Karolina Dalca, Dark Eyes (The Dark Eyes #1), by M. R. Noble

The Book

Karolina Dalca, Dark Eyes
Series: The Dark Eyes
Pages: 198
Age Group: Young Adult
Published on 12/16/2020
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genres:
Paranormal RomanceUrban Fantasy
Available on:

Synopsis:

Blindsided by an attack that destroys her home and blamed for murder, Karolina Dalca, a half-vampire, escapes, only to plunge into the magical societies from which she was sheltered.

Betrayed by those around her, she abandons her dreams of becoming an investigator and flees, trusting only herself. Her police internship would never prove more useful. Hoofing it through the wilderness, she makes it to her university dorm, disheveled but delightfully deflowered.

Enter a full vampire: one wielding dark magic and a ride out of Canada. A fugitive from the law, Karo complies with his demands to escape, unsure whether his requests are bewitched. She vows to clear her name and avenge her mother's death, but Karo's family secrets aren't so easily left behind.

My Review (3.75 out of 5 )

Karolina Dalca, Dark Eyes is the first book in the Dark Eyes series, an urban paranormal fantasy proposal by M. R. Noble. In this relatively short novel, we are going to be following the adventures and struggles of Karolina Dalca, a vampire in the search for the origins of her family.

Half-vampire, half-gypsy, Karo has grown outside of the vampiric world, being protected by her mother, and studying to become an investigator. But when her mother gets murdered, and Karo is pointed out as the main suspect by the police, she will be forced to flee and find the truth about her father's family.

In the company of a mysterious vampire, Andre, who claims to be under the orders of her uncle, they will travel to Romania and will submerge themselves into the sordid and secret world of European vampires, getting in the middle of power fights.

Karo as a main character is interesting, as she can use different powers due to her parents, but at the same time, it feels kinda overpowered for somebody who has been in hiding for years, being proficient in multiple powers easily. Being easily manipulated by Andre, she is kinda naive.
Andre is more interesting, as we don't really know what he pretends until close to the end, and probably is the character that evolves more. always hiding his real intentions.

Pacing is extremely fast due to the length of the novel, not letting a single moment slow down, something that works extremely well in this case. While worldbuilding suffers due to this detail, it makes this novel easy to read in one sit.

Karolina Dalca, Dark Eyes is a good introduction to the world that we will continue exploring in the second novel, a recommended novel for those who like classic urban fantasy with extremely fast pacing, and plenty of action scenes.

The Author/s

M. R. Noble

M. R. Noble

M. R. Noble has played a tug of war between science and art her whole life, but the rope broke when she wrote the first line of The Dark Eyes Series. Immersed up to her keyboard in paranormal romance and urban fantasy, she enjoys blending the real with the surreal. The only drawback is she misplaces her mug while dreaming up her next scene, and soon finds herself six cups overpoured.

Keeping to her Lake Simcoe roots, she is a member of the Writers Community of York Region (WCYR), where her muse is made not found.