Review: In Love with Darkness (Part 1): The University of Death by Vasyl Moskalenko

Title: In Love with Darkness (Part 1): The University of Death

Author: Vasyl Moskalenko

Release Date: April 19th, 2015

Part one of a series

Rating:



Review:

Maxim has lived a life surrounded by peculiar and sinister occurrences. Whilst he senses that there is something odd in his life, it isn't until much later that he discovers the truth: he possesses dangerous magical abilities. He is sent to Merlinford, a university who teaches and trains others like him in how to control and master their abilities.

I found the story to be quite slow at the beginning. I wasn't really sure where the plot was going and found the choppy translation to be quite offputting. However, this greatly improves in the second half of the book and the story became easier and thus more enjoyable to follow.

The storyline is really interesting. The first half has a bit of a gangster vibe but in the second half where the magic and paranormal elements are explored more, the story really comes to life. There are a few similarities to Harry Potter that I couldn't help but notice but it's not too similar.

I would have liked more descriptions and background information about the magic. The students are often going to lectures but the reader is not taken with them. This could have been used as a way of giving us some information to help explain the magic.

The translation is also not perfect and could benefit from further editing. Some of the writing doesn't flow particularly well because of this. There is also a lot of profanity which doesn't bother me but the words are asterisked out. I don't really think that's necessary if you plan on using a lot of profanity.

Overall it's an interesting plot with a lot of potential which could be achieved with further editing. The cliffhanger ending definitely took me by surprise!

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.