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Dark Lullaby
At a tavern one Friday night, astrophysicist Gabriel Diaz meets a mysterious young woman. Captivated by her beauty as well as her views on good and evil, he spends the next several days with her. Soon, however, he begins to notice a strangeness in her, especially the way 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 splendor 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…
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 splendor 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…
- GenresHorror
233 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
About the author
Mayra Calvani
26 books201 followersMayra 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.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 11, 2012
After seeing this book on my nook for awhile i decided to read it. I honestly didn't know what this book was about so i was a little confused about the plot. I'm happy i didn't read the summary , to me it gave a lot of things away.
A few months after Gabriel breaks up with his ex girlfriend he falls in love with Karmilah and decides to go with her to her home country for a week and after go to Brussels to be with his sistar when she gives birth, but a few days after being with Karmilah in the isolated woods of Turkey he began having mysterious pains in his sides and discovers that Karmilah is a melinka that has been eating his liver and targeting his sistar so she could be born as her daughter.
I usually don't read these kinds of books but this one was actually interesting.
A few months after Gabriel breaks up with his ex girlfriend he falls in love with Karmilah and decides to go with her to her home country for a week and after go to Brussels to be with his sistar when she gives birth, but a few days after being with Karmilah in the isolated woods of Turkey he began having mysterious pains in his sides and discovers that Karmilah is a melinka that has been eating his liver and targeting his sistar so she could be born as her daughter.
I usually don't read these kinds of books but this one was actually interesting.
October 29, 2013
A feast of culture, horror and mystery, with a paranormal twist!
First off, I don’t like the cover. Red, white & blue remind my of our (British) flag and, well. It just looks cheap. This is a prime example of why we should never (though we all do it all the time, me included) judge a book by its cover. Coz this book was a sheer joy!
Gabriel, for a clever guy, does what all guys do when faced with beauty – he turns to mush. His instincts sag, his intellect forgets to question, and the beauty (met casually over a public conversation with his devoted and heartbroken – though, by-golly, she won’t show it – ex, Liz) sweeps him off his feet. After a passionate few days together, she then persuades him to pack up and take a detour to Turkey — her homeland — on his way to see his heavily pregnant twin sister, to whom he is creepily devoted. I say creepily because they share a psychic-type link.
This is where it gets dark!
And although I’d love to go into the details, I’d spoil this extremely well written story for future readers and that just wouldn’t do! Needless to say, it explores Jinn (or Cin) in a way I loved and slowly unfolds like a psychological thriller/horror story. Not your typical paranormal book – AT ALL!
There are no werewolves, vampires or trolls. Just so you know.
Some examples of why I loved the author’s writing:
“He would have loved to paint this. The waters murmured to him, secret things, forbidden things… things he didn’t understand. He sensed the waters were like Kamilah, a dangerous lure; tempting him way beyond his usual comfort zone. Like now.”
“Gabrielle knew that words could be like daggers, slicing chunks off your self worth.”
“Weeping, sobbing, crying. The forest was alive, thriving with Melinka like a corpse swarming with maggots.”
My one irritation with this exciting book? I felt ever so slightly preached to at the end. This is perhaps more to do with the folklore itself than the author, however. I want to explain this more, to protect a minority of readers, but to do so would completely ruin the whole book for a majority of readers. Um, what to do? Let’s just say this book (or the folklore, at least) is Pro-Life, and leave it at that. :)
Other than that, go get it! No really. I sincerely enjoyed this authors writing style and feel I learned a lot about the folklore, Turkey, and about writing (which is always a plus for a writer) while I followed the arcs of her story and characters. I’ll definitely be reading more from her.
I received this free from the tour company hosting this authors book tour, in return for an honest review, which first appeared shahwharton.com
First off, I don’t like the cover. Red, white & blue remind my of our (British) flag and, well. It just looks cheap. This is a prime example of why we should never (though we all do it all the time, me included) judge a book by its cover. Coz this book was a sheer joy!
Gabriel, for a clever guy, does what all guys do when faced with beauty – he turns to mush. His instincts sag, his intellect forgets to question, and the beauty (met casually over a public conversation with his devoted and heartbroken – though, by-golly, she won’t show it – ex, Liz) sweeps him off his feet. After a passionate few days together, she then persuades him to pack up and take a detour to Turkey — her homeland — on his way to see his heavily pregnant twin sister, to whom he is creepily devoted. I say creepily because they share a psychic-type link.
This is where it gets dark!
And although I’d love to go into the details, I’d spoil this extremely well written story for future readers and that just wouldn’t do! Needless to say, it explores Jinn (or Cin) in a way I loved and slowly unfolds like a psychological thriller/horror story. Not your typical paranormal book – AT ALL!
There are no werewolves, vampires or trolls. Just so you know.
Some examples of why I loved the author’s writing:
“He would have loved to paint this. The waters murmured to him, secret things, forbidden things… things he didn’t understand. He sensed the waters were like Kamilah, a dangerous lure; tempting him way beyond his usual comfort zone. Like now.”
“Gabrielle knew that words could be like daggers, slicing chunks off your self worth.”
“Weeping, sobbing, crying. The forest was alive, thriving with Melinka like a corpse swarming with maggots.”
My one irritation with this exciting book? I felt ever so slightly preached to at the end. This is perhaps more to do with the folklore itself than the author, however. I want to explain this more, to protect a minority of readers, but to do so would completely ruin the whole book for a majority of readers. Um, what to do? Let’s just say this book (or the folklore, at least) is Pro-Life, and leave it at that. :)
Other than that, go get it! No really. I sincerely enjoyed this authors writing style and feel I learned a lot about the folklore, Turkey, and about writing (which is always a plus for a writer) while I followed the arcs of her story and characters. I’ll definitely be reading more from her.
I received this free from the tour company hosting this authors book tour, in return for an honest review, which first appeared shahwharton.com
October 30, 2013
Freaky.
Twisted.
Awesome.
Review done.
Ok maybe not done, but that’s what I said when I got done with Dark Lullaby.
I needed this one after all of the romance I have been reading. Don’t get me wrong, I love romance, but after reading so many in one genre, one right after the other, I need something completely different to give my brain a little vacation.
I’m reading in other reviews that people are calling this horror, and I completely get that. It’s not horror in the bloody gory scare the pants off of you way. It’s horror in the mess with you mentally way.
I loved a lot of the conversation between characters in this book, deep stuff. Whether there is a higher power, good vs evil, free will and reasoning, is there such a thing as a soul that can’t be corrupted? Those kind of topics were what was going on in the tavern between Gabriel and Liz. I love having those discussions with people who can have them in a non-angry, my way or the highway manner and that’s how these two did it. Then Kamilah comes in. From her description, I assumed she was going to be on the the focus was on in the book. I hadn’t read the blurb because I like to surprise myself, but because of how she was introduced I couldn’t help but zero in on her.
Now, I don’t want to say what the evilness is in this book, what it is that is in her nature because I spent most of the book trying to guess that one myself and I hate spoilers, not doing that to you. I was surprised though with what the darkness of her nature actual was. When I found out, I was thrown a bit. I had never thought of this as pure evil before. Mischievous, slightly evil, yes. I guess if I were to really dig deep into the lore behind this particular being, I would come up with more than what I already know and that yes, throughout the ages, members of this group have been known to be very evil. I guess I have always thought of them as gray (the ability to choose between good and evil) beings vs white (always making good choices, almost as if they have no free will, they always choose good) or black (more than likely to choose evil). This was definitely an interesting take for me.
I loved it. Absolutely loved it. I remember catching myself holding my breath at one point during the book not knowing what was going to happen to Gabriel.
While it didn’t scare me, it did freak me out a bit. Excellent book if you are looking for something different that will mess with your head a little bit. I would definitely pick up more books by Mayra Calvani in the future.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Twisted.
Awesome.
Review done.
Ok maybe not done, but that’s what I said when I got done with Dark Lullaby.
I needed this one after all of the romance I have been reading. Don’t get me wrong, I love romance, but after reading so many in one genre, one right after the other, I need something completely different to give my brain a little vacation.
I’m reading in other reviews that people are calling this horror, and I completely get that. It’s not horror in the bloody gory scare the pants off of you way. It’s horror in the mess with you mentally way.
I loved a lot of the conversation between characters in this book, deep stuff. Whether there is a higher power, good vs evil, free will and reasoning, is there such a thing as a soul that can’t be corrupted? Those kind of topics were what was going on in the tavern between Gabriel and Liz. I love having those discussions with people who can have them in a non-angry, my way or the highway manner and that’s how these two did it. Then Kamilah comes in. From her description, I assumed she was going to be on the the focus was on in the book. I hadn’t read the blurb because I like to surprise myself, but because of how she was introduced I couldn’t help but zero in on her.
Now, I don’t want to say what the evilness is in this book, what it is that is in her nature because I spent most of the book trying to guess that one myself and I hate spoilers, not doing that to you. I was surprised though with what the darkness of her nature actual was. When I found out, I was thrown a bit. I had never thought of this as pure evil before. Mischievous, slightly evil, yes. I guess if I were to really dig deep into the lore behind this particular being, I would come up with more than what I already know and that yes, throughout the ages, members of this group have been known to be very evil. I guess I have always thought of them as gray (the ability to choose between good and evil) beings vs white (always making good choices, almost as if they have no free will, they always choose good) or black (more than likely to choose evil). This was definitely an interesting take for me.
I loved it. Absolutely loved it. I remember catching myself holding my breath at one point during the book not knowing what was going to happen to Gabriel.
While it didn’t scare me, it did freak me out a bit. Excellent book if you are looking for something different that will mess with your head a little bit. I would definitely pick up more books by Mayra Calvani in the future.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 12, 2011
I’ve only given one piece of advice in life and that is, “Never fall for a beautiful, mysterious woman while drinking at a Turkish tavern.”
Talented writer Mayra Calvani’s latest book, Dark Lullaby, is yet another example of why I have grown to prefer reading small press books over the usual and predictable mass market books found at the big corporate bookstores. Now don’t get me wrong, those bookstores have great books but when you’ve read every Stephen King or Dean Koontz book possible you would like the opportunity to read a new voice or discover a story teller that can captivate you in a way that makes you stay up late at night because you can’t put the book down.
Mayra Calvani qualifies as one of those writers. In the fairness of full disclosure, I have read other works by Ms. Calvani, so I already knew she was a talented story-teller and as expected, her latest horror book, Dark Lullaby, kept me up late into the wee hours of the dark night.
The story begins when Gabriel Diaz ignores my advice in the opening paragraph and becomes enchanted with an exotic woman he meets at a local tavern. He is quickly captivated not only by her beauty but by her obsessive ideas regarding good and evil and the moral concepts of personal justice.
Despite the fact that almost from the beginning Gabriel feels there is an underlying darkness to his new love named Kamilah, he just can’t seem to break away from her physical and intellectual grip despite her increasingly bizarre behavior and his almost nightly nightmares.
As Kamilah begins to ingrain herself into Gabriel’s live, their relationship grows more complex and dark and a sense of terror pervades Gabriel that somehow Kamilah motives towards him are sinister and that she is hell-bent on overseeing his, if not, personal, at least, moral destruction.
Kamilah convinces Gabriel to travel with her back to her remote homeland in Turkey where they can relax and spend some quality time together.
Despite his rational mind screaming for him not to go Gabriel relents to her child-like pleas and agrees to the trip. Once in the lair of her homeland Gabriel descends into an anxiety-riddled paranoia as he discovers the true nature of his Kamilah. Is Gabriel simply mad or is Kamilah the true essence of all thing evil?
Read Dark Lullaby—You won’t be disappointed.
Talented writer Mayra Calvani’s latest book, Dark Lullaby, is yet another example of why I have grown to prefer reading small press books over the usual and predictable mass market books found at the big corporate bookstores. Now don’t get me wrong, those bookstores have great books but when you’ve read every Stephen King or Dean Koontz book possible you would like the opportunity to read a new voice or discover a story teller that can captivate you in a way that makes you stay up late at night because you can’t put the book down.
Mayra Calvani qualifies as one of those writers. In the fairness of full disclosure, I have read other works by Ms. Calvani, so I already knew she was a talented story-teller and as expected, her latest horror book, Dark Lullaby, kept me up late into the wee hours of the dark night.
The story begins when Gabriel Diaz ignores my advice in the opening paragraph and becomes enchanted with an exotic woman he meets at a local tavern. He is quickly captivated not only by her beauty but by her obsessive ideas regarding good and evil and the moral concepts of personal justice.
Despite the fact that almost from the beginning Gabriel feels there is an underlying darkness to his new love named Kamilah, he just can’t seem to break away from her physical and intellectual grip despite her increasingly bizarre behavior and his almost nightly nightmares.
As Kamilah begins to ingrain herself into Gabriel’s live, their relationship grows more complex and dark and a sense of terror pervades Gabriel that somehow Kamilah motives towards him are sinister and that she is hell-bent on overseeing his, if not, personal, at least, moral destruction.
Kamilah convinces Gabriel to travel with her back to her remote homeland in Turkey where they can relax and spend some quality time together.
Despite his rational mind screaming for him not to go Gabriel relents to her child-like pleas and agrees to the trip. Once in the lair of her homeland Gabriel descends into an anxiety-riddled paranoia as he discovers the true nature of his Kamilah. Is Gabriel simply mad or is Kamilah the true essence of all thing evil?
Read Dark Lullaby—You won’t be disappointed.
October 22, 2013
Most parents usually warn their adolescent girls not to ever go home with stranger, especially not someone who one has just met in a bar. But not many parents warn their sons to be careful who they go home with. This was the intriguing part of this spell-binding, page turning psychological thriller. In addition to the chilling aspects of the book, there are also the strong underlying themes for all of us.
Gabriel Diaz is not the most admired character in the story. When we first meet him in the story, he seems to be doing ordinary things—I mean what is so extraordinary about sitting in a bar with an ex-girlfriend having a drink? But as another mysterious woman, Kamilah, walks into the bar, Gabriel’s focus changes completely and he falls completely in love with her. She invites him to journey with her to Turkey and he can’t resist her invitation. But does he ever dream of being in the type of danger he gets himself into?
Does Gabriel make it back home alright? Does he learn any important lessons? I don’t want to give too much of the story away. So, I will leave the reader with these questions.
I found the book very intriguing and surprising. There are many unexpected twists and turns in this story—they will keep readers glued to the book until they have read it from beginning to end. Gabriel is a very unlikable character—and the way he treats Liz is deplorable. Liz is a very interesting character on her own…I just wish she wouldn’t take as much abuse from him. I didn’t really like Kamilah as a character—but that is probably what she was supposed to be portrayed as.
Mayra Calvani has done a GREAT job creating this deep story. It will teach the reader quite a bit about Turkish folklore and show that perhaps we should be careful who we befriend and who we go home with.
First Published on Blogcritics
Reviewed by: Irene S. Roth
Gabriel Diaz is not the most admired character in the story. When we first meet him in the story, he seems to be doing ordinary things—I mean what is so extraordinary about sitting in a bar with an ex-girlfriend having a drink? But as another mysterious woman, Kamilah, walks into the bar, Gabriel’s focus changes completely and he falls completely in love with her. She invites him to journey with her to Turkey and he can’t resist her invitation. But does he ever dream of being in the type of danger he gets himself into?
Does Gabriel make it back home alright? Does he learn any important lessons? I don’t want to give too much of the story away. So, I will leave the reader with these questions.
I found the book very intriguing and surprising. There are many unexpected twists and turns in this story—they will keep readers glued to the book until they have read it from beginning to end. Gabriel is a very unlikable character—and the way he treats Liz is deplorable. Liz is a very interesting character on her own…I just wish she wouldn’t take as much abuse from him. I didn’t really like Kamilah as a character—but that is probably what she was supposed to be portrayed as.
Mayra Calvani has done a GREAT job creating this deep story. It will teach the reader quite a bit about Turkish folklore and show that perhaps we should be careful who we befriend and who we go home with.
First Published on Blogcritics
Reviewed by: Irene S. Roth
September 14, 2013
A spine chilling horror story.
Tumbling into a second relationship straight after finishing one, is not a good idea, however who could have known that Gabriel Diaz, relaxing in a bar with an ex-girlfriend, would have his world turned upside down when the beautiful, mysterious Kamilah comes over and introduces herself, or could have foretold the incredible repercussions which were to follow.
From that night, they are inseparable, Gabriel is infatuated with Kamilah, and in turn, she seems fascinated by him. Although he is due to visit his sister for the birth of her baby, when Kamilah announces that she’s decided to visit her homeland, Turkey, Gabriel decides to go with her.
When they arrive in Rize, Gabriel discovers another world, where things are not always what they seem, superstitions and folklore are rife and the locals appear strange and aloof, perhaps afraid...
They hike to Kamilah’s remote cottage, high in the mountains, looking forward to a romantic holiday away from the world, but soon Gabriel discovers that things are not as they seem, the forest holds dark secrets. As the story unfolds, he finds himself doubting what he hears, or sees with his own eyes, even his sanity.
I loved this story, which started as a romance, then quickly evolved into a spine chilling horror, transporting you back to a land where folklore legends, based on truth are alive, and unimaginable creatures walk the earth.
Tumbling into a second relationship straight after finishing one, is not a good idea, however who could have known that Gabriel Diaz, relaxing in a bar with an ex-girlfriend, would have his world turned upside down when the beautiful, mysterious Kamilah comes over and introduces herself, or could have foretold the incredible repercussions which were to follow.
From that night, they are inseparable, Gabriel is infatuated with Kamilah, and in turn, she seems fascinated by him. Although he is due to visit his sister for the birth of her baby, when Kamilah announces that she’s decided to visit her homeland, Turkey, Gabriel decides to go with her.
When they arrive in Rize, Gabriel discovers another world, where things are not always what they seem, superstitions and folklore are rife and the locals appear strange and aloof, perhaps afraid...
They hike to Kamilah’s remote cottage, high in the mountains, looking forward to a romantic holiday away from the world, but soon Gabriel discovers that things are not as they seem, the forest holds dark secrets. As the story unfolds, he finds himself doubting what he hears, or sees with his own eyes, even his sanity.
I loved this story, which started as a romance, then quickly evolved into a spine chilling horror, transporting you back to a land where folklore legends, based on truth are alive, and unimaginable creatures walk the earth.
October 27, 2013
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.
Please note that I received this novel free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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.
Please note that I received this novel free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.
April 12, 2012
I received a free copy of this book on the Bewitching "virtural" book tour for an honest review. This is one of those creepy undertone stories with no light of hope. As an optimist, I read this with wide eyes bypassing the dismal and seeking the happy ending that never came. I got and still have chills from this novel. This reminds me of one of the children fables where there’s always a moral. From this day forward, I will tell all young men: Never go home with a cute stranger at the bar. I guess that warning has been told for years; however guys rarely fear women. Perhaps after reading about Kamilah that forewarning will have merit. The setting, characters, and plot were all superb and very suiting. The theory of evil per discussed within the story can be argued and debated even outside of the story. The originality to this paranormal tale was a breath of fresh air. I look forward to reading more works from this author. I recommend this to adults who enjoy paranormal and horror.
September 29, 2013
I really recommend this book as it is quite different from many books I have read before. It is scary and exciting and creepy,although I would have loved a happy ending, I think it is a good ending. Gabriel is an astrophycisit who is just coming out of a relationship with his girlfriend Liz, and is drawn by the beauty of a woman he meets one night at a bar. She bewitches him and he is unable to get away from her malevolant plans. She draws him away from reality into a whirlwind of cins and malinkas(faieries and witches) and totally overpowers his mind to a very difinite end. He realizes , a little late who she really is and is unable to control what happens to him. It makes for very good reading especially if you enjoy good horror stories which do not always have happy endings. It is well written and I would love to read more of Mayra Calvani's books.
October 6, 2013
Honestly I love to read paranormal things. All I ever read is in America or Scotland or England or Australia. Even that I'm from Turkey and I live in Turkey I never thought this country with horror and Paranormal things! So that's why I thought I have to read this book. So I read it. Honestly I never a big fan of Horror. I can imaging myself reading or watching horrors. The Book is amazing! It's really hooked me.This time I won't give you any spoilers because you've to read this book especially if you're from Turkey!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2009
The next time you feel like curling up with a scary book, get a copy of author Mayra Calvani's Dark Lullaby, a riviting page turner that will keep you reading straight through until the end. The story begins in Baltimore where Puerto Rican born Gabriel Diaz meets the lovely young woman Kamilah. Very soon she has his undivided attention....
December 17, 2018
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s an eerie story that had me feeling unsettled but glued to the pages to see what would happen.
I’ve read a lot of paranormal books but never one like this before. It’s uniquie and I definitely recommend it
I’ve read a lot of paranormal books but never one like this before. It’s uniquie and I definitely recommend it
October 12, 2013
Book review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/reviews/...
Dark Lullaby is an intriguing, original novel mixing Turkish folklore with the supernatural. I thought the supernatural element here was familiar, yet original at the same time, and that’s what intrigued me the most about this book.
Gabriel Diaz is not the most likeable character in history. The primary reason for this is because, when we first meet him, he’s sitting in a bar having drinks with his ex-girlfriend, Liz, with whom he’s been together for a few years. Liz and Gabriel get into a lively but good-natured discussion, and then in walks Kamilah, and from that point out, Gabriel basically threats Liz like crap. He falls head over heels for the mysterious Kamilah, and even takes her home that night. They always warn girls never to go home with a stranger, but in this case, someone should’ve warned Gabriel as well.
Even though at some point he gets a glimpse of Kamilah’s feet turned backward, and even though she acts strangely at times, he still continues to hang out with her. When Liz calls him to tell him she’s being tormented by something evil, he doesn’t even stop to consider it might be related to the woman he just met in the bar. Kamilah becomes his goddess, no matter how strange, jealous or demanding she may be.
When he finally does get suspicious, Kamilah convinces him to join her in a journey to Turkey. While Gabriel had intended to visit his twin sister, who is in the last stages of her pregnancy, he delays the visit for a few days, and goes along on this romantic trip with Kamilah. Except that when he reaches Turkey, he find out he’s in more trouble than he originally thought. The people here seem to know who Kamilah is, and they fear her…
I don’t want to give too much away about the book, or about Kamilah, but I’ll say I was genuinely surprised by the explanation behind it, and how it connected to local folklore. I also enjoyed Kamilah as a character. There were many facets about her, so she was never boring to read about. Gabriel didn’t rank highly on my favorites list though. The way he acted around Liz after he found his new girlfriend annoyed me. He wasn’t entirely unlikable, but he didn’t have enough backbone for most of the story, and I kept on wanting him to do something, anything, even just open up his eyes and see the truth in front of him.
I actually liked Liz and wished she had more screen time. She probably would’ve made a more interesting protagonist than Gabriel.
That aside, I really liked the plot here. Usually in supernatural thrillers, I can easily figure out what the monster is, be it a werewolf, vampire, or even something less notorious. But here, I had no clue, which added to the suspense. A delightful read if you’d like to get some chills without actually getting scared.
Dark Lullaby is an intriguing, original novel mixing Turkish folklore with the supernatural. I thought the supernatural element here was familiar, yet original at the same time, and that’s what intrigued me the most about this book.
Gabriel Diaz is not the most likeable character in history. The primary reason for this is because, when we first meet him, he’s sitting in a bar having drinks with his ex-girlfriend, Liz, with whom he’s been together for a few years. Liz and Gabriel get into a lively but good-natured discussion, and then in walks Kamilah, and from that point out, Gabriel basically threats Liz like crap. He falls head over heels for the mysterious Kamilah, and even takes her home that night. They always warn girls never to go home with a stranger, but in this case, someone should’ve warned Gabriel as well.
Even though at some point he gets a glimpse of Kamilah’s feet turned backward, and even though she acts strangely at times, he still continues to hang out with her. When Liz calls him to tell him she’s being tormented by something evil, he doesn’t even stop to consider it might be related to the woman he just met in the bar. Kamilah becomes his goddess, no matter how strange, jealous or demanding she may be.
When he finally does get suspicious, Kamilah convinces him to join her in a journey to Turkey. While Gabriel had intended to visit his twin sister, who is in the last stages of her pregnancy, he delays the visit for a few days, and goes along on this romantic trip with Kamilah. Except that when he reaches Turkey, he find out he’s in more trouble than he originally thought. The people here seem to know who Kamilah is, and they fear her…
I don’t want to give too much away about the book, or about Kamilah, but I’ll say I was genuinely surprised by the explanation behind it, and how it connected to local folklore. I also enjoyed Kamilah as a character. There were many facets about her, so she was never boring to read about. Gabriel didn’t rank highly on my favorites list though. The way he acted around Liz after he found his new girlfriend annoyed me. He wasn’t entirely unlikable, but he didn’t have enough backbone for most of the story, and I kept on wanting him to do something, anything, even just open up his eyes and see the truth in front of him.
I actually liked Liz and wished she had more screen time. She probably would’ve made a more interesting protagonist than Gabriel.
That aside, I really liked the plot here. Usually in supernatural thrillers, I can easily figure out what the monster is, be it a werewolf, vampire, or even something less notorious. But here, I had no clue, which added to the suspense. A delightful read if you’d like to get some chills without actually getting scared.
November 15, 2013
Gabriel and Liz, his ex-girlfriend of 3 years, are sitting in a tavern one Friday night. While having a discussion on the morality of the death penalty. A woman, Kamilah, walks up to their table asking to join their conversation. Gabriel can't take his eyes off of her, he is fascinated by everything about her, including her views on the topic. After that moment, things start to get weird and Gabriel goes on the adventure of his life. Liz feels like she's losing her mind. Will Gabriel open his eyes to the real Kamilah in time? And what do these events have to do with his twin sister's baby?
A little disappointed in the ending, I wanted it to go the other way, kind of. I think you'd have to read it to understand what I mean, I don't want to give away any spoilers. Overall, I really liked the story. I love the back story of the lights. An interesting twist and consequence to a normally controversial topic. This story was definitely unique, haunting... I have never read anything like it, my dreams last night were so creepy! Good and Evil are shown in such a gray light, what one knows to be right or wrong, morality is brought into question. Amazing how this author was able to really make the reader think about how some things, really aren't as black and white as we might think they are.
A little disappointed in the ending, I wanted it to go the other way, kind of. I think you'd have to read it to understand what I mean, I don't want to give away any spoilers. Overall, I really liked the story. I love the back story of the lights. An interesting twist and consequence to a normally controversial topic. This story was definitely unique, haunting... I have never read anything like it, my dreams last night were so creepy! Good and Evil are shown in such a gray light, what one knows to be right or wrong, morality is brought into question. Amazing how this author was able to really make the reader think about how some things, really aren't as black and white as we might think they are.
October 22, 2013
In a tavern one Friday night, astrophysicist Gabriel Diaz meets a mysterious young woman. Captivated by her ethereal beauty as well as her views on good and evil, he spends the next several days with her. Soon, however, he begins to notice a strangeness in her, especially the perverse way 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. Despite a heavy workload, and the disturbing nightmares and visions he's having about his sister's baby that's due to be born soon, Gabriel agrees to go with her.
But nothing, not even the stunning splendor of the Black Sea, can disguise the horror of Kamilah's true nature. In a place where death dwells and reality and illusion seem entwined, Gabriel must come to terms with his own demons in order to save his sister's unborn child, and ultimately, his own soul...
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The story was very intriguing and I found myself wondering about Kamilah's true motives. I give this book an A+! and look forward to reading more from Mayra Calvani in the future.
The young woman, Kamilah, invites him to Rize, Turkey, where she claims her family owns a cottage in the woods. Despite a heavy workload, and the disturbing nightmares and visions he's having about his sister's baby that's due to be born soon, Gabriel agrees to go with her.
But nothing, not even the stunning splendor of the Black Sea, can disguise the horror of Kamilah's true nature. In a place where death dwells and reality and illusion seem entwined, Gabriel must come to terms with his own demons in order to save his sister's unborn child, and ultimately, his own soul...
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The story was very intriguing and I found myself wondering about Kamilah's true motives. I give this book an A+! and look forward to reading more from Mayra Calvani in the future.
January 3, 2009
While having drinks at a tavern in Baltimore one evening, Gabriel Diaz and his ex-girlfriend Liz are approached by a beautiful stranger. She introduces herself as Kamilah, a local student, and inserts herself into the conversation. Liz is wary as something just doesn’t seem right about Kamilah. Gabriel however, is entranced...
For the entire review please go to the Best Paranormal & Urban Fantasy Review site on the web, Bitten By Books for the review of Dark Lullaby in it's entirety. You won't be sorry.
For the entire review please go to the Best Paranormal & Urban Fantasy Review site on the web, Bitten By Books for the review of Dark Lullaby in it's entirety. You won't be sorry.
October 29, 2013
Mayra Calvani pens "Dark Lullaby" in a chilling plot filled with paranormal horror with a touch of romance that is situated in the exotic country of Turkey. Between the author's clean crisp writing and her characters which were interesting, different and sort of creepy, this is one book that caught my attention from the beginning. A totally fascinating and different take on horror that is actually scary and exciting at the same time that I highly recommend for all horror fans.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which was provided for an honest review.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which was provided for an honest review.
February 22, 2015
Mayra Calvani has written a unique horror/fantasy/paranormal story with interested characters in a fascinating setting. I have never read anything like it, and must say I thought about the author's take on good and evil long after I finished the book. Who is to say what's good and evil? Sometimes things are more gray than we ever expected.
Lovers of horror (not gore) and paranormal novels will enjoy this book with twists and turns.
Lovers of horror (not gore) and paranormal novels will enjoy this book with twists and turns.
August 15, 2012
Dark Lullaby is a story of a beautiful young woman who is not what she appears to be. When a scientist, Gabriel, falls for her, he does not realize what she is but it soon becomes apparent she is dangerous to him and his family. This is a well-written book with lots of "gasp" moments, things you don't see coming. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who enjoys fantasy/horror genre.
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October 13, 2011Free on Smashwords
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