It's rather unfair, really. Any post-apocalyptic vampire fiction I read these days pales next to Julie Kagawa's series. Dawn (get it??!! Sunlight! Vampires! Ok, I'm done) is a likeable character. She has had to grow up pretty quickly, becoming the delegation to the city's vampire leader, Lord Valentine, at the very young and unrealistic age of 17. Her parents were killed in an ambush towards the beginning of the book, and it is hinted that Dawn is SPESHUL. 
 She's not. 
 I've finished the book and I don't know what was so special about Dawn that her family had to be killed. Maybe I missed something crucial; if so, please point it out to me. As far as I'm concerned right now, 10 minute after finishing this book, there is nothing special about Dawn that needed a Big Reveal besides maybe the fact that (view spoiler)[her brother is a vampire (hide spoiler)]. 
 The best friend is a typical annoying-but-well-meaning loud, outgoing, boy-crazy girl, who seems hell-bent on dragging the staid and serious Dawn into trouble. Lila, the bad girl at school is again, beautiful, spoilt girl out to get Dawn's boyfriend and has apparently devoted her life to making Dawn's miserable. There's really nothing special or out of the box about the other characters in the story. There is no redeeming quality to the bad guys that would make them believable or relateable in any way. 
 Dawn's love interests are also one-dimensional and unrealistic. Her love interest, Michael, has been perfect for Dawn her entire life. They've been childhood friends forever, they fell in love as adolescents, and they've maintained a relationship based on mutual friendship, love, and respect. Of course, all that goes out the window once Dawn meets the bad boy, Victor. The childhood love interest becomes an asshole as soon as she meets and unrealistically falls for the new guy. Out of nowhere, the revered and respected Michael becomes a whiny, clingy little girl who throws tantrums, displays a massive amount of machismo, and fools around with the much-reviled Lila to make Dawn jealous. His actions change so completely in such a short time that I have a hard time believing it. 
 The relationship between Victor and Dawn is also unbelievable. Victor is powerful and strong, but there is nothing in their few interactions that I felt justifies the fact that Dawn falls for him so quickly. I almost laughed out loud when Victor says that in 400 years, he has never felt this way about anyone but Dawn. Right, say this to a girl he's been with for all of 2 hours since they've known each other. Where I come from, we call that an Edward Cullen. 
 I should just read shitty books from now on to keep my standards low.