School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-Being a Visigoth warrior from another dimension does not make it easier for Obie when the bullies attack him at school, but as the immortal 15-year-old tries to conform to modern-day Los Angeles, he finds the constrictions on his powers frustrating. When his evil aunt kidnaps his roommate, Obie travels back to rescue Berto and find his mother's rune stones. Combining gorgeous guys, runic spells, and time travel in a readable and thrilling way, Ewing is set to have another successful series in the vein of her "Daughters of the Moon" books (Hyperion). Reluctant readers up to the most sophisticated teen bibliophiles will be eagerly awaiting the next installment.-Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Lynne Ewing launches a male companion series of sorts to her Daughters of the Moon series, with Sons of the Dark: Barbarian. She introduces three Los Angeles teens, ancient warriors living in the present day. Obie is a shape-shifting Visigoth with the ability to use runes, who must return to the shadow world of Nefandus in order to rescue Berto, a Toltec warrior. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
In this companion series to Daughters of the Moon, four teenage boys who are escaped slaves from the parallel evil world Nefandus must adjust to L.A. life, fulfill a legend (as yet unspecified), and defeat evil. Even Ewing fans will be put off by the weak exposition, episodic plots, hackneyed writing, and boy-and-girl caricatures (the female characters are either promiscuous or little sisters). [Review covers these Sons of the Dark titles: Barbarian and Escape.] (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
The author of the Daughters of the Moon series switches her focus to boys and crams an amazing selection of fantasies into this silly novel. Supernatural 15-year-olds have traveled through time to masquerade as present-day Los Angeles high-school students. Obie, our hero, actually is an ancient Visigoth warrior cursed at birth, the son of a legendary king. In his spare time, he works as a rock star and is haunted by his One True Love, left behind in ancient times. He is also, of course, immortal, and a bit of a reluctant vampire. Can he conquer the forces of darkness that threaten to consume his own soul and defeat his ancient aunt, an evil sorceress? Ewing astonishes with the number of clichÉs she can pack into a paragraph. Her effort could be useful, however, for engaging highly reluctant readers. It adds new dimensions to "zit lit." (Fiction. YA) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
