Customer Reviews

Dawnbreaker (Dark Days)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Plot Summary: Mira is back home, but the naturi have followed her to Savannah, and they're picking off the local vampires and werewolves to weaken her position. Just when things are getting really ugly with the local werewolf alpha, Danaus shows up because the time is near for the next naturi sacrifice. They leave for Machu Picchu, the site where Mira was tortured 500 years ago, and where the naturi tried to open a door to an alternate dimension to free their queen. Everyone is relying on Mira's fire-starter abilities to fry naturi, but she's also been working on mastering the earth magic that nearly swamped her last time.

I hate to be a party pooper, but I think this series is stuck in a rut. I don't feel like progress is being made from book to book, and I had a strong sense of déjà vu with the plot line. Like the past two books, Mira and Danaus maintained an uneasy alliance, they skirmished with the naturi, and then they had a big confrontation that Mira barely survives. Unfortunately it's all become too predictable, and I think the next book needs to break the mold to pull this series back up to the stellar level of the first novel.

The "I'll kill you when this is over" line has become a running joke between Mira and Danaus, but their relationship is STILL stuck in first gear. According to the timeline within the story, only one month has passed since they first met, but after three books I've passed antsy and now I'm frustrated. The lack of build up since their initial encounter is disheartening, and it has taken the edge off any romantic hopes I had for this couple.

For all my grumbling, I'm happy to say that Jocelynn Drake has not lost her touch when it comes to the pacing. The scenes flew by, and I was fully engrossed by the finale, but once again the ending lacked closure. I appreciate the need to keep things loose for sequels, but I also don't want to read a series that feels like Mira is trapped in a "Groundhog Day" scenario. I'm sorry to say, but this series has moved from one of my `must buys' to a `maybe buy.'

My first reaction when I finished this book? "ARGH I FRICKIN HATE THIS SERIES". But really I love it, i am just impatient and want answers NOW! Its like the TV show LOST - you want to boycott because it constantly makes you question what the hell is going on, but you can't because its just too good to ignore! Dawnbreaker is another great installment in the Dark Days series.

Mira is nightwalker, but she is a nightwalker with a unique gift. She can control fire and uses it to her advantage whenever she can. Mira is tasked with stopping a race of supernatural beings called the naturi from opening a portal that would allow them to cross into our world and destroy both humans and supernaturals.

Mira is not a character that is immediately likable. I read the first book and was a bit taken aback by her, but I have to admit she grows on you. She can be ruthless and violent. At 600 years old she knows what is necessary to protect herself and her people and is willing to do it without question. But she can also be sarcastic, funny, and protective of those she cares about or feels a duty to protect.

Mira's unlikely partner in crime is a vampire hunter named Danaus. He is dark, dangerous, and deadly. The two call a tentative truce in book 1 in order to fight the naturi and it has carried throughout the series so far. Dawnbreaker gives us a tiny bit more insight into the relationship between Mira and Danaus. In between light hearted jokes about killing each other we get little hints that maybe these two feel for each other more than they are willing to admit. I certainly hope they do get it on soon...we could all use a little relief in the "will they/wont they" tension! When they do get together it is going to be good. I can't image smex between Danaus and Mira as anything but rough and primal and all things yummy.

In Dawnbreaker the action starts immediately! The author wastes no time plunging Mira into danger and things never seem to slow down. The plot is dark and violent and it seems that someone is always bleeding. I was constantly on the edge of my seat, even the threat of my kids making a mess in the kitchen couldn't pull me away! There were a couple spots where I felt like things skipped ahead or paragraphs were left out at the end of a chapter. Not enough to make it unreadable, but enough that I had to go back and page and make sure I hadn't missed something.

My only other gripe is that for all the violence, I was still left feeling a tiny bit frustrated. I wanted more answers to questions about the developments in Mira's powers over the last 2 books, as well as the relationship between her and Danaus. For being 384 pages long, the book seemed to end too quickly for me. There is resolution to the main story arc, but with that resolution comes so many new twists and turns. What lays ahead for Mira? What about Danaus? I guess its a good thing there are at least 6 books planned for the series!

Dawnbreaker is one of those great reads that has you loving it, cursing it, and finally scratching your head at all of the possibilities to come.

An interesting Urban Fantasy with a believable (non-romanticized) view of the paranormal world. It is not a PNR... the focus is DEFIANTLY not on romance. Romance isn't even in the picture.

The series is starting to become a little predictable... wash-rinse-repeat. I'm interested to see if book 4 will bring something new or if it will read as just another run through the wash cycle.

I read Dawnbreaker after very much enjoying the first two books in the series. In the first two books there were minor character inconsistencies and irrelevant tangential plotlines that could be overlooked. But in Dawnbreaker, these flaws become an extremely large problem. The main character Mira is written like she has multiple personality disorder and you never know who you are dealing with at any one moment - or from sentence to sentence, the changes are so quick. Hints in previous books about as-yet-unrevealed important plot points are just dropped, the action scenes are surprisingly unengaging, and I just stopped caring whether or not the enemy naturi were going to take over the earth and kill everyone. This genre is my favorite and I tend to be very forgiving of authors' errors if I like the characters or the world created in the book or the action scenes. But this author is not only making the exact same mistakes in her third book, but she's making them absolutely impossible to ignore. Or forgive. Skip this book.

"'And where does that leave us?' Jabari demanded.

To my surprise, a half smile tweaked one corner of her mouth as she looked from me to Jabari. 'On hold.'"

This bit of dialogue, taken from one of the final chapters of Dawnbreaker, sums up my experience with the Dark Days series a little too well.

There's nothing *wrong* with Dawnbreaker. It's a perfectly fine book. Jocelynn Drake's prose is competent and vivid, and there are several interesting surprises tucked into the storyline. Mira uncovers an unpleasant clue to the origin of her powers, Danaus struggles with his own humanity, and a family feud among the naturi comes to light.

The narrative begins in Savannah, Mira's home, to which she has returned after the events of Dayhunter. We watch as Mira attempts to shore up her power base and prepare for the imminent showdown with the naturi. Later, Mira and her band of uneasy allies travel to Machu Picchu, hoping to stop the naturi from opening a gate there, even if it means their own deaths. It's an exciting story, yet at Dawnbreaker's end, I found myself disappointed with the series as a whole.

I spent some time collecting my thoughts and trying to figure out why. What I've finally come up with is this: Dark Days either needed to end here and be a trilogy, or it needs more subplots. I've found that the most successful fantasy series fall into one of two categories: either they run for a predetermined number of books and then end, or they run indefinitely but explore a large number of plots and subplots. (For example, many urban fantasy series feature a protagonist who works as an investigator, and the character's job generates an endless supply of plot hooks. While each book advances the metaplot, it also introduces and resolves a smaller plot.)

In Dark Days, we've been focused almost solely on the conflict between nightwalkers and naturi for three books now, and Dawnbreaker ends in a stalemate of sorts. The only other prominent thread is the romantic tension between Mira and Danaus, and that plot doesn't move much either. It makes me worry about future books in the series. If they consist of "Mira has several small conflicts, Mira banters a little with Danaus, Mira travels to an ancient monument and has an indecisive fight against the naturi, The End," it's going to get tired.

However, there are hints that the next book, Pray for Dawn, may not deal much with the naturi at all. It may explore nightwalker politics, and definitely has something to do with the Themis Society, so I'm curious enough to read it and find out.

I really like the first two books in this series:
Nightwalker (Dark Days, Book 1)
Dayhunter (Dark Days, Book 2)

So, I was eager to read this third installment. All my favorite elements were here:
1. Tortured but strong heroine
2. Mysterious and gorgeous hero- Danaus
3. Interesting set of side characters
4. Vampires, Fae, werewolves and the end of the world!
5. Sexual tension but no gratuitous sex

But.....
As other reviews have commented, this book feels like a rehash of the previous formula. The line about Mira and Danaus getting a chance to kill each other, once they have finished saving the world, is getting really stale.
ALthough this book is Urban Fantasy and not PNR, I was hoping for a little progress in the emotional (if not physical)relationship between Danaus and Mira.

Still, I plan on getting Book 4 : Pray for Dawn and Book 5: Wait for Dusk

We've had a bit too much of the "urban fantasy" vampire with no real fangs. Drake's world is darker and less mundane. Her heroine faces danger, loss, and slim chances in a believable way.

Highly recommended.

I have a confession to make: I like urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels. Okay - I've said it. I'm almost embarrassed to say it, but it's true.

I've recently gotten into some of the wildly popular adult and young adult urban fantasy/paranormal romance novels (even of the mass market paperback type) because they are full of fun and are great means of escape. That doesn't mean that I think all these novels are good. In fact, since I've started to read so many, I have become even more critical as to which ones are worthwhile reads. Not all of them are great, or even good - really, most of them are mediocre. Dawnbreaker, the third book in Jocelyn Drake's Dark Days series, however, is one of the better ones that I've read recently. I wouldn't say that it's great, but it's definitely a notch above mediocre - and, of course, downright fun.

Dawnbreaker continues the adventures of Mira the nightwalker, a kind of ancient vampire and one-of-a-kind fire bender, as she battles the naturi, a kind of evil elf-like race. The naturi are gaining power and preparing a dangerous sacrifice that will unleash the entire race on the planet and lead to death and destruction. In order to stop the naturi, Mira desperately teams up with vampire-slayer Danaus (complete with climatic relationship tension) to capture a rogue naturi princess who claims she opposes her race's apocalyptic plans. With the princess's help, Mira and Danaus must prevent an apocalyptic summoning at Machu Picchu and save humanity.

Drake writes with an ease and understanding that pulls readers through the novel. I was completely enthralled by her unique and detailed world. Even though Drake does base her races on traditional fantasy/horror creatures (vampires and elves) she throws a fresh, much-needed twist into the mix that keeps readers wondering what they are going to do next. While Drake's world can sometimes feel a little confusing or is ill-explained, the overall feel of it is dark, different, and filled with fun, unique approaches to traditional fantasy icons. Plus, while this novel does include vampires, it's not your typical vampire romance story. Sure, there is a strong romance element between two unlikely allies who must team up to save the world, but there is not a hint of vampire angst or cliche vampire romance. In fact, the vampire element seems like it's minimized in Dawnbreaker, focusing more on the vampire-based nightwalker race that Drake created for her world.

Filled with fast-paced action, unique plot elements, and a vivid world, Dawnbreaker was a surprisingly fun and powerful read from start to finish. The characters deal with realistic, adult problems while balance feelings of unease and unexpected news of treason in the ranks. While Dawnbreaker had few witty one-liners (okay, I was hoping for more a la Rachel Morgan style), the dialog feels natural and easy for the characters.

The ending of Dawnbreaker feels like it could be the end for the entire series. Even though Drake does leave an opening for subsequent novels, all of the action that previous novels have been building up to end here (and in a rather satisfying way). While I'm not sure if I was intrigued enough to continue this series if there are more books, it's a great way to pass a lazy few hours or take some time out of a busy day to drift into another world.

Fans of Drake's Dark Days novels will eat this one up and beg for more. It's fun, fast-paced, filled with great action sequences and builds to an epic climax that blows the rest of the series out of the water. A great addition to any urban fantasy/paranormal romance fan's library.

I started reading this book and could not put it down. It took me three days to read, starting on Friday and finishing on Sunday. I love the interplay between the male vampire hunter and female vampire. It's fascinating how they compliment one another and the subtle sexual tension reminds me of the olden days when foreplay was long and drawn out to enhance the feelings. I bought all the sequences....and, I'm feeling good.

The third installment of the Dark Days saga picks up a couple of months after the conclusion of Dayhunter. Mira has returned home to Savannah with Tristan in tow and she is ready to expand her vampire family to her favorite minions Knox and Amanda. But the naturi have no plans to let her live in peace. They've followed her back to the States and they're trying to kill her before she stops their queen from returning to Earth. Vampire hunter Danaus comes back into her life, just in time to join her for the latest big battle against the naturi... back in Machu Picchu, the same place where they tortured her all those years ago.

We don't see much of the secondary characters featured heavily in the first two books. Tristan stays in Savannah during Mira's trip. We don't see Nico or Ryan. And we only get small cameos from Jabari and Sadira. But we do pick up some new faces, including Nia, the naturi princess, and Stefan, a vampire with aspirations to join the coven.

So here's what I got out of this book: It really sucks to be Mira. She is proving time and time again that she's a pretty stand-up gal. She takes her duty very seriously. She is willing to put herself in harm's way to protect those she is loyal to. And she knows that her attempts to save humanity (and the nightcrawler race) will likely end in her death, and she does it anyway. But all this comes at great personal expense. Her mentor, Jebari, is a rat-bastard. Rowe, the naturi leading the effort to free the queen, relentlessly pursues her. And perhaps worst of all, she must acquiesce to being a puppet, to the whims of both Jebari and Danaus.

And speaking of Danaus. Why the hell can't these two recognize what they have together? We see over and over, through Mira's thoughts and actions that she cares deeply for Danaus. And he seems to have to remind himself that she is the enemy. These two need to get it on already... in a big way. Three books is plenty of time for me to wait. I definitely need some payoff. (And not just physically, by the way. These two have a deeper connection.)

So when all is said and done, we get our big battle, more reveals about what is Danaus, and big questions about the future of the naturi. And while the book may be over, there is obviously plenty of story left to go. 4 stars.

P.S. If you haven't read the first two books in the series, you don't want to start with this one. It won't make sense and you won't have the same investment in the characters. This is not meant to be a stand-alone. Trust me.