Customer Reviews

Dayhunter (Dark Days, Book 2)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I recommend you read Nightwalker before tackling this novel. This book is fast paced and action-packed but there were a ton of little battles, as oppose to staying on track with the war, so to speak. Nevertheless, there still wasn't a second to waste and the book is very entertaining. The perception of danger seem to lurk around every corner and most of the times, I was on the edge of my seat; while at other times, I felt like the author was stalling and dragging out the story line with a lot of meaningless, albeit interesting, conflicts. I was a bit annoyed with the ongoing storyline of Danaus and Mira trying killing either other. It's been so overused and it doesn't even seem likely at this point. However, I still recommend this book and I will read the next book Dawnbreaker. If Dawnbreaker turns out to be another stalling tactic, I'm not sure I will continue to read the series.

I also recommend:
Midnight's Daughter (Dorina Basarab, Dhampir, Book 1)
Beyond the Grave
Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 1)
The Scent of Shadows (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 1)
Angels' Blood

Plot Summary: This story picks up right after the battle with the naturi at the end of "Nightwalker." Mira and Danaus must appear before the Coven, the ruling body for the vampires, and Mira has no clue as to their plans. As soon as they set foot in Venice, the political maneuvering begins, but tangling with these ancient vampires is more dangerous than fighting the naturi. The vampire Elders are so corrupt that they waste precious time fighting amongst themselves while the real threat, the naturi, are trying to break the seal and gain entry to Earth.

I found this book to be just as engrossing as the first entry, "Nightwalker," but it was all action with very little character development this time around. I was really hoping to see Mari and Danaus move beyond the `I'm going to kill you when this is over' posturing, because nobody believes they're enemies at this point. I was hoping (dare I say it) for some tender feelings to start poking through their prickly shields, but it didn't happen. I'm more than willing to hang tough for book three, but if I don't see SOMETHING develop between these two I'm going to be bitterly disappointed. The faint glimmers of affection I did see were far too brief, and I almost wonder now if I was imaging things out of sheer desperation.

What saves this book is the edge-of-my-seat, nonstop thrills and chills action that never lets up. Somebody is always in danger, or some evil vampire is plotting against Mira, and she in turn is throwing fireballs left and right. I loved it, and the danger was palpable throughout. The tone of the book always stays dark, and there's not much good news to lighten the mood. I like the intensity, and I have a feeling that it's only going to get worse from here on out.

Mira saddles herself with two `pets,' and as unwilling as she is to become a `mistress,' it shows how much she's changed from independent loner to protector of the weak. I enjoyed all of her displays of power, and whenever she lost her temper I was silently egging her on. Some might say that Mira has too much power to ever be considered an underdog heroine, but it's so much fun to watch her flambe her foes. The third book in the Dark Days series, "Dawnbreaker" has a release date set for October 09.

an action packed, fight after bloody fight,intense second contribution to the series. There is a lot of background development along with some character development. Mira finds out some shocking things about her past and current situation. Not everything she thought was real. We learn about Danaus and who/what he really is. There is travel from country to country and no matter where Mira lands, there is a naturi there ready and waiting.

The earth-side leader of the naturi is Rowe, who is dark and mysterious with apparent secrets of his own. Mira is the key to either the defeat or freedom of the naturi, hence his intense interest in her.

There is court intrigue and power struggles within the coven (ruling body of the nightwalkers second only to Our Liege - the supreme but mysterious leader of the nightwalkers). We get a good insight on how the nightwalkers operate and rule themselves.

Danaus is now integral to the war as it has been discovered his powers are needed for the ultimate defeat of the naturi. And Mira is now more interested in saving her race than saving her life (altho that would be nice)as she makes reckless decisions but keeps killing the naturi.

This is a very good book with good plot development and great action scenes. The only thing I would have liked more was more emphasis on the growing attraction of Danaus and Mira, and less talk of when this is over all will return back to normal, where Danaus can try to kill Mira and Mira kill him. But we are seeing Danaus starting to grow out of his black/white world and more growth toward a realistic view of the world.

I can't wait for the next installment! Enjoy!

This book begins with Mira and Danaus who have gone to Venice to tell the vampire ruling court about the coming naturi nightmare and convince them to join in the battle. Instead, the two find a naturi guest enjoying open freedom in the court and they become embroiled in vampire politics and intrigue.

What was briefly introduced in the first book is more fully explored in the second book--the combining of Mira's and Danaus' powers that rockets to supernova proportions. They team up to magnify each other's powers and inadvertently vaporize the souls of the surrounding naturi instead of just killing the nasty buggers. Both are appalled and blame each other, destroying the tenuous trust they have begun to build. Mira also discovers that Danaus can enter her mind and use her as a weapon the same as Jabari, her mentor, can. On the one hand this makes them more mistrustful of each other; on the other, it teaches them more about each other.

The members of vampire court ("Coven") try to manipulate Mira for their own political purposes; and all are uneasy with Danaus' presence. Even the naturi leader, Rowe, tries to convince Mira to join forces with him.

In the first book, Mira has rescued Tristan, a young vamp, from Sadira, their maker. She takes Tristan to Venice with her in the hopes of protecting him, but the Coven kidnaps him for their sadistic entertainment and nearly kills him before Mira can rescue him.

There is also an open seat on the four-member Coven due to the murder of Tabor, one of Mira's makers. Each member wishes to have their own choice installed, and Jabari's choice is Mira, whom he believes he can manipulate. Mira wants nothing to do with the open seat or vampire politics.

Mira, who is willing to sacrifice her life to save nightwalkers and humans, is hunted by everyone and doesn't know who she can trust. She also finds her powers beginning to expand. She can perform earth magic but has no control over its effect. The mind link between her and Danaus gets stronger.

When Mira returns to Savannah, she decides to build a family (a seethe,), something she has resisted for centuries. She has no choice but to build a family for the protection of all in the community. Tristan is her first member.

Yes, this book is much more slow moving than the first and deals with intrigue, politics, and posturing, but many, many things still happen; and it fully sets the stage for Book 3.

There is a reason Jocelyn Drake is a best-selling author--and these books are it.

Honestly after the first book in the series I had planned on not purchasing this one but being bored one day I said why not. Thank goodness for boredom..lol It was a decent read with the addition of characters that moved the story along relatively fast, though it could have been faster. A few plot/story lines weren't needed other than providing filler.

Dayhunter is the sequel to Nightwalker (Dark Days, Book 1). You must read the first book before you read this installment. This book was so good, I gobbled it up in one setting.

Mira is a 600+ year old Vampire and Fire Starter.This book picks up hours after the events in Nightwalker. Mira and the triad (Jaberi,Sadira and Danaus) have just used her as a weapon to pulverize the Naturi. In this volume we see Mira and Danaus travel to Venice to meet the Vampire Coven.

The action is non-stop. Mira is strong and yet has a vulnerable side unlike most UF Fantasy heroines. The world building is top notch. I love Danaus. Here we get the revelation as to what he is. Their chemistry sizzles. There is one lovemaking scene between Mira and a Lycanthrope which is tastefully depicted as an act of healing and joy. However the relationship between her and Danaus continues to percolate.

The end of the book is a cliffhanger. Thankfully we only have to wait till Se[tember to find out what happens next with Dawnbreaker (Dark Days, Book 3).

If you sit down with the first two books in the Dark Days series, they read just like one long story. Dayhunter picks up just moments after where Nightwalker left off. This book is not a standalone. Each installment of the series (including those that follow this one) is just a piece in a larger story. Personally, I love serialized books, but it can be frustrating to wait between each installment. Fortunately in this case, you can sit down with a stack of these and read them from beginning to end, if you're so inclined.

Mira is a vampire, who is now working with vampire hunter Danaus to stop a race of fae, called the naturi, from destroying humanity and nightwalkers alike. Not that Danaus is all that interested in protecting vamps, but he does realize that he needs their help to deal with the naturi threat. At the end of the last book, we learned that Mira is really a weapon, whose fire-starting abilities can be manipulated by her old mentor Jabari -and now Danaus. (The whys are complicated, but let's accept it and move on.) She hates the idea of being at anyone's mercy, but she really has no choice in the matter.

The story follows her journey with Danaus across different parts of Europe and the Mediterrean as they try to figure out how to stop the threat. Things get more complicated as they realize that members of the vampire coven are in league with some of the naturi. It's not clear where anyone's loyalties lie. And more and more, it seems like the only person Mira can count on is Danaus. That makes it so much worse, every time we are reminded that the two are really enemies. It's clear they feel something for each other, but only when Danaus can make himself forget what Mira really is. We're also learning more about what Danaus is and why the ideas of good and evil are so important to him.

Mira is stepping outside of her comfort zone in so many ways. But the most fulfilling way, to me, is seeing her willingness to extend herself to protect others. She brings Tristan and Nico into her fold, building a family that will continue to grow as the series progresses. She is the rock to them that she always thought Jebari was to her. Now she is dealing with his betrayal on top of the staggering responsibilities she has to face.

Mira's character development and her relationships with Danaus and Tristan are (to me) the best parts of the book. This series is not a casual read. Each book intertwines with the next; It's layered and it's complicated. There are a lot of characters and a lot going on. It's all topped off with a healthy dose of violence and a dollop of sex. 4 stars.

I have been reading so many urban paranormal series lately that it's difficult to find something new. That's one reason I have seen this series several times on the shelves of my favorite bookstores and passed it by. I've been trying to look at more urban fantasy with mainly male protagonist (and staying away from the late Anita Blake books trend) of sex with some supernatural thrown in. But when I needed a few books to kill some time waiting in a hospital lounge I picked up the first of this series just because I knew it had a few sequels if I liked it and could quickly pick up the next book in the series. That is exactly what I did. The leading lady is different enough to get you interested (she reminds me of T.A. Pratt's Marla) and even if it's not a completely fresh take on vamps and weres it does have some original spin. I've the read the first two so far and while they do seem to have some repetition in the writing and thought cycle of the characters, I'll be picking up the third book for sure.

This book picked up right where Nightwalker left off. Mira and Danaus are continuing there fight to keep the Naturi Queen and horde sealed up. They certainly need all the help they can get. Mira is one powerful person or weapon but she has to fight many of her kind that would control and use her. She finds out more about Danaus and he is learning more about her and the world. He does seem to believe that which he was taught or told by others. It seems hard for him to change. Their relationship is getting deeper, they still want to be the one to kill the other, but you feel the love or at least concern. They fight their enemies and their allies, and so far they are not really winning. I am looking forward to her next book. I believe it is due in September

Dayhunter picks up immediately where Nightwalker ends (if you haven't read Nightwalker in a while, the beginning is a jolt). Our reluctant, fire-wielding, sword-swinging heroine, Mira, travels to Venice to announce to the Coven (the ruling body of vampires) that the naturi (evil, nature elf-demons) are trying to end the world as humans know it and as vamps run it. Mira has just come from one battle which nearly killed her, only to enter a political war which nearly kills her (multiple times). Mira is then forced to become a player in the world of vampire politics and in-fighting which she has avoided for most of her 6 century life. This book covers a short period of time (ess than one week), and the pacing matches, counterbalancing action and battle scenes, with vicious political maneuvers.

The brilliance of this series is a heroine who tries to do the right thing when the options are terrible, because she believes in doing the right thing (oh, and she kicks butt while doing it). Now, that does not make Mira a sap, a white-hat, or a cape-wearer. She struggles with the knowledge that she could take the ruthless way out, letting people die just because it's easier.

There are many unknown factors to the story, many of them are political (Themis--the research & warlock council, the Coven--the vampire-government, lycanthrope packs, and the naturi monarchy). While some readers may find this information tedious, it is well presented within the story, and it contributes to Drake's world-building. Another unknown is Danaus, the hunter. Romantic tension with this character (and others) exists, and adds interest to the whirlwind of events; however, this is not a romance novel, so some readers may be disappointed in the lack of 'neatness' of Mira's relationships or in her confused emotional states.

If you like Karen Chance, early Anita Blake by Laurel K. Hamilton, or the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning, I think you'll enjoy this series. I look forward to the next installment.