Customer Reviews

Upon The Midnight Clear (A Dream-Hunter Novel, Book 2)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(28)
1 star:		(47)

 

 

I loved Kenyon's first six books in this series. But the last 4 have gone from bad to worse (starting with Wren's story, Ravyn's story and the last two terrible dream hunter installations). This latest Christmas Dream Hunter story reads like it was originally planned as a short story for an anthology; then was stretched out to make a full length novel by slapping additional scenes in. There's no chemistry between hero and heroine and way way too many secondary and superfluous sketchy characters. Altogether a waste of my $8.00. I think Kenyon knows her fan base is not happy, because she added some extra short chapters at the end giving us a peek at the past beloved New Orleans characters (Kyrian, Amanda, Grace, Julian, Val, Tabby, Talon, Sunshine having Christmas together, along with a glimpse of Nick, and a Christmas scene with Ash, Danger, Alexion, Simi, etc). The only other book in this series that I will purchase is Ash's story and only because Kenyon herself said she wrote Ash's story a few years ago, back when she took the time to really craft a storyline and characters we cared about. Other than Ash's book or books, I won't purchase another book in this series (or in the other series she's writing about the Arthurian Era Knights.)

By this point I really should know better. I have only myself to blame because the Dream Hunter novels have never been anything less than absolutely dreadful. Sherrilyn Kenyon has been really cranking them out this year, with at least three Whatever-Hunter novels and who knows how many of her other series that I don't read. Too bad they've all been unabashedly terrible. It occurs to me that Kenyon has reached a point in her career that she obviously doesn't care anymore. Her hard core fan base is going buy, buy, buy no matter what. I'm sorry but three pull your hair out awful books in a row amounts to three strikes you're out.

Admittedly Kenyon was never really a high caliber writer to begin with but there is no comparison with her early books. There was a freshness, an excitement, to the work. These were genuinely exciting adventures and the story reflected an obvious passion and enthusiasm that Kenyon had for her characters and her world. It could pull you along. Now? Ehh... the style is more akin to a bored salary worker just doing it for the paycheck.

Upon a Midnight Clear is the usual Dream Hunter malarky. Leta, the oneroi heroine, like all Dream Hunters is supposed to be under a terrible curse that has sealed away their emotions. Of course, this doesn't stop her from being whiny and angsty. Leta is on the trail of her archenemy Dolor, the god of pain. Dolor's target is Aidan, a reclusive actor that is supposed to be a stand-in for Eboneezer Scrooge. He's shut himself off from the world thanks to having the standard Kenyon background of having his friends and family be the usual string of evil cartoon villains that live only to torment him. Leta shows up at his cabin and teaches him the meaning of true love and charity like some erotic Tiny Tim (Isn't that an awful thought?).

Truly, one of the reasons the Whatever-Hunter series has gotten to be such a pain to read is that Kenyon can't make her characters nuanced anymore. Evil people are like comic book villains, insane laughing balls of unstoppable malice just because it feels good. Really, how seriously can anyone take a character that acts like Gargamel from the Smurfs? Good hides itself behind rippling pectorals and a wounded past. Wounded as in every person you ever met treated you like a red headed step child. Everything is about as subtle as a bat to the face. Plus everyone, from the gods to thirty something humans, talks like an idiotic teeny-bopper. Also included in the back of the book is a short piece about the Dark Hunter characters past and present opening Christmas presents together. It was a mistake to include this because it really drives home the point that all the characters have one single personality type to share between them like the Gorgons share a single eye.

I also have to wonder about the editing. In one scene, Kenyon tries to work in a Dexter reference but its so forced that any decent editor should have nixed it. As if the audience is to dense to get the joke, the writer clarifies that it's a show on Showtime. And Dexter is serial killer! And he lives in Miami and has boat! Really, I don't appreciate being talked down to. The audience is either going to pick up on the reference or they aren't.

To add insult to injury, this is really an anthology piece disguised as a novel. This story probably wouldn't crack one hundred pages if not for huge margins, huge typeset, and the fact that with every new chapter the text starts on the last fifth of the page. Best of all, its sold to you at full novel price! Unbelievable! There is absolutely no redeeming value to this. If this was supposed to be a Christmas present to the fans, it amounts to a lump of coal in your stocking.

I will be honest and state that I got halfway through this book and could not finish it. I wish I could have given the book zero stars. At first since the book was $6.99, I was determine to finish it. However, I could not torture myself any longer as I did when I forced myself to finish her latest Brotherhood of the Sword book.

In one chapter, you have the heroine willing to sacrifice the hero for the greater good and in the very next chapter determined to keep him safe. In addition, Aidan (the hero) was so whiney that after reading page after page of his pity party, I just could not finish the book. His family sucked, his friends sucked, the world sucked, everybody sucked--I get it already. It was way too over the top that I could not even empathize with him. There are way more people that have it worse than Aidan and they don't have $35 million in the bank and a private lodge to hide out in.

The "plot" just did not make sense, just like the villains' motives or Leta's. I could not understand why the hero's brother would do the things (some really vile and horrible things) he did, it just did not make sense to destroy your meal ticket--the jealousy reason just did not cut it. Moreover, if Leta has no feelings/emotions, why would she care to save the world or Aidan from the God of Pain?

I use to love Kenyon's books, but for the past few years I have been very disappointed in her writing. Her heroes and heroines have become repetitive and boring; her storylines inconsistent causing me to have to re-read sections of her books or find a previous book to make sure I was not wrong; and her storylines have become too confusing with too many characters, too many gods/goddess/ and too many parallel planes/worlds.

It is painful to watch a writer who had consistently produced exceptional books become a writer who is now consistently producing mediocre (sometimes awful) books. The Dream-Hunters and the Orders of Avalon series are especially bad. Maybe Kenyon is stretched to thin; it seems she has several books coming out. I would prefer an author put out one great book a year than several bad books in one year (LESS IS MORE). I also put a lot of blame on her publisher and editor (shame on you). Once Acheron's and Nick's books come out, I am done. When an author's book covers are better than the content, it is time to find a new author. Suggestions are welcome!--Thanks

Wow. This book was just a wreck. Everything seem contrived and lacked any emotional development. I believed nothing. The whole history of Aidan and who has betrayed him and all that, was just laughable. And with Leta.. I felt like I should have felt something about her whole family issues, but I just couldn't muster up the concern.

I had high hopes since I thought Devil May Cry seemed to indicate SK was back on her game, but this makes me think twice about purchasing any of her future books. Unless someone gives 'em to me or I found some cheap used copies.

As a fan of the Dark-Hunter series, I've gotta say that Dream-Hunter has been a continual disappointment. Who are these people giving out FIVE stars for this stuff??? I understand being a fan of an author, and sticking by her through thick and thin, but that doesn't mean you have to swallow everything she writes and rave about it. Sometimes authors have slumps, and I'm saying, Kenyon's in slump. Come on! This is the same person who wrote Acheron - we know she can do better.

Anyway, saying I found this book uninspired is being kind. Kenyon's just going through the motions on this one. I hated the hero and wanted to put a bullet in his head myself just to stop his pity party life.

Normally I'm a fan of Kenyon's work...however this latest offering (along with her previous two books) felt "phoned in". "Upon the Midnight Clear" tells the tale of Aiden O'Connor, a famous actor who has become reclusive and angry after having the people closest to him (his brother & his fiancee) hurt him terribly. Jealousy has driven his brother Donnie to try and ruin Aiden, both financially and emotionally...resulting in Donnie's imprisonment. Somehow he gets ahold of a way to resurrect a destructive ancient god of pain to exact revenge for his imprisonment. Leta, a Dream Goddess, has a painful personal past involving the god of pain and makes it her mission to save the angry Aiden from death at the hands of this god. As so aptly said in Seinfeld..."yadda yadda yadda." This tale is soooo short that readers have difficulty connecting with either protagonists and even more difficulty believing the quick love match between two very emotionally damaged people. Eh. My recommendation is to either borrow it from a friend or get on a library waiting list. You're not missing much with this one. Yes, the last 10-15 pages is somewhat cute with the VERY quick peek into Christmas with past beloved characters (man, oh man I so wish she'd write another book revolving around my personal favourite - Valerius Magnus. *Sigh*), but it's not worth the price of the book. Quite often I hear comparisons between Kenyon's work and the work of Christine Feehan. I can personally say that IMO Feehan's work as of late has far surpassed that of Kenyon in both depth and plot. Here's hoping Kenyon gets back on track with her next book. :)

The Dream Hunter Series:

Midnight Pleasures (Collection of Novellas that includes the first Dream Hunter story)

The Dream Hunter

Upon a Midnight Clear

The Dream Chaser

Upon a Midnight Clear was a great story. The hero and heroine were both strong and devoted. Both also had battered hearts that were drowning in sorrow from past losses. They provided one another with a new reason to hope for the future. Very romantic.

My problem with the book was the fact that it was so short. It was 248 pages, but the type was so large it was like reading one of my kids' chapter books for fourth graders. There was only room in the book for one love scene. The couple fell in love in one day... there was no time for them to get to know one another. They met, argued, shared a dream, made love, fought the enemy, won the battle, end of story. All in one day. Very disappointing. This story should have been full length.

Aiden was an excellent hero character. Pure hearted, but jaded. A man who gave everything he had to the people he loved, and would have gladly continued to do so. Betrayed by those very same people, he had decided to live in anger rather than suffer from the overwhelming pain of his family's treachery.

Leta was terrific as a heroine as well. She was brave, powerful, loyal, and very open about her love for Aiden. After living through the devastation of the loss of her husband and daughter, Leta is grateful for the chance to share such affection again.

The god of pain, Dolor, lived and tormented people for centuries. He was an exciting and worthy opponent. Aiden was human, yet he destroyed Dolor without even knowing how he had done it. If Dolor was this easy to kill, he would not have survived for centuries. Killing him off this way made Dolor seem like a joke.

In the end, this was an excellent tale that never had a chance to be all it could have... no... all it SHOULD have been. Although these are some of the best characters Kenyon has written for a while, they didn't get to have their stories really fleshed out. There was a bit of the annoying "Oh goody" language that Kenyon has been inserting in her books lately, but not as bad as in Devil May Cry.

One word seems to stick in my mind: Disappointing. Not because the story wasn't good, nor because the characters were bad. But because both were so good I hated seeing the whole tale robbed of it's chance to sweep us away on a full fledged paranormal fantasy.

I agree with other reviewers that this seemed like a short story that was expanded into a novel--and not just padded--the text size reminded me of double-spacing and increasing the font size to get that extra required page.

As far as the story, the characters just weren't fleshed out and the plot seemed just on the surface. I had been looking forward to this book, but I was disappointed. This is one to borrow, if you need to read it.

I like Sherri's books, but this one just didn't seem up to the rest.

This was a very short book which was my main disappointment. I just found it hard to believe that Aidan reacted so well to the fact that a Greek God was out to kill him sent by his jealous brother, and that Leta was a Goddess to protect him. For someone supposedly so jaded and bitter he fell in love pretty quick with Leta. The new Greek God characters and insights into old ones were good (Zeus makes his debut here) but I honestly liked the ending better. SK added Christmas epilogues of previous DH and WH characters, and a tantalizing clip of Acheron's vision on how bad things are going to go for him. The last few pages bumped it up to a 3 star. I still love SK and I am looking forward to Xyphers story with some old friends from the New Orleans gang.

I was surprised when I went to write this review that the book was getting poor reviews. After reading them, I do agree that it reads more like a short story then a full novel, however, it is well written and fast paced and I enjoyed the storyline more then some of her more recent books, which seem to get a little repetitive.
This book took a different turn, more like fantasy lover. One ancient God protecting a mortal against another God. I thought the character background and development was just enough for this shorter story and was tearing up by the end where they show their willingness to selfless acts for the other.
If you like her books, this is definitely worth buying. If other people's complaints about it being a short story are scaring you off, I guess I would just state that there are many times I wish even a short story was released from my favorite authors so I can indulge in their characters more then once or twice a year. If you only read sparingly throughout the year you might be disappointed. If you read alot I don't think you will miss the length you usually see in her other books.