Customer Reviews

Wait for Dusk (Dark Days, Book 5)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was hooked from Page 1. Jocelynn Drake has the soul of a poet and brilliant, expressive ways of rewriting hack-neyed, overused language. She is a joy to read.

Page 1 opens with Mira taking a horrible beating from a supernatural being claiming to be her real biological father. Mira is defenseless and can do nothing to protect herself. We learn that he is the devil and that he has multiple children, with Mira showing the most promise for his personal use. He wants her to learn to use Danaus' and Jabari's powers to increase her own. If she doesn't, he will return her to her mortal state and impregnate her (eeee-yewww!) in order to get a better result from his grandchild (oh, yuck yuck, yuck!!!).

In the meantime, the Coven calls Mira back to Europe to take her rightful seat. Danaus accompanies Mira as her "Consort" which gives him the status to attend meetings of the Coven with Mira. This is a good thing.

The Coven court intrigue ultimately sends Mira and Danaus to Budapest where the vampires have no leader. Mira is sent under the auspices of killing the naturi who are gathering there and consolidating the vampire heirarchy and power base. A feat she is expected to fail at.

While she is in Budapest bringing order of chaos (and it is bloody and heartless), Mira begins to consolidate her power base with the vampires Stefan (an almost-Ancient) and Valerio (already an Ancient)--both of whom have accompanied her and have been double-crossed by members of the Coven. They are met with murder, betrayal, mayhem, and lies of all sorts.

All throughout, her demon father makes appearances and threatens her. While Mira tells Danaus some of this, she doesn't tell Danaus everything--something I fear will come back to haunt her when Danaus finds out the full truth. Worse, Mira is forced to act on her evil father's will, tapping into Danaus' powers, and finally Jabari's, to vanquish an Ancient member of the Coven. Both Danaus and Jabari can feel her accessing their powers. Even though Danaus is not happy about it, he ultimately trusts her enough to give her permission when she needs it. Jabari, though, now has no reason to keep Mira alive and he is deadly furious with her.

This book sets up what will be coming in the rest of the series. There are many fascinating plot lines to be developed. How will she rid the world of her evil father? She is the fire-starter, but has she inherited other powers from the devil locked away from her by Jabari and Sadira? Who is the liege lord anyway? How will the conflict between her and Jabari end? What about the naturi who are gathering all throughout the world for another showdown? Gaizka, the horribly evil bori, has been shut away, and can only be freed by joint soul-obliterating power of Danaus and Mira. But what of Danaus? He has certain powers, but he has hasn't accepted his Bori half and potential powers that may come with that. And what will happen when he discovers that Mira has used his power to appease her wicked father?

Mira has both a soft side and a hard side. Through her hard side, she brought order and peace to her hometown of Savannah--thus keeping down murder and mayhem among the vampires. She is asked to do the same thing in Budapest. Yes, it's harsh. Yes, she has no remorse. But, yes, it's absolutely necessary. It is a superb insight into her history and her own growth.

In one of the final showdowns in the book, Mira is forced to make an unimaginable short-term alliance with a feared enemy to survive a deadly situation. This again speaks to her intelligence and pragmatism.

I hate heroes and heroines who are so conflicted about what needs that they make all the wrong choices and sometimes can't get it done until it's too late and the cost is too high. Mira doesn't do that. She doesn't second guess herself. She may not like it, but she does it. This is what makes her a great heroine and fighter.

I love smart heroines who give no quarter. I also love heroines who are loyal to those whom they love and will do anything to protect them. She is also compassionate, funny, and temperamental. Danaus hurts her time and time again, but she is constant and doesn't hold grudges. Mira is a great heroine.

This book is filled with intrigue, danger, heartbreak, exploration, new relationships, old relationships, and all the things have been made the series an outstanding one. All of these books are bloody and gory and this is no exception. If you don't like violence and blood, then be forewarned, because you won't like it.

If you understand the necessity of blood gore to an intensively driven plot and character development, don't miss it!

Mira and Danaus found themselves in Budapest by the coven's orders to neutralized the Naturi threat and they find a different kind of ruling when there's no obvious keeper of the city's domain, two ancient vampires came with them voluntarily with unclear reasons, so Mira and Danaus have to battle between mistrust of their company and the plain risks in their mission, besides a new villain that has a strong grip on Mira.

I have to say that this series was getting tedious; all the books in the Dark Days are basically the same, just with slight differences. Danaus is tortured by his way of thinking about vampires, he's a hunter and can't possibly accept there are some good vampires, he wants to protect humans not vampires; Mira is a danger for every race out there; the Naturi wants to get rid of everyone to save the earth and Rowe wants to kidnap Mira; the coven is more trouble than help for the greater good; there's the tension between Mira and Danaus about their attraction and sometimes her or him keeping things from each other. Well this is no exception, it is still the same thing over again, but I don't know what is it that it draw me once again maybe it's that finally Danaus and Mira move forward (It's not spoiler since you can easily guess by the cover), or perhaps is that she was a bad-a s s at the end (she always wins her fights but the last one was great), or it might be that the main menace wasn't the Naturi (finally!) or could possible be that the end was not a cliffhanger (yes, there is a danger for the next book, but it didn't end with the risk at their heels) or all of the above.

The point is that even when it's repetitive is a good read and a page turner, this is my favorite in the series, I don't know why I thought it was the last but obviously not, so yes I'll read the next one, maybe now with the relationship it will change dynamics.

Wait for Dusk by Jocelynn Drake

OMG It was my favorite book in the whole series so far. It was the most fun I've had reading a book all year. This is the 5th book in her Dark Days Series. We are brought back to Mira's POV which is something that I was happy to see. I loved Pray for Dawn from Danaus's POV but I rather prefer the books from Mira's.

The dynamic with the characters in the book are so much better than in previous books (not that there were problems in other books they are all great). You see a little more of Stephen and Valerio which was great. However you are never sure if they are to stand with Mira and Danaus or to betray them in the end.

Questions are answered which is as much a good thing as a bad thing for Mira. While you learn who Mira is and where she comes from it brings fresh wave of danger for Mira and Danaus.

With her enemies plotting against her will she and Danaus come out on the top also will Danaus be there with her in the end or will he betray her? I have to say the ending was a startling and amazing at the same time it left me gasping for air... I just loved this new book I give it 5 Stars!!

I have read all of the previous books in this series including 'wait for dusk' and I can assure you that they are top quality. Drake doesn't waste your time recapping every thing and that's ok because these are not stand alone books. I am a stickler for grammar, spelling and continuity and there is only one error I noticed while reading this book. I really hate being jerked out of a scene because of an error. Drake is fortunate to have excellent editors and other helpers to make an energetic read. I have been waiting on tinder hooks for Danaus to "man up" and take Mira as his lover. I am relieved that he has.
My only criticism of this book is the 'tristan' story line. I was not sympathetic to that character anyway but his sudden appearance in the end, which justified the final turn of events, was a bit of a stretch. I was rooting for his demise instead of against it. I finished this book in record time in spite of the full array of plot twists because I kept allowing myself to read "just one more chapter." The story is full of violence, intrigue and consequence. I can't wait for the next one. I need my Mira and Danaus fix.

Okay, I can't help it. I have to start with this awful cover art. Not only do Mira and Danaus have no legs, the cover isn't an accurate representation of the contents. Yes, there's sex in _Wait for Dusk_. No, it's not as predominant as this cover would imply. A more fitting cover would have shown Mira with a fireball in one hand and a big bloody knife in the other.

Having read the first four DARK DAYS novels, I was expecting _Wait for Dusk_ to follow the pattern of books two, three, and four: namely, a slow-build start with lots of politics and posturing, leading up to an action-filled finish. To my surprise (and pleasure), there's not a slow moment in _Wait for Dusk_. There are a few scenes of politicking, but they're short and have immediate, tangible consequences.

_Wait for Dusk_ begins just a few minutes after the cliffhanger ending of Pray for Dawn (Dark Days, Book 4). We're back in Mira's head, and she has just been whisked away from the scene of the battle by a powerful entity. We learn that this entity is actually Mira's real father, a really nasty fellow, who gives her a task she doesn't think she can refuse, then returns her to her home. Later, Mira is summoned to Venice to officially take her seat on the vampire coven. Her enemy Macaire assigns her to clean up a mess in Budapest, so she travels there with Danaus and with vampires Stefan and Valerio, who each have agendas of their own. Mira is pretty sure that this is a trap, but she's determined to make it an opportunity instead.

Mira opens up a big can of Machiavelli as she cuts a swath through Budapest's supernatural community, showing us just how she's managed to survive 600 years as a nightwalker. Her actions don't necessarily make her more sympathetic per se, but they're realistic and they're terrific character development. We keep rooting for her because the alternatives are worse. Mira may be a "B", but she's *our* "B".

At the same time, Mira's actions help drive a wedge between her and Danaus, throwing a heartbreaking conflict into Mira's life just when she least has time for it. As you might have guessed from the clinch cover, Wait for Dusk is the make-or-break book for the Mira/Danaus relationship. Jocelynn Drake has built up this relationship from the very first scene of Nightwalker (Dark Days, Book 1), with some books advancing it and others retreating from it, and here we learn whether they "will" or "won't."

The book is filled with action and violence, and every fight is consequential to the main plot in addition to being exciting. Jocelynn Drake builds to a big ending and then delivers it. No cliffhangers here. There's plenty of trouble ahead for Mira and friends, but _Wait for Dusk_ ends on a satisfying note. This is the first DARK DAYS book that's really recaptured the explosive energy that defined _Nightwalker_, and to my mind it's even better than that first installment. Ignore the cover and snap this one up.

Only one small caveat: There have always been a few copy editing mistakes in these books, but this is the first time it's really been distracting. There's a sentence that talks about the death of Character A, who is actually still alive at that point in the book. I thought maybe I'd missed something, but no, Character A appears, still kicking, a few scenes later. It's Character B who's dead and who I think was supposed to be mentioned in that sentence.

This book beckoned many different feelings from me the further I read. It was had a riveting storyline and at no point in this book was I bored. There were twists, suspicions, love, anger, devastation and frustration running rampant throughout the story, and the ending was phenomenal . This series was getting tiresome before I read this book; however, this book has renewed my interest in the series...I cannot wait for the next book in the Dark Days Series!

Finally what we're all been waiting for...Danaus finally admits his feelings!!! This book was great, just the right amount of action, betrayal, sadness and romance. I think I felt about every emotion while reading this book. I'm sad there's only one book left.

The fifth installment of the Dark Days series is Wait for Dusk. And I have got to say, this is the best one yet.

As our book begins, Mira is being tortured by the entity who kidnapped her at the end of Pray for Dawn. But it's not an old witch woman kicking her butt... It turns out to be her "real" father, who claims to be Satan himself. Daddy's got a mission for Mira. He wants her to learn to take control of Danaus and Jebari's powers. And he gives her a power-upgrade so she has the ability to do it. This is a bit of a mixed bag for our vampire heroine. She finally has the juice to turn the tables on the two men who have been pulling her strings over the course of the last few books. But she's not completely on board with the idea because 1) she is sort-of in love with Danaus and 2) she is scared Jebari will wipe the floor with her. Dad's not giving her much of a choice in the matter.

Mira is summoned back to Venice to be officially indoctrinated into the Coven. And she brings Danaus as back-up. She knows she's facing the threat of death from fellow coven-member Macaire. And sure enough, he orchestrates a trip for her to Budapest, where he has set the wheels in motion for her death to occur. Of course, Mira's smarter and tougher than anyone gives her credit for. And not only does she have Danaus at her back, she's got Valerio and Stefan with her too. There's a fairly good plot arc about the intrigue in Budapest. But to me, the most interesting is the subplot surrounding Mira and Danaus' evolving relationship. And now that her allegiance to him is clear in the vampire world, he is becoming her Achilles heel. Mira's emotions are so fragile where he is concerned. And there was more than once time in the story where, I too, thought he abandoned her.

But holy cow, when these two finally get their act together.... I think I read their sex scene at least 5 times. In a row. Then when the book was over, I went back and read it again. It was that hot. Plus, I needed the distraction from the heart-wrenching ending. For as high as I got on the romance action, Jocelynn Drake shredded me utterly with another character's death. Even when Mira finally wins one, she still loses. 5 stars.

I read this in less than 2 days......which was less than 2 days after I received it......but, I did receive it. Thanks.

No plot summaries or spoilers.

HIGH LEVEL: I loved this book so much that I continue to relive it in my head! This series is one of my absolute favorites and I was afraid to read this one- as with any great series, you live in fear that something could go wrong. NOPE. Ms. Drake constructed a masterpiece in this book- within this series and within the genre of Dark Urban Fantasy in general.

NOTE ON SERIES: This is book 5. Series starts with Nightwalker (Dark Days, Book 1) and then goes through Dayhunter, Dawnbreaker and Pray for Dawn. Overall, this series is ruthlessly vicious, bloody and dark. The last book, Pray for Dawn, was written from the hero Danaus' perspective, but this most recent book switches back to the heroine Mira's like the first three books.

BOOK 5: There are very few words to describe how awesome this book is- breathtaking, heartbreaking, ruthless. This might just be the bloodiest installment yet. The relationship between Danaus and Mira has been BRILLIANTLY written to grow in each book and reached a breaking point in book 4, so we get to watch them dance tantalizingly close to each other in this one causing both enormous relief and frustration.

The plot was intricate enough to keep me wondering, though not quite as good as prior books- but a few new twists were thrown in that pushed the stakes even higher for Mira and Danaus. I am absolutely astounded- just when I thought the series might be winding down and there was very little left to resolve, MORE pops up that just pushes everything to the next level.

BOTTOM LINE: For dark urban fantasy, you would be hard pressed to find better than this. If you like this series, you will LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book. And if you haven't read this series- what on earth is wrong with you???

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Karen Chance's two highly energetic, very sexy vamp series Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer, Book 1) and the related series (start reading Cassandra's series first) Midnight's Daughter (Dorina Basarab, Dhampir, Book 1)
Ilona Andrew's darker, more gritty, post-apocalyptic magic vs technology world: Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1)
Jeaniene Frost's vamp mystery packed with action Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 1)
Nalini Singh's creative use of angels and vampires in Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter)
Lilith Saintcrow's dark and gritty series Night Shift (Jill Kismet, Hunter, Book 1) and Working for the Devil (Dante Valentine, Book 1)