Review: Dawnbreaker by Jocelynn Drake
Title: Dawnbreaker (Dark Days, Book 3)
Author: Jocelynn Drake
Release: September 29, 2009
Buy Kindle version: here
Goodreads Entry: here
Rating: 4 Stars
Those of her race fear Mira for the lethal fire she bends to her will—a power unique among nightwalkers, both a gift . . . and a curse.
The naturi despise Mira for what she is—as they prepare the final sacrifice that will destroy the barriers between the worlds. And once the naturi are unchained, blood, chaos, and horror will reign supreme on Earth.
Mira can trust only Danaus, the more-than-mortal vampire slayer, though he is sworn to destroy her kind. And now, as the day approaches when titanic forces will duel under cover of darkness, destiny draws them toward an apocalyptic confrontation at Machu Picchu. But all is not lost, for a wild card has been dealt to them: a rogue enemy princess who can change the balance of power and turn the dread tide.
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.
FTC Disclaimer: This book was purchased by me.
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4 Responses to “Review: Dawnbreaker by Jocelynn Drake”
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this was not a love at first read series for me, but it gets so much better with each book… i loved this installment, but ur right… we only get more freaking questions lol
love the review!
I don’t think I can handle another series that frustrates me. I nearly banged a fist into the wall after reading Karen Marie Moning’s Dreamfever’s cliffhanger. I tend to be dramatic and pull a Nancy Kerrigan asking “Why me?” when I get frustrated. Do you think I’ll like this series?
@K.C – well there are no real cliffhangers – if that helps. If you like a good dark urban fantasy story than you will like it. If you like things neat and tidy – it will probably not be love at first sight. There series is really good as a whole, but sometimes even I get a bit confused about what is going on because the powers/relationship aspects of the story line are pretty unique. I wish I had read Moning’s series so I had a better idea of how they compare! It is up next tho
Hmmm for some reason my blog thinks I am “test” lol I must have been logged out.