Helpful Score: 6
I had very similar thoughts about this book as I did for the previous two, except I would say that this book has even more action. Dawnbreaker is like one of those blockbuster movies with plenty of fights and pyrotechnics (which makes for a quick read whenever I picked it up). The book starts off where Daywalker left off, with naturi pursuing Mira while she tries to stop them from breaking the seal that keeps most of their kind from returning to the world. By Mira's side are several people who we've been introduced to in the past couple of books. There's a lot of characters to keep track of, but I had no issues remembering who they were because of quick summaries of who is who exactly when I needed it. All of these people are under Mira's protection and she takes her job very seriously, but the bombardment from the naturi means Mira is a busy woman.
One of the people surrounding Mira is the vampire hunter Danaus who over the past couple of books has become something of a friend. Their relationship is an odd one. They have to work with each other because only Danaus is able to expand Mira's abilities, but they are natural enemies. This book is very much an urban fantasy because there is almost no romance, but there are hints that Danaus and Mira feel more for each other than they are willing to admit. These hints were *very* few and far between, and are about equal in number to the comments that one day Mira and Danaus will kill each other. They both seem able to understand one another in times of trouble, but Mira and Danaus have seen each other do things they didn't approve of. In any case, because this book was focused on the race to stop the naturi from re-entering the world, there was less time to delve into relationships as deeply as they were in previous books. Much of the interesting interactions happened in the last quarter of Dawnbreaker. I don't doubt we'll see more of that to come, both between Mira and Danaus, and between Mira and others, including the vampire Coven leaders, whose long term plans are hard to guess, and Mira's new vampire family. This book leaves us with some problems solved and other problems appearing (Mira's seat on the Coven, Danaus' identity, The Great Awakening). I can't wait to see how Mira and Danaus tackle them!
Overall: Ramps up the non-stop action which is found in the first two books. This book continues with the same dark, Gothic undertones and epic scope. I love the complex relationships between characters which is sparingly doled out here, but I have no doubt they will come to the forefront again soon enough. There are a couple of juicy issues left for Mira and Danaus to tackle after this book, and I'm looking forward to the next installment.
One of the people surrounding Mira is the vampire hunter Danaus who over the past couple of books has become something of a friend. Their relationship is an odd one. They have to work with each other because only Danaus is able to expand Mira's abilities, but they are natural enemies. This book is very much an urban fantasy because there is almost no romance, but there are hints that Danaus and Mira feel more for each other than they are willing to admit. These hints were *very* few and far between, and are about equal in number to the comments that one day Mira and Danaus will kill each other. They both seem able to understand one another in times of trouble, but Mira and Danaus have seen each other do things they didn't approve of. In any case, because this book was focused on the race to stop the naturi from re-entering the world, there was less time to delve into relationships as deeply as they were in previous books. Much of the interesting interactions happened in the last quarter of Dawnbreaker. I don't doubt we'll see more of that to come, both between Mira and Danaus, and between Mira and others, including the vampire Coven leaders, whose long term plans are hard to guess, and Mira's new vampire family. This book leaves us with some problems solved and other problems appearing (Mira's seat on the Coven, Danaus' identity, The Great Awakening). I can't wait to see how Mira and Danaus tackle them!
Overall: Ramps up the non-stop action which is found in the first two books. This book continues with the same dark, Gothic undertones and epic scope. I love the complex relationships between characters which is sparingly doled out here, but I have no doubt they will come to the forefront again soon enough. There are a couple of juicy issues left for Mira and Danaus to tackle after this book, and I'm looking forward to the next installment.
Helpful Score: 1
Jai nailed it with her right-on review. If you enjoyed Drake's first two books, you'll enjoy Dawnbreaker. Drake is a great writer, and I hope to see more books (I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Rowe gets his own book - he's fascinating!). Danaus and Mira's relationship is slowly evolving - very, very slowly. The romantic in me hopes they admit their feelings for each other before they kill each other.
