Nightwalker by Jocelynn Drake

I've been a fan of Buffy for a long time, but there was one thing I always wondered about. Namely, why would a vampire ever bother going to Sunnydale, knowing the Slayer lived there and was likely to dust the vamp as soon as he or she arrived in town? One would think a vamp could live a longer, more peaceful life simply by avoiding the Slayer's stomping grounds, right?

After the first chapter of Jocelynn Drake's Nightwalker, I think I get it. 600-year-old vampire Mira squares off against seasoned vampire hunter Danaus in a scene that just crackles with adrenaline. Danaus is a danger to Mira, but he's also an equal to spar with, and the chase is exhilarating. Drake hooked me here and never let me go.

Before too long, Mira and Danaus find themselves making an uneasy truce in order to battle an enemy who threatens them both: the naturi, who have ... Read More

Dayhunter by Jocelynn Drake

I’ve just been to Venice and back, and I’m not even jetlagged…

In Nightwalker, Jocelynn Drake transported the reader to Egypt and London, and now, in Dayhunter, we’re headed for the canals. As the book begins, Mira and Danaus are summoned to appear before the vampire council in Venice. I loved following Mira to all her favorite haunts in the city; Drake does a great job of creating a tangible sense of place.

Unfortunately, the plot didn’t grab me as much as the setting did, at least not at the beginning. It’s sort of too fast and too slow at the same time, crazy as that may sound. It’s fast in the sense that there are constant skirmishes; it’s slow in the sense that the fights don’t seem to advance the plot much. We are witnessing, pardon my French, a pissing contest between Mira and th... Read More

Dawnbreaker by Jocelynn Drake

“And where does that leave us?” Jabari demanded.

To my surprise, a half smile tweaked one corner of her mouth as she looked from me to Jabari. “On hold.”

This bit of dialogue, taken from one of the final chapters of Dawnbreaker, sums up my experience with the Dark Days series a little too well.

There’s nothing wrong with Dawnbreaker. It’s a perfectly fine book. Jocelynn Drake's prose is competent and vivid, and there are several interesting surprises tucked into the storyline. Mira uncovers an unpleasant clue to the origin of her powers, Danaus struggles with his own humanity, and a family feud among the naturi comes to light.

The narrative begins in Savannah, Mira’s home, to ... Read More

Pray for Dawn by Jocelynn Drake

I loved the first DARK DAYS novel, Nightwalker, but was a little disappointed in the next two installments. I am happy to report that with Pray for Dawn, Jocelynn Drake gives the series the shot of adrenaline it needed.

Drake makes the unusual choice of switching narrators for this book; it’s told from Danaus’ point of view. A few months have passed since the battle at Machu Picchu, and Danaus has been trying to put Mira out of his mind. Then, he’s summoned to Savannah to help solve the supernaturally-tinged murder of a senator’s daughter, a murder that threatens to expose the existence of paranormal beings to the public.

This means working with Mira again, which always leads to some uncomfortable cognitive dissonance for Danaus. Vampires are the blood-sucking monsters he’s... Read More

Wait for Dusk by Jocelynn Drake

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 f... Read More