Dawnbreaker by J. Drake

The Dark Days series by Jocelynn Drake has always impressed me with its heart stopping action and intriguing characters and Dawnbreaker thankfully continues in that trend.

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.

There are two major problems that Mira has. There is the Council, which Mira was forced into in the last book by Jabari, that makes her a political target for other more ambitious nightwalkers. And then there are the naturi who are extremely powerful, and who want nothing more than to eradicate all other races from the planet. In Dayhunter, Mira was primarily fighting the council, and in this one she is facing the naturi.

While the naturi are the main focus in Dawnbreaker, Jarabi still puts in a couple appearances just to let Mira know that she is only alive because she is still of use to him. There is also Stefan, throughout the book he is a big help to Mira in fighting the naturi, but he makes it perfectly clear that he has ambitions for the council. That if he were given the chance he would gladly kill Mira in order to take her place on the council. Makes me wonder if he is going to become a problem in the future.

Not to mention that on top of every thing else, Mira also is having the added responsibilities of trying to protect her newly formed family, exploring her growing powers, and keeping an eye on Danaus. A tall order for anyone I think.  And Mira handles it all remarkably well. She does have a few breakdowns, but hey, who wouldn’t considering and in the end she’s always picking herself up and fighting on even though the odds are against her. I think my favorite thing about her is that she is a reluctant hero. She’s not some holier than thou savior.  She really doesn’t want to be a defender to anyone but those she considers hers. However, Jarabi and the naturi are forcing her hand by constantly attacking in one way or the other.  She takes on all of these guys as a responsibility,  she doesn’t back down, and I really respond to that.

The relationship between Mira and Danaus is also expanding. They are both becoming more familiar and comfortable with each other. Neither one trust the other completely, but they are getting there.  I just wish they would get together already. The tension is killing me, but in a good way. I think that when/if they finally do give into their feelings its going to be pretty epic, and I can’t wait to see where this is gonna go.

Overall, I really loved Dawnbreaker. Fans of the Dark Days series will not be disappointed.  It was as fast paced and kick ass as the last two books. And the growth of the relationships in this book is very satisfying, and it left me more than ready to read the next book in the series Pray for Dawn.

Read Order:
Nightwalker
Dayhunter
Dawnbreaker
Pray for Dawn (6/29/2010)
Wait for Dusk (8/15/2010)

Also reviewed by:
All Things Print
Janicu’s Book Blog
Tink’s Place
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