Nightwalker By Jocelynn Drake
The first book I chose is by an author that I just discovered while reading an anthology of paranormal writers. I read the short story written by Jocelynn Drake in Unbound and found that Mira, the fire starter vampire, was a kick-ass female lead character. After finishing the short story, I went online to find other books written by Jocelynn Drake. I discovered The Dark Days Novels. So here goes my review of the first book in the series Nightwalker.
The book Nightwalker revolves around the vampire Mira known to her kind as the firestarter. She is a threat to many but also used as a pawn in the greater scheme of things. Mira discovers a hunter in her territory. The hunter Danaus is a mystery to her, as they meet but don't kill each other. The game they play together soon becomes serious, after the return of a long forgotten enemy, The Naturi. Forced to work together to fight something more evil than the vampires, Mira and Danaus fight for a balance. Travelling around the world searching for ancients and looking to reform The Triad, the one thing that stopped the Naturi before. Mira and Danaus find themselves a better match in battle then they could have ever imagined. The twists and turns on their journey keep them constantly alert.
Mira is know to the vampire race as the firestarter. Having the ability to create and manipulate fire before being turned into a vampire, made her an asset to the race. She is constantly struggling to get and keep her freedom. Being the unofficial leader of the new world makes her more of the a threat to the ancients in the coven. The entire time she is paired up with Danaus Mira wants nothing more than to return to her normal life and domain. She tries to show Danaus that all vampires are not evil beings. Hoping that maybe he wont take her life in the end. She fights to trust everyone around her and may trust an unlikely person.
Danaus is the hunter with a secret. He is part of a group Themis, who study the paranormal and rid the world of the evil creatures. Being taught that all vampires are evil creatures who deserve to die and seeing the way Mira seems to have a soft side and believe in justice over pure death and violence causes a constant struggle for Danaus. He is forced to put aside his prejudices against the vampires to try and help Mira save humankind from the Naturi.
I found the storyline in Nightwalker to be believable. It made me realize there could be a secret paranormal world all around me. The descriptions she used for the countries and cities made it easy for me to put myself there on the sidelines watching the story play out. The constant banter back and forth between Mira and Danaus made for enjoyable conversation. The pace set by the characters in the story hit all the right strides. I will be a Jocelynn Drake fan for life. Her writing skills are amazing and I keep getting drawn back to Mira. Always wanting find out what she will encounter next, and will she live or die at the hands of Danaus. I recommend Jocelynn Drake's Dark Days Novels to anyone looking for a captivating paranormal/horror read.
Thanks again for taking the time to read my review.
Brandy
