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Livianias iconThese four reviews are quick quack reviews by Liviania of the newest two books in two series: Jocelynn Drake’s Dark Days and Seanan McGuire’s October Daye books.

Pray for DawnPray for Dawn (Dark Days, Book 4) by Jocelynn Drake
Urban fantasy published by Harper Voyager 29 Jun 10

I haven’t read every book in this series, so I don’t know if Jocelynn Drake has done one from Danaus’s point of view before. I loved it. It’s rare that an urban fantasy with strong romantic elements is entirely narrated by a man. Given that Danaus is a vampire slayer whereas Mira is a vampire, it also gave an interesting look at how differently they approach their world and their relationship.

Drake’s world is complicated, so the fourth book probably isn’t the place for new readers to begin. Older readers should find this a fun entry in the series (even if it does have a small amount of heartbreak at the end).

Grade: B+

Summary:

Pray for salvation . . .

Pray for daylight . . .

Murder has pulled Mira out of the shadows and back into the living world . . .

As the fire-wielding enforcer of the nightwalker coven wrestles with the mind-destroying ghosts of her dark past, the slaying of a senator’s daughter in Savannah threatens to expose her kind to the brilliant light of day. The dawn of chaos has come. The naturi have broken free of their eternal prison to feed on the defenseless and unbelieving of an unprepared Earth.

Mira and Danaus—vampire and vampire slayer—must unite to prevent the annihilation of their separate races. But for Danaus the challenge is intensified, for he must also fight the bori who covets his soul. And Mira, the nightwalker he must protect—whose power is the Earth’s last hope—is rapidly going insane.

Read an excerpt here.

Wait for DuskWait for Dusk (Dark Days, Book 5) by Jocelynn Drake
Urban fantasy published by Harper Voyager 27 Jul 10

Since Pray for Dawn was such a strong entry in the series, I had high hopes for Wait for Dusk. It mostly met my expectations, but I found it less exciting. Mira and Danaus are once more in Europe, this time to discover why vampires are disappearing in Budapest and why no one is in control of the region. Mira’s sometime allies Valerio and Stefan are along for the ride. They help convince Mira to be a bit freer with her displays of violence, which gets on Danaus’s nerves. Of course, Danaus bothers Mira with his concern for an alleged damsel-in-distress.

I like the Drake’s hero and heroine, but they’re far more entertaining when they’re working together than when they’re annoyed with each other. I will still be along for the sixth Dark Days novel – Drake keeps things moving fast and she writes excellent sexual tension.

Grade: B-

Summary:

There is no sanctuary in the night . . .

Feared even by her own kind for her mastery of fire, the nightwalker Mira is summoned by the coven to take her rightful place as Elder. But with this honor comes grave responsibility—a commitment to the annihilation of the unleashed naturi. For now the foul creatures walk the earth—and neither vampire nor human will survive their horrific onslaught.

A tide of blood is sweeping relentlessly across the European continent, as Mira is dispatched to Budapest for the most devastating test yet of her astonishing powers—and falls into a well-laid trap. With the dark secrets that haunt her growing darker by the hour, she must confront the terrible truth of her past and protect her fragile sanity in the face of unanticipated treachery—a betrayal by her trusted ally, her beloved enemy, the vampire slayer Danaus.

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

NightwalkerDayhunter

UnboundDawnbreaker

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A Local HabitationA Local Habitation (October Daye, Book 2) by Seanan McGuire
Urban fantasy published by DAW 2 Mar 10

Sybil is corrupting me. Because of her, I keep reading series out of order. This time I only started on the second book, but still. I am sad I didn’t start with the first October Daye book, since it sounds nifty. (Evil twin brothers!) A Local Habitation did have its own attractions. (Evil computer company!) The October Daye novels draw from a variety of mythological influences, but the major ones are Celtic, which always makes me happy. Toby’s past is somewhat complicated, but her world isn’t too unfamiliar. That makes it easy to step in.

The mystery did provide a nice amount of tension – no one expects the main character to die, but there were plenty of other good characters at risk from the murderer. I did find one of the love interests kind of lackluster. He’s married, and no matter how awful the woman he’s married to is, it still seems skeevy.

Grade: B-

Summary:

Now comes the second in the series-from a dynamic new fantasy talent!

Toby Daye-a half-human, half-fae changeling-has been an outsider from birth. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the fae world, retreating to a “normal” life. Unfortunately for her, the Faerie world had other ideas…

Now her liege, the Duke of the Shadowed Hills, has asked Toby to go to the Country of Tamed Lightening to make sure all is well with his niece, Countess January O’Leary. It seems like a simple enough assignment-until Toby discovers that someone has begun murdering people close to January, and that if the killer isn’t stopped, January may be the next victim.

Read an excerpt here.

An Artificial NightAn Artificial Night (October Daye, Book 3) by Seanan McGuire
Urban fantasy published by DAW 27 Sep 10

The highlight of the October Daye novels might be Toby’s strange friendship with the Luidaeg. In An Artificial Night, that friendship comes in handy since Toby is battling the Luidaeg’s brother Blind Michael. Toby isn’t the world’s best investigator, so it helps that she knows whodunit almost immediately and just needs to find out how to rescue his victims.

There’s also some interesting developments that will play out in future installments of the series, like Toby’s fetch May Daye. Who can resist a friendly harbinger of death who can’t drive? The second novel is probably a better starting place than this one, but it’s still accessible to new readers.

Grade: B-

Summary:

Experience the thrill of the hunt in the third October Daye urban fantasy novel.

October “Toby” Daye is a changeling-half human and half fae-and the only one who has earned knighthood. Now she must take on a nightmarish new challenge. Someone is stealing the children of the fae as well as mortal children, and all signs point to Blind Michael. Toby has no choice but to track the villain down-even when there are only three magical roads by which to reach Blind Michael’s realm, home of the Wild Hunt-and no road may be taken more than once. If Toby cannot escape with the children, she will fall prey to the Wild Hunt and Blind Michael’s inescapable power.

No excerpt found.

Other books in the series:

Rosemary and RueLate Eclipses