My Urban Fantasies: Review: Dawnbreaker by Jocelynn Drake

Title: Dawnbreaker

Author: Jocelynn Drake

Series: Dark Days, #3

•Source: Purchased
•Publisher: EOS
•Publication Date: October 2009

Opening Line: The tires squealed.

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.

The seal to the door is finally broken. Jabari orders Mira to return to the coven. Mira tells him no, that she's returning to Savannah, where she is needed, and that she will fight the naturi when the time comes. Mira also invites Danaus to come with her, claiming that it will be easier to kill him if she does not have to hunt him down. *smirk* Yeah, like any of us believe that's the reason Mira want Danaus with her.

Dawnbreaker starts roughly two months after Dayhunter. Mira and Danaus had parted ways long before Mira reached Savannah. He flew with her from Crete, but got off the plane in Paris. Mira is now in Savannah and everything is not going as well as she had hoped. Ties with the local pack are becoming more strained due to the constant naturi attacks. The naturi are using the werewolves to attack the nightwalkers. The nightwalkers are forced to defend themselves usually resulting with dead werewolves. This leaves us with a less than happy Barrett. When Danaus arrives in Savannah the naturi attacks become worse.

Danaus decides to stay in Savannah. Mira is forced to make him swear he will not hunt another nightwalker while in her domain. Mira no longer trusts Danaus with vampire allies because he killed Penelope with little warning and no hesitation. Mira tells Danaus that she can not worry about protecting her people from him and the naturi. Eventually Mira and Danaus come to an understanding. If one of Mira's nightwalkers attacks Danaus, he can defend himself. If Danaus hunts any of the nightwalkers Mira will gut him and send his charred entrails back to Ryan in a doggie bag.

Along their journey the trust slowly begins to build again. Danaus is essentially Mira's only ally in that battle against the naturi. On the way to stop Rowe from opening the door, Danaus has to trust Mira like he never has before. The enemy are attacking and the only way for Danaus to stay alive is to be completely vulnerable and trust Mira to keep him safe, from the small army of naturi and a room full of nightwalkers.

Dawnbreaker is action packed, and beautifully written. The characters are evolving, I finally find myself becoming emotionally invested in them. Mira is quickly becoming my favorite character. It's amazing that she's not completely insane. If something bad can happen to Mira, it usually does. Mira's constantly confronting ghosts from her past, starting when she was human right up to the present. There seems to be a growing list of people who want to control Mira or just want her dead.

If you're expecting Mira and Danaus to grow a collective brain and realize they actually like each other and do not want to kill each other, you're going to be disappointed. Mira and Danaus do not hook up in this book. I have high hopes for future books though, mostly because I'm a romantic and refuse to believe they will be oblivious of their feelings forever.