Showing posts with label Dream Hunter Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dream Hunter Series. Show all posts
April 29, 2009
7:39 PM |
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Jacket copy:We are the Dolophoni. Diligent. Vigilant. Fierce and inescapable. Servants of the Furies, we are the right hand of justice and no one stands before us.
The son of Warcraft and Hate, Cratus spent eternity battling for the ancient gods who birthed him. He was death to any who crossed him. Until the day he laid down his arms and was banished into exile. Now an ancient enemy has been unleashed and our dreams are his chosen battlefield. The only hope we have is the one god who swears he will never fight again.
As a Dream-Hunter, Delphine has spent eternity protecting mankind from the predators who prey on our unconscious state. But now that her allies have been turned, she knows in order to survive, the Dream-Hunters need a new leader. Someone who can train them to fight their new enemies. Cratus is her only hope. But she is a bitter reminder of why he chose to lay down his arms. Time is running out and if she can't win him to her cause, mankind will be slaughtered and the world we know will soon cease to exist.
The story of Cratus/Jericho and Delphine is one spiked with fate and destiny and the age-old theme of the battle between good and evil. Cratus was Zeus' executioner. As the son of Warcraft and Hate, he had no qualms carrying out Zeus' orders, no matter how harsh. Until one day he forsake his duty and saved an innocent infant from death. This disobedience would cost him dearly because he was banished and cursed to live as the human Jericho without his powers and with nothing to his name. When evil threatens the Greek pantheon and humanity, Jericho is the one both the good guys and the bad guys turn to for an alliance and he is faced with a difficult choice: quench his thirst for vengeance against Zeus and the gods that didn't stick out a finger to help him in the past or do the right thing and fight against evil that will destroy the world and everything in it. While the story unfolds and different surprising things are revealed, it is clear that the line between good and evil is not as black and white as one should think. There are circumstances, bonds, relations and feelings that color pre-conceived perceptions and turn some worlds upside down. Jericho discovers that he is able to love deeply and Delphine discovers that good is not always right and that to have feelings and emotions is difficult and complicated.
Normally I have this template that is the base for all my reviews where I usually start with a short summary of the book, then I describe the characters and I finish with my opinion of the book and possible quotes. With Kenyon's books I always have trouble following that layout and I just start typing away, hoping something decent will come out of my keyboard. With DREAM WARRIOR it's no different.
I have had a hard time squeezing out this review and my struggles were caused by the fact that I just can't seem to get a grip on some of Kenyon's latest work. I enjoy reading the books, but they fail to enthrall me and yet I keep going back for more. After UPON THE MIDNIGHT CLEAR I thought I was cured from the Kenyon addiction, hitting a low point in the series for me, but then she came with ACHERON and blew me away. DREAM CHASER and ONE SILENT NIGHT were nice reads, entertaining and very intriguing in some aspects but by a long shot no mind-blowing reads. And that's exactly how I feel with DREAM WARRIOR. I enjoyed the story, liked the Jericho and Delphine a whole lot more than Styker and Zephyra but still the awe and wow was not there. The heart-pounding feeling I did have with the early Dark Hunter books and which was definitely rekindled with ACHERON is gone. The novella SHADOW OF THE MOON (still to be reviewed) brought back a glimpse of that feeling, but DREAM WARRIOR failed to keep the fire burning. The books seem to have gotten superficial and on autopilot. I miss intensity and connection with the main characters. Typical for this last issue is that my quotes from this book are not from or about either main character. This proves to me my disconnection to the hero and heroine, something I've been struggling with since reading UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR. (Again with the exception of ACHERON).
I liked the main characters better than those of ONE SILENT NIGHT but I missed Kenyon's trademark humor: the witty snappy sarcastic dialogues in the first part of DREAM WARRIOR. The demon Asmodeus luckily did make up for it a bit with his witty sarcastic self-deprecating humor. He was one of the characters I liked the most in the story. The Dogs of War and the storyline surrounding Nick were impressive and definitely triggered my curiosity. The storyline of Jaden and Jared was just as intriguing and the questions it raised were a balancing counterpart for some of the questions from previous books and storylines that were answered in this book.
With Kenyon the line between good and evil is blurry at best. Evil in one book can be good in the next, so I'm expecting a redeeming installment for Noir and/or Azura in the future. Characters you would expect to be on the "good side" switch to the evil side or are just plain vicious not even needing a plan for world domination. I can never peg the teams down for certain because there are a lot of gray areas that make it difficult to pinpoint who is truly on which side.
And still after all the things I said above I'm puzzled because I just know that the next book in this series will be bought and will be read. I'll call it the Kenyon “magic”, that's what keeps me coming back for more, even if it's not always satisfying. There is something in her books that keeps giving me the incentive to keep buying and reading them and for the love of me I can't put my finger on it. I can only speculate that it has to do with her ability to stir my interest with intriguing storylines for the future, making me curious about where those storylines are going to take us. Because even if DREAM WARRIOR wasn't engrossing or intense I still was unable to put the book down and kept reading and I am anxiously anticipating the follow-up of the storylines with Nick and the Dogs of War, with Jared and Jaden and with the mysterious traitor within the Greek Pantheon. These were the storylines that lifted up the second part of the book for me, together with the pace that picked up and a bit more action. I also liked how Kenyon brought some storylines from previous books (DREAM HUNTER, UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, ACHERON, DREAM CHASER and ONE SILENT NIGHT) together in this book and some unanswered questions and unsolved issues were dealt with. This combined with the somewhat better second part of the book earned her an extra half star. I do believe that the last few books in this series are turning out to be less easy to read as stand alones. They seem more tightly linked installments with storylines that are transferred from one book to another, but no so much in sequence. I think it would be hard to follow the storylines and character appearances if the books are read out of order of if some books are skipped. Another reason for me to keep reading and buying every new installment that will be released.
So in conclusion, a nice enough and entertaining read with enough hooks to keep me reeled in but not enough to make me go raving and ranting.
Quotes:
Asmodeus to Delphine
"Oh, hello me lovely, we haven't met." He flashed her a charming smile as he kissed her tenderly on the hand. "Asmodeus, demon extraordinaire, at your service. Any service you may require, especially those that involve nudity and adjoining body parts joining other people's body parts."
Jericho, Ash and Tory
"Why would Jaden send us to you?"
Ash grinned roguishly. " 'Cause I'm a genuinely nice guy who plays a mean guitar."
Tory laughed. "Spoken only by someone who doesn't know what a grump you are in the morning."
May 4, 2008
12:26 PM |
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HADES DOESN'T OFTEN GIVE SECOND CHANCES…
Xypher has one month on Earth to redeem himself through one good deed or be condemned to eternal torture in Tarturus. But redemption means little to a demigod who only wants vengeance on the one who caused his downfall.
UNTIL ONE DAY IN A CEMETERY…
Simone Dubois is a medical examiner with a real knack for the job. Those who are wrongfully killed appear to her and help her find the evidence the police need to convict their killers. But when a man appears and tells her that she’s more than just a psychic, she’s convinced he’s insane.
NOW THE FATE OF THE WORLD HANGS IN HER HANDS…
It was bad enough when just the dead relied on her. Now’s there’s the seductive Dream-Hunter Xypher who needs Simone’s help in opening a portal to the Atlantean hell realm to fight insatiable demons. The future of mankind is at stake-and so is her life. The only question now is: Who is the bigger threat: the demons out to kill her, or the man who has left her forever changed?
We first met Xypher in DEVIL MAY CRY and right away I was intrigued by his character. Still I didn't have very high expectations for his book after the slight disappointments in reading DMC and UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR. But I must say it was a lot better than I expected, I was pleasantly surprised by Xypher and Simone's story. Though honestly I must say that again it weren't the main characters that attracted my attention the most. This really has become a recurring thing with the last few books I've read by Kenyon. In DREAM CHASER it was Jaden who mesmerized me. I really want to know more about him and what drives him. More than I wanted to know how Xypher and Simone were developing. And although I think this is a disturbing development this doesn't take away the overall good feeling I had reading this book.
The chemistry between Xypher and Simone is there from the beginning but all through the book I couldn't ditch the feeling of having it at my fingertips but never being able to grasp it fully. I missed the fiery and unstoppable attraction between hero and heroine I loved so much in the DREAM HUNTER and the early Dark-Hunter novels. Those spine-tingling love scenes that had my heart beating fast and goose bumps rising on my arms. I came close to this feeling in the second half of the book but by the time it really kicked in, the book ended.
This doesn't diminish however the fact that I really liked both Xypher and Simone. Their characters and development really appealed to me on an emotional level. Xypher transforming from being coldhearted and detached, living only for his revenge to someone who cared so much for Simone he would do anything to keep her safe. The way he secretly enjoys the attention and care Simone has for him was truly endearing and in those moments I really felt for him and the suffering he had been through.
Simone transforms from a lonely workaholic with a ghost as her best friend, going through the motions of life into someone who had everything to live for, finding love in the place she least expected it. She takes the discovery about whom she truly is in an amazingly brave way, showing exactly how strong a character she is. What she went through was heart wrenching and combined with Xypher's suffering the two of them made me grab a tissue a few times.
One of the things I loved about DREAM CHASER was that the humor "Kenyon-style" was back in full force. I missed that in the previous books so I really loved the bantering between Simone, Jesse and Xypher. Another thing I liked was the cameo appearances by Dark-Hunter characters and elements: Acheron, Stryker, Daimons, Julian, and Katra. That and the story being brought back to New Orleans scored big time for me, bringing the Dream-Hunter and Dark-Hunter worlds together in a fast paced, witty and action-filled book, with lots of new and intriguing elements that offer promising prospects for the future.
I was dazzled by the many different demons and their characteristics, making both the Dream-Hunter world and the Dark-Hunter world much more complicated but richer at the same time, even though I'm still missing the amazing feeling that vibrated through me reading the first few Dark-Hunter novels. Still I'm confident that Kenyon has lots of good vibes in store for us with Acheron.
I have to give Kenyon credit for a very entertaining book she has provided with DREAM CHASER. Unfortunately romance didn't have the upper hand in this book, which is also a disturbing development in the last few books for me, but she more than made up for that with the plot, the action and let's not forget her knack for sarcastic bantering and smile-inducing humor.
January 26, 2008
10:19 PM |
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EVER THINK SCROOGE HAD IT RIGHT BEFORE THE GHOSTS RUINED HIS LIFE? MEET AIDAN CONNOR
At one time he was a world-renowned celebrity who gave freely of himself and his money without wanting anything in return...until those around him took without asking. Now Aidan wants nothing to do with the world -or anyone who's part of it.
WHEN A STRANGER APPEARS ON HIS DOORSTEP, AIDAN KNOWS HE'S SEEN HER BEFORE...IN HIS DREAMS
Born on Olympus as a goddess, Leta knows nothing of the human world. But a ruthless enemy has driven her from the world of dreams and into the home of the only man who can help her: Aidan. Her immortal powers are derived from human emotions -and his anger is just the fuel she needs to defend herself...
ONE COLD WINTER'S NIGHT WILL CHANGE THEIR LIVES FOREVER...
Trapped together in a brutal winter storm, Aidan and Leta must turn to the only power capable of saving them -or destroying them both: trust.
Well, I'm still reeling after reading the last page of this book and I'm sorry to say not reeling in a positive way but more with disappointment and indignation.
This novella -I seriously can't call it a book being 240 pages in a very large font- does not deserve the Kenyon name to it.
The ingredients were all there:
Aidan: the famous movie star and disappointed by his family's jealousy and resentment, Leta: a goddess bent saving Aidan's life from Dolor: the bad-ass god of Pain summoned by Aidan's revengeful brother and who still has a bone to pick with Leta. But unfortunately it never made good on the promise by mixing these ingredients into a story able to blow me away.
It read like it was written in a rush, trying to stuff as much information as possible into as little pages as possible.
Aidan and Leta were promising characters but I think they deserved more than this anthology-like story. I would have liked a bit more of backgrounds for them instead of a full-blown romance in the time span of 24 hours. Why the Christmas theme was brought into the mix? I really don't know. It could easily have done without it in my opinion so that there would be more room for character development. I certainly had ambivalent feelings towards their characters, especially Aidan's, one moment I could relate to his feelings but the next I felt he was whining like a small child and I really wanted him to move on. I was getting tired of the "oh I'm so good and the whole world is mean and bad"-crap and it really started to annoy me only a few chapters into the story.
It's really not a good sign when a secondary character with very little appearances is much more appealing to you than both hero and heroine. But this has happened to me twice in a row with Kenyon (Devil May Cry and this novella). In this one it was Deimos who intrigued me to a point I was hoping he would come back every next scene.
Even the love scene didn't have that Kenyon-vibe. It felt rushed and dispassionate and certainly not what I'm used to in Kenyon's books.
What I did like of Aidan and Leta was their interaction, their sarcastic banter. This Kenyon trademark is what saved the novella from really being burned to the ground in my eyes
Still something was off, it didn't give me the emotional rush I had reading Dream Hunter. It lacked intensity and excitement I did experience reading the early Dark-Hunter novels. I only caught a glimpse of these feelings in the last few chapters where Aidan. Leta and Deimos engage Dolor and Donnie in battle and where Aidan finally realizes he has to stop whining. But by then it was too late to really save the book for me. The negative feelings couldn't be completely redeemed by the last few positive chapters.
Kenyon has been on my auto-buy list ever since I read Fantasy Lover for the first time but if Dream Chaser (Xypher's story) doesn't reach the level the early Dark-Hunter books had or that of The Dream-Hunter this is something definitely worth reconsidering.
Upon The Midnight Clear was marketed as a gift from Kenyon to her readers and I know you aren't supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth but honestly this is a gift we could have done without. Especially when the gift is certainly not for free but costs about the same as regular paperbacks that aren’t gifts.
May 3, 2007
8:06 PM |
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In the ethereal world of dreams, there are champions who fight to protect the dreamer and there are demons who prey on them...
Arik is such a predator. Condemned by the gods to live eternity without emotions, Arik can only feel when he's in the dreams of others. For thousands of years, he's drifted through the human unconscious, searching for sensation. Now he's finally found a dreamer whose vivid mind can fill his emptiness.
Dr. Megeara Kafieri watched her father ruin himself and his reputation as he searched to prove Atlantis was real. Her deathbed promise to him to salvage his reputation has now brought her to Greece where she intends to prove once and for all that the fabled island is right where her father said it was. But frustration and bad luck dog her every step. Especially the day they find a stranger floating in the sea. His is a face she's seen many times.... in her dreams.
What she doesn't know is that Arik holds more than the ancient secrets that can help her find the mythical isle of Atlantis. He has made a pact with the god Hades: In exchange for two weeks as a mortal man, he must return to Olympus with a human soul. Megeara's soul.
With a secret society out to ruin her expedition, and mysterious accidents that keep threatening her life, Megeara refuses to quit. She knows she's getting closer to Atlantis and as she does, she stumbles onto the truth of what Arik really is.
For Arik his quest is no longer simple. No human can know of a Dream-Hunter's existence. His dream of being mortal has quickly turned into his own nightmare and the only way to save himself will be to sacrifice the very thing he wanted to be human for. The only question is, will he?
On the back of the book it says:
The first novel in a breathtaking new series from NYT bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon...
And breathtaking it was!
I finished the book in less than 24 hours. For me that’s really fast. Kenyon has started something that hit me like a ton of bricks!
The Dark- and Were-Hunters were the ones who first introduced me in a world that only Kenyon can create and I’ll treasure them always but man-oh-man (or should I say god-oh god) the Dream-Hunters, both Oneroi and Skoti have had a huge impact on me. They are far more mysterious en mystery intrigues the hell out of me!
The eurofic feeling that Night Embrace, Night Pleasures and Dance with the Devil caused is back in full force! After reading Dark Side of the Moon I was really afraid Kenyon was losing her toch, but she’s backslapped me with this one en proved me all wrong!
The only thing I can say is: Give me more!
More...more.....more....more!
More gods, more Oneroi, more Skoti, more Chthonians!
Arik and Geary’s story truly holds its own in the midst of everything else that hits you while reading this book, like the introduction of “others” both characters as groups and little tidbits of information on extremely intrigueing characters as Hades, Tory, Solin, ZT, Thia and D’Alerian.
But still Kenyon knows how to keep you focused on Arik and Geary while subconciously you store everything else, so the yearning for full stories on the other characters grows bigger and bigger.
The scene in Geary’s dream the night before the excavation, was breathtaking. I don’t know how she does it but Kenyon succeeds in writing so vividly that I see the images in my head, like a movie. And I assure you, I only get that when it’s really, really good!
She even accomplished my sympathy for Apollymi! This certainly has never happened reading the other books where Apollymi had made an appearance.
The book is fast-paced, packed with delicious humor and sarcasm, especially in the Arik-Solin and Kat-Solin interaction. The heroin has a strong personality but is never overbearing, like I thought Tabitha was in Seize the Night. A hero that makes you melt . It’s so great to read how he experiences things new to him like the feeling and tasting of things: clothes, food, sleep, sex…
The way Kenyon describes this, make me look differently at these things we take for granted.
The tidbits of backgroundinformation make you hunger for future books and if Kenyon keeps up the line she has started with this book in Devil May Cry, she’ll make me very happy!
Quote
Solin to Kat:[...] but they were running a special. Two Skoti for one, so here I am in all my glory just to get under your skin or skirt.
I’m really not particular.
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- Pearl
- Netherlands
- 39, married to my real life romance hero, addicted to TV shows, reading romance novels and Twitter. I'm a chronic (e)book hoarder and my absolute favorite genres within romance fiction are contemporary romance and romantic suspense, but I don't shy away from historical, paranormal or erotic romance either. Even the occasional (urban) fantasy romance, futuristic and sci fi romance may make it to my Mount TBR. This is my corner of the world wide web where I let you know what books I'm hoarding, reading and reviewing.
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