The Nightreader's Take on the Nightwalker

Just finished reading the first installment of the Dark Days Series by Jocelynn Drake entitled Night Walker. At first I was just reading it because I had nothing else to do, but by the end of it I was reading and had almost nothing else done. 

What's got me hooked? Angst--lots of it. But I'll go to that later. For starters, I like the way the characters talk; it must have something to do with the fact that the major characters are centuries old, and by that, I mean at least 600 years old. Anyone decades old or a century old is deemed young--imagine that? It follows, then, that I like the way the author narrates her story, because it is written from the point of view of the heroine (or is she? I'm still not too sure of the dynamics of this realm), Mira. 

Speaking of Mira, I also like her. Really, I do. She is edgy, powerful, badass, sarcastic, playful, teasing, and very, very dear. She's a mix of good and evil and the need to survive and principles, it's so fun to pick at her character while she picks on another character's mind. And did I mention that she has a lot of issues and baggage that she'd rather forget but is catching up to her?

Well, that leads me to the point I've already mentioned earlier, which is angst. Mira is very angsty, she is different among her kind and that brings a lot of questions and mystery. Add to that her painful past, on different levels, and she's one tough-but-fragile bitch. Hm, I like the combination. Of course, it's not just her past that is painful--the present can prove to give her just as much, and maybe even more suffering. Lovely. 

Am I scaring you? Don't worry, that's just me coming down from a high after reading a nice book. I just feel as if I've been there, felt stuff. The only thing that didn't happen (though it almost did), was me crying. Darn. That would mean that I really connected to the story and the characters. But who knows? I didn't cry in the first book of my favorite series as of the moment, Vampire Academy (I'll write about this later). And it almost happened anyway, so that's got to account for something.

What else did I forget? Oh, I never got to mention that this is also a vampire novel, although I think it's quite nearer to vampire canon (I'm comparing it to Twilight and Vampire Academy). Even so, it incorporates other races, such as lycans, warlocks, and what not, which I think is a difficult feat. So that's a plus point too. 

Of course, I didn't really say much about the story itself, so you have to read it yourself. That is an amazing feat for me, I am telling you--I love giving people spoilers though I hate receiving such. As for me, I am looking forward to reading the next book, and I can't wait to see what new misadventures the characters go into and what new mysteries will be unraveled. 

Oh, I am looking forward to more conflict and misery too. But for now, I shall sleep.

What do you like in a story?

P.S. Oh, and did I mention the fact that from start to finish, I've yet to find a trace of "true love" in the novel? It's kind of refreshing. Maybe in the next books I'll find some, though.   

P.P.S. I'm Zmeyette, but I blogged about a different vampire story first. Would VA hate me? (You'll have your day/s, swear! XD)