That's What I'm Talking About...: Review: Daybreak

Friday, December 23, 2011

Review: Daybreak

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Daybreak

Author: Ellen Connor

Release Date: Dec. 6, 2011

Publisher: Berkley

Dark Age Dawning #3

ISBN: #978-0425243404

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Format(s): Paperback (312 pgs), e-book

Book Source: Publisher

About the book:

Their mission was to save the world.
Their destiny is to fall in love.

It’s been twelve years since the Change, and Penelope Sheehan is one of the few still practicing magic for the good of humanity in this dark, dangerous world. Determined to infiltrate the notorious O’Malley organization, she poses as an abducted girl–until a furious lion thwarts her mission. When the beast turns into a devastatingly handsome man, she recognizes in him the troubled boy she once knew.

Since becoming a skinwalker, Tru Daugherty has allowed his animal nature to take over. Aloof and cynical, he takes no interest in making the world a better place. He’s a creature of instinct and impulse, living only to satisfy his senses–ignoring the scarred heart nobody has ever reached. He’s also the best man to help Pen bring down the O’Malley crime ring.

Fighting alongside the last holdouts of humanity, they unleash a passion that tempts them to risk everything for love. But if they succeed, Tru and Pen hold the power to brighten the Dark Age for all time.

What G & U are talking about:

Gikany and Una are so honored that we were able to be on the fabulous ride that is the Dark Age Dawning trilogy. As in many really well done trilogies, we are both thoroughly satisfied with the ending and yet a little sad that it is over. If you haven’t read this series yet, you can jump in and read Daybreak, but we highly encourage you to read all three books. Each novel in this trilogy illustrates a very distinct point in time along the change from a technologically based world to one that functions solely on magic. Though the characters Tru and Pen, the story is truly brought full circle. This story does not have Happily-Ever-After ending, but implies that people and the world will continue and thrive.

The Dark Age Dawning world is rich and intriguing. The way the “Change” occurs and what it does to the world in wiping away technology and introducing magic is incredibly fascinating. How the different characters in the three different books are affected and how they survive is gripping. The characters are engaging and jump off the page. The world is vividly described and we found ourselves lost in it. We particularly enjoyed we seeing “our” world transformed by the Change. The extent of these changes is made humorously clear in a scene where Tru is talking with Adrian, a boy who was too young to remember “our” world. Tru is talking about a moment that occurs during Midnight (review HERE) when he was off on his own. This is a snippet from Tru and Adrian’s conversation from Daybreak:

“I wasn’t thinking about them. I just wanted to see the world. Find my place in it. And it’s not like I can just call home.”

“You’d have to live right next door.”

Wow. That was how the world had altered in a generation. Chills washed over him. In Tru’s time, the word “call” meant phones. In Adrian’s, it meant yelling for somebody, or maybe a magical thing like they did from the island to contact the mission. No technology anymore. He and Pen were among the last bridges, joining what had been lost to what would come after.

One aspect that we loved in Daybreak is the reunion of Tru and Pen. They were children in the first book, Nightfall, not seen in the second book, Midnight, and reappear as adults in Daybreak. If you did not read Nightfall, you won’t realize the true depth of maturation and growth that occur in Daybreak. Both of our main characters are deeply scarred by witnessing the Change and seeing the transformation of the world. Tru also bears scars from his poor family situation prior to the Change. Though Tru and Pen are adults, they haven’t finished maturing by the time they are reunited. Through the course of this book much needed healing and emotional growth occurs. What we truly loved is that neither character had to change, but their transformation comes from within and the choices each makes. Once they make these decisions and learned what being an adult truly is, the bond between them solidifies.

If Gikany and Una were able, we would give Daybreak a 4.75 stars rating, however we do not have that option, so we are giving it a 4.5. The trilogy overall is a 5 star, it is certainly a must read. Please go out and pick up the Dark Age Dawning books: Nightfall, Midnight, and Daybreak. Trust us, it is so worth it! And if this review doesn’t convince you, come back on and catch our Sunday snippet from it!

Their Ratings:

Daybreak Rating: