Nightwalker

Yesterday I had a massive headache that just wouldn't quit. It was a little drizzly outside so it's possible that it had something to do with the pressure change. Who knows. Anyway, nothing, not even my horrible headache, was going to keep me from finishing Jocelynn Drake's debut, Nightwalker.

I started reading Nightwalker Tuesday night but only got about 70 pages in before I literally passed out. After all my work was done yesterday, it took me about two and half hours to finish the rest of the book. It was fantastic! (I know I say that a lot, but you have to realize that I really only list the books that I enjoy on here, so it's true that most of them are fantastic.)

If you like urban fantasy with a really original twist, the Dark Days series is going to be for you. I would put it up at the top of my list with Vicki Pettersson, Rachel Vincent, and Jennifer Rardin as far as originality and addictiveness go. I'll be reviewing it this weekend for BB, but here's a bit about it for now:

Mira is a nightwalker with a special ability - she can control and create fire with her mind. This makes her different from other vamps, but she's only about to discover just how different. Five hundred years ago, three vampires banished most of the naturi (the fey) from our world. Amongst them was their queen, Aurora. Now the naturi have assembled their forces and are ready to bring their people back, at the expense of both humans and nightwalkers. Mira must join forces with a hunter who kills her kind in order to save mortal and undead alike.

It's vamps vs the fey and these are not your cute little pixies and elves, either! I imagine creatures the likes of Guillermo del Toro's creations in this book (if you've seen Hellboy II you'll know what I mean). The book starts out right in the middle of an action sequence, and that's a pretty good initial impression of Drake's work. Fight scenes, magic, tons of questions that will all be answered throughout the series, and I am on the edge of my seat awaiting the next one! Plus, she seems to have no qualms about using every single paranormal being out there in her series. So, no, you're not limited to vamps or weres or the fey, they're all there along with witches and warlocks and who knows what else in future books. Pretty damn cool and a must read for fans of the genre!