Midnight's Daughter (Dorina Basarab, Dhampir, Book 1)
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen chance has written a paranormal—with bite.Dorina Basarab is a dhampir—half-human, half-vampire. Unlike most dhampirs, though, Dory has managed to maintain her sanity. Now Dory’s vampire father has come to her for help— again. Her Uncle Dracula (yes, the Dracula), cruelest among vampires, has escaped his prison. And her father wants Dory to work with gorgeous master vampire Louis-Cesare to put him back there.
Although Dory prefers to work alone, Dracula is the only thing that truly scares her—and when she has to face him, she’ll take all the help she can get…
Product Details
Customer Reviews
Rushed
I didn't like the romance aspect. It felt rushed and not real. I would have preferred something more along the lines of when they kissed at the fountain. You could tell there was something holding him back, but the author never really grew that story. And then all of a sudden he wants her.....sort of. If the romance was more downplayed with more sexual tension and thats it, the departure at the end would have made a lot more sense to me and would have opened the way for something more in the second book. (even though he is looking for his ex-maybe-lover) Just sometimes less is more.
One other con is her relationship with her father. I really would have liked to learn more about what had happened to make her hate her father so much, because it seemed to me that he did care for her. I just didn't get it, I was left wondering, I hope that this story is hit on in the next book.
All in all, the reason why I chose to give 3 stars is because I think that there were a lot of great plot-lines to this book, but there were too many so they came off as rushed.
I do intend to grab the next book in the hopes that some of my questions are answered.
Sharp Urban Fantasy
I ordered this book because I enjoyed the author's Cassandra Palmer series. Though at times that series strained my patience with constant time traveling, it was still a fresh urban fantasy with new twists on vampires, fey and whatnot. Midnight's Daughter is the first in a spin-off of that series starring a new protagonist, the half vampire (dhampir) daughter of the master vampire, Mircea. Dhampirs are natural enemies of vampires, and subject to homicidal rages that they don't remember. Cool.
I was happily surprised to find I like this series much better. Dorina Basarab is a more independent heroine who is aware of her own power and limitations; unlike Cassie, she isn't in near constant need of rescuing, and winning battles isn't out of sheer luck. Dory has lived on her own for over 500 years. Mircea shows up to ask his estranged daughter for a favor - help recapture Uncle Dracula. She only grudgingly agrees after he offers to use his influence to help locate Dory's best friend and room mate, Claire, who has gone missing. Dory helped capture Drac last time he escaped, and he is the only thing that truly terrifies her. A huge bonus for me was the inclusion of master vampire Louis-Cesare in the plot as a main character. He first appeared in Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer, Book 1)and I liked him immediately. I'm not even sure why - possibly because even then there seemed to be a vulnerability about him. Mircea has ordered them to work together on this. Naturally, they are attracted to each other and the sexual tension is high. But both of them are emotionally damaged, and get on each other's last nerve. It's a battle of wills from the start, with lots of sexy and funny confrontations. The dialog is sharp, and no holds barred. The author doesn't do a disservice to the characters either by having them become devoted lovers at the end. They have a tentative understanding, even friendship, that could become more (and I REALLY hope it does) in later books. Readers get more history on Mircea and his family than in the other series, and the world-building is continued; the Fey figure prominently in the plot.
The book is fast paced and action packed with a lot of combat. There is more blood and mayhem than the Cassie series, but it worked well for this new protagonist. There were a few things that I didn't care for - the author frequently invokes memory flashbacks that entailed several pages of italicized text. Once or twice that's fine, but it happened a few too many times here and wasn't really necessary. The second problem was that the ending felt rushed. [slight SPOILER] Claire was missing the entire book, with many scattered clues as to what may have happened to her, and she just shows up at the end "here I am" and proceeds to tell Dory, in the middle of a battle, where she's been? Despite these small flaws, I enjoyed the book a lot and can't wait to read the next one.
Highly recommended - but new readers should start with the first 3 Cassie Palmer books. This can be read as a stand alone, but a lot of nuances would be missed. I didn't read the short story in "On the Prowl," but intend to now.
Karen Chance cannot write a bad book!
Fantastic! Karen's book don't get the shelf space they deserve. I stumbled upon 'Touch the Dark' series when it first came out and was hooked. What a talented writer. That series is one of my faves, so I wasn't sure if I'd like Midnight's Daughter. I usually don't like my authors to do 'side' series. Stick with what your audience likes! BUT..Midnight's Daughter (I'm finally getting to it), is just as good as the Cassie Palmer series. I love Dorina, I love Louis-Cesare (love him, love HIM, LOVE HIM!). It all takes place in the same universe as her first series, and I couldn't be more happy.
If you like your heroines strong, sassy and able to appreciate a strong alpha male, you'll love Midnight's Daughter. I promise!
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