I haven’t read any of the other Dark Age Dawning novels, and I plan to go back to the beginning. I was enthralled with the dark world Ellen Connor created. Magic, faith, good and evil in all shades of gray mark a bleak future where small bits of hope gleam under the darkness of corruption. (Oh, and by the way, “author” Ellen Connor is actually the combined duo of Ann Aguirre and Carrie Lofty. It’s no wonder the book is a masterpiece of urban fantasy and romance.)
DAYBREAK is an amazing story. The characters are well-developed and ever-changing. There’s nothing simple about survival, and the world in which the protagonists are thrown is a complicated place. Real and gritty drama is interwoven with deep emotion. I had to hurry through the book to see what came next, because I completely connected with the characters.
Tru, the hero, starts out as a selfish, bitter man who gradually loses his hard shell to reveal the loving, caring person within. The pace with which Connor reveals this shift is wonderfully done. Tru never comes off as a wimp or a jerk, but a real person with real problems.
The heroine’s strength is shadowed with her doubt and works to create a fuller presence within the storyline. There’s no clear indication that Pen will succeed. You have to read each page to find out what happens next, and the ending is a perfect tribute to an incredible feat of storytelling.
Now I’m off to go back and read books one and two in the series, NIGHTFALL and MIDNIGHT.
DAYBREAK is an amazing book you won’t put down until it’s finished. Don’t miss Ellen Connor’s latest contribution to the Dark Age Dawning series.
SJ
