Review: Dysus Dreamer
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 17, 2013
Wow, this book had a lot going on! Fast paced and full of action, plotting, intrigue, and deception, it is definitely a page turner. I read the whole book in one day because I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.It took me a couple of chapters to get acclimated to the story and to this world that J.A. Garland has created, but once I did it was awesomeness. There are a lot of characters coming at you right off of the bat, and a lot of world. This book has two different planets that each have their own cast of characters. Tykol is the planet of the demons, and it is dying from blight. The blight is drying up the water supply, killing all vegetation, and literally turning the planet into a desert wasteland. This is where the Dysus come into play. The Dysus are an organization of demons that are looking for a way to save Tykol. They are split into two main groups - the Insurgents and the Conformists. The Conformists are searching for a way to repair the damage to Tykol so that the demons can continue to live there safely, and the Insurgents are searching for a way to genetically enhance demons so that they are no longer susceptible to vampire bites. Because in this world, Naga vampires can feed from demons and absorb their powers resulting in the Naga vampires turning into day walking super vampires called Kerkorians. This resulted in Naga vampires hunting the demons relentlessly on Earth until they were nearly extinct. That is why the sanctuary of Tykol is so important to the demons. They are the only species who can enter the wards that surround Tykol without being killed. Now if this isn't enough story going on for you already, Garland also throws in all of the Earth dwelling creatures: Dark and Light Elves, Demon half-breeds (who are very, very important to the story), and the Dirty Dozen werewolf packs, plus all of the unsuspecting humans wandering around. Whew!!I have to say though that I thoroughly enjoyed this story and all of its ins and outs. There were so many different plots and characters to follow that the possibilities for this story and all the different ways that it can go are endless! It definitely kept me enthralled right up until the last page.The only thing that I felt was lacking in this story was that there was no romantic entanglement going on with the main characters. Slade and Annwyn (a demon and a Dark Elf who are partnered up to save the half-breed demon Amber from the werewolves) have a moment when her magic is "exploring" him that seemed promising, and we know that there is a sexual attraction between the two of them, but after this small moment where her magic binds them together, it never comes up again. It doesn't necessarily detract from the story, but I really would like to have seen it go that way a little more. A kiss, a stolen moment somewhere, anything.Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and can't wait for the next one to come out! I will definitely pick it up to see what happens next.