ARC Review: Blood Before Sunrise by Amanda Bonilla
Author: Amanda Bonilla
Tittle: Blood Before Sunrise
Release: July 3rd 2012
Series: Shaede Assassin 2
Reviewer: Kitt
Source: Author
Purchase: | Book Depository“She needed a bargaining chip and this was it. Raif’s daughter’s life for hers. And he knew damn good and well I was right. Just like he’d assured me the night I’d killed Azriel, this was far from over. His daughter was alive, I knew it. And I was going to find her.”
For months Darian and her Shaede guardian Raif have searched for the Oracle who attempted to overthrow the Shaede Nation—and kill Darian in the bargain. But now that they’ve finally found the half-crazed Oracle, for their efforts they are granted a possibility too painful for Raif to imagine, and too enticing for Darian to ignore.
Darian is determined to reunite Raif and the daughter he thought was dead, but her mission quickly proves dangerous when her lover Tyler is almost killed. And when a brooding and mysterious Fae warrior offers his guidance—at an extraordinary price—Darian finds herself willing to risk everything. As her single-minded hunt turns into an obsession, and she and Tyler grow further apart, Darian finds herself caught between the man she loves like a brother, and the man whose love she can’t live without…
Last year, Amanda Bonilla captivated me with the first in her Shaede Assassin series, her debut release Shaedes of Gray featuring cold hearted, damaged, and lonely Darian making my top 5 favorites for 2011. Now she’s back with her second, Blood Before Sunrise, and I have to say that I absolutely love this series!
I’m completely fascinated by the world Ms. Bonilla has created. Set in Seattle, Fae, Shaedes (creatures of shadows), Lyhtans (creatures of light) Djinns and Oracles all try to coexist with the human populous – and other unknown beasties – in a convoluted and elaborate world in which no one seems to know how to share knowledge, tell the truth or say things outside of riddles.
Darian is a Shaede, able to switch between blending in with the night and her corporeal form. An assassin by trade and mistreated for most of her life, I can understand her standoffish detachment, but it’s her haughtiness that throws me and has me screaming at her from page to page. Darian isn’t a TSTL character by any means, but her arrogance leads her and, more often than not, drags her farther and farther down the wrong path.
It’s this arrogance that propels her in Blood Before Sunrise. After a passing word from the desperate Delilah to save her own skin, Darian becomes obsessed with finding her friend and mentors missing daughter, Brakae. Like many times before, Darian’s assumptions and inability to trust her new found friendships lands her in situations that are far more than she can handle and costs her more than she can bear.
Not a single word or scene is wasted, and the payoff at the end is well worth the journey in this fast-paced mystery-driven plot. With fascinating characters and awesome world building, Blood Before Sunrise is exactly what urban fantasy was meant to be. I can’t wait to see what happens next for Darian when Crave the Darkness hits shelves next year.
Wow! I hadn’t heard of this series, but it’s definitely on my radar now!
You know I want to know everything once you’re done!
My friend always rave about how much she love Blood Before Sunrise, and now I’m intrigued. So I think I will try to read Shaedes of Gray before hit this. Since you said the first book ending almost have a cliffhanger, is this one have too?
No cliffhanger, but definitely more to the running story arc. Be prepared – it ends with a heart break for Darian that she should of seen coming. :-/
I really do need to read this series. I’m becoming hooked reading the reviews.
That happens to me all the time! My poor tbr! lol I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
I can’t wait to start this series, so I can read this as well! Thanks for the review!
I absolutely adored Shaedes of Gray and proceeded to recommend it to anyone who would listen after I finished it. I’m so happy that Blood Before Sunrise is finally being released so I can find out what happens next. I’m glad to see that you loved it because I’m positive I will.
I enjoyed the review, especially about the characters.
[...] However, I do absolutely love this series (you can read my reviews of Shaedes of Gray here or Blood Before Sunrise here) so I’m givingaway ONE finished copy of either Shaede Assassin to ONE lucky commenter as long [...]