Okay before I get into the nitty gritty of The Dream-Hunter I have some ‘splainin’ to do.
The Dream-Hunter though part of the Dark-Hunter world is not technically a Dark-Hunter novel. We have a smattering of known characters coming into play, Katra aka Kat, Artemis’s servant play a rather large role in the story. We see M’Adoc and D’Alerian, two Oneiroi that have been briefly mentioned or played a role in the growth of a Dark-Hunter. We also see a smattering of Trieg, a Dark-Hunter, and Acheron, but not enough to move the story, only enough to connect this book to Dark-Hunter goings on. So while this is book eleven on your Dark-Hunter reading list, it can also be seen as book one for the Dream-Hunters.
Too wordy? Not needed?
Maybe.
Essentially, I’m telling you that you don’t need to read this book to understand the Dark-Hunters series. This is a stand alone and only a tie in, not an integral piece of the puzzle. There is a mention of Acheron being a god of fate. Not that this is news, but I don’t think it’s ever been clearly stated as such. And like I said, it’s not integral to the story, just a neat tid bit for Dark-Hunter fans.
So now that that’s done what of The Dream-Hunter?
I would love to tell you that the book was great through and through. I would love to tell you that Kenyon delivered another masterpiece of love overcoming the overwhelming. I would truly love to, but I can’t. In all honesty, I really didn’t like this book until I headed into the later chapters. Chapter 15 is where it starts getting good. Before that, the story was so full of holes that I started craving Swiss cheese.
Here is the premise: Arikos, a once Oneiroi dream god, turned renegade Skoti dream god makes a bargain with Hades to turn human so he can experience emotions and be with the human, Megeara who has enthralled him via the dreams he’s been siphoning her emotions from.
Said bargain involves turning either losing his soul or that of Megeara to Hades once the two week stint is over. Arikos thinks he can follow through even though that wasn’t exactly the bargain he had hoped for because once turned back to a Skoti, he will lose his human only emotions and have no issue condemning Megeara to the hands of Hades. Essentially, he’s going to do her then kill her. Kind of sweet huh?
The Dream-Hunter though part of the Dark-Hunter world is not technically a Dark-Hunter novel. We have a smattering of known characters coming into play, Katra aka Kat, Artemis’s servant play a rather large role in the story. We see M’Adoc and D’Alerian, two Oneiroi that have been briefly mentioned or played a role in the growth of a Dark-Hunter. We also see a smattering of Trieg, a Dark-Hunter, and Acheron, but not enough to move the story, only enough to connect this book to Dark-Hunter goings on. So while this is book eleven on your Dark-Hunter reading list, it can also be seen as book one for the Dream-Hunters.
Too wordy? Not needed?
Maybe.
Essentially, I’m telling you that you don’t need to read this book to understand the Dark-Hunters series. This is a stand alone and only a tie in, not an integral piece of the puzzle. There is a mention of Acheron being a god of fate. Not that this is news, but I don’t think it’s ever been clearly stated as such. And like I said, it’s not integral to the story, just a neat tid bit for Dark-Hunter fans.
So now that that’s done what of The Dream-Hunter?
I would love to tell you that the book was great through and through. I would love to tell you that Kenyon delivered another masterpiece of love overcoming the overwhelming. I would truly love to, but I can’t. In all honesty, I really didn’t like this book until I headed into the later chapters. Chapter 15 is where it starts getting good. Before that, the story was so full of holes that I started craving Swiss cheese.
Here is the premise: Arikos, a once Oneiroi dream god, turned renegade Skoti dream god makes a bargain with Hades to turn human so he can experience emotions and be with the human, Megeara who has enthralled him via the dreams he’s been siphoning her emotions from.
Said bargain involves turning either losing his soul or that of Megeara to Hades once the two week stint is over. Arikos thinks he can follow through even though that wasn’t exactly the bargain he had hoped for because once turned back to a Skoti, he will lose his human only emotions and have no issue condemning Megeara to the hands of Hades. Essentially, he’s going to do her then kill her. Kind of sweet huh?
This all surrounds a hunt for Atlantis, a hunt Megeara scorned all of her life. But since she made a promise to her Father as he lay dying, things have changed a tad.
Basically the plot is okay. It’s not the best plot Kenyon has tossed out to us, but it’s doable. What wasn’t doable for me was the fact that a Harvard educated woman of science bought so easily into the many holes of why Arikos suddenly appeared, his cover-ups for his strange behaviour and well every oddity we have to muck through to get to the part of the book that starts getting good.
Maybe if Megeara was a light-hearted, carefree, somewhat gullible artist entranced by a hot bod and sexy smirk I could handle it, but not from an anthropologist, not from said Harvard Doctor.
But this book is readable if you bypass the logic stuff and take away our modern cynicism and ignore the initially stalker like characteristics of our hero. Some of us can do this easily beacause Arikos is hot.
You know, we do get to see Arikos learn what it is to be human and he does suffer from it and realizes his selfish motives, something he couldn’t understand in his god state. You see, the Oneiroi were cursed by Zeus to have no emotions and Skoti, by nature are incredibly selfish.
That’s all fine and dandy, but I just don’t feel the pull here. I don’t feel the love or the enormity of Arikos’ transformation or Megeara’s draw to Arikos himself. This is not a grand love story. It’s a mediocre one at best.
The book does have some saving graces. Mageara’s saving of Arikos is well done and there are bits of this story that show the true mastery of romance that Kenyon has. Plus, the sex parts are tasty reads. Is that enough to buy the book and read on?
For me it is. I’ll read through the next few books and make myself wait for Acheron and the just released One Silent Night. (Already on my shelf!!) The book didn’t entirely suck and there was an introduction to a rather intriguing character, Solin and if you’re anything like me you’ll want to know what little Dark-Hunter treasures are hiding in the Dream-Hunter books. I’m sure the hard core Kenyon fans will eat up everything Kenyon delivers. So, if you want to be in the know, read the books. Up next? Devil May Cry…
Go here for Dream-Hunter information.
© 2008
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