Dawnbreaker by Jay Posey
11 August 2015 
Dawnbreaker is the third and final instalment of Jay Posey’s Duskwalker Trilogy. Three and Morningside Fall were the first two books and I confess that I had a number of reservations with No.2 but I can say that Dawnbreaker worked a lot better for me, I thought it was a good ending and Posey has written a story that knocks a few of my former qualms on the head. Be aware that this review may contain spoilers for the first two books in the series.
The story picks up almost immediately after Morningside Fall. Wren has been posted out to Greenstone under the care of Chapel, Mol and Charles whilst Cass and a few remaining survivors try to gather their forces and escape from Asher and his Weir.
Basically the author chooses a split route for this story with Wren and Cass who have been together throughout taking separate paths. Cass has taken the decision to hide Wren and try and lure out Asher. She has a number of her retinue present and they’ve come up with a suicidal plan to return to Morningside to recover urgently needed supplies. They will uncover a number of revelations along the way and in particular Cass has a moment of awakening herself.
Meanwhile Wren too has to make a difficult decision. We’re finally introduced to the mysterious character from No.2 and he bears a strange resemblance to Three. His name is Haiku and he was a ‘brother’ to Three. He offers to help Wren but this offer definitely comes with strings and will involve Wren leaving the temporary comfort and security which Charles and Mol’s home offers.
Briefly, I really enjoyed Three. It was such a unique reading experiences and I loved the character Three. This is perhaps why Morningside Fall was more of a struggle – having killed Three off we were left with Cass and Wren holding up the story and to be honest neither of them felt strong enough to do so. I really hate saying this but I have to be honest. Cass was never my favourite character, she kind of gets on my nerves the way she ‘mummies’ Wren and, well, Wren is still a very young boy and not really ready to step into the ‘shoes of the main hero of the piece. And, like I said, I liked Three so felt his loss.
Now, in steps Haiku and his strange ‘house’. He leads Wren into the wilderness and hooks him up with a kind of sensei character who begins to train him – which basically means deconstructing everything he ever thought he knew and starting afresh. I did really enjoy this element of the story – it has a Mr Miyagi ‘wax on, wax off’ feel to it. Don’t get me wrong – there isn’t time for years to pass which will leave us with an adult and much changed Wren but there are some differences and some revelations and maturing.
On the other side I felt that Cass worked much better when she wasn’t constantly fussing over Wren and she also has a bit of a moment (almost a guilty revelation) in which she realises there is some freedom in now being on her own. She’s confident that Wren is protected and she’s out on a mission to destroy Asher and this is something she decides she must do alone.
In that respect there was a sort of ‘coming of age’ feel to this instalment.
We also have Haiku, he’s a strong character and good to read. Even though he doesn’t play the main role he certainly plays a very cohesive thread to the story.
And we have the introduction of some very tough as boots characters who come to the aid of Charles, Mol and Greenstone in the hour of their greatest need.
I still had a few criticisms. Nothing major of course. I think the story could have been shortened slightly and I have to admit that as soon as Cass and Wren were reunited I found them once again a little grating. The ending was also a little quickly and quietly resolved and for those expecting major battles that could be a let down – personally I didn’t find the lack of massive battle scenes disappointing but just thought I’d chuck it out there.
Overall I enjoyed Dawnbreaker and thought it was a good ending – I think that Three remains my favourite character and favourite instalment of the series but this was a good ending.
I received a copy of this from the publishers through Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Morningside Fall by Jay Posey
Morningside was my weekend read and the follow up to last year’s Three which I really enjoyed. If you haven’t read Three then beware of potential spoilers.
Morningside continues more or less where Three left off. Wren is the new Governor of Morningside and with his mum and his Council struggles to make the right sort of decisions for the inhabitants. Unfortunately, the Council are not quite as straightforward as they may seem and following a failed attack on Wren’s life Cass has to take action into her own hands. Without wanting to give away the plot Cass and Wren end up back on the wrong side of the walls facing all sorts of life and death situations and finally coming to the realisation that petty politics and bids for authority are the least of everyone’s worries.
Without wanting to be too negative I didn’t enjoy Morningside as much as I did three which is a shame, but not totally unexpected. Part of me thinks second book syndrome had popped up it’s ugly head. Three was really quite unique and so anything that follows won’t have the same impact because the world is now familiar. And, yet, I don’t think that’s the case for me with this book. My main issue with this story lies in the fact that Wren and Cass are not really substitutes for Three – they just don’t hold the attention in quite the same way. Three was such a good character to read about that you definitely feel his loss when reading Morningside. Plus, to be fair to the author I did have issues with Cass in the first book and they continued to a degree in this one – which I think is more to do with me probably than anything to do with the story. I just, for some reason, find it difficult to like Cass. It’s a bit unwarranted and unjustified to be honest. In the first book I found her a little bit irritating and to be frank my feelings towards her haven’t really changed. Why, I just really can’t put my finger on it. The other thing is the whole idea of a city being run by an eight year old. Okay, it could happen. However, in the world that Posey has created here with the constant walking on a knife edge fear of death at any given time type of situation – I’m really not quite sure that would cut it. I simply think that Wren comes across too young, he’s insecure and unsure of himself although he grows in confidence as the book progresses.
On the positive side – which I realise I’ve probably come across as quite critical above The book does find it’s feet again – it just takes a little time. We travel back to some familiar territory – where in a number of situations – things have unfortunately deteriorated! We also have a mystery character who seems to slowly be making his way back to Morningside and we have the slow reveal of another mmm, ‘baddie’ – both these are played in such a way that it leaves a mystery as to who is the good or bad guy in the situation.
On the whole a good read. Yes, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first but I’m still interested in finding out how all this ends and the ending of this leaves a perfect set up for the next instalment.
I received a copy of this through the publishers courtesy of Netgalley. The above is my own opinion.
Three by Jay Posey
Just finished reading Three by Jay Posey.
This is a post apocalyptic world where people are all connected through internal ITs (wired). The world as we know it no longer exists and small pockets of civilisation exist living behind high walls and strong gates. Protection from the Weirs. The Weirs are a sort of zombie type creature. No longer alive or cognisant but with glowing blue eyes, the frantic compulsion to hunt and kill and the ability to communicate through sounds that can only be described as static.
Enter into this world Three. A lone bounty hunter. Tough and with killer instincts. He’s used to living alone and surviving in a harsh world where the phrase dog eat dog is closer to the truth than you would like to think. He’s brought in his latest find, been paid in hard cash which is pretty rare in these times and is now looking forward to making the acquaintance of some hard liquor to try and help him chill out – the hard cash will certainly help him along on this mission – and he almost succeeds, just starting to bask in the hazy glow verging on drunkenness when a woman in need, with a small child in tow, comes crashing into his life with her pleas for help. Three isn’t used to caring about others. He lives by a strict code that keeps him alive and taking on others who are not so finally tuned can frankly mean death in this world. Cass is the damsel in distress with her son Wren although don’t be fooled into thinking she’s some shrinking violet here because that’s the furthest thing from the truth. Cass is not innocent, and whilst she may be seeking some sort of last minute redemption for her past actions, you won’t be in any sort of doubt from fairly early on as to the past life she led. Basically, Cass is running away from her former life and in doing so has set up a chase which will lead in bloodshed.
Okay, it’s difficult to say too much about the characters without giving things away. What I can say is that none of the characters are exactly as you think and there are surprises along the way in terms of all of them. I really enjoyed the way the author kept things back in the story not giving much away and drawing me in with a slow reveal. I also quite enjoy the fact that he doesn’t hold your hand. You’re chucked straight in and expected to hit the ground running. No gentle introduction, no coddling. After all, we’ve all ready zombie/post apocalyptic books or seen the movies that give us a flavour for this type of world and I think it’s sort of assumed that you’ll pick things up (even if you haven’t you’ll be able to jump on board). There is a little element of sci-fi thrown in with all the ‘wired’ attributes that people have which mean they can contact each other, access internal time clocks and other such information – it’s all a bit ‘big brotherish’ – I read it almost like people are chipped and so whilst they are able to access certain information it also means they are traceable and ultimately all linked. I also thought this gave me an understanding of the Weirs – almost like the ‘person’ has died or been taken over, but the body was still alive and running on something else – maybe the strange ‘wired’ connection keeping them going somehow – basically I’m not 100% sure!
I liked the pace of the story. There’s no messing about or going round the houses. It’s fast and there’s plenty of action and I think that the author’s use of the whole mystery concerning the characters keeps your attention because you simply have to know what’s going on.
I wouldn’t say the world building is exactly thorough but I didn’t find it a problem. I got the impression of a world lying in ruins and dust. Little food or water. Very few other resources. People, in most instances, reduced to their very basic self with little pity or self respect for other humans. There isn’t an over abundance of words here, no flowery descriptiveness. If a leaf falls from the branch you won’t know, well, there may not be any branches for that matter! But, I quite like the style here. To the point and with nothing wasted.
In terms of characters. I quite like Three. He’s a good deal more patient than I would have been given the circumstances he finds himself in and in fact shows a completely vulnerable side to his character along with his ninja-kick-ass-building-climbing-knife wielding self. A bit of a stereotype in that he’s a tough guy who is suddenly compelled to help someone else (who just so happens to be incredibly easy on the eye) but, nonetheless, quite likeable. Cass. I liked her, but I also disliked her. Sometimes she was tough, and quite merciless, she loves Wren, and that much is apparent, she’s lead a very dubious past and is now trying to run away and make things better. I can live with all of that but sometimes the assumptions she made about Three sort of grated a little, felt a little bit judgemental, which given her own past…. She wanted it all ways. Throw herself on the mercy of others and then give them a hard time about themselves. It sort of came across as a little hypocritical on her part – given that she was being a good deal less than honest about who she was – or more to the point what she was involved with and running from (and in the process bringing down upon others). Basically, I’m all for the strong, tough females but if you’re going to go in that direction then don’t then turn on the ‘female’ switch when it’s convenient. Put bluntly, Cass was trouble with a capital T. I’m not saying that she’d not had her share of trouble and hard times but that’s nothing unique in a world this harsh – but, if you look at it objectively – she involved a lot of other ‘relatively’ innocent others in her running, caused a bit of a tide of circumstances. She’s the pebbles in the pond, throw it in and watch the ripples grow.
In terms of criticisms. I had the obvious mixed feelings about Cass – which I won’t clarify any further to avoid spoilers. There is very little clarification given about the world portrayed in the book – no explanations for the ability of certain characters – other than that maybe they’ve mutated perhaps?? On top of that I found the action scenes a little jarring – only in that they sort of read a little bit more like a commentary than a description. I realise that’s probably a bit vague but it was the feeling I had on a couple of occasions – not enough to spoil my enjoyment though.
I enjoyed this book. I think it’s a great idea that if not totally unique manages to bring something different to the scene. I liked the tension and suspense that the author achieves. I also like the fact that he assumes that as a reader you will bring your imagination with you. I will certainly read other books by this author.
I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for a honest review.
Books and travelling with Lynn 