Comments on: REVIEW: Midnight Awakening by Lara Adrian

By: Jill Sorenson

Jill Sorenson — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 04:48:24 +0000

I agree with Jia that Adrian writes a more traditional romance, with the focus on the relationship rather than peripheral characters and wacky world-building. Not that I don’t like Ward’s over-the-top insanity, but Kiss of Midnight made me MELT. It’s one of my favorite romance novels of all time and I’ve read thousands of them. The second in the series didn’t work as well for me but I enjoyed Elise and Tegan’s story very much.

Love Lara Adrian’s world. Love the jasmine, rose and heather, or vanilla-honey-whatever scented blood. There is a grace and tenderness here that adds depth to the fierce characters.

By: Meriam

Meriam — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:54:03 +0000

Viehl’s series is all over the board for me. I loved the first one and really enjoyed the third. This most recent one is seriously flawed.

I’ve only read to book three, which I liked a lot. Dark Need is winging its way to me via Amazon and I’m really looking forward to it. I hope it doesn’t suck, because I’ve ordered book 5, too.

Jia, I’m surprised at how much I enjoy Viehl. I like her crisp, tight writing, I like her dialogue and I like her heroines. All that might change, but so far so good.

By: Jia

Jia — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:44:53 +0000

The Darkyn series is an odd one for me. Normally I like interseries connectivity, but those books don’t work for me at all. It might be the writing that puts me off. I have no idea.

By: Jane

Jane — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:36:08 +0000

One of the reasons I liked MA book so much better than Ward’s is because of the lack of interseries connectivity. It made it easier for me to follow a book without having to read the entirety of the series. Plus, we spent more time with the couple so that I could truly believe in the romance. In Ward’s books we get only a quarter of the book, at best, devoted to the main couple.

Ward appears to have copied her formula from Suzanne Brockmann. Ultimately, the reason why I stopped reading Brockmann is the reason I will stop reading Ward and that is her intertwined storylines do not provide enough romance and in Ward’s case, while her characterizations are strong, her world building has been decimated by her own writing decreasing my interest in her connected threads.

Viehl’s series is all over the board for me. I loved the first one and really enjoyed the third. This most recent one is seriously flawed. I felt like Viehl wrote herself into a corner and took an easy way out without appropriately addressing the issues she had spent so long building up.

By: Meriam

Meriam — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:38:32 +0000

Whilst I enjoyed this book, I didn’t find it memorable. I haven’t read Ward (first three at home, waiting to be read, very excited), so I can’t make any comparisons. But I liked the freshness of this series; the bonding element had an interesting twist and I liked the mix of new tecchnology with the old school elements Vampirism.

Although I liked Elise, I do get tired of ‘psychic’ heroines. You know: feeling pain, hearing thoughts, dreams that tell the future, visions… sigh. It’s so tired. It’s so (old)Star Trek. But that’s me.

I can’t wait to start the BDB. The other vampire series I’m currently reading – Lynn Viehl’s Darkyn – is pretty good too.

By: Jia

Jia — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 08:49:07 +0000

LesleyW: Since I haven’t read the previous two books, I can’t comment on how effective and/or non-stereotypical a villain Marek was, but one thing I did like was how Adrian switched things up at the end. It was refreshing.

By: LesleyW

LesleyW — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 07:47:01 +0000

I think Lara Adrian’s series is improving with each book. So it’s definitely one I’m following. In a way in MA she’s almost the reverse of Ward, I found Elise to be a very strong heroine, but Tegan so strong and silent, not so memorable a hero.

I don’t want to put any spoilers here, but my main annoyance with MA is what happened to Marek. In book 1 (Kiss of Midnight), he had all this potential to be a great villain, he didn’t really make an appearance in book 2, and by book 3 he’s reduced to a stereotypical bad guy. It feels like such a wasted opportunity.

By: Keishon

Keishon — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 05:05:03 +0000

I need to read this :::chanting to self:::

By: Jia

Jia — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:15:45 +0000

Janine: When I first finished Dark Lover, I recall wondering if that had really been a romance I’d just read. Up until that point I’d only read one-relationship focused paranormals, so I was jarred by the difference. But the difference was comforting and familiar to me because it’s what I’m used to in my fantasy reading, so I liked that.

Even if the worldbuilding is not nearly as consistent as it should be.

lightlyfell: I appreciate the consistency and logical reasoning of Adrian’s worldbuilding as well. Ward’s is so random and conflicting without even getting into the issue of the Scribe Virgin who can wave her hand and fix everything. And yet, like you, I find myself getting lost in the BDB world anyway.

By: lightlyfell

lightlyfell — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 23:33:12 +0000

I agree so much. While I loved this book, and have read the first two, they don’t satisfy me the way Ward’s do. (Disclaimer: I didn’t like the ending of LU, didn’t like many things in LU, and will stop reading the series after Phury’s.) I loved Elise and the interplay between the two main characters, and am awaiting Diego’s story very eagerly.

However, when I want a comfort read, when I want to lose the world, I pick up a BDB. And like potato chips, I cannot stop at one. Next thing I know, I’m rereading the whole series, no matter what else is in my TBR pile. I’m a paranormal fan, I try to read them all. And NO other series hooks me like that.

Adrian’s books are well-written, I like the world-building a lot better. (No lame Scribe Virgin, yay!) But Ward, she’s the one.