Daring is the sequel to Charming, of the Pax Arcana series. You can see Jenn's review of Charming HERE. I totally, 100% agree with her enthusiastic praise of Charming. And I, too, couldn't wait to get my hands on Daring. I was on my library's request list for it before the release date! I wasn't surprised to find myself in love with Daring, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved it for very different reasons.
So far, this series has been my first and only foray into adult urban fantasy, but I'm so glad that I've found this genre! The main character, John Charming, has been dealt a rather hard hand in life. He comes from a long line of Charmings who are all Knights Templar, tasked with slaying monsters and dragons. In this modern age, the Knights Templar keep the busiest making sure that regular folks like you and I don't encounter any nasty creatures like vampires or werewolves. Unfortunately, he was cursed from birth by a werewolf's bite. So what do you do when you're under a magical geas (compulsion) to fight creatures like werewolves... but yet, you are part werewolf?
While Charming shows the Knight side of John, Daring lets the reader get to know John's werewolf side. He's left his bar in Virginia and joined a werewolf pack in Wisconsin. If you're a fan of the supernatural, this book is definitely for you! Nearly the entire book follows werewolves as they work with a wizard to battle immortal Knights Templar. The author does a fantastic job with the narration; I really felt like I was in John Charming's head the entire time. I love how smoothly James Elliott works in explanations for all the supernatural phenomena, and how the Knights Templar manage to keep regular folks from seeing any of it. The reader gleans a ton of information as John explains situations to other characters, or as he thinks through solutions to problems or threats, without ever feeling "preached to," and with little or no break in the action. Another bonus: John's characteristic humor is present in full force in this book too! A little bit dry, and sometimes self-deprecating, it kept me smiling throughout the novel. However, if you're looking for the same swoons from Charming, you may be slightly disappointed. Daring focuses entirely on John and his mission with the werewolf pack. I didn't even think about romance (or the lack thereof), because I was so caught up with the action. This one is just more action-packed and less smooches-packed than the first installment.
I'm not sure if this is in every edition, but my copy had an "Extras" section at the end that contained the first few chapters of the third book! While you could possibly read Daring on it's own, my recommendation would be to start with Charming for maximum enjoyment. Then you can join me in waiting impatiently for the third book!
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ReplyDeleteAfter a stream of good reviews, I picked up the first book. And immediately ordered the second, plus the 3 or 4 short stories in the same world. :)
ML Brennan's Generation V and JC Nelson's Grimm series also have the same "feel" if you're looking for similar UF reads.
I have read Charming. I have been wanting to read the second book, but our public library doesn't have it.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like it might actually be more my kind of thing than Charming was.
I'm glad you got to read it. It sounds like you really liked it. It makes me want to read it even more.
I have both Charming and Daring. I haven't gotten around to starting the series yet, but I see a third book has a release date now. I guess I should get cracking.
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