Chasing Daybreak
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4.2 • 30 Ratings
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Publisher Description
Isabel Stone wanted a normal life. But when the unexpected death of her father leaves her at the helm of the family business, things quickly go from weird to worse. Vampires are on the loose and out of the coffin, and only Isabel can walk the fine line between the world of the living and the world of the undead.
Torn between letting go of her past and embracing her future, Isabel will have to decide who she can trust, and be willing to use all the weapons at her disposal, to get to the bottom of a terrifying string of deaths that lead right to her doorstep—before she becomes the next victim. In a city where nothing is what it seems, ending up the target of a deranged killer might actually be the high point of her week. Because in this town, the things that go bump in the night… just might kill you.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Glass's by-the-numbers debut is filled with character archetypes, paranormal tropes, and plot points straight out of the Laurell K. Hamilton playbook. Isabel Stone is a 22-year-old PI in a world that's still adjusting to the recent revelation that vampires are real. She lives (nonromantically) with her now-vampiric ex-fianc , Shane. When she lands what appears to be a standard missing-persons case, sure enough, there turns out to be a supernatural element, and that soon leads to the usual slate of vampire and werewolf political and romantic machinations. There are certainly worthwhile moments, although the best a well-deserved slam at Twilight's ephebophilia is undercut both by its lack of originality and by a protagonist's name that's only a few characters away from "Bella." There's nothing wrong with walking in the footsteps of other creators (the influences seem to range from Laura Lippman to Veronica Mars), but Glass never manages to find her own unique stride.
Customer Reviews
Butt-Kicking Heroine and a twist ending
***I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***
This book was awesome. Like a few have said, it does remind me of The Southern Vampire Series, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book. The book starts off with a blaze . . . literally. I was a bit confused because I'm used to a calm, if not slightly boring, start with most books. But I quickly caught on and proceeded to devour this book, like I devour most books: in one sitting.
I gotta say, I didn't really like Shane or Xavier. Shane seemed to be a pitiful character. I just couldn't bring myself to like him. And as for Xavier, he just gave me a creepy old man vibe. You know the kind. And he just seems really shady to me. I guess I'll see in book 2.
Anyway, I did like the heroine because she was strong, responsible, and could take a stand on her own She's not a helpless damsel in distress and to be honest, that's what I look for in a book nowadays. I get the appeal of having the male lead saving the female, but the industry is so saturated with those kinds of books I'm at my wit's end. Not all women need men to fight their battles. And, uh, I'm just going to go back to what I was saying before I started this mini-rant.
Isabel's mom was . . . something. And as for Heather, I can understand Isabel's frustrations towards her. I don't know how I feel about Mercy. I tried giving her the benefit of the doubt, but I don't have a concrete opinion.
This was a great read, and I was almost right in my predictions of whodunit. The ending was certainly a twist and not something I was expecting, for which I applaud the author. But the ending did feel a little rushed to me (it's either that or I read too quickly).
Overall, Chasing Daybreak gets 4/5 Platypires
Not a damsel in distress!
Action from start to finish and a great detective story to boot!