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Fantasy. Fiction. Romance. Thriller. HTML: In the ethereal world of dreams, there are champions who fight to protect the dreamer and there are demons who prey on them... In Sherrilyn Kenyon's The Dream-Hunter, Arik is such a predator. Condemned by the gods to live eternity without emotions, Arik can only feel when he's in the dreams of others. For thousands of years, he's drifted through the human unconscious, searching for sensation. Now he's finally found a dreamer whose vivid mind can fill his emptiness. Dr. Megeara Kafieri watched her father ruin himself and his reputation as he searched to prove Atlantis was real. Her deathbed promise to him to salvage his reputation has now brought her to Greece where she intends to prove once and for all that the fabled island is right where her father said it was. But frustration and bad luck dog her every step. Especially the day they find a stranger floating in the sea. His is a face she's seen many times.... in her dreams. What she doesn't know is that Arik holds more than the ancient secrets that can help her find the mythical isle of Atlantis. He has made a pact with the god Hades: In exchange for two weeks as a mortal man, he must return to Olympus with a human soul. Megeara's soul. With a secret society out to ruin her expedition, and mysterious accidents that keep threatening her life, Megeara refuses to quit. She knows she's getting closer to Atlantis and as she does, she stumbles onto the truth of what Arik really is. For Arik his quest is no longer simple. No human can know of a Dream-Hunter's existence. His dream of being mortal has quickly turned into his own nightmare and the only way to save himself will be to sacrifice the very thing he wanted to be human for. The only question is, will he?.… (more)
User reviews
Sherrilyn Kenyon has woven another amazing tale in the world of her Dark Hunters with The Dream-Hunter. As her tale unfolds through the course of the story her characters become deeper and more complex, no one more so than Arik. Kenyon is the master of taking a character who might otherwise be unredeemable and makes you care about him. I will say that the last chapter of her story was jaw dropping as the ever powerful subplot prevelant throughout her DH series clicked in to place. I'm definately looking forward to reading more about Kenyon's world as her series and characters continue to evolve.
Little does she know that there are a lot of people trying to stop her from finding
What she also doesn't know is that Arik promised her soul for his humanity, and they've got two weeks.
Kenyon has written a great story here, it's fun and interesting and the politics are understandable, along with interesting interleaving into the rest of the series while being it's own book. Knowing the side characters helps but it's also quite a good story on it's own.
Dr.
Arikos is mortal, for now, but soon he must return with to the gods with a human soul, Megeara.To Susan Arikos has the missing key to Atlantis,a pure answer to her dreams. Unaware of the danger that waits ahead.
I loved the Greek mythology mixed into the current day world. I loved that no one in these books - gods or not - was perfect in any way, but not inherently evil either. The main characters were compelling. Geary was smart, wary, and while she kept her guard up emotionally, she loved those in her life fiercely. And of course, Arik has his on interesting story of wanting to experience emotion and moving from his own selfish needs to an act of selflessness and trust.
This is one of those books that proves how a typical writing trope can be used well in the hands of a good writer. I'm intrigued to continue on with this series (when the library will let me have the book - sometimes it's hard being at the hands of the library gods).
My only recommendation is not to follow my lead if you start this series. I would suggest starting with the Dark Hunter series. While it wasn't a major part of the storyline, at times I felt like certain scenes would've packed more umph if I knew the dark hunter background.
Very good read from start to finish.
Despite these issues, I gave the book 3 stars for a couple reasons. First, Kenyon’s mythology is rich and detailed. I love getting more information about her world-building – especially the gods and their relationships. It was really cool to find out Hades is totally hot and Persephone loves him. Also, the horror and unjust punishment of the Oneroi is interesting, just not as a basis for romance. Plus, Acheron made a cameo, which is always good. Second, the ending was actually exciting when Geary has to go to the Underworld to win Arikos back. Overall, it was okay but just not up to the high standards of the novels that came before it. If it hadn’t been so hyped that we meet Ash’s heroine in this book, I probably would’ve skipped it.
I re-read this as it is labeled #10 in the Dark Hunter series and just finished #9. I didn't remember much from 2 years ago when I read it the first time. It can be read as a stand-alone as the setting is before Kyrian's book but reading it now gives me insight to Katra, Nick, the Honoroi, and even a little of Zarek. Still the story isn't as good as the other DH books but alone it does have interesting myths and characters. I never really got to like Arik even though he does redeem himself in the end, he is just too self centered. Feelings don't stop people from being self-centered and egotistical and his turn around is not explained enough in my opinion.
3 Stars
The Atlantis plot premise has potential and the additions to the overall Dark Hunter world building are interesting but the romance is borderline idiotic.
Arik and Geary's relationship is completely inexplicable. Geary goes from overtly skeptical and suspicious of Arik to
The pacing is also off - the first 2/3 are slow and tedious but the last 1/3 picks up and manages to save the book from being a complete dud - the resolution to Arik and Geary's dilemma is inventive and I can only lament the fact that their romance is not worthy of it.
The secondary characters are the real highlight of the book from the various Greek Gods (Kenyon shows real insight into their egotistical, capricious and selfish natures) to Geary's quirky/nerdy cousin and Arik snarky "brother", not to mention the enigmatic ZT and Kat who is even more mysterious than before.
Ultimately, the book is worth reading for the tie ins to the Dark Hunter series, which fill in some gaps and add new details.
Best line:
"Morornia, Every full moon, they teleport the Morons to earth and let them lose. Consider this your first encounter"