Awaken Me Darkly

Awaken Me Darkly
4 Stars

Mia Snow is an Alien Huntress tasked with pursuing, capturing and, if necessary, executing extraterrestrials responsible for harming humans. When an alien serial killer begins targeting young, dark-haired, dark-eyed men, Mia and her fellow hunters must track down the culprit, but the case takes a disturbing turn when an enigmatic and erotic stranger contacts Mia with an offer she can’t refuse …

Science-fiction is not one of my preferred genres, however, the sci-fi elements in this book are secondary and contribute to rather than distract from the setting and the story. In fact, other than references to the arrival of aliens and descriptions of futuristic weapons and other technological advances, the story show more could very well be set in contemporary times.

Anyone expecting feminine softness beneath Mia’s tough-as-nails facade is bound to be disappointed as she is the personification of a ball-busting, hard-nosed female cop. That said, there is an inner vulnerability and need to be loved that makes her very appealing and adds an extra layer of emotion and intensity to her relationship with Kyrin.

Kyrin is an amalgamation of opposites. On the one hand, he is a typical alpha male - sexy, strong and secretive. Yet, he also accepts Mia’s need to be in control and even encourages her strength and independence. While it is difficult to classify his relationship with Mia as a romance given their intense battle of wills, there is definitely an emotional component that intensifies their underlying chemistry.

The mystery surrounding the disappearances of several young men is intriguing although the revelations toward the end are not all that surprising and can be guessed early on. The final confrontation with the villain is rather anti-climactic given the build up, but the resolution is ultimately satisfying.

In sum, the world building is detailed without focusing excessively on the sci-fi elements, the primary and secondary characters are compelling and the mystery is action packed. Justine Eyre’s narration is excellent and she is fast becoming a favorite. Looking forward to continuing with the series. show less

Awaken Me Darkly is set in the future when different species of aliens are openly living amongst humans. Mia is part of a law enforcement group that specifically deal with alien-related crime. She hunts down the criminals and if she finds them guilty, they are executed. There is no trial.

Mia is a no-nonsense kick-ass alien hunter, she's had a tough life growing up. Her mother left after she was born, her two brothers were murdered and her father stopped loving her and turned abusive when her first brother died when she was just 5 years old. She has no room in her life for love but she cares deeply for her team of very loyal hunters. She is very physical with her emotions, if you upset her she lets you know right away with a punch or a show more slap to the face - as Kyrin notes “Can you not go one day without using your fists?” which lets you know just how often she gets upset!

Mia encounters Kyrin when she begins investigating a serial killer who is murdering human men and displaying them in public. Kyrin is the obvious suspect he had contact with all of the victims before they died but it isn't as simple as that. Mia is drawn to him, she can sense him, his energy - she's human she shouldn't be able to do that. She fights her attraction to him in order to remain cold impartial but he shows her that he isn't responsible for the murders, that there is a whole lot more to the story than just these murders. He shines a light on her personal life, her very being and reveals that she has a connection to the real murderer.

My only real complaint about this book is the lack of background. Being the first book I expected there to be more information about the different species of aliens, a little more on the supporting characters, even Kyrian and Lilla. I also wanted to follow Mia as she looked for the children, a loose end that was never addressed. I understand the next few books follow different couples so I guess that we will not find out what happened to the children.

I never would have read this type of book if it hadn't been for a group challenge. I'm glad I did. I had read the authors first book in the Lords of the Underworld series which I enjoyed so I naturally picked this book to fit the alien category of the challenge. I'm not sure whether I'll continue reading the series now that I know this story will not be continued but it was an enjoyable read. show less

Awaken Me Darkly is a book that was part of my romanceopoly pick and so I can't believe that I had to do this, but I had to DNF this book at 60%. I really went into this blindly and I do wish I had read reviews as I could have avoided this book altoghether. I really struggled with this one. The heroine is NOT my type of heroine. I am not sure where the author was going with this one here. Now first off, one of my red limits is heroine abusing men or the hero. And its definitely the case in this one. I just couldn't find this heroine resonating at all. I did love the hero though, so he is the reason I kept with this one for as long as I did. What I really struggled with was seeing the heroine so hateful towards any men in the story, even show more her partner. And she was so bipolar in certain scenarios that just didn't make sense to me. But this heroine was practically a sociopath in how she viewed men, and honestly she was such a example of a toxic feminists heroine. And quite frankly the hero deserves better than being with someone so abusive. Now having said this, does this mean I am going to give up on this series? Nope. I will give this series another try but I will research the best book to try it out with. show less

Mia Snow is an agent for A.I.R. (Alien Investigation and Removal). She's been hunting aliens her entire life, and hated them ever since she was a little girl and they had killed at least one of her brothers, the other gone missing and never found.

Now she's on the hunt for an Arcadian that's killing human men and leaving them to be found in compromising positions. But if she's to find who's behind these murders, and save her partner in the process, she must accept help from the most unlikely of sources: a tall, exotic Arcadian by the name of Kyrin en Arr. And as she gets closer to the truth, and closer to Kyrin, she discovers some shocking secrets about herself in the process.

I went into this book not sure what to expect. I was thinking show more I might just be getting another romance in a paranormal wrapper, but I couldn't be further from the truth. :-) I totally enjoyed Gena's writing style, and Mia's kick ass character reminded me of the Anita Blake of old. This book would probably be considered more Paranormal Fantasy, or even Sci Fi because of the Aliens, though some of the powers they exhibit are very similar to what we see in Vampires in other stories: strength, quick moving, mind control, enhanced life, etc.

After finishing this story, I immediately added the rest of the series to my wishlist. There's currently one other published, Enslave Me Sweetly, with the next two coming in June and July 2007 actually being YA, and a return the non-teen version in January 2008. I believe the YA books, going by the series title "Teen Alien Huntress", will take place in the same world but with different characters. (I added the forthcoming titles and release dates to the Ongoing Releases Dates thread at BookObsessed if you want all the details.) show less

This book seems to lend itself to high-concept pairings. I've seen "Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Alien Nation" and "Eve Dallas meets Anita Blake." Personally, I'll go with Men in Black meets Romeo and Juliet... but without the tragic ending. It's about star-crossed lovers and finding an alien killer.

Mia Snow is an Alien Huntress--she works for the Alien Investigation and Removal agency. It's a future Chicago where aliens live, for the most part peacefully. But due to their unearthly abilities, when aliens become a threat to humanity, it's not possible to simply throw them in jail. Which is where Mia comes in. (hence the Anita Blake comparisons, which, I admit, are apt--at least for the first several Anita Blake books)

There's a murder show more that Mia determines was committed by a certain kind of alien, and the trail leads her to the Arcadians Kyrin and his sister Lilla. But the more she investigates, the more Mia finds herself falling in love with a man that duty says she should kill.

It's a fun concept--add a star-crossed romance to Men in Black. The mystery is appropriately convoluted. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the emotional intensity of falling in love with the absolutely wrong person. And I very much enjoyed that Kyrin is written in shades of gray. So often in this kind of book, the alien (or werewolf or vampire or whathaveyou) is not only peaceful but altruistic, and is simply misunderstood. That's not Kyrin.

However, it got a little too convoluted, and at times I was overwhelmed with the details. And there was that back-and-forth with the hero and heroine having the same fight over and over that always drives me nuts. Mia was also a little too willing to use asskicking as a first resort, and a little too undefeatable.

I've been hearing that the second book in the series is a big improvement, and I did really enjoy the concept, but this book didn't wow me, and I have that monster TBR pile.... I haven't decided yet if I'll pick it up or not. Leave a comment and convince me. show less

Mia Snow is an alien hunter working for futuristic law enforcement agency A.I.R. (Alien Investigation and Removal Agents) In her capacity, she is allowed to kill alien wrongdoers with impunity, which makes her job both easier and harder than for today’s law enforcement. She has been taught from a young age to hate other-worlders and has a difficult time giving them the benefit of the doubt. That changes when she becomes involved in a case revolving around some disappearing men and a fertility clinic. She meets Kyrin en Arr and desires him immediately, even though he’s Arcadian, a particularly powerful race of alien. Kyrin seems like suspect #1 in her case, but she’s hesitant to believe he’s a murderer. She risks her career to show more work with him and discover the real culprit behind the killings and learns some important secrets about herself along the way.
Suspenseful, crackling with heat and chemistry, just enough mystery and twists to keep one entertained, this is a pretty decent urban fantasy novel. The world building is done well, without a lot of exposition and things are revealed to the reader at a good pace. Recommended for fans of the genre. show less

This is the first book in the Alien Huntress series by Gena Showalter. I really liked her book "Playing with Fire". I was a bit leery about this book because...well...it's called "Awaken me Darkly" and it has a scantily clad woman in a black corset on the cover; it kind of screamed romance to me. Well, it is not a romance. It is a tightly packed paranormal crime novel, with back to back action scenes and a sex scene thrown in for good measure.

Mia Snow is part of AIR, Alien Investigation and Removal Agency. Basically she is an Alien Hunter; that takes out any aliens that are walking on the wrong side of the law. When she gets drawn into a murder case where nude males are left dead in plain site, she finds that the politics involved are show more extraterrestrial. When her partner, Dallas, is fatally wounded she finds that the super hunky alien Kyrin en Arr is the only on who can help him. Too bad Kyrin is the prime murder suspect, also too bad that Kyrin is the one who can help Mia unfold her dark past.

This book moved at a fast clip. The plot was tight and well-done. I really enjoy Showalter's writing style. The murder investigation and action scenes dominated the book. Anyone who picks this up thinking it's a romance will be deeply disappointed. There is some tension between Mia and Kyrin and one really hot sex scene, but that's pretty much it for romance. Overall I really liked the book. Mia's kick butt attitude reminded me of Anita Blake before she went all succubus on us. Although Mia's character could have had a bit more depth and been a bit more tempered with something other than anger; I still thought she was a pretty good lead.

I was also a little disappointed that they didn't go into more about the different aliens and their culture. Kyrin does go into Arcadian culture somewhat; but not in great depth. I also thought most of the aliens were a bit too humanoid, but well, I guess that's the author's decision.

Overall this was a very engaging and entertaining read. I liked that the story had a more sci-fi focus; it was interesting to read something paranormal-like in genre that took place in the future and with aliens. The book tied up all the main plot points but left some minor ones hanging. It doesn't look like Mia Snow is featured in the rest of the books in this series. Either way, I definitely look forward to reading the next book in the series. I am hooked on Showalter's writing style. show less