Daybreak | By AJ. Navab| Book Review
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Title- Daybreak
Author- AJ. Navab
Publisher- DartFrog Books
Genre- Urban Fantasy
Links- Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads
My Rating- ★★★★✰
Protect the world. Preserve peace. Guard the secrets.
*Thank you to the Author, AJ. Navab, for providing me with an e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Contents
Book Blurb
My Review
About the Author
Book Blurb
Protect the world. Preserve peace. Guard the secrets.
For centuries, Hunters have worked from the shadows to protect the world against Rev’ers. Ordinary people would call them demons but the Hunters knew these creatures for what they were. They weren’t possessed by devils, nor were they demons spat out of hell. They were just creatures from a world not found in any science books. No one on Earth knew of their existence, and the Hunters kept the balance.
Daybreak Book Review. Instagram jennys.world.of.fiction
In a few short weeks, that balance will be destroyed.
When Rev’ers go haywire and cause unpredictable destruction, Mafuyu, a Hunter, is tasked with protecting Mirai, an ex-Hunter that has left the organization for reasons not widely known, from Bezaleel. Legend has it that this First-Level Rev'er killed hundreds of men before he disappeared without a trace. Years later, he has resurfaced again.
Mirai knows all about Bezaleel and First-Levels, but he’s been running from a dark and dangerous past. He fears that if the First-Levels get to him, then history will repeat itself. Then all of the effort he’s put in to guard crucial secrets, all of the sacrifices he’s made, will have been in vain.
As the Hunters discover why their world has been tipped into sudden, unmanageable chaos, about Bezaleel and the Rev’ers, Mirai’s past unravels and reveals a world that no one, least of all Mafuyu, ever knew existed.
My Review
Reading Daybreak felt a lot like watching an action filled anime show. For me the highlight was the complex world building and well thought out details that went into this story. The book is a mix of urban fantasy set in modern Japan and another world that has a more magical/ mystical vibe. Both were great settings and contrasted really well.
Plot
I liked the way the story started out as we are introduced to Mafuyu and his unique abilities. The pacing of the plot was mostly fast. There were several good action scenes that keep the plot moving forward, but then some slow ones in between.
I liked the concept of the Hunters going after Rev’ers. The Rev’ers were introduced as being kind of like demons. I loved the descriptions of the first ones they came across as I could clearly picture them and this had me hooked. The start of the book reminded me a lot of the anime show Bleach. The Hunters were kind of like soul reapers and there was an air of mystery that indicated there was more to everything than what we were first seeing.
I was a bit thrown of by the large flashback sequence in the middle of the book. I kind of wish this was at the start as it was a bit jarring, but provided great back story and made me connect a lot more with Mirai and wish I had known his story sooner. I really loved the introduction to another world in this section. It was more whimsical and magical than the urban/ modern setting.
Overall there was a lot to follow in this plot and I think I might have missed a few things along the way. But I enjoyed the way the story wrapped up. The ending made me feel more connected to the characters than the rest of the book.
Characters
There is a complex cast of characters, that at times I found hard to keep up with.
The point of view switches mostly between the two main characters Mafuyu and Mirai. I liked both these characters, especially Mirai, but it was hard to distinguish voice between the two characters.
Chapters told from Mafuyu and Mirai sounded very similar, at and times I wasn’t sure whose POV the chapter was from. As a reader this made me feel a little zoomed out from the story, like I wasn’t seeing it from either of their points of view, rather, I was watching from above.
Overall I liked the characters but didn’t feel much for any of them. Saying that, it is more of a world building and plot driven story and I enjoyed watching them go about their adventures.
The relationships were friendship and family/siblings. I feel like there could have been more depth to these and we just got to see the surface of it.
World Building and setting
As I said before, this was the highlight of the book for me! There is a feeling of depth to the world building and the author has obviously worked hard on everything that went into it.
I loved the way the modern Japanese setting contrasted with the other world. Both were easy to imagine and the descriptions made me feel like I was watching an anime show the whole time which I really loved!
The magic was quite mysterious and unexplained, but was believable and made me want to know more. I liked the combination of fighting and magic.
Summary
Overall a well written, and well thought out book. But I’m giving it 3.5 stars because I would have enjoyed it more if I got to know the characters better and if I had paid more attention to the details. If you are looking for an anime vibes with action packed fight scenes this is the book for you.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an e-arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author- AJ. Navab
Author AJ. Navab
AJ Navab is obsessed with writing action-packed fantasy fiction stories. Born in 1996, she is the only child of her loving Indian parents and currently lives in the United Arab Emirates.
She first began penning her stories at the age of seven. After earning a degree in journalism, she worked in the industry as a writer and sub-editor before realizing she has more fun writing her own stories and sharing her imagination with the world. When she isn't furiously scribbling out a new adventure, she spends her time binge watching anime, painting and traveling.
Check out AJ. Navab’s website
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About the reviewer- Jenny sandiford
Hi I’m Jenny. I am passionate about promoting new authors and sharing any amazing books I find with the world. I am a book blogger, bookstagrammer, YA fantasy writer and travel writer.
I’m also a lover of nature, hiking, Harry Potter, cats, fantasy lands and quiet places.
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