One born of land. One of born the sea.
Two hearts when torn asunder, only a Kraken can mend.
Jenny Jameson was twelve when she met Perrin, the mer-boy with silver hair and ice blue eyes. She only knew him a few minutes before his father dragged him back to sea. Yet in those precious moments her heart had fastened onto Perrin and his heart held steadfast to her.
She searched for him daily, in that particular spot of beach. Though, she never saw him there again, she met him every night in her dreams.
Eight years ago, the dreams stopped. Jenny looked for Perrin. But he wasn’t on the beach, or any other place in the world she searched. Still, she keeps looking.
Perrin never expected to find the red-haired girl with whom he’d shared his childhood dreams. He held on to the memories, they gave him hope. Hope he desperately needed after being stripped of his identity and exiled from the sea. He’d resigned himself to a meager existence on land, waiting for his time to die.
Until one day when the dolphins at the aquarium where Perrin works shared with him a vision. A vision of impending doom. And later, another vision of his red-haired girl. In that moment, Perrin knows that he must do everything in his power to find her. To save her. And to save the world.
In the Dark of Dreams can be summed up in one word...Wow!
I absolutely loved this story. There’s lots of action and suspense on the high sea and in what lies beneath it, but it was Perrin and Jenny’s love story that seized my heart.
Natural and supernatural forces conspire against them, but time and again Perrin and Jenny’s love proves unflinching and unfailing. With sharks to the left of them, mercenaries to the right, they’re stuck in the middle desperately trying to find a way to appease a sea monster before he awakens to destroy the world.
In the Dark of Dreams begins with a prologue. Normally I skip these because I feel that anything worth telling should be told within the context story. However, this book’s prologue is a must read. It’s written in a faery tale fashion, almost as if it were a bedtime story to be read to children. It’s mesmerizing in its simplicity and absolute magick.
Marjorie M. Liu uses vivid details to describe life under the sea and above it. Her characters as beautiful as they are terrifying.
I found Perrin’s act of abstinence touching. I felt this deepened his character and showed the genuineness of his convictions. And when he learns that Jenny has had a lover, Perrin isn’t angry or jealous or disappointed. He even grieves with Jenny when he learns of her tragic miscarriage. So deep is his love that whatever touches her, touches him.
Jenny has kept Perrin’s secret from everyone. She has fiercely protected him and loved him even when he was nowhere to be found. She may have lost faith, but she never gave up her last thread of hope and that is what endeared her to me.
I loved the clever way the author blends ancient Greek mythology into the modern world perspective. Whereas Perseus used Medusa’s head to destroy the Kraken, Perrin and Jenny use their wit and their dreams to pacify the rousing sea monster. Instead of violence, they offer peace. It’s a nice alternative to the mob mentality of simply killing the beast.
For me, In the Dark of Dreams was an absolute thrill to read. Excitement, suspense, and stomach clenching drama filled page after page, right to the very end.
This is the tenth book in the Dirk & Steele series and I hope Ms. Liu doesn’t stop there.
For those who may not have heard of Mr. Maass, he is a highly-sought after literary agent and author in his own right. Writers, pay close attention to him. He not only knows how to write, but how to write what sells.
. She demonstrates how to use Method-acting techniques to deepen characters' emotional and behavioral presence on the page.
