In the Dark of Dreams by Marjorie M. Liu – review

In the Dark of Dreams is the tenth book in the Dirk & Steele series of paranormal romances by Marjorie M. Liu.  Thankfully for this reviewer, who had not picked up a book in the series previously, it could be read standalone with very little difficulty.  I’m sure some of the nuances and inside jokes and comments were lost on me because I didn’t read the previous nine novels, but overall it didn’t cramp my enjoyment one bit.

There is a lot of subtext and hints at past books, but Liu kept the book firmly in the “here and now.”  What leaked through was important to understanding to the plot, not unnecessary exposition being used as filler.  The real draw in this book was the strength both Jenny and Perrin had, as individuals and as a team.

Neither of them forgot that moment on the beach when they met, two young children from different worlds who found a way to communicate and offer comfort.  Nor did they forget the feeling of reassurance they offered one and other in the intervening years, both through their memories of that night and the dreams they shared.  Arguably the thought of Jenny gave Perrin more strength and reason to live, but Jenny’s belief in Perrin–in what he represented (a whole world she didn’t know existed)–was the impetus for her own life choices.

I appreciated that even though the two had a connection (and attraction) to each other, Liu didn’t make it an automatic “love conquers all” scenario.  While Perrin was sure as all get about Jenny, his re-entrance into her life was anything but ideal.  Especially after what she goes through at the hands of a person she’s trusted for years (who has a connection to Perrin as well).  Perrin slowly builds his rapport with Jenny up, slowly gives her reasons to trust him and believe in what they have.  He’s battling his own demons, failures and inadequacies he hasn’t overcome in the eight years since he was exiled from his home.

The two of them are scarred and scared to let the other see the darker side of their lives.  The tension between them was palpable, as was the almost desperate urgency that Jenny felt.  She needed to be able to trust him, knew she could despite her misgivings, but too much in the past kept that from being a reality immediately.

Les, who’s a charming, mysterious friend of Jenny’s, was a different story.  At the end of the novel I could see where Liu was leading us, in terms of his characterization, but during the novel he was as scattered as marbles.  Not the coherent kind of scattered where you could see it gradually building; no, he just went unhinged and stayed unhinged.

Technically the agency of Dirk & Steele are part of the plot.  Jenny’s grandmother’s sister is one of the co-founders of Dirk & Steele, so Jenny has always been aware of them.  And the upper echelon of D&S knows about her.  This is probably the only part of the book that I was kind of confused with, because the family split 3 ways–D&S, the Consortium (bad guys) and the A Priori (Jenny’s grandparents), but I was unclear as to why D&S and the A Priori weren’t working together.  Matter of politics?  The A Priori seemed more interested in research and the scientific angle while D&S seems more about helping the not quite human folks, so I don’t see how they couldn’t work together to stop the Consortium (who just seem bad, period).

The romance is a slow burn in the book, building from their attraction and bond with simple gestures of affection and deeper feeling.  I liked that; I liked that for the two of them they wanted it to be special and mean something more than just lust.  And that they worked out a lot of their issues with each other before settling into bed.

This was a wonderful introduction into Liu’s novel works, and in particular her Dirk & Steele novels.  And the cover is just gorgeous (even if Perrin’s hair isn’t the right length).