Prelim review: Honestly speaking I really dislike when authors do crossovers for their different genres--I'm an OCD sort of reader so I feel an urge to read all the other books. Despite not being that interested in the Arcane Society.

So I'm ignoring that this is part of a trilogy.

As a new Harmony novel it was fascinating because it gave a lot more clues away about the world and the aliens then we've gotten in recent books. Also Dust Bunnies were featured more prominently (I really would like a Dust Bunny adventure book). ( )

In book three of the Dreamlight Trilogy (an Arcane Society spin-off), Marlowe Jones is the head of the Jones and Jones paranormal detective agency. She’s investigating the theft of an ancient Earth relic from the Arcane Museum vault, and the new Frequency City guild boss is at the top of her suspect list.
Adam Winters intends to clean up the corrupt guild. In Frequency, as well as in most places on the planet of Harmony, the guilds are seen as little more than organized mobs. Destined to fall into a fit of insanity, he needs to find the Burning Lamp and a dreamlight reader, a woman able to control the lamp. He needs Marlowe Jones. The problem? She’s a Jones, the enemy of the Winters, and the head of J&J, the rival of the guild.
Marlowe is one of the toughest female leads I’ve read in the Arcane books. She’s smart, stubborn, and can stand up to any man. Adam is the classic alpha hero who’s strong enough to accept and appreciate a strong woman, an equal, at his side. They both have astounding psychic powers and can control the lamp far better than the other couples did in the previous books.
I loved that much of the Arcane history has survived the centuries. Caleb and Lucinda, Griffin and Adalaide, Jack and Chloe, Fallon, and a few others were mentioned, and their journals and accounts of their adventures are considered “ancient” Earth legends. So funny!
This is the first book that really combines the Arcane series books and the Harmony series books. Originally, they were two separate series but this book, as part of the trilogy, meshes the other two. Though this book is a standalone, you should really read the first two books in the trilogy and have read some Harmony books to get a better feeling of that futuristic world. Unlike all the other Harmony books, there wasn’t much info in this one about how the human settlers arrived on the planet two centuries earlier. For a new reader, that might be a little confusing.
Though I noticed a few punctuation errors like missing periods, the story flowed well and didn’t drag. It kept my attention, and I look forward to reading the next spin-off trilogy of the Arcane series.
5 Stars

Disclaimer – I bought this book for my own enjoyment. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape, or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion.
( )

Fin de la série "contemporaine" de Arcane Society. Égal aux autres de la série et suit le même canevas. ( )

Midnight Crystal
3 Stars

Disclaimer: This is book #7 in the Harmony series and book #9 in the Arcane Society series. While I have read all of the previous Krentz and Quick (Arcane) books, this is my first Jayne Castle (Harmony) book and my review is probably influenced by a complete lack of background on this series and the world created within.

The story and characters are entertaining but the futuristic world is not my cup of tea.

The story is actually comprised of four separate subplots - Is Adam Winters a Cerberus? Who is trying to kill him and why? Who stole the Burning Lamp? What is going on in the underground maze? While each of these storylines is successfully interwoven into a cohesive whole, none is particularly exciting and all are resolved rather anti-climactically.

Adam and Marlowe are carbon copies of their historical/contemporary counterparts in the first two books of the trilogy. While their romance is better than Griffin and Adelaide's in Burning Lamp, it doesn't come close to the chemistry and spark between Chloe and Jack in Fired Up. The villains are also stereotypical although I did love Marlowe's pet Dust Bunny, Gibson and his kleptomaniac tendencies.

The real problem with the book is the world building. There is a significant amount of backstory that is completely missing for newcomers to the Harmony series. While readers familiar with this world might not have any difficulties, any one else will probably be confused by the alien technology, new world politics and history, and the futuristic terminology.

All in all, the Dreamlight Trilogy in general, and Midnight Crystal in particular, are prime examples of how stale a story can become once a series becomes formulaic. Unfortunately, the Arcane Society series is beginning to lose its way. Hopefully it will get back on track in the next installments. ( )

Adam Winters je značně pracovně zaneprázdněn a k tomu pronásledován rodinným prokletím. Je přesvědčen, že noční můry a halucinace, kterými v poslední době trpí, by ho mohly psychicky zcela zničit, a že proto musí najít ukradenou relikvii a ženu, která umí číst světlo tajemné lampy. A tak když do jeho světa doslova přijede na motorce Marlowe Jonesová, ačkoli pochází z rodiny, s níž měli Wintersové ve společnosti problémy, je se svými schopnostmi právě tím, co Adam potřebuje. Společně pátrají po Spalující lampě v podzemních katakombách, ve snaze zlomit její kouzlo, a přitom se střetávají s nesmlouvavým protivníkem, dychtícím získat lampu do vlastnictví. Z trilogie Paprsky snů ( )