A Book Obsession..: Karen Chance

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Review: Shadow's Bane by Karen Chance

, by KT

Shadow's Bane by Karen Chance

Dorina Basarab #4

Half-human, half-vampire Dorina Basarab is back—and facing her biggest challenge yet in the next urban fantasy in the New York Times bestselling series.

Dorina Basarab is a dhampir—half-human, half-vampire. As one of the Vampire Senate’s newest members, Dory already has a lot on her plate. But then a relative of one of Dory’s fey friends goes missing. They fear he’s been sold to a slaver who arranges fights—sometimes to the death—between different types of fey.

As Dory investigates, she and her friends learn the slavers are into something much bigger than a fight club. With the Vampire Senate gearing up for war with Faerie, it’ll take everything she has to defeat the slavers—and deal with the entirely too attractive master vampire Louis-Cesare....

Wow was SHADOW'S BANE a long, but fully packed read. I'm impressed at the sheer length of this book and the fact that I was never once bored. It's been quite a long time since the last Dory novel released, but I had no problem jumping right into Dory's story again. I really appreciated the recapping in the beginning of the book. This of course contributed to this book's massive size, but it was well worth it to bring the reader right back into Dory's headspace.

The plotline of SHADOW'S BANE at first glance felt very arbitrary with many threads seeming to go in many different directions. This especially seemed to be the case when you added in the multiple perspectives with Dorina and Mircea in the past taking the helm at times. But as the book went on things started to intertwine more and more. I really appreciated how the author brought all these seemingly different threads together into one cohesive story. It definitely made for an interesting and engrossing read.

Even better than the plotlines in this book was the great amount of time spent on character growth. Dory makes major headway into accepting herself once and for all. And let me just say, after 500 years, it's about time! I also really enjoyed just how rich and in depth the other characters were. Every single one no matter how small of a role, were fully fleshed out. And let me just say, I need a Louise-Cesare for myself...

Simply put, SHADOW'S BANE was well worth every moment of the wait in between releases. Karen Chance has crafted yet another magical story that kept me turning the pages until the wee hours of the morning. Bravo!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
Smexy Books
Elaine Howlin Literary Blog
Delighted Reader

Previous Books:
1. Midnight's Daughter
2. Death's Mistress
3. Fury's Kiss

Review: Ride the Storm by Karen Chance

, by KT

Ride the Storm by Karen Chance

Cassandra Palmer #8

Ever since getting appointed the chief seer of the supernatural world, Cassie Palmer has been playing catch up. Catch up on the training she missed being raised by a psychotic vampire instead of at the pythian court. Catch up on the dangerous world of supernatural politics. Catch up on the powerful, and sometimes seductive, forces trying to mold her to their will. It’s been a trial by fire that has left her burned.

But now she realizes all that was just the warm up.

Ancient forces that once terrorized the world want to return, and Cassie is the only one who can stop them. But to win, she needs help: from a friend lost in time, from a secretive lover, from every supernatural group that has ignored her up until now. And with the vampires and fey preparing to wage war across two worlds, Cassie's time is running out...

Cassie is an amazing heroine and truly astounding in her ability to take a "lickin and keep on tickin." I also love all of the characters and the very detailed world. Reading these books feel like coming home. Well home to a frenzied place, but home all the same. There is never a chance for a dull moment despite the incredible lengths of these books, RIDE THE STORM in particular. That being said despite never having said dull moments, this book was almost too much at times. I felt like a few of the plot threads weren't entirely necessary and they could have been removed to lessen some of the frenetic feel. Granted a Cassie book wouldn't feel quite the same without frenzy, but a little less wouldn't have hurt.

Karen Chance is a master at long running plot threads, sometimes so much so. So I was REALLY glad to finally see some of those threads get resolved/answered (PRITKIN!!). There also were some pretty big revelations on the Mircea side of things, but you'll have to read the book yourself to see how everything plays out. Unlike previous books, RIDE THE STORM doesn't end in a killer cliffhanger, but just enough of a tease to make you really want to read the next book. I greatly appreciated not being left hanging this time.

All in all Cassie fans will be more than pleased with this latest installment that will leave readers with a sigh of contentment in the end.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:

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Other Reviews:
All Things Urban Fantasy
Gizmo's Reviews
Naomi's Reading Palace

Previous Books:
1. Touch the Dark
2. Claimed by Shadow
3. Embrace the Night
4. Curse the Dawn
5. Hunt the Moon
6. Tempt the Stars
7. Reap the Wind

Early Review: Reap the Wind by Karen Chance

, by KT

Reap the Wind by Karen Chance

Cassandra Palmer #7

You’d think that being Chief Seer for the supernatural world would come with a few perks. But as Cassie Palmer has learned, being Pythia doesn’t mean you don’t have to do things the hard way. That’s why she finds herself on a rescue mission skipping through time—even though she doesn't entirely understand her dimension-bending new power.

Rescuing her friend John Pritkin should have been an in and out kind of deal, but with the near-immortal mage’s soul lost in time, Cassie has to hunt for it through the ages—with Pritkin’s demon dad in tow. He’s the only one who can reverse Pritkin’s curse, but with the guardians of the time-line dead set on stopping anyone from mucking about, Cassie will have to figure out how to get her friend back without ruffling too many feathers—or causing a world-ending paradox or two..

I feel utterly torn about REAP THE WIND. On one hand I was utterly and completely hooked into the story. It was intense and the characters really shined. You could really feel the stakes involved. It's quite a long book, but I read it in one setting into the wee hours of the morning. All good things right? You might be asking what's the problem. I have one word for you... Cliffhanger. Another cliffhanger, after the past several books having killer cliffhangers, I had expected a resolution at least on that matter. But no, the past three books have left a certain character's fate in the balance, and unfortunately this one does as well. I had a strong urge to throw my kindle across the room when I realized this. As much as I love this series, the frustration factor is starting to weigh on me. It's just amazing how in such a long book, so much could happen, but in the end nothing that happened really matters as the main issue is still massively looming. I feel like I've been teased one too many times. Will I read the next book, absolutely, but if there's yet another cliffhanger on this same issue it might just be a towel throwing offense.

Getting back to the good. Cassie really shines in REAP THE WIND. She's tested over and over, but this time around her reactions are a little bit more thought out rather than so reactive. Sure she's still in constant jams but less are due to her own scrambled reactions. She's maturing and learning more about her role and becoming more confident, and I cheered her every step of the way. Now if everyone else could just start respecting her... Speaking of respect, the whole Mircea thing is still a funny situation. The romance there leaves me scratching my head more often than not. I hope there's some sort of resolution planned there as well in the near future as again, it's been dragged out for a very long time it seems.

Despite my frustrations due the overall arc of the series and lack of real momentum, Reap the Wind is a very good book in its own right. Take out the series issues and it's darn right fantastic, so with that caveat in mind, REAP THE WIND is an enjoyable and engrossing read.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
Book Junkiez

Previous Books:
1. Touch the Dark
2. Claimed by Shadow
3. Embrace the Night
4. Curse the Dawn
5. Hunt the Moon
6. Tempt the Stars

Review: Masks by Karen Chance

, by KT

Masks by Karen Chance

Cassie Palmer #4.3

Fifteenth century Venice is a safe haven for the masterless dregs of the vampire world, a city where they can live without the fear of retribution for violating another’s territory.
Still, there are plenty of ways for a young vampire to die in the glittering city, a lesson that prince turned pauper Mircea Basarab must learn quickly. But there are opportunities, too—in the service of a secretive courtesan, in the bed of a beautiful senator, and in the hunt for an ancient assassin.
As a vendetta older than Venice itself comes to a climax, Mircea struggles to evade the dangers of his current life, to come to terms with his past, and to uncover the truth hidden behind a city of masks…

Masks was a real treat for me. I loved seeing into Mircea's head back before he became so powerful and had lived as long as the vampire Cassie knows today. To see him powerless and the bottom rung was really different. It's interesting to note that despite his lower power level and much less experience, at the core he was still the same man. He still was a leader and one not satisfied to just let things happen around him without him trying to fix or influence them for the better. Sure, this wasn't apparent to him at the start of this book, but the experiences in this book definitely were the turning point in him finding his confidence as a vampire.

Not only was MASKS very focused on Mircea and him finding his way, there also was a fully formed plot interwoven into the story as well. Granted, it's nowhere near the typical frenzy pace of the rest of the two series, but more than enough to fully hold my attention. I loved the mix of political intrigue and the way it kept me on my toes throughout. The little hints and clues added together, and while I had my suspicions on certain things, I still was caught off guard by the big reveal at the end, which I loved.

For a novel that was just supposed to be an extra bonus story, MASKS caught me completely off guard. Don't get me wrong, I knew I would enjoy the story as I love Karen's books, but I definitely wasn't expecting such a well crafted and lengthy story. What I had thought was a bonus look into Mircea's past actually wound up being a fully fledged story and one heck of a read. Trust me, this is a must read for any Cassie fan as it gives some much needed look into our favorite (or not so favorite, depending on your preference) master that you won't want to miss.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
Under the Covers
The Demon Librarian
Bitten By Books

Previous Books:
1. Touch the Dark
2. Claimed by Shadow
3. Embrace the Night
4. Curse the Dawn
5. Hunt the Moon
6. Tempt the Stars

Early Review: Tempt the Stars by Karen Chance

, by KT

Tempt the Stars by Karen Chance

Cassandra Palmer #6

Being a goddess is a lot less fun than you might think. Especially when you’re only a half goddess, and you only found out about it recently, and you still don’t know what you’re doing half the time. And when you’ve just used your not-so-reliable powers to burglarize the booby-trapped office of a vampire mob boss.

Yeah, that part sucks.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Cassandra Palmer, aka the Pythia, the freshly minted chief seer of the supernatural world. After all, Cassie still has to save a friend from a fate worse than death, deal with an increasingly possessive master vampire, and prevent a party of her own acolytes from unleashing a storm of fury upon the world. Totally just your average day at the office, right?

Cassie may be half-goddess, but she doesn't have the power of one. While she may hold the power of the Pythia office, she still has human limitations. But when her half-demon mage guardian was dragged back into the demon realm, Cassie knew nothing would stop her from rescuing him. But even a trip into hell itself should be a piece of cake compared to everything else she has survived so far, and will face in her fight to keep the gods from coming back to the human realm and destroying everything in vengeance. It's a hefty job for a mortal, but she's the only one who can do it.

Let me start off by saying that I love this series. Like absolutely adore it. I even have grown to love the love triangle thing going on between Mircea and Pritkin. This is no small feat considering I typically fall for the "first" love interest, and hate the introduction of a new one in most books. So the fact that I'm so terribly torn between the two leading men is pretty impressive to me, especially since everything with Pritkin had been mostly hints up to this point. If you've read the previous book, you'll know that Pritkin had been kinda thrown out of the picture. But of course Cassie wouldn't sit idly by on this, so I was expecting her to go after him. What I was not expecting was for Mircea to completely disappear from the story. Granted he was mentioned, and there was one small possible dream sequence, but he never came "on page," not even for a single phone call or interaction with Cassie. The reason for this is guessed at, but honestly it just ticked me off. Even for "Team Pritkin" fans, this will feel like a cop out, something I'm not a fan of at all. I want Cassie to actually choose who she wants to be with, not have one of the guys bow out on their own. Granted, it's not certain if he will, but it definitely looks like it was headed that way. And then when you add in both Cassie and Pritkin's refusal to see what is right in front of them, well it led to a lot of frustration in the romance department.

TEMPT THE STARS expanded greatly on the world building of the series, and considering how strong and diverse this world has already been built to, I was rather surprised. Prior to this point the demon realm had only been mentioned in an abstract sense, only really playing a part in the series because Pritkin is half demon. Well, now it's been brought to the forefront, and not only is that realm facinating, but it has also added a whole new element to the story and plot line with the fight against the gods. Yep that's right, we have gods, vampires, dhampires, shapeshifters, demons, mages, time-shifters/future seers, and who knows what else that I'm forgetting at this moment. You would think all of that would be overwhelming and complicated, but Karen Chance has done a fantastic job weaving everything together into a fantastic story that sucks you right in. I can't wait until the next installment to see more!

By all rights this is a 5 star book, when you account for the incredible amount of action, the new world building and the stellar characters, but when my own personal preferences on the romance and the fact that it has yet another cliffhanger ending, I have to knock this down to a 4. Honestly that's something I hate to do since I know the book itself is stellar and it's my own hangups getting in the way, but in the end I guess a review is supposed to be personal, so it is what it is. Also as a side note, the cliffhanger would have been a bit easier to swallow if the wait between books was shorter, since this time around it was two years, I have to admit that adding another cliffhanger has really soured things for me. Hopefully the wait will be a bit less, but as there is no release date listed for the next one, only time will tell. But getting back to the good stuff, TEMPT THE STARS was an enjoyable read that was a roller coaster from start to finish, romance issues aside, fans of the series will be more than pleased with this latest installment.

(Received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley)

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Other Reviews:
The Demon Librarian
Fangs for the Fantasy
Curiosity Killed the Bookworm

Previous Books:
1. Touch the Dark
2. Claimed by Shadow
3. Embrace the Night
4. Curse the Dawn
5. Hunt the Moon

Early Review: Fury's Kiss by Karen Chance

, by KT

Fury's Kiss by Karen Chance

Dorina Basarab #3

Dorina Basarab is a dhampir—half-human, half-vampire. Subject to uncontrollable rages, most dhampirs live very short, very violent lives. But so far, Dory has managed to maintain her sanity by unleashing her anger on those demons and vampires who deserve killing...

Dory is used to fighting hard and nasty. So when she wakes up in a strange scientific lab with a strange man standing over her, her first instinct is to take his head off. Luckily, the man is actually the master vampire Louis-Cesare, so he’s not an easy kill.

It turns out that Dory had been working with a Vampire Senate task force on the smuggling of magical items and weaponry out of Faerie when she was captured and brought to the lab. But when Louis-Cesare rescues her, she has no memory of what happened to her.

To find out what was done to her—and who is behind it—Dory will have to face off with fallen angels, the maddest of mad scientists, and a new breed of vampires that are far worse than undead…

Being a dhampir, half-human, half-vampire, Dorina Basarab has lived a very long and rough life. Hated by vampires due to her uncontrollable and deadly rages, it's a miracle she wasn't killed long ago. Even so, she had finally started to gain some control over those periods of rage, but her latest case working for the very creatures that despise her must have tipped the scales. She wakes in a unknown lab with the rage consuming her, almost costing Louis-Cesare his life. After calming her down, the Vampire Senate realized that the answers they so desperately need are hidden behind that rage fog, and they would do anything to get them, for it could mean the difference between victory or defeat in the war.

Prior to reading Fury's Kiss, out of Karen Chance's two series set in this world, my favorites were definitely Cassie's books. However, now that I have finished Fury's Kiss, I have to say that the scales have tipped in Dory's favor. Granted I realize some of that is probably due to the fact that Dory is fresh in my mind while the last Cassie book was released over a year ago, but there is more to it than that. Dory has grown so much from the angry and bitter woman we first met. She's still rather wary of most of the vampires (completely understandable due to her terrible history with them), but she also has made great strides in learning to work with them. Between her father, Radu, Louis-Cesare, and even Ray, she makes great inroads in this book towards opening herself up. Now, instead of blind mistrust standing in her way, it is more her own insecurities that seem to be her biggest road block. Of course, when you have been treated a vile thing your entire life, and are terrified of yourself because you hurt others in uncontrollable rages, it would be rather hard to have a good sense of self worth. That being said, Dory seemed to slowly be opening up to the idea of accepting and hopefully embracing both sides of herself, which will go a long way in overcoming those insecurities.

Another thing that makes this series so great is the dance of a romance between Dory and Louis-Cesare. Perhaps a more apt description would be a game of cat and mouse now that Louis-Cesare has made it rather apparent where he stands on the issue. Dory, isn't so certain, but a lot of that is due to insecurities, which like I mentioned previously, she has made great strides in that area. I really enjoyed the steamy moments between them, even as the sexual tension was ratcheted up several knots leaving me more than a little frustrated at times as I just wanted them to finally get their groove on. That being said, I really feel like they have finally started to settle things and head in the right direction, making me one very happy camper.

I have to admit that I was a little intimidated by the size of this book as the ARC copy I read had 536 pages. Whenever a book goes over 400 pages (and sometimes even when the page count is less), there always is that concern that parts will drag as it hadn't been condensed down enough to its best form. That wasn't even a possibility of a concern for Fury's Kiss as it was non-stop from start to finish. Seriously, I cannot even begin to express how impressive it was to read a book of that length without having a single dull moment. Even if I wasn't already incredibly satisfied with all the other elements of the book, that feat alone would have earned it a high rating. So when you add in the yummy romance, the great character growth, and the heart pounding action, Fury's Kiss more than earns a resounding five star rating. Seriously, run, do not walk to your nearest book store and snatch this puppy up as it is an absolute must buy!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Previous Books:

Midnight's Daughter
Death's Mistress

Hunt the Moon

, by KT

Hunt the Moon by Karen Chance

Cassandra Palmer #5

Cassandra Palmer recently defeated a god, which you'd think would buy a girl a little time off. But it doesn't work that way when your job description is Pythia-the world's chief clairvoyant. Cassie is busier than ever, trying to learn about her power, preparing for her upcoming coronation, and figuring out her relationship with the enigmatic sexy master vampire, Mircea.

But someone doesn't want Cassie to become Pythia, and is willing to go to any lengths to make sure the coronation ceremony never happens- including attacking her mother before Cassie is even born.

In the previous book, Cassie did the impossible by defeating a god bent on destroying everyone. Yet no one seems to want to give her the respect she deserves. In fact, the opposite is true in that almost everyone is trying to find a way to kill her. She spends her days dodging assassination attempts as well as trying to get a handle on her abilities as Pythia. Meanwhile things are confusing as ever when it comes to Mircea and what really is between them. Things take a turn for the worse when one of those assassination attempts it close to home as they try to take her mother out before Cassie is even born. She'll need a whole lot more than luck to make it out of this mess alive.

The triangle between Cassie, Pritkin, and Mircea became much more prevalent in these books. What makes the situation different is that Cassie doesn't quite realize her real feelings for Pritkin, so you don't have the typical angst issues found in most triangles. I am honestly not sure who I am rooting for at this point as both men are good for her in their own way. The chemistry between Mircea and Cassie is incredible and he has always been the only one to give her any stability in her entire life. However, when you take a step back and look at things he technically trapped her into the relationship. Mircea is used to getting his way, and life with him would be a constant battle of wills despite her love for him. He will do something that will turn me off of him, but then turn around and show some vulnerability in the next moment that draws me right back in. Pritkin on the other hand comes with his own mess of troubles due to his heritage and nature. I'm not even sure a relationship could even be possible between them, but if they could make it work it would be more than worth it in the end. Pritkin is so fiercely loyal and never tries to undermine her authority. It is completely obvious just how much he cares even if he doesn't feel he deserves her. She has a hard road of choices ahead of her with no easy answer, and I cannot wait to see where things go.

Hunt the Moon was in many ways a book about character growth as it was plot progression. There were countless revelations about different character's histories, giving us a good incite into how those events shaped then. Also by revealing those personal bits to Cassie, she was able to open up her heart to them even more. Cassie herself learns some pretty interesting things about her own heritage, but you will just have to read Hunt the Moon to find out what those revelations were.

Cassie sure takes a lot of lickings but always seems to find a way to keep on ticking. The odds against her are incredible and a lessor person would have long crumbed under the pressure. You would think that after five books the constant threats would start to feel a little stale, but that definitely is not the case in Hunt the Moon. Karen Chance does a phenomenal job at keeping the books both fresh and action packed. Each new book shows new revelations and only sucks me in further. Fans of the series cannot possibly be disappointed in this latest installment, and I am already looking to the next book. Hopefully the wait won't be two long as I cannot a it for my next Pritkin and Mircea fix. Major kudos to Ms. Chance!

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