Book Review: Embrace the Night by Karen Chance

This dark novel was a lot of fun. I liked the other three books a little better but this one was still great. If you have not read the other books this review might be a little revealing. Please read the other reviews first:
Touch The Dark and Claimed by Shadow

Cassandra Palmer learns to control her time traveling powers a little better. She is training with Pritkin, the not so friendly war-mage. Cassie and Pritkin are working together to find the Codex that is believed to break the geis a spell that has her painfully bound to a vampire. Cassie starts to believe her hot mage is not telling her the truth and begins to do some investigating on her own.

Okay so I think I have developed a huge thing for Pritkin, this book explores his character a lot. You even get to meet Pritkins evil father which explains a lot about his personality. Cassie also finds that she is attracted to Pritkin a man that she can't get along with for five minutes. There are a few really hot scenes between the two of them.

Cassie and Mircia eventually go back in time to steal the Codex from an auction before it disappears for good. Cassie doesn't trust that Pritkin wants her to find the codex so she leaves him behind. In the past she finds out a little more about The Codex and Pritkin than she bargained for.

She comes home to face a whole new slew of troubles with the vampire senate and Pritkin. She needs the geis lifted and she can't read the language the Codex is written in. Then there is that God that shows up in the other books to guide her as she rises to her title or Pythia. You will just have to read to see what he has up his sleeve.

So much happens in this book it is hard to follow at times. I read it over about 2 weeks so maybe if it had been one I read in just a few days I would have had an easier time. It is also hard to write a review without giving things away. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It is a very fun and exciting read.

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Claimed By Shadow is the second book in the Cassandra Palmer series. I think Karen Chance is one of my new favorite authors. I like the way she works with her characters and the world she builds around them.


I liked this dark novel as much if not more than that last Cassandra Palmer book, Touch the Dark. Cassandra now had the power of the Pythia, and has had no formal training. This means she has great power with no idea how to use it.


Cassandra has also not completed the ritual that will give her full access to the power she isn't even sure she wants. The other issue is that she has to sleep with someone to complete the ritual.


The first thing she feels she must do is eliminate the threat on her life and then get revenge for her father. The woman who was supposed to inherit the power and was trained for the title is attempting to erase Cassandra. The Pythia can travel in time and with that ability it would be easy to go back and change things.


This means Cassie has to find her before she deletes her permanently. This leads Cassie, to Faerie with Thomas, and Pritkin , one of his friends and a crazy vampire. This unlikely bunch travels into a world that doesn't want them their.


I was entranced by the world of Faerie that Chance created. I already enjoyed her modern day look at the supernatural. This world and the creatures in it were as vivid to me as watching them on screen.


There was a lot of action in Faerie where even the trees have magic. This book was actually full of action from the beginning to the end. The only thing I didn't like was Cassie was so reluctant to use her power. I understood why but I still wanted to see her kick some supernatural ass.
She did eventually make some life changing decisions when things got personal. I just need to learn some patience.


I am giving this book 5 stars the best rating I give. I bought two more books and the first in Karen Chance's new series.

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Book Review -- Touch the Dark By Karen Chance

If you want a exciting book with all sorts of magic and magical beings this is the book for you. It moves quickly and the main character, Cassandra Palmer, if rather interesting. Who doesn’t love a book with witches, war mages, vampires, werewolves, Satyrs, faeries, were-rats and a few other supernatural creatures.


The book opens with Cassandra receiving what looks to be a death threat from the Vampire she escaped three years ago. Tony the vampire killed her parents and kept her because of her abilities. Cassandra amazing abilities to see the future and communicate with ghosts gets her into a heap of trouble.


Cassandra does not know much about her family or her own powers, as she is confronted with near death she learns just how much she doesn’t know about herself. The Vampire Senate has sent a representative to protect her from Tony’s attack. Now she if faced with joining forces with the Senate or going on the run again. Siding with the vampire senate as bad as being on her own because she is considered a possession to them.


I really liked Cassandra from the first page to the last. Her personality was rather closed like anyone who had been on the run for three years. She didn’t trust anyone but she wasn’t nasty, just closed off. I thought Chance did a nice job developing a character that would win over her readers.


Many novels like this either have a strong, overly confident character or quite the opposite. I didn’t see any of that in this novel Cassandra was laid back and took on each hit as it came.
I really liked this book and I am going to have to give the book five stars. I am sure it is not going to be a classic but I rate on how much I enjoy reading the books.

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