Reviews

Curse the Dawn, by Karen Chance

rclz's review against another edition

5.0

This is the fourth book in the Cassie Palmer series by Karen Chance. This series started a little slow in the first installment but it's gotten better and better as it goes along. This last one starts at break neck and doesn't slow down. I just wish Cassie had more time with Mircea. It sounds though like there will be more of that in the next book.

sj9642's review against another edition

2.0

Worst one of the series I think. So much whining and jumping to conclusions. It got annoying.

book_whispers's review against another edition

4.0

“Stalking a time traveler is hard work, even if you are one.” - Cassandra Palmer

You know what else is hard? Not freaking squeeing! That's right I'm gonna say it: Love triangle done freaking right! This is why I keep torturing myself with bad love triangle after bad love triangle. Because when done right, it's A-mazing. See other authors, it took 4 books to build this spectacular chemistry and FIRE! Bless, you Chance. Bless you. Best part is I love both of the men vying for dear Cassie's heart. Which is pretty darn funny because when I first started the series I actually disliked Pritkin a lot. Talk about character development. Totally-head-over-the-hills-character-development-turn-of-obsession-

All right. I'll stop.

Man Curse the Dawn steps it up to a new level! While there is a moment—OK, many—where I found myself wondering why Cassie would not try to develop her natural gifts on her own. You know you're in a magical world where you're the underdog, use what you've got. The beginning of the book starts off bumpy with Cassie trying to get the previous Pythia to help her out. Or the past version of the old Pythia. Even I could have told her that that is a no-no. While it was cool seeing the two characters together, it felt like a huge waste to the story. Yes, I had fun. But it was one of the first times I felt like Chance was just doing too much when she needed to stick to the point, kind of like with the first book. Adrenaline boredom is a thing, and Chance can create it.

Other then that, this book was pure perfection for me. Ah! The way the time travel ties in may not be as flashy, but it's still at the top of it's game. Cassie is very much on her own, even as she tries to accept people into her life. This is the struggling point. Where she tries to show she is the right person for the job, and not get pushed over. Even though she's pretty much flat out says she doesn't want the responsibility of the office. She's not perfect and that's what I love about a good lead. They're always growing even if they don't want to.

My brain matter can't catch a break. I'm not even going to try and put it back in my skull. Too much boom-ka-boom. Pritkin and Mircea are perfection. There hasn't been a sexier vampire since Anita Blake's Jean-Claude. Nope. Mircea is hotter. And a bit more suave. Pritkin has to be the hottest and most beloved male character that I've gone from loathing to loving. Go Chance!

Now I can't go to in depth on the plot for fear of spoilers. But the death of a god—no I'm not saying which one—was so impressive in its grand simplicity. It always amazes me when Chance simply solves something when everything seems so out of control and unsolvable. That's the beauty of this series. The scale of it is insane, but impressive. So with a impressive mix of character development and insane characters the Cassandra Palmer series cements itself as one of my favorite series. Oh, and another solid entry into the series.

Sexual Content: Oooooo, the tension. *fans self* (Again, this is very much for adults.)

4/5- Great! Really enjoyed it.

Originally posted at Book Whispers.

lesliethewanderlust's review against another edition

4.0

My favorite book in the series so far, too bad the next one is coming out in 2010. The story line was pretty much non stop action , and things between Mircea and Cassie are slightly better. As much as I like Cassandra's character sometimes I don't understand the logic behind her thinking. "No, let's not kill the Mages , who are trying to kill me because they might one day be on my side." "My ghost may be a prisoner , i'm such a horrible person, he gives more then I give him." "A bunch of kids where kidnapped by my enemies , instead of taking backup (or my bodyguards my boyfriend hired) let me just go save them myself with barely any help and a missing ward." Thankfully , it mostly ends well, at least for now. There's also a pretty hilarious exchanging of bodies between Cassie and Pritkin, which makes for some funny and awkward moments.

mousie_books's review against another edition

4.0

Cassie has managed to make a lot of powerful enemies, and most of them try to kill during during the course of these 400 pages. It's an action packed romp, with one awesome moment after another(!), all while trying to prevent the disasters in her visions. The best moments were her hilarious interactions with Pritkin, who is now my favorite character in the series. Mircea does not appear much in this book, and when he does appear, he's mostly annoying and disruptive. He gets one amusing scene when he handcuffs Cassie to the couch. Apollo fell flat as a villain, but he was dispatched creatively, and despite being the 'big bad' of this story, relatively little time is spent fighting him.

Also, as a side note, the 'trailer' for the book made me cringe so bad...

rachelini's review against another edition

3.0

I don't know, I liked the first books, but Cassie still seems as thrown by everything as she did at the beginning. She's not evolving much as a character. And I'm not into the Mircea plot. Maybe it's just this particular book in the series didn't work for me.

shelleyrae's review against another edition

3.0

Verging on chaotic, once more you are launched into the crazy plot as the war mages step up the assasination attempts and Appollo lurks in the background. I really do enjoy the action, its screamingly fast paced and interesting.
I love Pritkin and Mircea but I am back to wanting to strangle Cassie as once again she fails to make a single sensible decision until the very climax. Even if by her own admission she is not the sharpest crayon in the box, it is so frustrating to have her be so clueless. I understand that she has no training and she is human and its been about two weeks over the course of four books and I do like her but I really want her to step up a bit more.
Fingers crossed for book 5

amyiw's review against another edition

3.0

10%-15%
This starts frustratingly and 10 or 15% in it I'm just irritated. I suspect it will get better, but not a good start.

Spoiler

After the first scene of her trying to get help with Agnes, she arrives home and there are 2 vampires that act like she is under their control. How did she let this happen, how did Pritkin? She should be having lessons every day with him. Why does she gives Mircea so much power? Then he cuffs her, WTF, and leaves her? He leaves it to his cronies, really? And then the not giving her the messages, no now she should be calling Mircea and telling him, no more, don't fucking come back unless you are going to work with me not against me because you can fuck off otherwise. I'm fucking so fucking pissed. He knows about the meeting and leaves knowing she CAN get back, knowing she had the ability. Then she is at that meeting and doesn't leave like Pritkin tells her too, TSTL,then she takes the mages hand. No fucking way! And then he can cast a null net around her and only her what a fucking stupid, fucking impossibility! No way does everyone talk about the null bombs and the null people and not the other nulling ways. No not possible. So pretty much she has painted Cassie as incompetent, idiotic, and powerless, TSTL. This hasn't happened in other books but hell she had to do it, huh? Well she could turn it around but, so far I'm totally not enjoying this book. So unhappy, can you tell? Then she is stolen away into the ley line and in the fight thrown by the mage, in order to kill her, but hey she doesn't die. Now, will he be sentenced to death for kidnapping and then sentencing her. Everyone saw this. Suspect not. Not a good start.

So finally the story becomes less frustrating and interesting, when they combine forces to try to save people in Magic. What happen exactly?

Spoiler

You don't find out for certain until later, but it was a leyline explosion. Since they supposedly are stable, it is suspect.

So we finally get new people and interesting circumstances. Cassie may have changed some minds... hopefully.


Anyway, it runs pretty good from here until she gets back to the hotel/casino. There it didn't make sense once again but was still good and not frustrating. Mainly I thought she just wasn't thinking.

Spoiler

She doesn't think that maybe, just maybe, she should alert people to her whereabouts? That Mircea would never let her stay in a closet. When she final is found and not murdered by mages again, this is explained to her. They had been looking, frantically. So... why doesn't she lay it down again with him. No, I will not agree. Enforced promises just make me mad but of course it is a set up. Mircea knows that the kids are important to her, very important, yet he doesn't, one claim them, and two, insist on protection. Tell Casanova to shove it and stop complaining. Make sure that Cassie's gypsie friend, witch, is also protected. If he wants her, and wants her to stay "safe" (what an idiot, she is the pythia, it is not part of the job), than try to make sure the people she cares about are safe and taken care of, not thrown out on to the street from his own hotel!

He is not an impressive boyfriend in my opinion, lost a lot of brownie points so far in this book.

Spoiler

Hand cuffing her twice and forcing stupid promises from her

... so far I don't see the love, I see the control and manipulation.

So then she does it again, a TSTL move. And then the frustration begins, and she always is tapped out when she needs it. That is also tol frustrating for words. Finally this long drawn out move, that we know we have to get through, is over and we are again enjoying the story and getting to the intrigue. This book has been all over the spectrum of stars for me, from 1 star to 5 stars, which is pretty impressive. Parts are very fun, and parts frustrating to curses. (Just read the first spoiler and count the f-bomb, I'm not changing it, it was how I was feeling at the time) I haven't been quite as mad as the beginning made me, but 2/3 through, it was a totally set up and a TSTL move. So impressively running the gamut of enjoyment to dislike.

I'm at the 3/4th or more mark, and this definitely deserves the on going review.

Back to frustration. 72% and I cannot say if I'll be giving this my average 3 star review.

OK, not even going to add to it other than there was both a good surprise and bad to the ending to make it both really good and again frustrating.

Spoiler

So who didn't get that giving her ward to Sal was a bad idea, to anyone for that matter other than Pritkin or Mircea? Not the mage, not Sal, especially not Sal. She isn't even one of his vampires. I felt this coming and was upset that we would lose another one of those she was starting to like. I didn't see that it would be the conduit for Apollo coming through and that we would be able to battle him. So good for making it a conduit and having the battle with Apollo, bad for Sal.

After a day of thoughts, this had really funny and good parts but the frustrating beginning and a few drawn out and TSTL moments brought it way down. I'm definitely on team Pritkin but I see how that could not work. But Mircea is always absent, always. A scene here and there but cursory just to keep him in the picture. Of course Pritkin is better. He's always there to protect and help her... almost always, tries to be. Ok, so I did add.

Good but really not the best and does frustrate more than usual.

alice2000's review against another edition

5.0

Aug 19 Re-Read

Things are starting to head up again...very much enjoying my re-read of this world.

Original

I adore this series- Adore! Pritkin just makes me happy.

court_of_stars's review against another edition

4.0

The Pritkin/Cassie body swap was the highlight of this book. That and when he found out Cassie shaved his legs while in his body. I enjoy a good laugh!