eclecticbookreviewer's review
5.0
Dorina and Karen keep getting better and better. I love when a writer can make me forget to eat, sleep and be aware of my surroundings until a story is finished. Things are changing and the characters are growing however I find myself still invested in their lives. Go ahead and read you won't regret it.
jenwritesnstuff's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
millie_rose_reads's review
3.0
I spent a long time looking at the rating system with this book. On one hand, the writing is as lively as ever, and the character arcs are satisfyingly rooted in conflicts foregrounded since the first book and further built upon from there, and each book always feels like its own complete chapter—all of these points convince me this book is more of a three-point-five star book, not that I can actually rate it that here. What hampers the rating somewhat is the problematic pacing compounded by a story fixated on fey matters. Dory's parent-series, Cassie Palmer, has also been heavily fey-leaning as of late but its managed to off-set that better with offering up catharsis for a lot of its major series-spanning questions. Dory doesn't have the legacy of eight or nine books to pull this trick off, so it flounders in business that always feels tentatively Dory-adjacent than something Dory's personally invested in.
That said, this book did a lot of work to better ingratiate Claire into the story, and while it's not perfect and largely amounts to Claire owning up to her own prejudices, it's a step in the right direction if Chance is determined to make Dory and Claire's friendship credible. Then there's also her relationship with Louis-Cesare, which always seems to mine the right kind of drama for just the right amount of time: Louis-Cesare battering Marlowe's head against piano keys made me smile to the point of discomfort.
The plot revolves around Dory hunting down fey slavers out of loyalty to Olga, and then, over six hundred pages, this quest becomes a conspiracy of an ancient fey princess to get revenge on her killers, using a rare Dark fey ability to sustain herself for centuries. On paper it sounds fine, but in practice the situation is so divorced from Dory that Chance had to incorporate third-person flashbacks of Mircea to give context, and even then, Mircea didn't seem all that bothered by her either, really.
I get the urge to raise the stakes higher and higher as the story continues, but if you can't compellingly connect them to the protagonist, I'd recommend smaller, more intimate stories. The first two books did this, and Fury's Kiss was a superb balancing act, but I think Shadow's Bane doesn't quite hit that mark.
That said, this book did a lot of work to better ingratiate Claire into the story, and while it's not perfect and largely amounts to Claire owning up to her own prejudices, it's a step in the right direction if Chance is determined to make Dory and Claire's friendship credible. Then there's also her relationship with Louis-Cesare, which always seems to mine the right kind of drama for just the right amount of time: Louis-Cesare battering Marlowe's head against piano keys made me smile to the point of discomfort.
The plot revolves around Dory hunting down fey slavers out of loyalty to Olga, and then, over six hundred pages, this quest becomes a conspiracy of an ancient fey princess to get revenge on her killers, using a rare Dark fey ability to sustain herself for centuries. On paper it sounds fine, but in practice the situation is so divorced from Dory that Chance had to incorporate third-person flashbacks of Mircea to give context, and even then, Mircea didn't seem all that bothered by her either, really.
I get the urge to raise the stakes higher and higher as the story continues, but if you can't compellingly connect them to the protagonist, I'd recommend smaller, more intimate stories. The first two books did this, and Fury's Kiss was a superb balancing act, but I think Shadow's Bane doesn't quite hit that mark.
mdlaclair's review
3.0
As usual a crazy narrative that can be hard to follow at times. However the characters are interesting so I am always up for another read.
rclz's review against another edition
5.0
I hope this isn't the last one in the series. It does kind of feel that way. Good book with lots going on. I liked the way it ended.
aphelia88's review
5.0
Over the last few years, Karen Chance has become one of my favourite Urban Fantasy (UF) authors, and her newest Dorina Basarab adventure might just be her best yet. Although I love Cassie Palmer, the heroine of her main series, Dory has been growing on me and this book is a MAJOR turning point for her character.
Dorina is a rarity - a half-human, half-vampire "dhampir" caught between two worlds. She must hide her true nature from humans, but she is feared and reviled among supernaturals. Being the daughter of powerful Master Vampire and important Senate politician Mircea has helped ensure her survival in the complex vampire Family hierarchy, but her life has not been easy.
Dory is a great fighter, a kick-ass babe with warrior spirit. But her greatest enemy is herself. She has two personalities inside her - the compassionate Dory and the at-all-cost survivalist dhampir Dorina. For centuries, thanks to a magical wall in her mind that Mircea helped erect, Dorina would only become ascendant if Dory was threatened, and Dory blacked out when Dorina took the wheel.
Due to events in previous books, that wall has crumbled and now Dory and Dorina are fighting for dominance. Dory is terrified of herself, and the worst she suspects she could do. And now that she finally has people in her life that she cares about - her roommate (and awesome dragon shifter!) Claire and vampire lover Louis Cesare - she is afraid that, for the first time in her very long life - she has too much she can't stand to lose.
Karen Chance is the best author I've ever read, hands down, at writing action scenes. Her books are all rollercoaster rides, and just when you think things are over - whoops, here we go again. It can be a bit overwhelming at times. But she balances the non-stop thrills and her trademark wry humour with real emotion, and that shows to great advantage with this story.
We see Mircea in flashback chapters, desperate to help a daughter going slowly insane. We see a monster from the past come back to haunt him, and Dory, in the present. A complicated multi-layered plot involving the smuggling of magical weapons, Dory's soon-to-be-officially-confirmed Senate Seat on the Vampire Council and Claire's struggles with protecting her son all keep Dory running from one catastrophe to another, as is pretty much usual.
But between the hijinks and hilarity, there's some serious themes: love, family and friendship.
As the chapter of Dory's past closes, the future is wide open and looks incredibly promising! As Dorina tells Dory, near the end: "You're asking for an ending, the answers all spelled out. We aren't at the end, but the beginning." (609) And what a new start it is.
I can't wait to see where Karen Chance takes Dory/Dorina in the future!
Dorina is a rarity - a half-human, half-vampire "dhampir" caught between two worlds. She must hide her true nature from humans, but she is feared and reviled among supernaturals. Being the daughter of powerful Master Vampire and important Senate politician Mircea has helped ensure her survival in the complex vampire Family hierarchy, but her life has not been easy.
Dory is a great fighter, a kick-ass babe with warrior spirit. But her greatest enemy is herself. She has two personalities inside her - the compassionate Dory and the at-all-cost survivalist dhampir Dorina. For centuries, thanks to a magical wall in her mind that Mircea helped erect, Dorina would only become ascendant if Dory was threatened, and Dory blacked out when Dorina took the wheel.
Due to events in previous books, that wall has crumbled and now Dory and Dorina are fighting for dominance. Dory is terrified of herself, and the worst she suspects she could do. And now that she finally has people in her life that she cares about - her roommate (and awesome dragon shifter!) Claire and vampire lover Louis Cesare - she is afraid that, for the first time in her very long life - she has too much she can't stand to lose.
Karen Chance is the best author I've ever read, hands down, at writing action scenes. Her books are all rollercoaster rides, and just when you think things are over - whoops, here we go again. It can be a bit overwhelming at times. But she balances the non-stop thrills and her trademark wry humour with real emotion, and that shows to great advantage with this story.
We see Mircea in flashback chapters, desperate to help a daughter going slowly insane. We see a monster from the past come back to haunt him, and Dory, in the present. A complicated multi-layered plot involving the smuggling of magical weapons, Dory's soon-to-be-officially-confirmed Senate Seat on the Vampire Council and Claire's struggles with protecting her son all keep Dory running from one catastrophe to another, as is pretty much usual.
But between the hijinks and hilarity, there's some serious themes: love, family and friendship.
As the chapter of Dory's past closes, the future is wide open and looks incredibly promising! As Dorina tells Dory, near the end: "You're asking for an ending, the answers all spelled out. We aren't at the end, but the beginning." (609) And what a new start it is.
I can't wait to see where Karen Chance takes Dory/Dorina in the future!
bookish_babe's review
4.0
Dori/Dorina has come so far. It was great to see her come full circle. She's had tremendous character growth throughout the series and we really see her grow in Shadows Bane. Tasked with a job by the Vampire senate, Dori goes into the Fae underworld to unearth a slavery ring. Theres murder, mystery, and a lot of action to keep you on your toes.
I loved seeing Dori and Louis Cesar's relationship grow. I wished we saw even more of him throughout the books but where the two settled at the end made my heart happy. Learning more about how Dorina (Dori's batty vamp side) has had to cope and live was eye opening and gut wrenching at the same time.
This one really took you on a roller coaster of all the feels. My only complaint was that I got a lot more Mircea then I think I needed. It made me understand him more in relationship to the Cassie books and why he always asked for Dori's mother, but there were a lot of flashbacks and they pulled me out of the emotional moments in the story.
All in all a terrific novel. If you're a fan of the series, Shadow's Bane won't disappoint!
I loved seeing Dori and Louis Cesar's relationship grow. I wished we saw even more of him throughout the books but where the two settled at the end made my heart happy. Learning more about how Dorina (Dori's batty vamp side) has had to cope and live was eye opening and gut wrenching at the same time.
This one really took you on a roller coaster of all the feels. My only complaint was that I got a lot more Mircea then I think I needed. It made me understand him more in relationship to the Cassie books and why he always asked for Dori's mother, but there were a lot of flashbacks and they pulled me out of the emotional moments in the story.
All in all a terrific novel. If you're a fan of the series, Shadow's Bane won't disappoint!
marcelozanca's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
alice2000's review
4.0
Items that took away a star: not enough Louis Cesare, flashbacks and unsatisfying ending to a certain Fey problem .
I love the Dory/Dorina stuff, Ray and Marlowe are delights *snicker* and Olga ups her game.
Spoiler
Claire just eats her? Really??I love the Dory/Dorina stuff, Ray and Marlowe are delights *snicker* and Olga ups her game.