A review by aphelia88
Shadow's Bane by Karen Chance
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!