Curse the Dawn

This series has been pretty uneven for me since the first book, "Touch the Dark". That book was very good and sucked me in, but books 2 and 3 were just blah. This one didn't start out well. Another Amazon customer described the series as "lots of running from one disaster to the next, not a lot of thinking and planning" (mlle.x). The damsel in distress routine is really old, and everyone treats Cassie like a rebellious teenager. Chance's character development is good - most, even supporting characters, are believable and three-dimensional. Except Cassie was not a strong protagonist. In the first book of a series, I can understand a hero/heroine being immature or naïve. However, by the fourth book the protagonist needs to have grown and show more developed - Cassie did not. Also, Mircea and Cassie as a couple hasn't been working because Mircea sees her as a child that should obey him, and she constantly acts like one rebelling against daddy. Case in point: Mircea takes her on his jet and magically handcuffs her inside to keep her out of danger. She promptly "shifts" back to the hotel (attached to a sofa) only to be greeted by the "babysitters" he left there. For too long Cassie has not been the heroine - she's been a pawn.

However, the second half of the book completely redeemed the series for me. Cassie FINALLY started to grow and learn. She accepts her responsibility; she understands that she doesn't know as much about vampires and mages as she needs to, and she finally stands up to them all as The Pythia. Additionally, Pritkin also evolves - finally seeing things from her point of view when they switch bodies. Now, this gag has been used countless times in tv and books, and while it went on a bit too long here, it actually affected character development and the plot. And yes, it is downright hilarious at times when Cassie is confronted with the "joy" of being male! Conspiracies are revealed, questions are answered and instead of just rushing into disaster - the final battles have some strategy and are downright exciting. I finished this book with a strong sense of satisfaction that I haven't felt since book one. Plus, the new development of a possible love triangle for Cassie was surprisingly appealing.

The first half was only 3 stars, but the second half was definitely 5. I gave it that extra half star because the conclusion was so good. Overall, I'm excited to read the next installment and, I don't think the next book will sit on the shelf like this one did. I want to know what happens! Highly recommended. show less

Cassie's powers of seeing the future come into play here, rather than just her constant skipping through time and space. She gets flashes of the future and has to put together what might happen, and in doing so learns why it can be dangerous to meddle in the past to change the future, something Agnes, the previous Pythia, tries to impress on her. Agnes and Cassie meet while Cassie is traveling through the past looking for Agnes, who is doing her Pythia thing and making sure time runs smoothly. Agnes is there in body, the same way Cassie tends to travel, and we later find out that is thought to be very dangerous and not done by "trained and proper" Pythias. Others don't know that Agnes deliberately did the same things Cassie is doing show more because she's untrained.

Meanwhile, the war continues. There's a traitor in Mircea's house and someone's trying to kill not only Cassie but the Consuls, and by doing so prevent any alliance between the Vampire Senate and the Council of Mages, and also preventing Cassie from being properly recognized as Pythia. Mostly I don't care about this except for how in this book we meet the previous head of the counsel (who was forced out for his sympathetic views of Cassie) and watch Cassie join in a mutiny.

The Mircea or Pritkin thing continues. I'm still well on the side of Pritkin (he's my type, okay?) and this book did nothing to change that and everything to make me want it more. Cassie and Pritkin get tossed into each other's bodies leading to some interesting scenes, especially the one where John-in-Cassie kisses Cassie-in-John to use his half-demon powers to aid in the healing of John's body. I also didn't hate Cassie's encountering morning wood and John's snarky yet helpful comments. I also liked Cassie telling Mircea she wants to be courted and to get to know him without the geis. I still don't like how she reacts to him, I think she's stuck in the patterns of her childhood then the geis, and Mircea's old-fashioned domineering attitude doesn't help any.

I didn't like this one as much as the previous book but I did enjoy it and I am looking forward to more. show less

Cassandra’s life is a hectic tornado whipped into action at every corner, every moment. She hasn’t been pithia long but everyone’s still gunning for her, new problems are erupting left and right while she’s trying to stem the issues already existing and all these overwhelming situations leave me needing a cup of tea and nap myself!

Karen Chance has injected humor throughout every book, but I have to say this is probably the funniest. It’s still serious with plenty of action – almost too much – but there’s loads of humorous dialogue and situations woven in convincingly. The bodyguards Mircea placed on Cassie are especially funny. I love Marco as the protective vampire – in fact, I feel bad for him as he has to look after show more Cassie, who rarely listens and pays attention, always winding herself into disasters and near death experiences.

I’m not saying Cassie’s dumb really. She’s intelligent enough, but she doesn’t listen to advice well and is kind of a “jump in before you think” kind of gal. Sometimes it’s understandable, other times it’s just frustrating and leaving me wanting to strangle her too. She does need more growth. We get some back story with her parents and revelations about that; I have a feeling that’s going to play a bigger part in future stories.

As always Mircea is yummy, but he’s around here less than I’d figure. I am switching to team Pritken slowly but surely. I never found the mage attractive before, but that’s changing. It’s not a full-fledged triangle yet, but it’s getting there…maybe? There is a hot scene that’s forced upon Cassie, but I still liked it. And seriously, very hot. It brings dimension to the characters, making me even more curious what’s going to happen with their lives.

I do wish Chance would do more with the ghosts and that ability, but so far nothing yet. Exclamation points are still used too much in dialogue, but overall it’s well written. The action is still high and strong, but I like how it’s calming down some to become less confusing and more interesting in a character-focused way. I’m also delighted to see one of the enemies, the Silver Circle, calm down as that plot pressure was growing thin. show less

If books #2 and #3 had been rolled into one, and CURSE THE DAWN were #3 in the Cassandra Palmer series, the whole thing would be perfect...I really struggled with #2 and #3, because Cassandra's silly antics weren't balanced out by real progress and plot progression. But this book, CURSE THE DAWN, solved that problem and got me back in the groove of the series.

Yes, the pace is frantic, and yes, Cassie keeps running from one disaster to the next with hardly a moment to catch her breath...but she's not spinning wheels here. The book leads up to a big showdown with Apollo...which actually happens. It won't drag through to the next book, we don't find out that before Cassie can face Apollo she needs to run a lengthy errand, fetch a magical show more artifact, or anything else that will take 500 pages and another installment in the series. No, her battle with Apollo is at the top of her list and Cassie can check it off before we close the book with a happy sigh and wonder what happens next.

We get lots of opportunity to compare and contrast Mircea and Pritkin in this novel, too. Mircea's high-handedness, his ability to seamlessly combine a protective instinct with opportunistic political manipulation, is front and center - but we also get flashes of deep feeling from him, a hidden well of real emotion that shines through when Cassie is in jeopardy. Pritkin is more up-front about everything, and as he does battle with other war mages and forges some alliances, too, we get a chance to hear him describe how he feels about Cassie.

Plus, we get plenty of Karen Chance's trademark humor - the big gag in this book has Cassie and Pritkin switching bodies, which leads to many, many hilarious interludes. And we really need the gags in this book, because without them it would be pretty dark. A few pretty major events take place that will change the progress of the series - and I'm looking forward to the next volume, to find out what happens. show less

When I read the first book in the Cassie Palmer series, Touch the Dark, I wasn’t too impressed. I enjoyed the plot, the storyline, the action, but it was very much a first book in a series; some things needed to be explained to the reader that Cassie already knew about, which disrupted the story line for several pages at a time, and left me confused. However, I was urged to continue with the series, assured that the series will definitely get better, and so on the assurance of those people, I picked up the next book. And the next. And then this one. Thanks to their encouragement, this series has become one of my favourite urban fantasy series, and Curse the Dawn doesn’t disappoint. Seriously amazing!

If you’ve read previous books show more in the Cassie Palmer series, you’ll know how busy and action packed they are. Amusing as it sounds, the blurb above barely just scratches the surface of what actually happens in this novel. There are some absolutely hilarious scenes in this book because of the body swap situation, and because of all people, it involves Pritkin, but this book is not all laughter. If you thought things had gotten serious in the other books, just you wait until you read Curse the Dawn!

Karen Chance never fails to blow me away with how many things can go wrong for Cassie in just one book. If someone was to describe the books to me before I had read them as one dangerous action packed problem followed by yet another dangerous action packed problem, and so on, I don’t think I would have picked them up. I’m generally not a fan of books where so much is going on, they get far too busy, and so very confusing. This is not a problem with these novels; Chance is just incredible at making sure every single detail is important, with things like a tiny little detail from a problem earlier on in the book having a huge impact on something else later in the book. These problems are all connected, and flow seamlessly, and create one amazing story!

As I said, things get pretty damn serious in this book. The lives of several characters we’ve come to love are in serious danger, and Cassie is at her wits end trying to make sure that everyone is safe, do her job without any training, and try to work out what a serious of disturbing visions mean, all at the same time. This book is not just the humorous adrenalin rush this series normally is, it’s an emotional rollercoaster when you have no idea how things are going to turn out, and are certain some people will not get out of it alive. I was close to tears at one point, and several times while reading this book, I was sure it was going to be the end of the series; I couldn’t see how there could possibly be a way for there to be a happy ending. And no, I’m not going to tell you if there was or not.

Let’s talk characters; Cassie, Mircea, and Pritkin are all back, and how much I love them! Cassie’s narration, with her sense of humour, is always a joy to read, especially when she manages to make some bad situations something to smile over. Mircea is as charming as ever, and Pritkin is as angry as ever, but I wouldn’t have them any other way. There has always been a slight hint of a love triangle possibly raising its head, and after reading this book, if there aren’t any big love triangle issues in the next book, I’ll be gobsmacked. Personally, I’ll be rooting for good ol’ Pritkin. You’ve got to love that guy, even if he does have anger management issues. He does have a softer side, and softer it shines through in this book. We meet several new characters in this book as well, but I have to mention Jonas Marsden, the ex chief of the Silver Circle. He’s a complete nutter, but he’s just awesome! He puts me a lot in the mind of Myrnin from Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampire series. Marsden is cause for a fair few smiles throughout this novel!

I absolutely love this series, and, perhaps because this book was so emotionally, but I felt really quite sad when I reached the last page. I can’t wait to read the fifth book in the series, which is due to be released spring/summer 2010! I’ve caught up at last! show less

Review by Crisetta MacLeod

Normally I would reject this book as clichéd. There are the familiar tropes—the all-powerful but caring, sexually magnetic, boss vampire; the evil being which threatens to break into our world and destroy it; the appointed leader whose existence causes strife because she is not universally acknowledged. There’s even the cover—scantily clad, gun-toting moll.

But in spite of usually being turned off by such things, I found it to be fun, fast-moving, and original. One claustrophobic scene, where a world magic-centre is destroyed by the sabotaging of a ley-line transport system, had me gasping for breath. The heroine Cassie, powerful Pythia leader of the clairvoyants, rescues those trapped in caverns show more underground. The Vampires are goodies here, protecting Cassie in all her doings.

It’s the language, though, that had me laughing out loud and turning the pages. Here’s a description of Cassie’s bodyguard, Pritkin, for example: “He has the social skills of a wet cat, and the patience of a caffeinated hummingbird.” Curse the Dawn is one of a series, but I enjoyed it without having read any of the others. There are curious and believable characters and you’ll find yourself laughing at them and loving them. show less

The only thing Mircea wants is for Cassie to be safe and guarded and not lifting a finger. Yeah, that really doesn't work for her, not because she doesn't want to swim and sun and laze all day, but rather because the bad guys just come to her instead.
When an important meeting with the Circle goes wrong Cassie is dragged all over the place. Power struggles, a mole and an angry god... what more do you want?
I can tell you this: that last part just killed me :D Was laughing so much :D

Worldbuilding:
All scenes and environments were clear and well detailed. Really well done if you know there is so much action going on and we, the reader, needs to know where the hell we are :)

Character development:
OMG, Pritkin and Cassie were hilarious in this show more instalment!! Cassie made it quite clear what she thought about the other sex and it had me giggling like a teenager :D
We learned a little more about the players on the board, even some hint of another well-loved character from Mircea's life (if I remember correctly at least).
This instalment focussed more on the Circle instead of Apollo, though he did get some screentime :) Then again, the Circle showed us why you have to be a lunatic to even remotely consider joining the Corps.
A new bodyguard Marco joined the team to try and keep Cassie safe, but come on... why are they kidding? That woman is a magnet for trouble.
The characters, main or side, all felt alive and believable (though utterly crazy of course).

Pacing and flow:
As we've come to expect from Cassie... there is never a dull moment. A ton of action going on, superbly balanced with conversation to keep the story moving forward.

The book:
The book was well written with no (noticeable) errors. There is sex described (if that is important to you).
The book is 386 pages long, spread over 28 chapters and told from Cassie's point of view.

Final thoughts:
Was it me or was that ending a tad... anti-climatic? I mean, yes, a lot of stuff happened, but... I was left hanging.
Nevertheless, still one of my most favourite series to date. Can't wait to reread book 5! show less