In Review: Claimed By Shadows by Karen Chance

Released: 4/3/07                     374 pages                           

Publisher: ROC

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 978-0451461520

With Cassandra, it seems to be much of the same, which is both good and bad. Cassie has some new and unwanted power, a very sexy love interest whose off limits and she’s on the run. Alliances have shifted, and who the bad guys are is a little up in the air at the moment. Everyone’s motivations put them at odds with Cassandra in any given situation.

War mage Pritkin is perfectly acerbic, and I’m sure as the series continues he’s gonna be the guy to watch. He’s not nearly as smooth and sexy as vamp Mircea, but he is a whole new ball of trouble. Cassie’s character development seems to have taken a little back slide.

At the end of Touch the Dark she seemed a little more in control, a little more assertive, but as Claimed by Shadows starts, she’s back to being unsure of herself. This may be in large part to her powers being uncontrollable and stronger than before, so I’ll wait for the next before making an decisions. Even still, Cassie is one of the most likeable heroines who leaps from one disaster to another.

The pacing and action are still incredible fast, and the world is expanding greatly with the bad guys now in Faerie. The Geis puts a damper on things, but if its plot point is done right, it’ll be worth the drag it causes to the story. And the comedy is so pitch perfect, it makes this already great story even better. Warning, do not pick up this series if you’re not prepared to lose hours to it. Once I picked up the book I could not put it down. Another excellent head rush from Karen Chance.