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Embrace the Night

Author: Karen Chance
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Category: Book

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Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

6 reviews
Sales Rank: 107

Media: Paperback
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.3 x 1

ISBN: 014103775X
EAN: 9780141037752
ASIN: 014103775X

Publication Date: April 3, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: IN STOCK - BRAND NEW - SENT FIRST CLASS - IMMEDIATE DISPATCH

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Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Not dissapointed! April 20, 2008
This is the third book in the Cassandra Palmer series, it continues with a similar format to the pervious books; set within a few days span and about a week and a half after the last book. You can therefore expect like the others to be taken straight into the action and to have the pace mantained thoughout the book. The opening chapters are very good; thrilling and interesting.

The book begins where the last left off with Cassie searching for the codex, that contains the counter spell to the geis. She has more allies in this book, one of its roles seems to be setting up the sides for the war and through it we learn that she has even more enemies.

Luckily it isn't all about getting rid of the geis, there are some pretty good suprises, and some good developments with the characters. Theres quite a few references to the first book, that didn't much much sense at the time and pretty much all the characters are back. Prikin's story is very good, the scenes which are about him or have in become the more interesting and unexpected ones. His scenes with Cassie are therefore a nice contrast to hers with Mircea as they have become monotonous; you always know how there going to end. I've never been a fan of Mircea, he just seems vaguely slimey, he's got a lot going against him. But this is i think deliberate; what i love about these books is the characterisation given to the non-humans, particually the vampire's, its very clear that they are a different race with different motivations, its handled very well and insites the reaction in me that i think is intended.

This isn't a love story but Cassie does get close to a couple of men, I gotta say a prefer her narrative when she's alone, this is often when its at its most fresh and funniest. Particually in her scenes with Mirea her reactions are rather repetitive. I much prefer Pritkin and they share some real good scenes and theirs is the partnership i like to see.

I much prefer Cassie in this book; one of its key roles is bringing to a conclusion her journey in accepting her powers as pythia and the ending really has this sense of starting something new. What i've always liked about her character is how she picks her moments, she doesn't fight everything and everyone but is really interesting in her actions.

This is a very good book; its thrilling with a few good quirks and often rather funny. I recommend all three books, and am looking forward to the next three, that will form another trilogy, focusing on the war and Cassie as the accepted and reigning pythia.

5 out of 5 stars

Great book April 18, 2008
I loved this book and how it refers back to the past 2 books, however, I was left wanting more at the end, the 3 main characters are Cassie, Pritkin and Mircea but I really missed thomas and Louis Cesar not being in this book. The book is brilliant and shows how far Cassie will go to remove the geis, not just for her own personal reasons but to save Mircea. Alot happens in this book yet alot of the loose endings from the last book were left unanswered, Cassie's vampire friends seem to have been replaced by magical kids, a pixie and Francoise which I hope will link back to Louis Cesar in the next installment! It is fantastic but leaves you wanting more and I'm not sure I can wait a year for the next installment! I finally understand how Harry Potter fans feel every year!

5 out of 5 stars

Keep 'em coming! April 16, 2008
This author first came to my attention when I read the compilation On The Prowl. I enjoyed her story so much (even more than the Patricia Briggs for which I had purchased the book) I immediately ordered the first two of this series. And I certainly didn't waste my money!

Although I enjoyed the first book, I felt the author had really hit her stride by the second one, and this one was just fantastic. Karen Chance has a great turn of phrase, the action never slows enough to make you lose interest and, best of all, her characters are so convincing that by the third book you've really started to care what happens to them. And as for the love interests...Mircea is definitely delicious, but you just find yourself hoping Pritkin will lose control...

So often I really enjoy a book, only to encounter cheesiness and lack of tension when it comes to the love scenes. Not so here - there seems to be a joyfulness and lack of endless internal guilt that hits just the right note for this genre. And there are scenes that made me laugh out loud, although it's not 'paranormal-lite' either. It just has a bit of everything, and, in my opinion, with just the right balance.

As someone who has read many books in this genre, I can't emphasise enough how rare it is for me to find one that I really love, and from which images keep popping into my head days after I've finished it (which is how I know I've read something special). This series is it, and I can't recommend it highly enough. But read the others first! :)

5 out of 5 stars

Love it (and Pritkin) April 6, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

Cassie's back and I've been waiting impatiently. There is just something about this series that really works for me. I love the characters, I enjoy the dialogue, the descriptions are great and the historical detail is interesting, but I think the main thing for me is that the books are fun in genre that can take itself far too seriously.

Anyway on with the review, which is quite tough to write without giving important stuff away - a lot happens in this book!

'Embrace the Night' opens with Cassie in Paris with John Pritkin, the renegade war mage and on the trail of the Codex Merlini. She needs Merlin's spellbook to lift the geas which binds her (twice over) to Mircea the vampire and which is becoming more destructive. She also needs to fulfil her promise to the Fey King to recover the book.

As always this turns out to be a far from straightforward task. Cassie finds herself zipping backwards and forwards in the timeline, meeting earlier versions of Mircea and Pritkin, and causing chaos. There are some major revelations and betrayals along the way.

Cassie has definitely grown during the books. She is much more in control in this one. Deciding what needs to be done and doing it, but she's still really likeable. She won't leave Pritkin to die at the start of the book when they get trapped in the catacombs and rescues a group of children with mixed magical gifts.

I loved the idea of Cassie being forced to endure Pritkin as her personal trainer and him forcing her to go jogging and to learn to sword fight.

It'll be interesting to see where Cassie goes next - trusting people remains a big issue for her.

Then there's Pritkin. I love, love, love this character (and not just because he can speak Welsh!) At one point Cassie describes Pritkin as "smart and brave and sometimes strangely funny" and that's how I see him too.

He's such an intense character, always taking direct action - there's a wonderful straightforwardness to him, even though it's obvious that he has a number of very big secrets. Some of these secrets come out in this book. One of them - about who he really is - I thought was rather fitting, the other - about what he really is - I'm still not quite sure about.

His relationship with Cassie goes through some big up and downs, but he's the character that I like seeing at her side - there's an equality in their relationship which is absent when she's with Mircea. As much as Cassie likes Mircea (and vice versa) I can't shake the fact that, at its heart, their relationship is based on a little girl's crush. Whereas with Pritkin it's a constant tussle for control - their sword training session really epitomised this and was one of my favourite scenes - but deep down both of them seem to care about each other - whether it's trying to cure his caffine addiction or searching desperately for a spell to break the geas.

That said I do like Mircea and wasn't too unhappy with where the book took him and Cassie. I guess I just find scruffy, intense and direct sexier than tall, dark and suave.

The tone of this book seemed slightly different to the first two. Despite all the time shifting, there was a clear sense of progression towards the end goal - getting rid of the geas.

By the end of the book, it's clear that Cassie has accepted her powers and has a new sense of purpose. The final scene left me feeling that the first act of this story has ended, but there are going to be some much bigger fish to fry in the next installment, which I will be waiting for very impatiently.

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent 3rd book April 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

The narrative continues from the 2nd book but also references parts of the 1st, which makes this difficult to read without having read the others. However, if you are a fan of the series then this does not disappoint - the usual pace and excitement continues and there are a couple of real surprises in store for heroine Cassie Palmer. I could not put it down and was disappointed when I finished it - so I started all over again!