BOOK REVIEW - TOUCH THE DARK by KAREN CHANCE - CASSANDRA PALMER # 1 - ROC - URBAN FANTASY

By: Karen Chance
Published By: ROC
Released: Available Now
Details: Paperback from library, 307 Pages

RATING: 4 STARS MOSTLY

Blurb: Goodreads

Cassandra Palmer can see the future and communicate with spirits—talents that make her attractive to the dead and the undead. The ghosts of the dead aren’t usually dangerous; they just like to talk…a lot.

The undead are another matter.

Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with vengeance on his mind, she’s forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection.

The undead senators won’t help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire—and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay....



BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I’m going to be honest and say I was hovering between 3.75 stars and 4 stars for Touch The Dark. My reasons being that I was in a love VS wandering mind relationship with Cassandra Palmer # 1.

I loved all the delicious male characters, Louis Cesar , Mircea, Tomas...yes he was delicious, but...and even Billy Joe has his moments. Pritkin is a judgemental ass.

I loved all the paranormal characters, mages, pixie, witches, vampires, ghosts, weres...even the shrunken’ head.

I think Cassandra is a very likable character. She was raised by a mobster vampire who used her clairvoyance for his own nefarious dealings. She escaped the lair at fourteen to go it alone after finding out some news, assisted by the ghost of a girl killed by Tony the mobster vampire.  Cassie was able to survive on the dead girls families hidden cash. I do have some questions there, but ehhh, I will let that be.

I thought this book got off to a great strong start. I was intrigued. 

An obituary left on her computer announcing her own death, time and cause. 

Great start, makes me want to read more. 

Next it is time to find Tomas, the smexi, silky long haired hunk who happens to be her roommate. 

Cassie is more or less on the run from Tony the mobster. She helped cripple the biggest crime family in Philly.

Then shiz goes down and vampires are attacking Cassandra and Tomas with surprising results.

Enter all the other lads that are going to become a constant fixture in Cassies time in this book.

I kind of found myself from then on with my mind wandering off in its own little world of Christmas shopping etc. I had to keep shaking my head and rereading to get myself back on track.

There is a lot, lot, lot... of info dumping. I know it is world building but I found the pages that consumed the rest of the book really consisted of long paragraphs and lots of explaining of stuff that probably needed less explaining and more doing.

I needed DOING, people!

There were a couple characters trying to do the horizontal tango...and ... lets throw in a pile of info dumping.

WT!

Not now, they are trying to stamp the V card, null and void.

Now I know I am coming late to starting this series and I did check on Goodreads to see if others felt like me. I was just wondering if maybe I was reading at a busy time of the year and my mind wasn’t in the game.

But no, others were having the same problem as me.

I really am dedicated to reading this series as I feel that it was just Karen needing to tell us a lot about...well a lot. And that is ok.

I am all for world building. I understand that a first book in a series can be subject to this criticism if over done. 

I felt I understood the world, but I got info overload on other stuff that may not have been that prudent.

But hey, one mans overload on info is another mans interest.

I found that the group of characters would move to another spot in the story and then do all this info dumping again.

Ha!

It is a very colorful and descriptive world that Karen has given me. 

I would have liked more movement forward...for me anyway. 

There are a couple nice twists which I really enjoyed.

Yes! Love twists. Throw them at me it keeps me very entertained.

I did like Karen’s little quirk she did with bringing in a character that was possibly Cleopatra but not quite called Cleopatra, Rasputin, The Man In The Iron Mask... Jack The Ripper...

This was great and entertaining and clever weaving these characters into Cassandra's world. 

Jack lived up to his name. History got a little twist to it with him becoming a vampire. You can take the human out of Jack but you can't take the delight he gets from ...well...doing what he was famous for.

Gah!!

Then there was the scene where I felt more ewwww than possibly what it was supposed to be doing for me. Let's just say it was a rather sticky situation when three of our lads decide humiliation is an excellent punishment whilst dining out on takeaway.

Pass the flannel.

Mop up on aisle 5!!

I really just had to lower my rating for review because of sooooo much information that I was lost in my own mind and I had to get back on track.

I seriously was battling my brain to stop wandering about . When Karen had me switched on, I was switched on. But then...have I got the kids all their Christmas gifts sorted...have I got the turkey...do I need to pick anybody up from their mates house...

I’m definitely in for the long haul and will be reserving more of these from the library because I am intrigued to see where it is all going with Cassandra and the lads.

Looks like Cassandra Palmer is going to have her hands full with a certain smexi lad who I have mixed feelings about at this stage and a new job description.

Looking forward to Claimed By Shadow.

Michelle

Clairvoyant Cassie Palmer has inherited new magical powers-including the ability to travel through time. But it's a whole lot of responsibility she'd rather not have. Now she's the most popular girl in town, as an assortment of vamps, fey, and mages try to convince, force, or seduce her—and her magic—over to their side. But one particular master vampire didn't ask what Cassie wanted before putting a claim on her. He had a spell cast that binds her to him, and now she doesn't know if what she feels for him is real—or imagined…