Some Thoughts on Cassie
So, I got two of my friends who read the same kind of stuff that I do to start the Karen Chance books. And they, of course love them…But, they are working their way slowly though them. They have almost caught up to the reread. They obviously don’t compulsively read like I do. I swear to g-d text to speech was an evil invention. I used to have to put the book down to do things like brush my teeth, wash my hair, or cook. Now, I have headphones or a stupid bluetooth speaker. Although it does allow my children to get more regular meals that DO NOT revolve around Laurell K Hamilton or Karen Chance’s publishing schedule…
So, I keep getting these hysterical texts as things happen in the Cassie Palmer world. From random questions to OMG. And of late, I’ve been getting a lot of the OMG variety. They have gotten to the geis and the trip to Fairie. And then to the final duel with Dracula. And I found myself laughing last night at the following text:
OMG Bram Stoker was a Human Servant! WTF! Then, awww so the incubus waited all that time for Dracula? How sweet
My response to the last was Have you ever read Dracula? OK, not sure where I was going with all that…Just chalk it up to my random tangent
But back to my original message, or at least thought. Cassie is not a victim. Sometimes, we forget that she ran away at 14 and returned, of her own volition, to make Tony pay. And then lived in a house with Vampires while she worked tirelessly to destroy what Tony loved most: his money. And hid it. And then ran with government protection. She survived the death of her governess. and then ran successfully for three years. I gotta say, she’s got some chops. That’s at the beginning.
She’s got a voice and she learns to use it. Everyone wants control of her, but somehow, she ends up with a family that includes everyone from the crazy incubus Cassanova to Marco to Pritkin to, yes, Mircea! She takes the guards who come to her and makes them HERS. Cassie is never going to be Agnes. Agnes was raised in the system and a part of it. And her life was compartmentalized, even though she fell in love with her body guard, Jonas. and oh what a love that must have been- Ley line racing and trips though time. But when we see Agnes in other times, she’s alone. And a secret pregnancy to boot! Cassie knows how to hide. She knows how to run. She knows how to win.
Yes, she sometimes gets buffeted by the strong winds of the personalities around her. And remember, we are in her head. And sometimes we get her insecurities bleeding through. But no matter what comes, she copes as best she can. And that’s better than 99% of the population! She learns, she quietly assimilates. She fucking conquers! Her life is messy. I can’t see her making her life fit in boxes. I can’t see her without Mircea’s family, which is becoming hers. I have this image in my head of some of the mansions in Vegas. The really awesome ones that have every possible luxury and themed bedrooms. Almost like an MTV tricked out house for Real World. But I can’t see Cassie, Tami and the kids from the schools living quietly in the suburbs with a mixed security force of vamps and mages. I don’t know where I see her, but…
Review
Posted on goodreads bc Amazon would not let me for some fucking reason. So, *ahem*….
Bought ARC through Read the Pixels event.
Absolutely great book. Let’s start there. This is the second half of the previous book that, due to length, the publisher forced Ms. Chance to break in 2. Ride the Storm is over 600 pages, not a quick read. Whereas the last book set up everything with only a few bits of plot resolved, this book went forward in leaps and bounds. It was fast paced and detailed. There is betrayal and heartbreak, revelations about her parents and others in her life. We meet new characters that may forever change the dynamics Cassie has with the Circle and Jonas. New allies are picked up along the way and Cassie puts in motion ways to protect her old ones from “friendly fire”. I absolutely loved this book…..BUT it does take a while to get several big story arcs concluded. There were a few times that I felt there were extra pages and details that seemed superfluous to the point while reading I had wished the author was able to combine one of two events so to trim down a hundred pages. Overall a good 4 out of 5 stars. It would have been 4.5 out of 5 but the small cliff hanger at the end (set up like the ones in the early books) was annoying especially since it relates to one of the main story arcs that had only partially resolved. The ambiguity made me want to grind my teeth.
I highly recommend this book to read especially if you were upset about the lack of resolution in the previous book.
***Mild spoiler below****
This book will nearly resolve the love triangle. I say nearly because the small cliff hanger at the end implies complications that may hinder her choice. It may not be what you expect or what you hoped for.
Ok, so this is helpful…of course for those of us who have been waiting a long time, we kinda knew most of that. Given that Karen has been diligently plugging away at the publisher for a long time…I would have been shocked if it was LESS than 600 pages. And given that Karen isn’t sure of publishing another one…well the cliff hanger is gonna suck! No, honestly…
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[Top]“Whatever happens, I want you to know, I want you to remember, that I’m
glad you came back for me. I’m glad I had a chance to know you. I’m
glad—”Pritkin + Fave Relationship: Casskin
John Pritkin Appreciation Week – Favorite Relationship
Cassandra Palmer x John Pritkin (Casskin)
Love all the graphics!
[Top]Cassie and Pritkin and Mircea
So, this may make me unpopular BUT…I don’t know who I want to see together. There are plenty of reasons to hate both the men in Cassie’s life. They are each manipulative. And Pritkin, well he’s actively trying to kill her for a really long time. And then trying to sacrifice himself for her, because he doesn’t know how to live without her. Mircea isn’t always perfect and there is some hidden conspiracy involving the pythian court. But Cassie wouldn’t have made it through all the trials and tribulations of being Pythia without BOTH men. And Mircea loves her. He send her lots of family members and despite the power dynamic being fluid, he is always supportive. And when he finds out all the stuff that’s been happening–well vampires don’t do fear well. And yet, he loves her and doesn’t apologize for it. Pritkin may get there, but he isn’t used to living at all. Mircea has been the one left behind-by his mother, and by Dorina’s mother. He has struggled to raise a child alone and with no help. So he tries to protect Cassie, is that so bad? But he also keeps her out of the political shit too. He hasn’t turned her over to the consul, or ordered her away from Vegas.
And I gotta be honest, even when Pritkin is “sacrificing” for Cassie its pretty self serving. And yet…He’s got that tragic hero vibe. But I think Mircea gets a bad rap. He is off trying to keep Cassie safe by staying away. Cassie and Mircea could be a power couple. I just don;t know where I want it to go…
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[Top]John Pritkin Appreciation Week – Favorite Book
Hunt the Moon
“It’s ‘I Love Rock ’n Roll.’ It’s a classic.”
That got me a dark glance thrown over his shoulder, but he didn’t say anything. He just dug a couple of quarters out of his jeans and made a selection of his own. And oh, my God.
“Johnny Cash?”
