[Top]“I could talk to some people about a lot of things, but only to him about everything.” – Casskin + Aesthetic
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
[Top]Cassie Palmer Appreciation Week – Favorite Relationship
Cassie and Billy Joe
I call Billy Joe my guardian spirit, but that isn’t entirely accurate. He’s more of a pain in the ass who occasionally turns out to be useful
John Pritkin Appreciation Week – Favorite Relationship
Cassandra Palmer x John Pritkin (Casskin)
Love all the graphics!
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Favourite Cassie moment
My absolute favourite in the series has to be the revelation at the end of Hunt the Moon. It suddenly made everything fall into place and make sense, and rounded off a topic both highly relevant to the plot and very important to Cassie.
“My power wasn’t some alien thing, I thought, watching the sky in wonder. It wasn’t borrowed from another or stolen from a better candidate. There was no better candidate; there never would be. It had flowed away from Myra as soon as it saw me, like the tide when the moon comes out. Because it was mine—it was mine; it knew it was mine.” – Karen Chance, Hunt the Moon.
The revelation had such a cathartic, enlightening effect (literally enlightening too, note KC’s pathetic fallacy in relation to the Moon in the scene), and as Cassie’s thoughts summarize, she has finally understood her place in the world, accepted her role as her own, and found herself. Such an amazingly pivotal moment, coming so surprisingly late in the series (book 5!), it really raises huge questions as to what other major bombshells the series has in store.
I view the whole series as Cassie learning who she is. i don’t agree with all the romance people who see the triangle and root for one person or the other. Cassie is who I root for. And Cassie has a completely unique viewpoint. And as Cassie grows into her own, she going to keep making choices that make people mad. But in this book she realizes, finally, that it isn’t about the party or the dress, or even who her mother is. Its about her. Its about finding that one place to stand. If you die, you die. But Cassie is the Pythia. Period. End of Report. F*ck everyone else. and we see more of that in the later books…I can’t wait to see what happens next. And I totally root for Cassie when she says that she isn’t releasing anyone from their pledges and no one is dying for her damn it!
[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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