Helpful Score: 9
Continuing story of Cassandra Palmer - clairvoyent raised by vampires in a huge power struggle between various factions. If you read book 1, book 2 has the same problems, if not more. Cassie has enemies and her supporters aren't very clear cut. She still spends her time running from one place to another and again we have people who want her to be under their control or dead. I think the goal here is Cassie wanting to track down two people who she knows are her enemies and want to kill her, but she spends so much time getting there it was ridiculous. Subgoal - she has a geas placed on her by master vamp Mircea, her guardian from childhood which binds her to him and she wants it off.
It was interesting to see the world building here and the neat new characters with cool abilities (moving tattoos, incubi, magic bombs, portals, talismans, zombies, gargoyles). But while fights and action is fine, but don't overdo it so that it bogs down the story. Save it for the next book! Basically: too many characters, too much action without a break, too complicated. What really irritates me is that if the author cut down on her interesting ideas she would have a good story, but she has a tendency to just throw everything in there and mix.
This COULD be a good book, but too much cool ideas = overkill. I still want the author to get it right in the next book and I'm willing to read it to see if she does. I liked book one better than this one, so maybe I'll like book three better.
It was interesting to see the world building here and the neat new characters with cool abilities (moving tattoos, incubi, magic bombs, portals, talismans, zombies, gargoyles). But while fights and action is fine, but don't overdo it so that it bogs down the story. Save it for the next book! Basically: too many characters, too much action without a break, too complicated. What really irritates me is that if the author cut down on her interesting ideas she would have a good story, but she has a tendency to just throw everything in there and mix.
This COULD be a good book, but too much cool ideas = overkill. I still want the author to get it right in the next book and I'm willing to read it to see if she does. I liked book one better than this one, so maybe I'll like book three better.
Karen F. (cosmichomicide) reviewed Claimed By Shadow (Cassandra Palmer, Bk 2) on + 134 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I still like this series, though I continue to think that the author is cheating a bit on some of the character development by using famous historic figures for many of the master vampires. Still, the book was fast moving, has some great supporting characters and a nice twist on the vampire/mage mythos. Loved some of the new characters introduced in this installment, looking forward to the third book.
Lisa R. (alterlisa) - , reviewed Claimed By Shadow (Cassandra Palmer, Bk 2) on + 335 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I read the first book in this series and loved it, however, I found the second book in this series difficult to get into. There were so many characters and so much going on that you needed a score card to keep up with the gist of the story. I struggled through about half of it and quit. I may try later to reread it as I really wanted to like it.
Christine H. (solarawynn) reviewed Claimed By Shadow (Cassandra Palmer, Bk 2) on + 724 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Got throught this book and was pleased but not enough to buy the third.