Review: Tempt the Stars by Karen Chance
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| AMAZON | KINDLE |
Tempt the Stars (Cassandra Palmer #6) by Karen Chance
Urban Fantasy
Signet Select (October 1, 2013)
Heroine: Cassandra Palmer – Pythia, Half Goddess
Hero: John Pritkin – War Mage, Half-Demon
Review:
Gah! Bad Karen Chance for leaving us with that crazy cliffhanger at the end of Curse the Dawn! I was an anxious and a nervous wreck (like when Han Solo was frozen in carbonite) wondering how in the hell Cassie is going to get Pritkin back. I was screaming in frustration. To top it off with that mother-effing cliffhanger, we had to wait two years to find out what happens. *sobs fat ugly tears* Okay, rant over. I will humbly admit it was totally worth the wait.
Tempt the Stars picks up a week after Pritkin saves Cassie by giving her energy to live; resulting in Pritkin being taken by his demon father and essentially losing his freedom. Ever since Cassie’s coronation (the one she wasn’t invited to), where she officially became Pythia, aka as the world’s chief seer, she’s had to deal with all kinds of supernaturals knocking on her door; always wanting something from her. Cassie’s also had to deal with finding out her mother is a goddess, which means she’s half goddess. With all that is going on in her life her, she’s stressed out and tired. But she refuses to leave Pritkin in the hands of his father and has dropped everything to find a way to get Pritkin back. And this is not going to be an easy mission. She doesn’t know much about the demons and their world and she needs help. The one person who can help her is none other than Pritkin himself. But she must be careful with history. Time jumping has its benefits as long as she doesn’t reveal or change history. Cassie’s handled much worse, right? Right. She’s got this.
Chance continues to thicken the intricate plotline as many things are revealed about Cassie’s family and ancestry history. I’m curious to see where Chance is taking this storyline; because the twists and turns just keep on coming. There’s action aplenty as Cassie continues on her adventure and eventually finds a way to get into the demon realm where Pritkin is being kept. Joining her on her mission is the vain and snarky Casanova and the angry war mage Caleb, Pritkin’s buddy. I had a blast hanging out with these two characters.
Mircea Basarab, a powerful senate master vampire and also Cassie’s boyfriend, took a backseat in this installment. Mircea fans will be highly disappointed but Pritkin fans will be blissfully on cloud nine with the many scenes we get with him. Anybody who knows me knows I’m a HUGE Pritkin fan. I adore that angry, green eyed war mage. I’ve loved him since he blazed onto the pages in the first book. This love triangle (if you want to call it that) is complicated and well written. Obviously, Cassie has feelings for both Pritkin and Mircea, but she isn’t exactly sitting around angsting over them. She’s just trying to survive the day half the time. The story barely touches on her feelings for either men, but there is an undertone of heartfelt emotions and feelings Cassie has for them both. But with everything that has happened in this series, Pritkin and Cassie have become quite close. There is a mutual respect and affection between them. Pritkin would fight tooth and nail to save her, which means she would do the same. And she does. One very emotional and touching scene between Cassie and Pritkin had my heart in my throat. I can’t express how badly I want these two to get together.
This was another fantastic and wild ride with Cassandra Palmer. Karen Chance has created a fabulous heroine that is smart, sassy, loveable, and who pretty much stumbled into her role as Pythia. Well, sort of. Since the beginning of this series, I’ve found that Cassie has really grown into a strong protagonist. She is the kind of gal that goes with the flow and tries to do right thing but has a lot working against her. I love how we are able to see Cassie’s vulnerabilities, especially when she is not above admitting that she has no clue what she’s doing half the time. Cassie knows she is underestimated and secrets are being kept from her, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to save the world; all while dodging bullets and spells, jumping tall buildings, popping in and out of time eras, and flying on carpets.
“Why do these plans of yours always involve me getting naked?” he yelled, making me blink again. And then scowl, because damn it, brain, this was no time to lose it.
“You’re not naked!” I yelled back, because it was true if not by much. He still had on a pair of silky gold trousers, ruffling in the wind and looking ridiculous next to the hard lines of his body. And because what else do you say to a grinning, windsurfing demon?
He said something that sounded like “disappointed?” but wasn’t because that would be absurd.
Heh… priceless. I find it quite funny that Cassie and Pritkin always end up naked in every book.
Tempt the Stars is an enthralling, superbly written story that left me breathless and gripping my kindle during the action-packed scenes. All of the characters are written phenomenally. The world building is unique and entwines mythology into the story – which makes for a very thrilling, complicated, and intelligent storyline that flows from one book to the next. I do highly suggest starting with Touch the Dark. Starting with Tempt the Stars will have you scratching your head in confusion. And, good lord… Another crazy ending that had me screaming in frustration. I’m mad at you Karen Chance. *wink* I really hope it’s not going to be another two years to find out what happens next. I’m not sure my heart and nerves can handle another long wait.
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