Touch the Dark
Book #1 of the Cassandra Palmer Series
by Karen Chance
Published: ROC – June 2006
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 307 (paperback)
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Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 stars)
Summary
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…
The Good
Cassie’s life has never truly been her own, so she’s become a strong-willed individual that relies on her survival instincts to get her one step closer to living her own life. She will do whatever it takes to survive. And her past is a mystery that is slowly revealed throughout the story, but not all, of course. Some tidbits are left unknown for use in future books.
Chance’s world is not limited to one or two supernatural beings. In Touch the Dark we get vampires, witches, ghost, wereanimals, mages, fearies, satyrs, and still the list goes on. I always thought this was the way to go in urban fantasy books because the abundance of creatures helps expand the possibilities of future plots.
The action is great in the book. It happens often enough that I was never bored.
There are many characters introduced in this book. Some say too many, but I thought that the potential of each individual was super exciting. They all had their own personalities and I wanted to know more about each one.
I really liked the whole Billy Joe (ghost) as a side-kick thing. He’s entertaining and his and Cassie’s interaction was fun to watch.
And let’s not forget Mircea. Oh yes. hot, confident, and hot. Oh, I said that already. Well let’s say it again, HOT. Let’s add a sexy for good measure.
The Bad
Touch the Dark lost points in the writing. Chance has a tendency to stop in the middle of action scenes, sex scenes, and dialogue and bog the reader down with explanation and backstory. The info-dumps are also found in dialogue and can go on for pages. It really disrupts the action and can get confusing.
The plot is a little messy and occasionally perplexing.
The Snuggly
About two sex scenes. Nothing shocking. They made sense and were needed to further the storyline.
Overall
I really did enjoy reading about Cassie and her many adventures. Though the ending left some things unsettled, it only made me want to read the next book even more. This book is both original and full of rich characters that ensure a bright future in the series.
Lovey Dovey Books
Thanks for the review! Touch the Dark looks like the beginning of a great series to try out since I’m looking for books that are along the lines of Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series.
Candace @ Lovey Dovey Books
Jennifer L. Bielman
This series is a little darker than Night Huntress but it is a great series to start. It’s a little more complicated in it’s plots but I read every book and enjoy them immensely.
Trakena Prevost
Great review!!! I’m a big fan of the Night Huntress series, so this might be a good add on to my group.
Jennifer Bielman
I hope you get a chance to read it. This is a very good series.