Scan barcode
kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
First read Dec 6, 2010.
Read again May 28, 2011.
Third in the Cassandra Palmer urban fantasy series about a hunted Pythia doing her best to stay alive, free her father, and get rid of the geis.
My Take
It's all fun and games...on the grim side...when you hang with Cassie and Pritkin on this chase through the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Upstairs, downstairs, and through so many chambers, LOL.
The complexity Chance introduces in this world only makes it more fun to read as she brings a different perspective on the interrelationships between vampires and magic-users, especially when its culture is supposed to look up to an ultimate authority, the Pythia, an authority who is only paid lip-service.
The children complicate things although having the kitchen gargoyles help out does take some of the strain off Cassie, even as the Gæae continue their brand of mayhem. But Pritkin seems to have developed a split personality—at least until Cassie discovers the truth---EEK! LOL, then Cassie meets the Pritkin of 1793, and he is so not impressed. Cassie certainly puts her vampire court upbringing to good effect, though. That chase through the ley lines and then Cassie's "sleight" of feet were too funny, even if I did feel sorry for Pritkin.
Mircea has his own plan of action laid out while we meet with the many facets of Pritkin (and his family!) as Cassie stumbles and leaps from one disastrous adventure to the next always managing to land on her feet even if not always in her own shoes. I must say that the effects of Mercia's death are a problem I hadn't considered. It certainly does impart an urgency to Cassie's actions!
Oh, wow! I love Augustine's outfits!
I loved the scene when Cassie blew up at Pritkin. And she's absolutely right. She keeps telling him how she grew up, and he never seems to listen! Then again, she can be amazingly obtuse about danger. But then again, again *grin*, if they'd just tell her stuff, I suspect she'd make better choices. Useful back history on Pritkin---you will not believe it!---and Mercia---why and what happened when he "died".
I do so enjoy Chance's Cassandra Palmer series. I mean, how can you not crack up at writing like the following:
Followed by:
Then I loved this particular thought:
There is never a dull moment in Embraced by Night with all the chasing and revelations. The complexity of the spell, of Pritkin's paranoia, Rosier's fears, and natural vampire politicking is enough to keep everything moving at the speed of light! Terrifying as Rosier is, he is funny.
The Story
It's a dangerous treasure hunt that Pritkin and Cassie are on, desperately searching for Codex Merlini for the counterspell to that deadly geis. And it's a hunt that leads through and under a famous Parisian cemetery, a djinn's terrifying message, but knowing she can trust Pritkin is a big help.
Until she learns she can't trust him at all. She'll just have to find another way to breach a dark mage stronghold. In 1793 Paris.
The Characters
Cassie Palmer is the Pythia, and John Pritkin, a deadly war mage turned rogue from the Silver Circle, is doing his best to keep her alive. Billy Joe is her ghost ally who is supposed to keep an eye on things. Eugenie was the governess who taught Cassie so many useful skills. Nick is another mage with a preference for research.
Mercia, a first level master vampire, placed a too-adaptable dúthracht geis on Cassie when she was a kid, only he didn't take time travel into account. Rafe is one of Tony's vampires who has devolved back to Mercia. A vampire, he was Raphael, a great artist during the Renaissance. Now, he's struggling to deliver a message. When Tony committed treason, Mercia confiscated everything Tony owned, including Dante's and Casanova, an incubus who possessed a vampire. He's interpreted Mercia's order to assist Cassie in his own special way. Randy is an incubus who works at Dante's. Horatiu, Mercia's manservant, is a mistake made in gratitude.
Alphonse is Tony's right-hand man and chief thug with some scary hobbies. Sal is his moll with very definite ideas about how Cassie projects herself. She does have a position to fill, after all.
Kit Marlowe was a famous Elizabethan playwright before he was turned. Now he's the Consul's spymaster. Empress Ming-de heads up the Asian senate.
Saleh is a djinn who caught the wrong person's attention. Apollo is anxious for Herophile to obtain the Codex. Augustine is a dress designer who creates the most marvelous designs: constantly changing embroidery, colors that change to reflect your mood, and more. Françoise is a witch from the 1700s who survived her death and slavery, and much prefers hanging with Cassie.
Tami's Misfit Mafia
Tamika Hodges ran her own homeless shelter for magically endowed kids, which is how Cassie met her. Jesse is her fiery son; Jeannie is clairvoyant; Astrid is a null which helps calm the kids' powers down; and, one of 'em's a necromancer.
Radella is a pixie whom we first met in Touch the Dark, 1, and again in Claimed by Shadow, 2, when she helped free Cassie and troupe in exchange for a precious rune. Now she's the Dark Fae king's liaison, there to ensure Cassie and crew look for the Codex Merlini as promised. She also intends to drag Françoise back into slavery.
Manassier is a grandfatherly looking mage with a map. Lord Rosier is lord of the incubi---and Pritkin's dad! The Vixen Vigilante is busy helping imprisoned children escape and blowing up prisons.
The Silver Circle is a group of light magic users who want their own tame Pythia. And if it takes killing off the current Pythia? Well, they're cool with that.
The Black Circle are dark magic users with no scruples about how they obtain what they desire.
The Cover
The cover is another street scene in Las Vegas with Cassie in a black halter top that bares her back and showcases the ward. She's in tight pants this time and the Strip is lit up in front of Cassie.
I suspect the title is another metaphor as throughout the story, Cassie does Embrace the Night...especially that last scene!
Read again May 28, 2011.
Third in the Cassandra Palmer urban fantasy series about a hunted Pythia doing her best to stay alive, free her father, and get rid of the geis.
My Take
It's all fun and games...on the grim side...when you hang with Cassie and Pritkin on this chase through the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Upstairs, downstairs, and through so many chambers, LOL.
The complexity Chance introduces in this world only makes it more fun to read as she brings a different perspective on the interrelationships between vampires and magic-users, especially when its culture is supposed to look up to an ultimate authority, the Pythia, an authority who is only paid lip-service.
The children complicate things although having the kitchen gargoyles help out does take some of the strain off Cassie, even as the Gæae continue their brand of mayhem. But Pritkin seems to have developed a split personality—at least until Cassie discovers the truth---EEK! LOL, then Cassie meets the Pritkin of 1793, and he is so not impressed. Cassie certainly puts her vampire court upbringing to good effect, though. That chase through the ley lines and then Cassie's "sleight" of feet were too funny, even if I did feel sorry for Pritkin.
Mircea has his own plan of action laid out while we meet with the many facets of Pritkin (and his family!) as Cassie stumbles and leaps from one disastrous adventure to the next always managing to land on her feet even if not always in her own shoes. I must say that the effects of Mercia's death are a problem I hadn't considered. It certainly does impart an urgency to Cassie's actions!
Oh, wow! I love Augustine's outfits!
I loved the scene when Cassie blew up at Pritkin. And she's absolutely right. She keeps telling him how she grew up, and he never seems to listen! Then again, she can be amazingly obtuse about danger. But then again, again *grin*, if they'd just tell her stuff, I suspect she'd make better choices. Useful back history on Pritkin---you will not believe it!---and Mercia---why and what happened when he "died".
I do so enjoy Chance's Cassandra Palmer series. I mean, how can you not crack up at writing like the following:
"At least I discovered why gun grips are ribbed: so when your palm is sweating with abject terror, you can still manage to clutch the thing."
Followed by:
"…it was okay as long as I shot only at supernatural bad guys who were already shooting at me. Lately, I'd had to broaden that definition to anytime my life was in danger. I was currently leaning toward a slightly more comprehensive rule somewhere between proactive self-defense and the-bastards-had-it-coming, which, if I survived long enough, I intended to blame on my deranged partner rubbing off on me."
Then I loved this particular thought:
"I needed to clear a few things off my to-do list before I had to start keeping it in volumes."
There is never a dull moment in Embraced by Night with all the chasing and revelations. The complexity of the spell, of Pritkin's paranoia, Rosier's fears, and natural vampire politicking is enough to keep everything moving at the speed of light! Terrifying as Rosier is, he is funny.
"'I knew you,' he repeated. 'Therefore I knew how it ends.'"
The Story
It's a dangerous treasure hunt that Pritkin and Cassie are on, desperately searching for Codex Merlini for the counterspell to that deadly geis. And it's a hunt that leads through and under a famous Parisian cemetery, a djinn's terrifying message, but knowing she can trust Pritkin is a big help.
Until she learns she can't trust him at all. She'll just have to find another way to breach a dark mage stronghold. In 1793 Paris.
The Characters
Cassie Palmer is the Pythia, and John Pritkin, a deadly war mage turned rogue from the Silver Circle, is doing his best to keep her alive. Billy Joe is her ghost ally who is supposed to keep an eye on things. Eugenie was the governess who taught Cassie so many useful skills. Nick is another mage with a preference for research.
Mercia, a first level master vampire, placed a too-adaptable dúthracht geis on Cassie when she was a kid, only he didn't take time travel into account. Rafe is one of Tony's vampires who has devolved back to Mercia. A vampire, he was Raphael, a great artist during the Renaissance. Now, he's struggling to deliver a message. When Tony committed treason, Mercia confiscated everything Tony owned, including Dante's and Casanova, an incubus who possessed a vampire. He's interpreted Mercia's order to assist Cassie in his own special way. Randy is an incubus who works at Dante's. Horatiu, Mercia's manservant, is a mistake made in gratitude.
Alphonse is Tony's right-hand man and chief thug with some scary hobbies. Sal is his moll with very definite ideas about how Cassie projects herself. She does have a position to fill, after all.
Kit Marlowe was a famous Elizabethan playwright before he was turned. Now he's the Consul's spymaster. Empress Ming-de heads up the Asian senate.
Saleh is a djinn who caught the wrong person's attention. Apollo is anxious for Herophile to obtain the Codex. Augustine is a dress designer who creates the most marvelous designs: constantly changing embroidery, colors that change to reflect your mood, and more. Françoise is a witch from the 1700s who survived her death and slavery, and much prefers hanging with Cassie.
Tami's Misfit Mafia
Tamika Hodges ran her own homeless shelter for magically endowed kids, which is how Cassie met her. Jesse is her fiery son; Jeannie is clairvoyant; Astrid is a null which helps calm the kids' powers down; and, one of 'em's a necromancer.
Radella is a pixie whom we first met in Touch the Dark, 1, and again in Claimed by Shadow, 2, when she helped free Cassie and troupe in exchange for a precious rune. Now she's the Dark Fae king's liaison, there to ensure Cassie and crew look for the Codex Merlini as promised. She also intends to drag Françoise back into slavery.
Manassier is a grandfatherly looking mage with a map. Lord Rosier is lord of the incubi---and Pritkin's dad! The Vixen Vigilante is busy helping imprisoned children escape and blowing up prisons.
The Silver Circle is a group of light magic users who want their own tame Pythia. And if it takes killing off the current Pythia? Well, they're cool with that.
The Black Circle are dark magic users with no scruples about how they obtain what they desire.
The Cover
The cover is another street scene in Las Vegas with Cassie in a black halter top that bares her back and showcases the ward. She's in tight pants this time and the Strip is lit up in front of Cassie.
I suspect the title is another metaphor as throughout the story, Cassie does Embrace the Night...especially that last scene!
laureenreads's review against another edition
4.0
I think one of my favourite things about this series is that it's very much character driven. That's not to say there isn't a plot, but the plot tends to be more about character progression and growth. And yes, there are some kick-ass moments, Cassie pulls magic out of nowhere to save herself and the people she cares about and doesn't rely on the men in her life to keep her safe. But when you consider what all has happened over the course of the last three novels it's apparent that the character development is the plot, and it's very well done.
nicolerene's review against another edition
4.0
This is the 3rd installment in Karen Chance’s Cassandra Palmer series. It follows Cassie as the newly anointed “Pythia”, also known as the world’s most powerful clairvoyant, as she searches for a counter spell to a curse placed on her when she was a child. I won’t go any further into the plot in this book because without fully explaining the first two books, it would just be too confusing. It suffices to say that there are a lot of people working against Cassie in one way or another and she has trouble knowing who to trust.
As I mentioned above, these books are extremely intricate plots involving no less than thirty or so involved characters, with more appearing around every bend in Cassie’s confusing journey. This has been my chief complaint about these books since I started reading them.
That being said, I love the way the relationship between Cassie and Pritkin has developed as Cassie has chipped away at his defenses. Pritkin is a terribly complex character and Chance has been slowly peeling back his layers like a really stinky onion, complete with the watery eyes.
Chance writes male characters really well. She makes them sexy and tough, but with a vulnerability that only Cassie seems to bring out. Mircea is no exception. It is refreshing to read a book where there are two equally likely potential suitors, yet the love triangle is not overtly obvious.
Overall, this is another enjoyable read from Chance. I look forward to the next installment of the Cassie Palmer series.
As I mentioned above, these books are extremely intricate plots involving no less than thirty or so involved characters, with more appearing around every bend in Cassie’s confusing journey. This has been my chief complaint about these books since I started reading them.
That being said, I love the way the relationship between Cassie and Pritkin has developed as Cassie has chipped away at his defenses. Pritkin is a terribly complex character and Chance has been slowly peeling back his layers like a really stinky onion, complete with the watery eyes.
Chance writes male characters really well. She makes them sexy and tough, but with a vulnerability that only Cassie seems to bring out. Mircea is no exception. It is refreshing to read a book where there are two equally likely potential suitors, yet the love triangle is not overtly obvious.
Overall, this is another enjoyable read from Chance. I look forward to the next installment of the Cassie Palmer series.
aliceboule's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of those series that demanded to be read completely before I could review - and so this goes for the whole Cassandra Palmer series (up to book 4).
I was pleasantly suprised with Touch the Dark and Karen Chance's series. The summary sounded very similar to the hordes of vampire fiction existing in the bookstores, and I was a bit dubious at how it would turn out.
Well, turns out that I don't know what I am talking about because OBIVOUSLY the topic has not been overused -- Chance tweezed something out and it was, jaw stopping awesome.
Cassandra knows what she wants, how to get it, and will not stop until she has it -- freedom.
She never lets herself be walked all over by the reigning vampires and manages to buckle down and actually accomplish things. And within her jam packed schedule she still has time to laugh.
There was some over-crowding of history and names. And a little too much happened a way too small frame of time. At one point I thought the series was going to evolve into an anita blake book, but we were saved from that - barely. Don't get me wrong, I love me some anita blake, but one is enough.
Bref. I enjoyed reading this series. Will most definitely be reading the rest!
I was pleasantly suprised with Touch the Dark and Karen Chance's series. The summary sounded very similar to the hordes of vampire fiction existing in the bookstores, and I was a bit dubious at how it would turn out.
Well, turns out that I don't know what I am talking about because OBIVOUSLY the topic has not been overused -- Chance tweezed something out and it was, jaw stopping awesome.
Cassandra knows what she wants, how to get it, and will not stop until she has it -- freedom.
She never lets herself be walked all over by the reigning vampires and manages to buckle down and actually accomplish things. And within her jam packed schedule she still has time to laugh.
There was some over-crowding of history and names. And a little too much happened a way too small frame of time. At one point I thought the series was going to evolve into an anita blake book, but we were saved from that - barely. Don't get me wrong, I love me some anita blake, but one is enough.
Bref. I enjoyed reading this series. Will most definitely be reading the rest!
alikatson's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Each book has gotten better and I definitely have developed a strong liking for the grumpy wizard.
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
4.0
The first half was so-so but by the second half, I couldn't put it down. Cassie can be a bit of a dumb blonde at times but I think that adds to her likeability.
amym84's review against another edition
5.0
So far this is the best book in the series. It seems to me that Karen Chance really became more comfortable writing in this world. Some of the problems with the first book for me was all the time traveling back and forth and not really understanding it. But I think since Cassie herself has gotten more comfortable with it, the readers, by extension are more comfortable as well. Chance does a good job in this book of recapping events from the previous two books. This time all the time traveling didn't confuse me. It was done very well to weave it into the storylines of the previous books. I was impressed that Chance went back to basically the beginning to show us a scene from a different perspective. It makes everything fuller I think.
Ok well I need to talk about, of course, the love interests. There's been a lot of build up since the beginning of the series for Cassie and Mircea. With this book Pritkin is thrown more into the mix. He obviously began the series not being a big fan of Cassie's then last book he declares that he will support her as the new Pythia and train her. His loyalty is put in question a few times in this book, and I was glad to see they were unfounded. I was not as impressed with the furthuring of Cassie and Mircea's relationship. It's been built up so much that I think when it finally happened I didn't really care. Plus there was the fact that it seemed that Cassie was basically forced to it. She may have wanted to but she didn't necessarily want to at the moment. She needed to because of the geis. It will forever make me question her true feelings for him.
This series has continually gotten better with each book. I can't wait to continue the series then move on to the Dorina series. Until Then!
Ok well I need to talk about, of course, the love interests. There's been a lot of build up since the beginning of the series for Cassie and Mircea. With this book Pritkin is thrown more into the mix. He obviously began the series not being a big fan of Cassie's then last book he declares that he will support her as the new Pythia and train her. His loyalty is put in question a few times in this book, and I was glad to see they were unfounded. I was not as impressed with the furthuring of Cassie and Mircea's relationship. It's been built up so much that I think when it finally happened I didn't really care. Plus there was the fact that it seemed that Cassie was basically forced to it. She may have wanted to but she didn't necessarily want to at the moment. She needed to because of the geis. It will forever make me question her true feelings for him.
This series has continually gotten better with each book. I can't wait to continue the series then move on to the Dorina series. Until Then!
theduchess93's review against another edition
5.0
A treasure and a delight, as always. What a charmingly and comfortably trashy series.
cplumma3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0