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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
adventurous
Great start to a series, but I rated it down some because I couldn't quite keep getting into it. I kept getting distracted which might be more on me than the book. There are a lot of juicy nuggets dropped in there for future books and I appreciate that.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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:
Yes
The best urban fantasy I've read yet. Gritty, but not cheesy feeling. The characters felt real, the heroine was an actually believable badass, and the plot had a great balance of action scenes and plot twists.
Love null witches, plus there's dhampirs and vampires and the fey. Adorable animal(?) sidekick.
Also an interesting Fantasy take on being biracial and the feelings of being an outcast in both cultures. (Multi species, not literally biracial)
Not at all diverse in any way except for many magical species.
Love null witches, plus there's dhampirs and vampires and the fey. Adorable animal(?) sidekick.
Also an interesting Fantasy take on being biracial and the feelings of being an outcast in both cultures. (Multi species, not literally biracial)
Not at all diverse in any way except for many magical species.
Midnight's Daughter is the first novel in the Dorina Basarab series. The whole series fits into the Cassandra Chance world, so if you're a fan of one, I strongly urge you to read the other. Both series bounce around each other in the timeline, so it's really quite fun to read them all.
Dorina, better known as Dory (seriously, don't call her Dorina), is a dhampir. As in, half-human and half-vampire. She's tough, sassy, and really isn't in the mood to put up with anyone's messes.
I'll confess that I don't normally like it when series use dhampirs. But there are some notable exceptions. Dory and Blade being the most notable ones. Karen Chance did an excellent job portraying dhampirs. And better yet (in my mind), she gives them consequences. They aren't just magical beings that have all the benefits of vampires, while none of their faults. It keeps them from feeling overpowered, in my opinion. And honestly, it makes them more interesting as well.
I love Dory's series, and not just because she provides a totally different perspective for what is happening in Cassie's events. Dory comes with baggage, both the good and the bad. But it never slows her down, if anything it inspires her to fight even harder. Because of that, her plots tend to be full of sass, determination, and amazing fight scenes. Who could ask for more?
I'd suggest reading Cassie Palmer one through three before picking up this book. Actually, you should probably read everything in publishing order. As I said, the two series intertwine a lot. Some people actually consider them to really be of the same series. So timing matters. I'd also suggest reading the short story Buying Trouble before this. It isn't required, but it'll explain some of the secondary characters and what they've been doing (it is relevant, I promise).
Side note before we begin: I’ve actually read this whole series multiple times (it’s one of my favorites), but it wasn’t until recently that I realized that I’ve never reviewed the older books in the series. So here I am, reading them all again, and loving every minute of it.
Because I’m doing a reread with a group of people (the Karen Chance Street Team – message me if you want to know more about it) I’m also going to include the discussions prompts we’ve been using. That will be at the end of the review, so if you’re curious, check it out.
Midnight's Daughter is a really fun read, and for a lot of reasons. It's emotional, chaotic, and full of sass and fights. This is Dory's first debut, and man did she make an impression! Dory has a complicated past, and an even more complicated family. Midnight's Daughter doesn't waste any time throwing Dory (and thus, us) into the thick of things.
I love both the Cassie and Dory series, but for different reasons. In Dory's case, I know I can always count on her to get into some sort of crazy (and highly entertaining) fight. And this novel really does set the standard when that is concerned.
The introduction to this novel, and thus the main plot itself, was really well done. In my opinion this is one of my favorite intros, which I feel like is saying something. It was tense, fascinating, and gave me a great impression of Dory right off the bat.
I love how this plot ties together with so much of what else is happening in the world. There's the war, of course. And there's Claire's plot as well (I mentioned above to be sure to read Buying Trouble, and this is the reason why). Sometimes the ties are so subtle that you really have to look for them, which I adore. Then there are all of the other moments from Cassie's series. It's so intricate and well done.
This might sound a bit strange, but I honestly think that the house in this novel may be one of my favorite characters of all time. Yep. That sounded exactly as strange as I thought it would. Having a house capable of interactions and decision making (at least by all appearances) is not only potentially useful (or annoying, depending on how you want to look at it...and what the house is doing), but rather humorous. It added some lighthearted moments before things started getting intense again, which I think was really needed.
I love how the two plots running through this series so far – the hunt for Dracula, and Dory's quest to find Claire – end up becoming more related than expected. It also gave us more reasons to care about what was happening.
Karen Chance did a wonderful job of making the supernatural feel human in this novel. And by that I really mean that she made them run the gambit – from sympathetic to despicable. In particular there were two fae that I found myself especially fond of. One you can probably guess if you know me (I'm a sucker for the little guys that need to be taken care of).
I'll confess that if I hadn't already been reading the Cassie Palmer series by this point, I might have overlooked Dory's series. I tend to avoid series that involve the actual Dracula. That being said, in this instance I feel like my hesitation was not warranted, and I'm so grateful that I gave it a try. So anybody out there dealing with the same hesitation that I normally face, please consider giving this one a try anyway.
This was my third read-through of this novel, and I still loved it this time around. Admittedly it's been far too long since I touched the older books in this series, but still. I can honestly say that it held up. I'm looking forward to rereading the rest of the series as well.
Reread Commentary:
It was fascinating for me to go back and read the earlier parts of Dory's plot again. For me, the biggest revelation was seeing Louis-Cesare again, now that we know the full extent of what is happening behind the scenes for him. It added a whole lot to his character, I think.
Book Title/Story: Midnight's Daughter
Toy/Weapon: Dislocator Grenade. It's brutal, but efficient. And it does admittedly allow for some comic relief to boot, so it's a win all around.
Favorite chapter/scene/plot point: I've always loved the scene where they raid the Auction House and Dory loses it when Stinky is about to be killed. It showed a lot about Dory and how she felt about things, and I adore Stinky. So I might be slightly biased there.
Favorite quote: I have a few.
“If you do not finish this tonight, if you leave him any avenue by which to return, I wash my hands of the whole affair. Next time, you will hunt him alone.” - It's dramatic, awesome, and gives us a solid idea of just how bad the impending situation is going to be.
“You might want to wait here. The house doesn’t like strangers.” - I LOVE this house. And this quote sums up the house better than any other I could find. The idea of a house with opinions is both hilarious and fascinating to me.
“A small, dark gray creature, all of about two feet high, stood in the blinding circle of light, vainly trying to shield its large eyes. It was shaking in fear and making a high, mewling noise that sounded like a cross between a child’s wail and a power saw cutting through metal.” - It's Stinky! Okay, my bias is really showing here, but I adore this little stinker (pun intended).
MVP (not including Dory): Louis-Cesare. It's so easy to forget about the hell he's gone through (and is still going through). It makes what he's capable of that much more impressive, in my mind.
Interesting bits I noticed this time 'round: It was interesting rereading the first novel again, especially since we now know the whole story with Louis-Cesare and why he keeps running off like that. It explains so much about him.
What further research did this book inspire (historical, mythological, etc): I researched more about Duergars. I realized that while I know a decent amount about fae, I was lacking here. I think I can picture Stinky a little better now.
Unanswered questions: None really.
For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Dorina, better known as Dory (seriously, don't call her Dorina), is a dhampir. As in, half-human and half-vampire. She's tough, sassy, and really isn't in the mood to put up with anyone's messes.
I'll confess that I don't normally like it when series use dhampirs. But there are some notable exceptions. Dory and Blade being the most notable ones. Karen Chance did an excellent job portraying dhampirs. And better yet (in my mind), she gives them consequences. They aren't just magical beings that have all the benefits of vampires, while none of their faults. It keeps them from feeling overpowered, in my opinion. And honestly, it makes them more interesting as well.
I love Dory's series, and not just because she provides a totally different perspective for what is happening in Cassie's events. Dory comes with baggage, both the good and the bad. But it never slows her down, if anything it inspires her to fight even harder. Because of that, her plots tend to be full of sass, determination, and amazing fight scenes. Who could ask for more?
I'd suggest reading Cassie Palmer one through three before picking up this book. Actually, you should probably read everything in publishing order. As I said, the two series intertwine a lot. Some people actually consider them to really be of the same series. So timing matters. I'd also suggest reading the short story Buying Trouble before this. It isn't required, but it'll explain some of the secondary characters and what they've been doing (it is relevant, I promise).
Side note before we begin: I’ve actually read this whole series multiple times (it’s one of my favorites), but it wasn’t until recently that I realized that I’ve never reviewed the older books in the series. So here I am, reading them all again, and loving every minute of it.
Because I’m doing a reread with a group of people (the Karen Chance Street Team – message me if you want to know more about it) I’m also going to include the discussions prompts we’ve been using. That will be at the end of the review, so if you’re curious, check it out.
Midnight's Daughter is a really fun read, and for a lot of reasons. It's emotional, chaotic, and full of sass and fights. This is Dory's first debut, and man did she make an impression! Dory has a complicated past, and an even more complicated family. Midnight's Daughter doesn't waste any time throwing Dory (and thus, us) into the thick of things.
I love both the Cassie and Dory series, but for different reasons. In Dory's case, I know I can always count on her to get into some sort of crazy (and highly entertaining) fight. And this novel really does set the standard when that is concerned.
The introduction to this novel, and thus the main plot itself, was really well done. In my opinion this is one of my favorite intros, which I feel like is saying something. It was tense, fascinating, and gave me a great impression of Dory right off the bat.
I love how this plot ties together with so much of what else is happening in the world. There's the war, of course. And there's Claire's plot as well (I mentioned above to be sure to read Buying Trouble, and this is the reason why). Sometimes the ties are so subtle that you really have to look for them, which I adore. Then there are all of the other moments from Cassie's series. It's so intricate and well done.
This might sound a bit strange, but I honestly think that the house in this novel may be one of my favorite characters of all time. Yep. That sounded exactly as strange as I thought it would. Having a house capable of interactions and decision making (at least by all appearances) is not only potentially useful (or annoying, depending on how you want to look at it...and what the house is doing), but rather humorous. It added some lighthearted moments before things started getting intense again, which I think was really needed.
I love how the two plots running through this series so far – the hunt for Dracula, and Dory's quest to find Claire – end up becoming more related than expected. It also gave us more reasons to care about what was happening.
Karen Chance did a wonderful job of making the supernatural feel human in this novel. And by that I really mean that she made them run the gambit – from sympathetic to despicable. In particular there were two fae that I found myself especially fond of. One you can probably guess if you know me (I'm a sucker for the little guys that need to be taken care of).
I'll confess that if I hadn't already been reading the Cassie Palmer series by this point, I might have overlooked Dory's series. I tend to avoid series that involve the actual Dracula. That being said, in this instance I feel like my hesitation was not warranted, and I'm so grateful that I gave it a try. So anybody out there dealing with the same hesitation that I normally face, please consider giving this one a try anyway.
This was my third read-through of this novel, and I still loved it this time around. Admittedly it's been far too long since I touched the older books in this series, but still. I can honestly say that it held up. I'm looking forward to rereading the rest of the series as well.
Reread Commentary:
It was fascinating for me to go back and read the earlier parts of Dory's plot again. For me, the biggest revelation was seeing Louis-Cesare again, now that we know the full extent of what is happening behind the scenes for him. It added a whole lot to his character, I think.
Book Title/Story: Midnight's Daughter
Toy/Weapon: Dislocator Grenade. It's brutal, but efficient. And it does admittedly allow for some comic relief to boot, so it's a win all around.
Favorite chapter/scene/plot point: I've always loved the scene where they raid the Auction House and Dory loses it when Stinky is about to be killed. It showed a lot about Dory and how she felt about things, and I adore Stinky. So I might be slightly biased there.
Favorite quote: I have a few.
“If you do not finish this tonight, if you leave him any avenue by which to return, I wash my hands of the whole affair. Next time, you will hunt him alone.” - It's dramatic, awesome, and gives us a solid idea of just how bad the impending situation is going to be.
“You might want to wait here. The house doesn’t like strangers.” - I LOVE this house. And this quote sums up the house better than any other I could find. The idea of a house with opinions is both hilarious and fascinating to me.
“A small, dark gray creature, all of about two feet high, stood in the blinding circle of light, vainly trying to shield its large eyes. It was shaking in fear and making a high, mewling noise that sounded like a cross between a child’s wail and a power saw cutting through metal.” - It's Stinky! Okay, my bias is really showing here, but I adore this little stinker (pun intended).
MVP (not including Dory): Louis-Cesare. It's so easy to forget about the hell he's gone through (and is still going through). It makes what he's capable of that much more impressive, in my mind.
Interesting bits I noticed this time 'round: It was interesting rereading the first novel again, especially since we now know the whole story with Louis-Cesare and why he keeps running off like that. It explains so much about him.
What further research did this book inspire (historical, mythological, etc): I researched more about Duergars. I realized that while I know a decent amount about fae, I was lacking here. I think I can picture Stinky a little better now.
Unanswered questions: None really.
For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Like the novel equivalent of a soft blanket. The entire series is an overdone genre done really, really well.
So the second time around reading this book I feel about the same as the first. I really wanted to like Karen Chance's 'Cassandra Palmer' series. It seemed to have all the usual urban fantasy hijinks that I love. However due to the mountain of world building thrown at you and the breakneck pace of the first book I just didn't think I could make myself want to read the second in the series.
Later I heard that Karen Chance was starting with a new series and gave this book a shot. And I definitely have to say this is a vast improvement from the other book. While still the first book in a series, I don't think you need to have read any of the Cassandra Palmer series to follow along. There is some explaining of how the world works, but it's not piled up upon you in boring dialogue after dialogue. There's lots of action but it does relent from time to time to give you a break. And even though I'm sad to see Mircea in a paternal role instead of a romantic role, it was still fun to see him in here anyways. Dorina kicked butt in my opinion and the romantic tension between her and Louis-Cesare was pretty hot too. I'm really looking forward to the sequel here for a change so I'm hoping I don't get let down a second time.
Later I heard that Karen Chance was starting with a new series and gave this book a shot. And I definitely have to say this is a vast improvement from the other book. While still the first book in a series, I don't think you need to have read any of the Cassandra Palmer series to follow along. There is some explaining of how the world works, but it's not piled up upon you in boring dialogue after dialogue. There's lots of action but it does relent from time to time to give you a break. And even though I'm sad to see Mircea in a paternal role instead of a romantic role, it was still fun to see him in here anyways. Dorina kicked butt in my opinion and the romantic tension between her and Louis-Cesare was pretty hot too. I'm really looking forward to the sequel here for a change so I'm hoping I don't get let down a second time.
I came across Karen Chance's books by accident but she almost immediately became one of my favourite "urban fantasy" authors
This novel introduces Dorina Basarab, the half-human, half-vampire (dhampir) daughter of Mircea, who was previously introduced in the Cassandra Palmer series by Karen Chance
The story arc flows very well, even with flashbacks and the characters and back-story's are interwoven very well into the overall plot
This novel introduces Dorina Basarab, the half-human, half-vampire (dhampir) daughter of Mircea, who was previously introduced in the Cassandra Palmer series by Karen Chance
The story arc flows very well, even with flashbacks and the characters and back-story's are interwoven very well into the overall plot
I haven't read the Cassie Palmer's series yet, so I was starting from scratch in the world of Dorina Basaraab and met Mircea and the other characters for the first time.
I like the world Karen Chance has created, it's believable (considering it's urban fantasy), but the rules of the world make sense, it's consistent. I love the characters. Dorina is fantastic. She's a warrior with a sense of humor, and that's what I appreciate the most in my heroines.
But (there's always a but), the fights last 4 chapters on average! So much detail made me spend a good part of the book trying to understand what kind of punch Dorina had thrown or what kind of fighting style the attacker had, or where exactly they are on each page... Anyway, I got confused and lost focus constantly and if I put down the book to do other things and picked it up again to continue reading, I had to wave goodbye to being able to understand what was going on because they were still fighting! It was draining.
I don't know if this is Karen Chance's style or if it's a one-time thing, so I'll try to give Dorina and Louis-Cesare another chance.
I like the world Karen Chance has created, it's believable (considering it's urban fantasy), but the rules of the world make sense, it's consistent. I love the characters. Dorina is fantastic. She's a warrior with a sense of humor, and that's what I appreciate the most in my heroines.
But (there's always a but), the fights last 4 chapters on average! So much detail made me spend a good part of the book trying to understand what kind of punch Dorina had thrown or what kind of fighting style the attacker had, or where exactly they are on each page... Anyway, I got confused and lost focus constantly and if I put down the book to do other things and picked it up again to continue reading, I had to wave goodbye to being able to understand what was going on because they were still fighting! It was draining.
I don't know if this is Karen Chance's style or if it's a one-time thing, so I'll try to give Dorina and Louis-Cesare another chance.
"I am sure there is a perfectly good reason why my niece is naked and tied to her bed. I am also equally certain that I do not wish to hear it"
I've been reading the Cassie Palmer series for years but never had an urge to pick this side-series up. I've finally succumbed to temptation, probably because I had it on my shelf forever and it popped up as a group read with Girls, Guns and Grimoires. While I liked the tone of Cassie's stories more, this one was also good in its own way.
It follows the standard fare with UF - Girl with powers who is tough and has a stick up the butt about certain issues. In this case Dory hates daddy dearest, the vampire Mircea from the Cassie series, vampires in general, most other supes, and...well, almost just people in general. She clearly doesn't have friends other than contacts she's willing to kill if things annoy her, with the exception of one who is currently missing. At first her attitude was abrasive and irritating, but she grows on me as her personality thaws when faced with other people she starts warming up to.
Besides Mircea, Louis-Cesare is around from the Cassie series, but we see completely different sides of his personality here. At first he's an ass, then he's rather whiny, but then he's likable again. There is a disconnect with the vampire Mircea, a lack of warmth that shows some emotion at the end, and if it weren't for knowing his feelings in the Cassie series, I'd hate him along with Dory. For now I think there's a lot of emotion left to reveal and stuff he's holding back from his daughter.
The world building is unique enough as it stays in the Cassie series but has Dory be a halfbreed between half vampire and half human, sometimes consumed with berserker rages that block her memory and bring out her violence. There's fae here too and for once I dig them - usually I find them irritating or too cruel, but I'm intrigued by the king and hope he comes up in the second book a few times. Yummy stuff.
The story isn't too rich as it's mainly a hunt and fight kind of gig. Dory and Louis must work together and they don't actually solve much. Who they're looking for ends up on their doorstep in one way or another anyway and the fights mainly come to them. Dory isn't so badass that she doesn't get knocked around, and it didn't irritate me because this put in a touch of realism.
Overall it was a decent Urban Fantasy opening. Characters are likable enough but I'm not hooked on any of them. The story was semi-strong but nothing that stands out in memory. Karen Chance writes well with dialogue and description and - while her Cassie series is overdone with too much action and not enough pause - here she calms down and dishes out normal sized servings of action between breaks.
If you're a fan of the Cassie series, then definitely pick this one up for a try. You'll recognize some characters and style. If you're new to Karen Chance, I recommend picking up Cassie first, since it's more unusual and has a richer source of conflict for its first book.
I've been reading the Cassie Palmer series for years but never had an urge to pick this side-series up. I've finally succumbed to temptation, probably because I had it on my shelf forever and it popped up as a group read with Girls, Guns and Grimoires. While I liked the tone of Cassie's stories more, this one was also good in its own way.
It follows the standard fare with UF - Girl with powers who is tough and has a stick up the butt about certain issues. In this case Dory hates daddy dearest, the vampire Mircea from the Cassie series, vampires in general, most other supes, and...well, almost just people in general. She clearly doesn't have friends other than contacts she's willing to kill if things annoy her, with the exception of one who is currently missing. At first her attitude was abrasive and irritating, but she grows on me as her personality thaws when faced with other people she starts warming up to.
Besides Mircea, Louis-Cesare is around from the Cassie series, but we see completely different sides of his personality here. At first he's an ass, then he's rather whiny, but then he's likable again. There is a disconnect with the vampire Mircea, a lack of warmth that shows some emotion at the end, and if it weren't for knowing his feelings in the Cassie series, I'd hate him along with Dory. For now I think there's a lot of emotion left to reveal and stuff he's holding back from his daughter.
The world building is unique enough as it stays in the Cassie series but has Dory be a halfbreed between half vampire and half human, sometimes consumed with berserker rages that block her memory and bring out her violence. There's fae here too and for once I dig them - usually I find them irritating or too cruel, but I'm intrigued by the king and hope he comes up in the second book a few times. Yummy stuff.
The story isn't too rich as it's mainly a hunt and fight kind of gig. Dory and Louis must work together and they don't actually solve much. Who they're looking for ends up on their doorstep in one way or another anyway and the fights mainly come to them. Dory isn't so badass that she doesn't get knocked around, and it didn't irritate me because this put in a touch of realism.
Overall it was a decent Urban Fantasy opening. Characters are likable enough but I'm not hooked on any of them. The story was semi-strong but nothing that stands out in memory. Karen Chance writes well with dialogue and description and - while her Cassie series is overdone with too much action and not enough pause - here she calms down and dishes out normal sized servings of action between breaks.
If you're a fan of the Cassie series, then definitely pick this one up for a try. You'll recognize some characters and style. If you're new to Karen Chance, I recommend picking up Cassie first, since it's more unusual and has a richer source of conflict for its first book.