Scan barcode
jenacidebybibliophile's review
4.0
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the author, C. L. Clark, for
Opinion: I sure hope you guys have been enjoying the last few book reviews I have done, and have enjoyed the fact that most of them have been a book in a series...because HERE IS ANOTHER ONE!! :D Oh! Can you feel the joy radiating off of my typed words?!? Another series (which fits in great for an October/Halloween read mind you), another tough female lead character, ghosts, talking cats, an evil murderer…*sigh* is there anything better?
Cassie, short for Cassiopeia, is having an interesting few days. She learns that her cat, Allie, can speak to her though her mind, that her coworker Todd, an insurance investigator, may be doing something highly illegal, and that her new gorgeous neighbor, Scott, may be something other than human and murdering women in her town. After the murder of a girl named Courtney comes to light, which just so happens to be the waitress that Scott was flirting with on his date with Cassie, Cassie feels the need to hunt down the murderer and put an end to the now climbing deaths. As Cassie looks for clues to who might be the cause of these women turning up dead, she also starts to develop certain supernatural abilities such as seeing spirits.
“I didn’t consider myself that easy to set aside, but I was trying to not let any of these thoughts show; no easy feat for me, by the way, seeing as how I am a consummate eye-roller with tendencies toward mild vindication and bouts of sarcasm.”
- Cassiopeia
I think we can all agree that Cassie is a feisty woman, and of course I absolutely LOVE her sarcasm. Again, I have come across another story with a strong and spunky female character who commands your attention. You know what is even better about this character though? She doesn’t have a romance on the side while she is investigating these murders…can somebody say refreshing? Refreshing. All she has is her trusty sidekick cat, Allie, who has been placed on earth by “The Creator” to protect Cassie. Very Sailor Moon-esque. I enjoyed how the author made sure to keep the feline traits with Allie, even though she can speak to Cassie in her head which makes her feel a bit more human. The way the author tied a bit of fictional background about cats into the story was very interesting. The author explained that each “Cat” is given a human to watch over and protect, but of course not all humans like cats (as I am one of them) so that is why there are so many stray cats all over…because they have nowhere to go. It is all very sad (sarcasm). But nonetheless, it was rather interesting to think about because I have always felt that cats are rather strange and seem like they are always up to something.
Did I mention that the author does a fantastic job with description and creative writing? She has a tremendous knack for comparisons and making the reader actually feel the words, which I found fantastic. I love a lot of details and obnoxious amounts of descriptions in a story, so this was exactly the type of writing that I enjoy. But not only do you get wonderful visuals into exactly what the characters are feeling, but we also get some much enjoyed sarcasm and wit along with it:
“If I were made of metal, the sudden sound of my eyelids crashing together and the rest of my face scrunching up would have echoed like a massive wreck in the parking lot. Not unlike my ego at that very moment.”
- Cassiopeia
I think the author could have done a better job at explaining certain aspects of the story. There were many times when a turn in the story was presented, but it was never fully executed and explained later on. For example, our main character starts to suddenly be able to see spirits around her town. This was explained a little, but not nearly enough for me to feel like I completely understood. It seems that most things were cut a little bit short, without the reader getting the full background on what happens. I think the author should have spent a bit more time on giving more details to the evil that resided in Scott, the cat Allie, the reasons why the murders were happening, and our sketchy investigator Tom. Instead, I think the author focused a little too much on the center of the story, and not enough on explaining the outcomes and the motives.
Overall, I am interested in seeing how the next book in the series turns out. I want to see where the new abilities that Cassie now possess takes her, as well as how the writing and storyline progresses. Though the center of this book got a little slowed down at times, I think it was overall a fun read. Cassie is definitely a character I enjoy reading about and going on a journey with, so I am very excited to start book two in the New Sight Series called A Brighter Light.
Opinion: I sure hope you guys have been enjoying the last few book reviews I have done, and have enjoyed the fact that most of them have been a book in a series...because HERE IS ANOTHER ONE!! :D Oh! Can you feel the joy radiating off of my typed words?!? Another series (which fits in great for an October/Halloween read mind you), another tough female lead character, ghosts, talking cats, an evil murderer…*sigh* is there anything better?
Cassie, short for Cassiopeia, is having an interesting few days. She learns that her cat, Allie, can speak to her though her mind, that her coworker Todd, an insurance investigator, may be doing something highly illegal, and that her new gorgeous neighbor, Scott, may be something other than human and murdering women in her town. After the murder of a girl named Courtney comes to light, which just so happens to be the waitress that Scott was flirting with on his date with Cassie, Cassie feels the need to hunt down the murderer and put an end to the now climbing deaths. As Cassie looks for clues to who might be the cause of these women turning up dead, she also starts to develop certain supernatural abilities such as seeing spirits.
“I didn’t consider myself that easy to set aside, but I was trying to not let any of these thoughts show; no easy feat for me, by the way, seeing as how I am a consummate eye-roller with tendencies toward mild vindication and bouts of sarcasm.”
- Cassiopeia
I think we can all agree that Cassie is a feisty woman, and of course I absolutely LOVE her sarcasm. Again, I have come across another story with a strong and spunky female character who commands your attention. You know what is even better about this character though? She doesn’t have a romance on the side while she is investigating these murders…can somebody say refreshing? Refreshing. All she has is her trusty sidekick cat, Allie, who has been placed on earth by “The Creator” to protect Cassie. Very Sailor Moon-esque. I enjoyed how the author made sure to keep the feline traits with Allie, even though she can speak to Cassie in her head which makes her feel a bit more human. The way the author tied a bit of fictional background about cats into the story was very interesting. The author explained that each “Cat” is given a human to watch over and protect, but of course not all humans like cats (as I am one of them) so that is why there are so many stray cats all over…because they have nowhere to go. It is all very sad (sarcasm). But nonetheless, it was rather interesting to think about because I have always felt that cats are rather strange and seem like they are always up to something.
Did I mention that the author does a fantastic job with description and creative writing? She has a tremendous knack for comparisons and making the reader actually feel the words, which I found fantastic. I love a lot of details and obnoxious amounts of descriptions in a story, so this was exactly the type of writing that I enjoy. But not only do you get wonderful visuals into exactly what the characters are feeling, but we also get some much enjoyed sarcasm and wit along with it:
“If I were made of metal, the sudden sound of my eyelids crashing together and the rest of my face scrunching up would have echoed like a massive wreck in the parking lot. Not unlike my ego at that very moment.”
- Cassiopeia
I think the author could have done a better job at explaining certain aspects of the story. There were many times when a turn in the story was presented, but it was never fully executed and explained later on. For example, our main character starts to suddenly be able to see spirits around her town. This was explained a little, but not nearly enough for me to feel like I completely understood. It seems that most things were cut a little bit short, without the reader getting the full background on what happens. I think the author should have spent a bit more time on giving more details to the evil that resided in Scott, the cat Allie, the reasons why the murders were happening, and our sketchy investigator Tom. Instead, I think the author focused a little too much on the center of the story, and not enough on explaining the outcomes and the motives.
Overall, I am interested in seeing how the next book in the series turns out. I want to see where the new abilities that Cassie now possess takes her, as well as how the writing and storyline progresses. Though the center of this book got a little slowed down at times, I think it was overall a fun read. Cassie is definitely a character I enjoy reading about and going on a journey with, so I am very excited to start book two in the New Sight Series called A Brighter Light.
tales_of_a_bookbug's review
4.0
Rating: 3.75 stars
Review: The first book in a new paranormal series, Opening The Veil by C.L.Clark, has an endearing protagonist and her cat as a sidekick.Even though the story is about ghosts and paranormal investigation, the concepts that the author has used and the characters present in the book are unique.
The two main characters in the novel are Cassie and her cat Allie.Cassie works for Goodwin Insurance and wants to become an insurance investigator.She also has an amazing boss Arthur and a creepy co worker named Todd.From the beginning of the novel itself we see the sweet relationship that Allie and Cassie have and it looks as if the author's inspiration is her own cat.
Soon,we meet her new neighbor-Scott, who appears very charming at first.They soon go out for dinner but Cassie is put off when he blatantly flirts with the waitress in front of her.Inspite of this Scott appears to have some innate charm that reels Cassie and as she is about to give in she is interrupted by Allie.Later,in the middle of the night she is woken up by Allie,who now talks to Cass in her head and informs her that their neighbor is possessed by an evil spirit that has a penchant for harming people.She also comes to know that cats see all kinds of evil spirits and are present to protect humans from these dark forces.
The next day she finds out that the waitress has been murdered and there were previous cases very similar to this one.So she sets out to find evidence that will link Scott to these killings and also to find a way to get rid of the spirit.At the same time Todd also seems to have committed insurance fraud and appears to be another threat to her.
Cassie is a likable protagonist.She has her flaws and she accepts them.Thankfully, she is also not the Mary Sue type, though she does commit stupid actions at times.Let's hope she does improve her investigation and self-preservation skills in the forthcoming books.Allie's antics were fun to read though her dialogues could have been better.The supporting cast was well developed.I really liked the author's writing style.The plot moved at a moderate pace and it was perfect for the first book in a series as it created a beautiful background and foundation for the future stories.Looking forward to where the author will take Cassie and Allie in the future.And also lets hope there will be romance in the future books. ;)
This review can also be found here
Review: The first book in a new paranormal series, Opening The Veil by C.L.Clark, has an endearing protagonist and her cat as a sidekick.Even though the story is about ghosts and paranormal investigation, the concepts that the author has used and the characters present in the book are unique.
The two main characters in the novel are Cassie and her cat Allie.Cassie works for Goodwin Insurance and wants to become an insurance investigator.She also has an amazing boss Arthur and a creepy co worker named Todd.From the beginning of the novel itself we see the sweet relationship that Allie and Cassie have and it looks as if the author's inspiration is her own cat.
Soon,we meet her new neighbor-Scott, who appears very charming at first.They soon go out for dinner but Cassie is put off when he blatantly flirts with the waitress in front of her.Inspite of this Scott appears to have some innate charm that reels Cassie and as she is about to give in she is interrupted by Allie.Later,in the middle of the night she is woken up by Allie,who now talks to Cass in her head and informs her that their neighbor is possessed by an evil spirit that has a penchant for harming people.She also comes to know that cats see all kinds of evil spirits and are present to protect humans from these dark forces.
The next day she finds out that the waitress has been murdered and there were previous cases very similar to this one.So she sets out to find evidence that will link Scott to these killings and also to find a way to get rid of the spirit.At the same time Todd also seems to have committed insurance fraud and appears to be another threat to her.
Cassie is a likable protagonist.She has her flaws and she accepts them.Thankfully, she is also not the Mary Sue type, though she does commit stupid actions at times.Let's hope she does improve her investigation and self-preservation skills in the forthcoming books.Allie's antics were fun to read though her dialogues could have been better.The supporting cast was well developed.I really liked the author's writing style.The plot moved at a moderate pace and it was perfect for the first book in a series as it created a beautiful background and foundation for the future stories.Looking forward to where the author will take Cassie and Allie in the future.And also lets hope there will be romance in the future books. ;)
This review can also be found here
lunaty's review
3.0
3.5*
[b:Opening the Veil|25210042|Opening the Veil (New Sight Book 1)|C.L. Clark|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427221565s/25210042.jpg|44905703] is a paranormal thriller with a dash of humor. It follows the main character Cassie which is short for Cassiopeia. Funnily enough, this is the second character I have come across with this name. The Fifth Wave being the first, I found that quite an interesting coincidence, as I really liked the name.
It is written in first person, all from Cassie's point of view.
Cassie is a young woman working as a office administrator for her boss Archie and has a cat named Allie whom she loves dearly.
The story starts at an event at the end of the book and then flashes back to the beginning.
We follow Cassie as she is surviving another day in the office fending off her creepy colleague Todd and introducing us to some of the other faces in her life. We learn there is a serial killer on the loose and after work she bumps into her gorgeous new neighbor Scott and on a whim agrees to go out to dinner with him.
During dinner Scott's behaviour leads her to believe that he however is not all that he appears to be. Shaking her weird suspicion off, she goes home and crawls into bed when in the middle of the night she gets woken up to a warning from her cat Allie, who talks directly into her mind.
Instead of passing it off as a dream, she confronts Allie the next morning and wrings the truth out of her. And so their paranormal bond is formed and the hunt to uncover if Cassie's suspicions around Scott being said serial killer, begins.
Again, this is probably because I am sporting zero action in the romance department, unless you count sappy rom-coms from the video store and the intermittent kiss from potentially possessed new neighbors that may or may not be serial killers.
Of course the bond with her cat comes with more surprises then just a extraordinary conversational partner. It also leaves her to develop additional paranormal abilities.
There is quite a bit that goes on in this book, though it is relatively short sporting around 330 pages. Since this is the first in a series I suspect a lot of it is story building for future instalments and it takes a little away from the main plot line.
I also missed a deeper insight into our main character. Even though there where parts that where definitely intriguing, her persona still remained a little flat and lacked the deeper motivations and thoughts that could have made me feel more so invested.
In saying that, the aim of the author [a:C.L. Clark|8584887|C.L. Clark|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1411400583p2/8584887.jpg] was to combine a paranormal/thriller with a good dash of humor, which was done well. There where some amusing parts in there and it made the book feel entertaining and lighter then the average thriller.
Are you trying to tell me that you can see mental illness?” Allie ticked her head to the side and gave me a curious stare. “In a manner of seeing, yes. Dog is better at that than cat.” “Ooo,” I mused, sliding my hand down along her spine. “I bet that hurt to admit, didn't it."
This book does cater more to the adult readers I have the feeling, though it does not contain anything offensive that would stop a teen or young adult from reading it.
In fact I'm quite curious what the next instalment A Brighter Light will bring, which is to be released on the 15th of July. By the looks of it, we will get to delve into her other abilities more and actually have a potential love interest that does not behave like a capital D*CK.
Would I recommend it?
That is a hard one, I don't think it would be to everyone's taste. I would definitely recommend it to any of my crazy cat lady friends (you know who you are). And probably also to anyone looking for something light yet substantial enough to keep your interest whilst commuting.
aly36's review
5.0
The author has created a heroine and sidekick that make a great team. This is the first book in a series about a paranormal insurance investigator and her beloved cat. The story starts out with Cassie as a receptionist/office manager for the greatest boss in town, Artie. Soon she meets a good-looking soap opera-like new neighbor, Scott who talks her into a dinner date, but she soon sees him what a pig he can be. Once back from the date her beloved cat, Allie becomes her closes confidante. Cassie's life is changed forever and suddenly she can speak and get answers with Allie and also see ghosts that are all around her in her hometown of Kensington Falls. Have you ever dreamed your cat could talk? A serial killer is on the loose and the book takes you off in a great adventure with Allie and Cassie. I enjoyed this story very much. I love cats too. * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
More...