Claimed by Shadow (Cassandra Palmer Series #2)

FANTASTIC SERIES

I loved Touch the Dark, and the ending left me looking forward to reading more about psychic Cassie Palmer's adventures. I was very excited to discover that there was a sequel, and that it picks up a lot of the threads I enjoyed in the first installment and runs with them.
When the book opens, Cassie is trying to get rid of the powers that were thrust upon her at the end of Touch the Dark. She's the new, and very reluctant, pythia, the magical community's head seer. But the power that comes with the office makes her a target for everybody from assassin war mages to vampires to the former leading contender for the role, a seer named Myra. Cassie isn't interested in power-she'd prefer to save her skin. But while she tries to figure out how to decline the position, Myra has come up with a clever plan to remove her competition-permanently.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Not the best but not the worse

The books was a good read but not worth saving to read again. I am reading the third book right now but after each one I finish I give it to the local library. I have heard some people compare Karen Chance to other authors Like Laurell K Hamilton but I don't see it. Laurell K Hamiltons books are worth saving to read and re read over and over. Karen Chances books are not. Though I would suggest reading. Just not worth buying. Barrow them.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great Series!

I hope Karen Chance continues to write this series for a very long time. This is a character that I love and hope to see for many years.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

*sigh* I bought the second book hoping it would be better written then the first. I really liked the plot and everything else about it. I thought it started out well enough a little slow once again. But I could imagine everything clear as day. Then it got even slower. She uses wayyyyyyyyy to much detail. You can describe things without being so wordy it kills the mood and whats going on in the book. She tends to to also break up the fight scenes right in the middle with her constant need to add info and to talk when it really isn't necessary. It really does ruin the action and the whole effect. All in all was a slow read and I'm not even done with it I'm like 30 pages from the end I had to force myself to read through it. I wanted to give it a chance because I really like the story just not how it's written if that makes sense to the other readers. It really is a good 'storyline' If only it was written better with not so much detail. ( I know I stress it but I'm not the only one) It really disappointed me and I'm not so sure I want to buy the 3rd one ~_~

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A great writer of supernatural fantasy

The Pythia is the earth¿s most powerful clairvoyant, but it is the power of the title that chooses the heir. Although Cassandra Palmer¿s mentor was out of the running for the position because she did something horrific, the vampire Mercia believed Cassandra would be the one. Mercia places a geas on his ward to drive men away so that the young woman can be the Pythia since the ritual needs a virgin when it starts and someone Mercia chooses to complete the power by making love -------------------- The Sylver Circle, a coven of mages, and the Senate, who represent the vampires, want to control Cassandra who was brought up in a vampiric court. Thus the vamps assume she will turn to them to guide her, but Cassandra is her own woman and plans to control her destiny especially if she can find the one male who she can mate with so she can complete the ritual and become the Pythia. Cassandra follows Myra, the initiate who flunked out, back in time to 1888 England and into the realm of Fairy as she knows she will only be safe if her enemy dies though all she wants to do is neutralize her jealous foe.---------------- Karen Chance is a great writer of supernatural fantasy that is on a par with the works of Kim Harrison, Charlaine Harris and Kelly Armstrong. Her heroine is one of the most powerful women in the sub-genre as she makes her own way with a deep desire to use her powers do it her way guided by her ethics. There is so much action in CLAIMED BY SHADOW that readers will never stop until finished as we must know what happens next to Cassandra.------------ Harriet Klausner

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Recommend

No review

Loved it

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved!

Loved!Great series! Read in one weekend!

Good

While the book was good, it did get confusing at times. Near the end it got interesting.

Confusing and Rushed

Cassandra Palmer escapes the Senate with a duffel full of weapons only to be attacked by the Circle. Pritkin and Cassie are forced to become allies due to a common goal-although she never truly trusts him. Besides Pritkin, Cassie is helped by Billy the ghost and Mac, a tattoo artist mage. Cassie's Pythia powers drag her into the past to save Mircea from Myra who is set on making sure Cassie never lives to get her powers. By going into the past, Cassie accidentally sets the geis, a bonding spell Mircea had cast, in the future on the past Mircea strengthening their bond. This becomes problematic for both of them since they can't seem to keep their hands off eachother when together and when separated are in total physical pain (a pain that has led others under the same circumstances to commit suicide).
After reading the first book in the series, Touch the Dark, I thought this can only get better. I was a bit disappointed. I mean, yes it was action packed. And yes, there was never a dull moment. But the plot didn't really progress until the last 10 pages or so. Also, I love Mircea, and I hated how he was barely in this book. He showed up briefly in the present, but only for short periods of time in the past. Also, the whole thing with Tomas at the end was weird. I did like Cassie's spirit in this book. No matter how many times she was knocked down, she just got right back up again. All she wants is to find her father, kill Tony, and live a normal life. But everyone else wants something from her. They are all one-step ahead of her. Even though the odds are in no way stacked in her favor, she keeps on fighting for what she wants. Honestly, I like the series so I'll keep reading. I want to find out how it ends.
I felt rushed through the book, and I found myself confused several times wondering if I missed something but after rereading realized I didn't miss anything. By the end of the book I got the gist of what happened, however I was still lost. Both in this book and the first I felt like I was thrown into the middle of it and was left to figure out what was going on.

review taken from One Book At A Time http://onebooktime.blogspot.com

Thank you to all those who said don't give up on this series. I usually find the second book in series falls very short of the 1st book. But, occasionally the second book far succeeds the first. In fact, you could almost skip the first book and go straight to this one. It even explains some of the events that occur in the first better. Although, you do miss some of the character set up. Cassandra is starting to grow on me. She is accepting who she is and the powers that truly belong to her, even if she doesn't want them to. She's head strong, and I think that might be an a character trait that will greatly benefit her. I'm enjoying the world that the author is creating. There's a lot of characters and a lot of supernatural rules you have to learn along the way. But, I'm thinking that eventually all get worked out. I think it helps that I've read other book involving fey, vampires, etc. I think my favorite part of this book was the geis that the Vampire put on Cassie. It's interesting the way it works and how it affects both the vampire and Cassie. I will be interested to see how this plays into future books.
Overall, this was much better than the first one. I will keep reading this series (thankfully the library already has them)!

Better than the 1st but still a little lacking

I liked this one more than the first because the author didn't go off on tangents as much so it was a lot easier to read. I think that now that I know the characters more it's better as well. One of the reasons this is still a 3 star for me is the amount of foreshadowing its like every scene is first stated in a "and that's when it got bad" type of intro. IDK that was just like a little bit of a let down for me I mean at least once let me just run right into it! I will continue to read the series because this book is good and I like the characters you just really need to get past all the details that are unnecessary.

Great read!

I liked Touch the Dark, the first in this series, but it had a bit of "first book syndrome". I still enjoyed it (the world building was interesting, just too much of it) but this book has none of the issues of the first and is even more fun as a result. Like all the books in this series (I've read them all now) it's funny, action-packed and has a great plot. I can't wait for book 5!

Claimed by shadow (Cassandra Palmer Series #2)

I read the first book of the series which was boring. This book was not that much better. It jumps from one thing to the other. It has too much going on. I really dont like Mircea. I would rather see her with Pritkins...The main character is so dumb at times and her she acts like a spoil brat at times.... I hope the third book is better than this one

Definitely Captivating

In this second book of the series, Karen Chance's talent truly begins to shine. Relationships sizzle, characters are absolutely intriguing, and the plot gets a lot more wicked as the heroine finally steps up to the plate. A series definitely worth following.

jeeezzzz...still not feelin it

So I read the 1st one and didn't much care for it. Now I have gotten through the 2nd one and this wasn't much better, a lil..... but not by much. I have read some of these reviews and I must not be reading the same book. It was....blah. And you guys like Cassie. OMG!!! What a twit. I still want to smack her constanly. She is the 1st character that I don't like. I like the others better than the main. I am hoping the 3rd book is better.

Love to Read

I read all the time and go through books like water. Saw this book on the shelf and thought why not? Didn't take long to read, was totally engrossed with the characters of this book. Great read for a rainy day or just sitting out on the back porch with your favorite drink. Loved it!!

Fantastic Read!

Karen Chance's Cassandra Palmer series has me hooked. Since, I've gone through each and every one of the Cassandra Palmer novels I can honestly say that her characters are dynamic and grow with each new addition! Karen Chance never lets you down and each time I open a new book of hers I feel like I've stepped into a wonderful world. I highly recommend the series and the author.

Loved it!

I could not put this series down. It was never slow always changing and fun to read.