Midnight's Daughter (Dorina Basarab Series #1)

author¿s backlist (see CLAIMED BY SHADOWS). Karen Chance is by far one of the best authors writing urban fantasies today

There is a war going on between the Vampire Senate and the dark mages of the Black Circle the hostilities have made arms dealers very wealthy as they sell magical armaments to both camps. Five hundred years old dhampir Dorina Basarab is unlike her peers as she can somewhat control her berserker rages so is uninterested in the war. She worries when her best friend Claire the null witch, who could be a valuable weapon of mass destruction, has gone missing for a month. Dory has been directing all her energy into finding her buddy when a family member asks for her help.----------------- Her father, first level vampire Mircea informs hat her Uncle Dracula escaped his confinement. He needs her help to capture and re-incarcerate the craziest deadliest family member. Dory has had one horrific fight with her uncle and does not want a rematch. Her father makes a deal with his daughter if she catches Dracula, he will get the Vampire Senate to search for Claire. Knowing Dracula will be coming for her and her Uncle Rudu, Dory accepts her dad¿s terms. Gathering allies, Dory is stunned to learn her adversary has captured Claire.----------- Dory is an interesting lead character, a dhampire who has survived for five centuries on her dysfunctional family by controlling her rages and killing only when necessary those deserving to die. She is a unique dhampir as most cannot control their berserker tendencies or show love towards another person like she does towards Claire as a sister would. There is plenty of action, a bit of romance, and a fascinating look at the Dracula brood. Urban fantasy readers will want to take a chance on this tale as well as the author¿s backlist (see CLAIMED BY SHADOWS). Karen Chance is by far one of the best authors writing urban fantasies today.-------- Harriet Klausner

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Awesome.

Love the sexual tension right out the gate. Did drag a little and wandered a little, but loved it and got the second ones as soon as I was finished.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A DO NOT miss book in the paranormal genre

Wow. So, I devoured this book. I have read Karen Chance's Cassandra Palmer novels and I enjoyed them greatly, but this one, I devoured. Dory is not a character I expected to fall in love with. In fact, I almost passed this book up because the blurb on the back of the book didn't really pull me in. I took a chance (ha!) because of the other Karen Chance novels I had read. I found that Dory is complex and fascinating. I really wanted to curl up with Louis-Cesare somewhere for a while, or even go to a family function with Mircea and Radu just to watch them interact. These characters were so well written that I wanted to sit down with each one and talk to them. They feel so real. I loved that the fact that they are paranormal creatures seemed secondary to their very "human" relationships and emotions. I literally re-read the ending three times this morning at 3am. I could not put it down until I finished it and even then I did not want it to be done. Way to go Karen Chance, and thank you for creating such amazing characters.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fantastic Read

This newest series about Dorina Basarab, like Karen Chance's Cassandra Palmer series has me hooked. Since, I've gone through each and every one of the Cassandra Palmer novels it was not surprising that her character in this one was even more dynamic! 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.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Satisfying!

Just what I've been looking for. I started reading LKH a few years ago and found this same sense of satisfaction at the beginning of her Anita Blake novels. I loved the gore and the fighting. I loved Dory's fearlessness and sheer guts. I'm going back to B&N and finding the Cassandra Palmer series to see if they measure up to this book. It literally took my breath away.... When Dory fights at the end and to save her life she envelops herself in something I cannot describe here (you'll have to read the book!), I was blown away. Fantastic!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Never a "Happy" Ending

Karen Chance readers need to move past the need for a "happy" ending, and Midnight's Daughter is no exception. There is closure, no mortifying death or anything like that. . .well, OK, death but not a mortifying one. What I think sets Chance apart from the other fantasy writers, flirting with the romantic side is that she can finish a book and leave the reader a little hungry, maybe even a little edgy, without the book feeling unfinished.

Here's the low down on Midnight's Daughter. Dory is tough, but not just your normal simpering heroine with a tough exterior - she's truly tough, a berserker for all practical purposes. There's nothing pretty, or gentle, or soft about her. So, in the midst of this war, she's shocked to be presented with romance and, when she has to fight for it, she's angry (instead of the weepy heroines I hate). It's refreshing and I can't wait to read the next one.

Write faster Karen!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Expectations!

First time reading any book by Karen Chance. I thought it was a good book kept my interest thru & thru till the very end. There's a lot of great characters that I would like to find out more about. There seems to be many secrets that still have to be revealed. Loved the playful banter between Dory & Louis Cesar. Don't know if his ever met anyone like Dorina. I can truly say this has become a new series on my list.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Very good, I recommend this book.

Fast paced. It took me a couple capters to get into this character, but I really liked her take no prisoners type attitude. Really recommed this author, and this is just another facet of her wonderful universe.
Really great read.

Must read !!!

I loved this book so much. Highly recommended.

Highly entertaining with lots of action

Karen Chance successfully transitioned from her Cassandra Palmer series into a story of Mircea's half breed "Dhamphire" daughter. This story is a bit darker, but more complex in character creation. These are all flawed individuals, rather like in real life where every person has good/bad qualities, or dark/light aspects of personality. Chance is brilliant in bringing Dorina to life and giving us a deeper look into the complex history (convoluted due to change in the time line performed by Cassie in the Cassandra Palmer series) of Louis Cesare. She also brings greater involvement of the Light Fey, with wonderfully detailed description of power they weld. At first I thought Chance had taken a wrong turn into a bloodier and grimier world than depicted in Cassie's story, but all along I had thought Chance had white washed much of the true darkness and violence of the world Cassie inhabited. With Dorina this white wash has been removed in a believable tale that is complex and well written.

Recommended

I liked it, but not as much as I thought I would. It was a lot more fey involvement than I expected, which I can go either way on. I don't know if it helped or hurt that I had read the short story in 'On The Prowl' regarding Dory's friend and roommate Claire. On the one hand, I like having the background info. But on the other hand, it felt like they tried to shove that story into this one, and it just didn't fit. It was like a continuation, but from someone else's perspective, and I wished they'd just done an entirely different story. By the end there was Drac, the fey, the hybrid bird things... just way too many villains running around at once that made it feel like kind of a cluster-f**k. Dory was developed pretty well, although I'm hoping she loses the chip on her shoulder eventually and we get to see her and Mircea's relationship develop more.

Karen Chance does it again!

If you love the Cassandra Palmer series you'll love this new series. This series includes characters from the Cassandra Palmer series so they tie into one another i recommend reading the cassandra palmer series first so you know all the characters. Warning once you start this book you will not be able to put it down.

to much action, not enough romance

The writing is good, however the story is dark and violent. This is not a light read.

Love Mircea's daughter

If you enjoyed the Cassie Palmer series then you will find pleasure here! Karen Chance has a complicated writing style that I have learned to love.

A Recipe for Fun!

This was such a fun book to read. It had all the ingredients for a most delicious and enjoyable adventure.

If you are a Karen Chance fan and follow her Cassandra Palmer series, you will enjoy watching characters you know, make the transition to leading roles in this new and exciting series. Consider me hooked!

Dorina Basarab is quirky and sexy with a no nonsense attitude you just can't help but love.

Great Book

Good book BUT read the Cassie Palmer series first. I didnt and alot of things I would have understood better if I had. Just my suggestion!

This is a great buy

This book is an excellent read. If you enjoyed Karen Chance's other books you will like this one. I started out borrowing this from a friend and like it so much I just went out and bought it, so I could read it over and over. This is a great buy.

Bad From the Start

This storyline is just awful. The story is hard to follow and the characters are not very real. Yeah, this is a fictional story, but a plot-line is suppose to pull you into a story, to involve you and have your mind thinking that you are the character, but this story just left me flat and uninspired. This storyline is boring and the author really should think more about what they are wanting to write and the kind of message they are wanting to send to their readers.

I couldn't even get passed the first 20 pages.

I couldn't even finish the book. maybe it is just me but the plot did not develop fast enough for me.

Good story for a tie in with the Cassandra series

Dorina, Dori, Basarab is a dampir, half vampire half human. Most dhampire's don't last long due to the fact that they are prone to berserker rages and end up getting or being killed. Her father, Mircea from the Cassandra series, needs her to help vampire Louis-Cesare hunt her uncle, Dracula, down. The only reason she agrees is she is looking for her friend/roommate Clair that is a null witch and has disappeared a month previous. Clair is the only person that has been able to help her calm down for any amount of time.

Louis-Cesare is a mess in more ways than on. Radu, Dori's other uncle, created Louis-Cesare. But, due to circumstances in the Cassandra timeline, had to abandon him. Along with that, he turned the love of his life into a vampire when she was dieing. As soon as she realized what happened she cursed him and took off. So, he is a piece of mental work.

This is a good tie in book. You can read it alone, but knowing the Cassandra series give it broader horizons. Even though they are supposed to hunt Dracula and he spends more time working Dori over, it is good. I recommend it to those that like the paranormal stories.