SUNNY: BOOK REVIEW "Curse the Dawn" by Karen Chance

SUMMARY:
Cassandra Palmer may be the all-powerful Pythia now, but that doesn’t mean people have stopped trying to kill her. Most of the supernatural power players don’t want the independent minded Cassie as chief clairvoyant—and they’ll stop at nothing to see her six feet under.

The Vampire Senate does support Cassie in her position, but their protection comes with a price: an alliance with the sexy master vampire Mircea, who has claimed Cassie as his own.

But even the vampires will have trouble keeping Cassie alive now that the self-styled god Apollo, the source of the Pythia’s power, has it in for her in a big way. To save her life—and the world—Cassie’s going to have to face down her creator…


REVIEW:
I find myself conflicted about this book - actually my feelings reflect how I feel about the whole series so far. There are episodes in this book that are brilliant. I love the variety of characters. They are funny, courageous, loyal and distinct. What I don’t like is that some of the storylines introduced in Book 1, Touch the Dark, are still yet to be resolved. Cassie is a reluctant Pythia - the Chief Clairvoyant for the Magic World. She is the consort to Master Vampire, Mircea and her ever-present, reluctant companion is John Pritkin, war mage extraordinaire. Her ascension to this position is is unusual and is thus, her legitimacy is constantly being challenged. 

The second half of this book makes the entire series worthwhile. There are genuinely, funny and creative situations . The body exchange was funny and real. If you were placed in a position where you changed bodies with someone of the opposite sex, what kind of things would be thinking about. Yes, that’s right. What does if feel like to perform bodily functions? 

This is also, for me, the first book where we begin to learn more about the principle characters - their past, their concerns, their vulnerabilities. It is the first time that I started to really care about Mircea, Pritkin, and Cassie. It is enough to keep me reading and propel me to the next book.

IN A NUTSHELL: 
A reward for those sticking with the first three books, this is a must read.  

Read and reviewed on May 17, 2012