Binding: Kindle Edition
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
Format: Kindle Book
Label: Roc
Languages: Array
Manufacturer: Roc
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: 2007-03-29
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: 2007-03-29
Studio: Roc

Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking Mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with revenge in mind, she's forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection.The undead senators won't help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire- and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay.

Customer Rating:
Summary: A bit slow at first but then picks up speed quickly
Comment: I discovered this series through Amazon's "recommended reads". I found my mind wandering in maybe the first third of the book. It then became extremely entertaining. I liked it enough to order the 2nd and 3rd books in the series before I got to the end of the book --- so I could start reading them immediately upon finishing this one.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The heroine is a bit self centered
Comment: I think the problem I have with this series is with Cassandra. She's tends to be a bit whimsical and self centered. As if the entire universe owes her one and she's entitled to collected from anyone she meets.

So you will have conversations like
member of group: "you almost got me killed!!!"
cassandra: "suck it up"
--two minutes later--
cassandra: "watch what you're doing! you could have gotten me killed!!"
and the person she is talking to is presumably expected to cower.

She will claim not to want the responsibility of Pythia but at the same time use the power, and then complain about her powers.

Likewise, although she won't answer any questions, all other characters are apparently supposed to "answer my question!" or "tell me something useful", "start making sense or else"

She will chase after the bad guys by herself, then when all hell breaks loose, she'll blame the people who show up to save her, and not take any responsibility.

I think the concept and the plot of this series is good, but it's just so hard to read any scenes with Cassandra in them.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Paranormal Story
Comment: The book is about Cassandra Palmer, clairvoyant, seeing spirits. She is on the run from a vampire that killed her parents to get control of her. Wen Cassandra realizes that she is being used for financial and political gains, she runs away.

Then she gets an email that is of her obituary. She goes on the run, finds out her roommate is a vampire that was supposed to seduce her, and learns of her true calling, she is not just a clairvoyant, she can also travel through time and alter history.

I really liked this book. I really felt for Cassandra as everyone is trying to get her to do things, but not helping her understand what is going on. The book had great flow and character development. I would recommend this to anyone that likes the paranormal romance type books.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Over enthusiastic author bogs down w/ too much plot
Comment: I wish that the author has shown a bit--okay a lot--more restraint in
the plotting of this book. As it is, there is so much going on in
this book that is hard to take in. In this first book alone, there is
more than enough plot for an entire series.

Not that the story or the supernatural world that Cassandra lives in
isn't interesting, quite the opposite. But as a reader, I din't get
to enjoy it very much because I was constantly being crammed with
plot, plot, and more plot (except for the abrupt and extremely
graphic--and long-- sex scene that seemed very out of place given the
tone of the rest of the book).

I would have liked to become more slowly immersed into the world
rather then getting thrown in and never being allowed to come up for
air. I would have read the rest of the series if the former had been
true rather then the latter, assuming that the graphic sex scene
hadn't been included. Oh well.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A fun read, but doesn't live up to its potential.
Comment: Touch the Dark is an action packed sprint through an intriguing world of supernatural mayhem and disaster. The writing is quality and the plot interestingly convoluted, but the frenzied pace detracted greatly from the overall work. Instead of an immersive experience, the book feels like a series of overdone action scenes patched together with stilted plot exposition; it's a special effects action flick that never quite manages to entirely make sense.

Karen Chance did succeed in producing a page turner that's hard to put down, but it leaves a reader wanting in the end. I'd recommend this for a light read, the literary equivalent of prime time television, but anyone looking for a serious work of fiction should steer clear. Hopefully in the future Chance will refrain from a dizzying rush of action to let her impressive style and imagination take center stage.

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