Hunt the Moon: A Cassie Palmer Novel (Cassandra Palmer, #5)

by Karen Chance

Cassandra Palmer recently defeated a god, which you'd think would buy a girl a little time off. But it doesn't work that way when your job description is Pythia-the world's chief clairvoyant. Cassie is busier than ever, trying to learn about her power, preparing for her upcoming coronation, and figuring out her relationship with the enigmatic sexy master vampire, Mircea.

But someone doesn't want Cassie to become Pythia, and is willing to go to any lengths to make sure the coronation ceremony never happens- including attacking her mother before Cassie is even born.

• ISBN10: 0451413075
• ISBN13: 9780451413079
• Publish Date: 7 June 2011 (first published 1 June 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Berkley
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451413079

Reviews

[Jo]

Oh. My. God! I am completely reeling after finishing this book! Regular readers of my blog will know by now how big a fan of Karen Chance's novels I am, so it will be no surprise to hear I was more than a little excited to read Hunt the Moon. But, despite the fact that Chance is a genius and always, always, surprises and wows me more than words can say, I would never have expected to be blown away to such a level as I was when I had finished reading.

I don't even really know where to begin. So much happens in Hunt the Moon, like in the others, it's hard to know what to say without spoiling the book. There is the usual chaos that follows Cassie where ever she goes, with more action than you can shake a stick at - yet it all flows beautifully together to create a story that's just unbelievable. In every review of a novel by Chance, I always go on about howbrilliant the action is, but there isn't really much more to add - but it all still stands. Just incredible.

There is a new element in this book though; questions regarding the Norse and Greek myths - or at least where they overlap. We saw this a little witht he introduction and demise of Apollo previously, but more comes into it in this book. If there was Apollo, and all those other gods held back by the ouroboros spell, then what else that is considered myth - even in Cassie's world - is actually real? And what does that mean for Cassie? It's siply fascinating, and Chance has put so much research inot the myths and worked them seemlessly into her book. It's just brilliant.

We find out a lot more about the pasts of both Mircea and Pritkin, - one based in actual history, the other pure imagination, both completely believavble. It's this combination of fact and fiction that make Chance's novels that more credible. We're not just told their histories for the sake of it though, there is a point, as there always is, in everything in these books. It gives insight into who these people are and what they've been through, and explains why deicions hae been made or actions taken in the past, in the present, and they may be made or taken in the future. It's more jigsaw pieces that make the whole person for both characters, but also ad to the bigger picture of the story.

The romance between Cassie and Mircea goes up a notch in this book. Not only do they sizzle like they always do, but there is real emotion that comes through. But there is another person on the outside who is a "will they? won't they?" love interest that Cassie simply doesn't see. There have been hints in the previous books and a fair few more in this, and I just wish Cassie would open her eyes, and Pritkin would open his mouth and just say it! Actually, "hints" is the wrong word for this book because it's so obvious! And I think I might prefer PRitkin to Mircea a bit. I really do like him!

And then there's the ending. Oh my god, the ending! The ending that had me shouting at the book in anger and denial, the ending that had me on the verge of tears, the ending that had me fall in love just a little bit. The ending that has probably had a bigger emotional impact on me than any other urban fantasy has had before, and has me literally desperate for he next book in the series, on which I can find no info about! I think I might have actually got a little too emotionally involved in this series, because I would be quite willing to jump into it's pages and try and be a hero(ine).

The book is the best in the series sp far, it's completely amazing, and Chance fans simply cannot miss out on it. It's jaw-droppingly good!

For Ink and Paper - fantasy book blog.

[Quirky Cat]

Hunt the Moon is the fifth Cassie Palmer novel, and man, that girl just can’t catch a break, can she? Cassie isn’t given much time to recover after defeating a god – now she has to deal with all the death threats coming at her. And naturally, as Pythia, those threats aren’t just coming at her from the present.
I absolutely adore the Cassie Palmer series, and this novel is probably one of my favorites. Not that I’ve ever been very good at picking my favorites or anything like that. This whole series has been a thrilling whirlwind, and I honestly can’t wait for the next novel to release.
Side note before we begin: I’ve actually read this whole series multiple times (it’s one of my favorites), but it wasn’t until recently that I realized that I’ve never reviewed the older books in the series. So here I am, reading them all again, and loving every minute of it.
Because I’m doing a reread with a group of people (the Karen Chance Street Team – message me if you want to know more about it) I’m also going to include the discussion prompts we’ve been using. That will be at the end of the review, so if you’re curious, check it out.


Hunt the Moon is one of those standout novels in a series. Even loving the entire series, I have to admit that this novel goes above and beyond. It was fast paced and managed to snag my full emotional investment, all while dragging us on one crazy journey.
Normally when I’m reading a book I can easily point out what my favorite part is. And usually I’ll have reread that part a million times. But not in this case. Once I start reading any section of it, I end up reading the whole book. It just works so perfectly as a whole unit.
And trust me, there is a lot happening in this novel. More people (erm, gods) are popping out of the woodworks to try and kill Cassie, she’s still dealing with her Pythia powers and trying to take control of her station, she’s got the vampires to deal with as well, plus the fae, and so much more. And let’s not forget the emotional side of things either; Pritkin and Mircea. Any one of those tasks would be borderline too much for one person, yet here Cassie is being forced to deal with it all. All things considered, I think she did a pretty decent job of it.
This novel did a brilliant job of showing how far Cassie has come. Sure, she’s still got a ways to go, but don’t we all? Cassie is so strong and determined, even when all of the odds are stacked against her. It’s inspiring, truthfully.
The main plot was intense and kept things moving forward at an insane pace. But it was exciting to read – to put it mildly. I really enjoyed everything about it, from the way it was introduced, all the way to the heartbreaking conclusion. Now I remember exactly how anxious I was for the release of Tempt the Stars (can you blame me?).
Also, I feel like a lot of the secondary characters were really given a chance to shine here. Marco has really grown on me, and I adore Fred already, even though he was just introduced. Slowly the bubble of people around Cassie is building.
And of course there’s the romantic subplot. Or is it subplots? Your call. I really enjoyed the way Karen Chance handled everything that was going on – and I’m sure that was difficult to balance too. So credit where credit is due. At this point in the series I’m sure everyone has a preferred team they’re rooting for, and I’m no exception (though it wouldn’t be hard to guess who I’m rooting for).
All things said and done, I’m thrilled that I had a good excuse to read Hunt the Moon all over again. And I was so into it that I read it from cover to cover in one sitting. And I have no regrets about that decision! Now on to Tempt the Stars, because there’s no way I’m waiting on that one.




Tarot Card: The Moon
“The Moon Reversed indicates a pattern or a cycle that is about to repeat itself.”
“I don’t see the good stuff” I explained briefly. “Anyway, the cards can be read a number of different ways. But normally the Moon reversed points to a dark time, like the dark side of the moon, you know?”

Favorite chapter/scene/plot point: I’m sincerely not sure I could pick a moment in this novel that was my favorite. It worked so well as a whole unit, you know? If I had to pick, probably either the fight scene at the end, or that sweet scene on the balcony early on.

Favorite quote: “Nothing about the future is decided until it happens. We create it every day by the choices we make, good or bad.”

Favorite political quote: “That’s easy to say, but I think you may have more of a struggle establishing your independence from the Senate than you seem to think. But, in any case, we’re talking about appearances, not esoteric facets of vampire law. And the fact is that you…belonging…to a vampire, however you define it, is not going to sit well with the supernatural community as a whole.”

MVP (not including Cassie): Pritkin. Not only for all of the fighting and sacrificing he made, but for the emotional side of things as well. That moment where he went out to check on Cassie on the balcony – after the first of many attempts on her life – was sweet. And it showed how much he cared for her. And frankly, it showed how empathetic he could be, despite how he behaves.

Interesting bits I noticed this time ‘round: I think I picked up more on the interpersonal connections this time around. The sweet moments between Cassie and Pritkin, the cuter moments between Cassie and all of her bodyguards (but especially Marco). That’s not really an observation, I know. But that’s just where my head was at, I guess.

What further research did this book inspire (historical, mythological, etc): None this time, believe it or not.

Unanswered questions:

Bonus! T-Shirt quotes: “I keep hitting escape, but I’m still here.”
“There’s too much blood in my caffeine system”


For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Linda]

This was excellent with so many twists I never would have guessed - I think that means I'm as slow as Cassie is *grins* but this was very well written, and so many things happened. It was fast paced, and Cassie understood a lot more about herself.
Mircea finally understood that he can't tell Cassie what to do, but that he needs to trust her.
I am already wondering what will happen in the next installment, because there were a lot of loose ends in this one.