Reviewed by Berls on
My Initial Reaction…
After two torturous years waiting for it’s release I’m finally holding a copy of Tempt the Stars and thanks to a giveaway by Under the Covers Book Blog, I’m reading it before the release date! The Cassie Palmer series was one of my very first entries into Urban Fantasy, which has become my all-time favorite genre, so I’m a bit partial to these books. And they never disappoint. Tempt the Stars is no exception – I was immediately sucked in by the characters I love, incredible humor, and jaw-dropping scenes.
The Characters…
Cassie is one of my favorite Urban Fantasy heroines, and not just because she was one of the first ones I ever read. I love her sense of humor and her determination to make independent decisions, no matter how much every powerful faction out there wants to control her. This hasn’t changed since Touch the Dark, but Cassie sure has grown! As Hunt the Moon ended, Cassie’s world was flipped upside down, again. She’d just learned she was the daughter of Artemis and, because he’d been determined to save her regardless of the personal cost, John Pritkin had been snatched away from her and dragged to his father’s throne in Hell (one of them at least).
So with Tempt the Stars Cassie is on her own and, of course, she’s got one thing on her agenda. Get Pritkin back! Cassie has been extremely closed throughout the series, letting few people inside her thick shields. Pritkin was one of those people and she’s feeling his absence, not just for his amazing skills, but for his friendship. I was so impressed by the way Chance wrote Cassie’s emotions, you really feel her grief, her determination, and her anger. It’s also really impressive to see Cassie working solo. She continues to be extremely resourceful and imaginative, not to mention willing to run and hide when she needs to. But gone are the days of Cassie cowering. She’s demanding respect and being assertive. Cassie has grown into her power in some amazing ways. Yes, she still struggles with it, but she’s managing some draw-dropping feats we (and she) didn’t know she could do in the first place. And despite all that, she’s still the same person we love deep-down, complete with her love of junk food and casual attire. She’s really redefining what it is to be Pythia.
So what about Pritkin? Does she save him? Well Cassie sure is determined, but that's all I'll tell you :-). And Mircea? When Hunt the Moon ended, as you’ll remember, Cassie had just had a very public make-out session with Pritkin, in the buff. Yes, he was saving her life. But no one knows that, because no one knows that he’s half-incubus. I was holding my breath for Mircea’s response and I was kind of surprised by how he dealt with it. He sure is a mystery.
The Story…
Tempt the Stars revolves around Cassie’s number one goal: saving John Pritkin. But, of course, it’s not simple – even for someone who can move through time. It gives her some rare advantages, but also the rare ability to make a mess out of everything. And since Cassie can’t share this problem with anyone besides Casanova and Caleb (John’s friend from the Corps), she’s got to figure this out pretty much solo. And of course, it’s never that simple. There’s also the demands of her office, which includes some interesting and powerful visitors for her to deal with. Like always, Cassie has her hands full.
I was pretty quickly struck by the reminder that only a couple months have passed since we met Cassie and she began down this tumultuous road as Pythia! It’s hard to believe, since I’ve been reading this series for years – and I was worried that I would forget what happened in the previous books. Usually I like to reread the previous book, but I was unable to do so this time. It didn’t matter. Chance did an incredible job of weaving in reminders of important details and I was never confused. And of course, Tempt the Stars was brimful of all the things you’ve come to expect from the series: humorous, sarcastic acceptance of incredibly bad luck, punctuated by moments of ingenious and gripping action.
Concluding Sentiments…
I laughed, I cried, I stayed up too late reading just so I could find out how/if Cassie was going to get herself out of her current predicament. And when the book ended, I sat in stunned silence for a moment, mourning the end of yet another incredible addition to the series. My only complaint is that I have to wait to see what’s coming next.Pre-Order on Amazon Now!
Dying for more? Here’s my reading progress comments. And that’s all you’re going to get
09/15
marked as:
currently-reading
09/15
page 13
3.0%
“Already laughing bunches!”
09/15
page 42
9.0%
“Already great. Wish I didn’t have to go to bed!”
09/16
page 60
13.0%
“LMAO!!!”
09/16
page 90
20.0%
“Uh-oh!! And I have to go to bed :/”
09/17
page 101
23.0%
“Awesome, hilarious action scene!”
09/17
page 114
26.0%
“Cool! Damn I wish my eyes weren’t trying so hard to close! 1 more chapter…”
09/18
page 125
28.0%
“Out with it already! How does it work? ugh I hate that I have responsibilities and can’t just read this all day “
09/18
page 139
32.0%
“I feel like I’ve been waiting the whole series for this moment and I’m not disappointed!”
09/18
page 154
35.0%
“Lol that was cool. Ok bed time! Well past it by almost 2 hours…”
09/19
page 180
41.0%
“Things are about to get crazy!!!”
09/20
page 190
43.0%
“another big Uh-Oh! This is awesomeness “
09/20
page 195
45.0%
“Shit!!! Did not see that coming!”
09/20
page 204
47.0%
“So that was the perfect combination of cool, intense, and hilarious.”
09/20
page 221
51.0%
“LMAO!!!”
09/21
page 280
64.0%
“LOL poor Cassie!”
09/21
page 303
70.0%
“That was AMAZING!!”
09/21
page 339
78.0%
“Well crap. Now I’m crying.”
09/21
page 352
81.0%
“That was awesome and intense! How does Chance come up with this insanity !?!?!”
09/21
page 352
81.0%
“!!!!!!!”
09/21
page 388
89.0%
“!!!!!!”
09/21
page 412
95.0%
“I’m an emotional wreck right now!!! This is an insanely intense roller coaster!”
09/21
marked as:
read
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 29 September, 2013: Reviewed