A skilled knife fighter since the age of nine, Chalice knows what it's like to live life on the edge--precariously balanced between the dark and th...
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reviews
Jul 31, 2011
Maja
rated it: 
"Chalice is a modern-day knight descended from an order of female knights that existed int he Middle Ages and actually used hatchets to defend their homes when the men went off to fight. In Chalice’s twenty-first century world, that order still exist, but the female knights are the progeny of angels. The abilities they inherit are their most powerful weapons…"
Chalice has no idea why she’s different: she’d lost her mother when she was just a baby and she never knew anything More...
Chalice has no idea why she’s different: she’d lost her mother when she was just a baby and she never knew anything More...
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Jul 16, 2011
Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker
rated it: 
I can't be too wrong about this book (ok, I can, but I hope not) since Publisher's Weekly has it on its Top 10 Picks for Fall 2011.
The rambling intro that has no real purpose in my review
I’m not known for my long reviews. I HATE writing and I love reading. If I am writing, I’m not reading. Plus, except for a few select reviewers who write excellent long reviews, I generally don’t read long reviews. If I want to read more than three paragraphs, I’ll read a book. Howe More...
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Aug 06, 2011
Rane
rated it:
I love it when a author puts a new spin on an old tale, more often then not it’s something that’s been done before, but there’s those hidden little gems that come up and surprise you like they did with me in Knight’s Curse by Karen Duvall.
Duvall builds a great world around Angels, Fallen and likewise, magic god and bad an a heroine Chalice whose just trying to survive and gain her freedom.
At birth Chalice is born with super senses, to the point of having to use nose pl More...
Duvall builds a great world around Angels, Fallen and likewise, magic god and bad an a heroine Chalice whose just trying to survive and gain her freedom.
At birth Chalice is born with super senses, to the point of having to use nose pl More...
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Dec 04, 2011
Marlene
rated it:
At age 13, Chalice was ripped from the only home she had ever known by an evil sorcerer and bonded to a gargoyle. The monks who raised her in the Lebanese countryside were murdered before her eyes so that no witnesses would be left behind. Except Chalice.
What makes Chalice such a prize? She was born with incredible skills, extremely acute hearing, sight, and smell, that require her to wear special contact lenses and filters just to interact with the world. Those extraordinary senses al More...
What makes Chalice such a prize? She was born with incredible skills, extremely acute hearing, sight, and smell, that require her to wear special contact lenses and filters just to interact with the world. Those extraordinary senses al More...
Nov 02, 2011
Pamela
rated it: 
Knight’s Curse was a modern-day tale of high adventure and virtue – the quest for what is right, and the ultimate battle over evil.
Chalice grew up in a monastery after her mother died after childbirth, and only met her father when he returned to claim her, and ensured she could never leave his side again. Chalice knows the man is not truly her father, but there was little she could do to overthrow him. Chalice is bonded with a gargoyle and cursed, so if she is parted from him the cu More...
Chalice grew up in a monastery after her mother died after childbirth, and only met her father when he returned to claim her, and ensured she could never leave his side again. Chalice knows the man is not truly her father, but there was little she could do to overthrow him. Chalice is bonded with a gargoyle and cursed, so if she is parted from him the cu More...
Sep 11, 2011
Vicky
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 04, 2011
Gabbi
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I don't read a lot of adult books. There's not much of a reason for it except that I'm a teen and I like reading about teens. But I read (Read: Stalk) Karen Duvall's blog and I'll admit, I was ferociously excited for this book. When I saw it on NetGalley, I sort of flipped and had to get it.
Now, this book definitely has a debut feel to it. I'm not saying that debut books are bad or any worse than books written by an author who has multiple books under his or her belt. I'm just More...
Now, this book definitely has a debut feel to it. I'm not saying that debut books are bad or any worse than books written by an author who has multiple books under his or her belt. I'm just More...
Sep 03, 2011
Cocktails and Books
rated it:
For thirteen years, Chalice has been forced to steal artifacts for the man who abducted her from the only home she ever knew. He's used her differences to his and his organizations advantage while making life for Chalice a living hell.
It's on a mission for Gavin, her sorcerer captor, and his organization Vyantara, that she discovers there is more to the world she lives in than what she was led to believe. It's Aydin, a 900+ year old Turk warrior who helps her realize that her gif More...
It's on a mission for Gavin, her sorcerer captor, and his organization Vyantara, that she discovers there is more to the world she lives in than what she was led to believe. It's Aydin, a 900+ year old Turk warrior who helps her realize that her gif More...
Sep 08, 2011
Tracy
rated it:
Didn't Quite Work For Me
She was raised by Maronite monks following the violent death of her mother. For thirteen years they taught her and sheltered her, serving as both guardians and family for the girl with the most acute senses, a girl hypersensitive to light, touch, sound, smell, and taste beyond that of even the most attuned mortal. But then, Chalice is not exactly mortal.
Despite her abilities, she was unable to protect herself when the man came to take her. Gavin Heinrich More...
She was raised by Maronite monks following the violent death of her mother. For thirteen years they taught her and sheltered her, serving as both guardians and family for the girl with the most acute senses, a girl hypersensitive to light, touch, sound, smell, and taste beyond that of even the most attuned mortal. But then, Chalice is not exactly mortal.
Despite her abilities, she was unable to protect herself when the man came to take her. Gavin Heinrich More...
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Sep 19, 2011
Jen
rated it: 
Let me start out with a warning that this is not a romance. I thought it might be from the blurb... but it's really an Urban Fantasy with a hint of a vague promise of a wispy tendril of a romance.
Chalice is something more than human. She has extremely sharp senses and she knows that whatever she is, her mother was the same. Unfortunately, the woman died moments after Chalice was born, so she never really understood her heritage. She was raised by monks in her early childhood, but the More...
Chalice is something more than human. She has extremely sharp senses and she knows that whatever she is, her mother was the same. Unfortunately, the woman died moments after Chalice was born, so she never really understood her heritage. She was raised by monks in her early childhood, but the More...
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Sep 20, 2011
Bonnie
rated it:
This is a spectacular story. Chalice, the heroine of Knight's Curse, is compelling and the pace is fast and intriguing. The urban fantasy world that Karen Duvall has created feels genuine and fully realized and best of all, the places and characters in this book are just flat out fun to read about. Although Chalice is a girl in a situation just about as bad as any you've read, her spirit and her hope keep the story from becoming buried in darkness. Chalice shines. Her love interest, Aydin,
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Sep 18, 2011
Olga
rated it:
Chalice is a descendant of an ancient order of knights and her powers are great but she is a prisoner of a vicious wizard who belongs to an ancient order of his own and will stop at nothing to make her do his bidding. She has a great destiny but she must embrace who she is and free herself from her curse before she can truly make a difference.
This was a fun and easy read filled with magic, incredible creatures, plenty of action and a heady mixture of present day, myth and biblical l More...
This was a fun and easy read filled with magic, incredible creatures, plenty of action and a heady mixture of present day, myth and biblical l More...
Feb 15, 2012
Kristin
rated it:
You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/02/kni...
Knight’s Curse begins when Chalice is just a young girl, living with Maronite monks in a Lebanese villages. Orphaned, this is the only family Chalice has ever really known, and not only have they raised her, but they’ve also taught her some rather unusual skills. When a man thought to be her father comes to claim her, Chalice knows something is wrong, but is forced to go along with this menacing stranger. She More...
Knight’s Curse begins when Chalice is just a young girl, living with Maronite monks in a Lebanese villages. Orphaned, this is the only family Chalice has ever really known, and not only have they raised her, but they’ve also taught her some rather unusual skills. When a man thought to be her father comes to claim her, Chalice knows something is wrong, but is forced to go along with this menacing stranger. She More...
Aug 22, 2011
Thamy
rated it:
This book had everything to be brilliant and I don't want to put you off reading it. I actually want you to read it because I hope Karen Duvall will step up her game in the sequel and woo all of us...and I will tell you my reasons why I say this.
But first...what's the story about?
Chalice is a half angel young woman, she was kidnapped when she was still a child by a power sorcerers society who uses her special abilities to steal special magical and antique artefacts. She is k More...
But first...what's the story about?
Chalice is a half angel young woman, she was kidnapped when she was still a child by a power sorcerers society who uses her special abilities to steal special magical and antique artefacts. She is k More...
Aug 01, 2011
Karissa
rated it:
I got an advanced reading copy of this book through NetGalley(dot)com. It was an okay book, but I had trouble enjoying the characters and picturing the world.
Chalice is a half-angel who has been trained from the age of nine to knife fight and steal. Her mother died during childbirth and her father is a Fallen Angel. Chalice has been bound to a viscous gargoyle and is being used by her guardian, an evil sorceror, to carry out their dirty work. Things change when she meets Aydin, who More...
Chalice is a half-angel who has been trained from the age of nine to knife fight and steal. Her mother died during childbirth and her father is a Fallen Angel. Chalice has been bound to a viscous gargoyle and is being used by her guardian, an evil sorceror, to carry out their dirty work. Things change when she meets Aydin, who More...
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Dec 09, 2011
Charlotte
rated it:
If you like books about knights, crusades and the battle for light over dark evil then this book is for you!
Synopsis:
A skilled knife fighter since the age of nine, Chalice knows what it’s like to live life on the edge—precariously balanced between the dark and the light. But the time has come to choose. The evil sorcerer who kidnapped her over a decade ago requires her superhuman senses to steal a precious magical artifact…or she must suffer the consequences.
Desperate to More...
Synopsis:
A skilled knife fighter since the age of nine, Chalice knows what it’s like to live life on the edge—precariously balanced between the dark and the light. But the time has come to choose. The evil sorcerer who kidnapped her over a decade ago requires her superhuman senses to steal a precious magical artifact…or she must suffer the consequences.
Desperate to More...
Aug 07, 2011
Jessie (Ageless Pages Reviews)
rated it:
A break-neck romp set in a world populated with gargoyles, nephilim, demons, and angels, Knight's Curse was a fun diversion for a couple days. An easy read filled with action, different forms of magic/abilities, curses and female knights, this first adventure by Karen Duvall centers around the character of Chalice. Chalice is special, with unique abilities ("Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I'd see them coming before they hurt me. Maybe even smell them," she says in the More...
Aug 10, 2011
Nita
rated it:
I love the world Duvall created here. Her use of gargoyles and other creatures - angels, the fae, etc. was wonderful. Our main character is Chalice. She has been the prisoner of an evil group called the Vyantara, who covet magical objects. They force her to use her powers of super sensitive senses to steal magical objects for them. To keep her "loyal" and from running off on them, they have bonded her with a gargoyle. If she does not check in with her gargoyle every few days, she herse
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Aug 12, 2011
Kt from A Book Obsession..
rated it:
Chalice has been sent on yet another mission to steal a magical artifact by the man who kidnapped and enslaved her as a child. It should have been an easy job, just like the countless other ones, but things go very wrong and she is unable to acquire it. While her life has never been easy, at least there was a fragile truce between her and her master. All that changes after her failure and her world is quickly turned upside down. She meets Aydin who is very like her. Together they will work toget
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Sep 18, 2011
Scooper
rated it:
Favorite Lines: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I’d see them coming long before they hurt me. I would hear them, too. Maybe even smell them. My abilities came in handy at times.” (p. 9, egalley)
Knight’s Curse is book one in Karen Duvall’s new urban fantasy series which follows a woman bonded into slavery as a child and the role she is to play in the future. It’s a cool idea and while I liked parts of the book I wasn’t blown away.
This book has angels, mages and More...
Knight’s Curse is book one in Karen Duvall’s new urban fantasy series which follows a woman bonded into slavery as a child and the role she is to play in the future. It’s a cool idea and while I liked parts of the book I wasn’t blown away.
This book has angels, mages and More...
Feb 21, 2012
Danny
rated it:
Read Review at the Bewitched Bookworms
I read Knights Curse a while back, after I came back from the Frankfurt Book Fair where it was recommended to me. The setting is truly intriguing and interesting, as we follow Chalice who has been kidnapped by a dark sorcerer when she was very little. She didn’t get much love and was trained to go hunting for magical artifacts. In order to keep her at bay, he cursed Chalice which makes her impossible to leave.
Chalice has a very intriguing More...
I read Knights Curse a while back, after I came back from the Frankfurt Book Fair where it was recommended to me. The setting is truly intriguing and interesting, as we follow Chalice who has been kidnapped by a dark sorcerer when she was very little. She didn’t get much love and was trained to go hunting for magical artifacts. In order to keep her at bay, he cursed Chalice which makes her impossible to leave.
Chalice has a very intriguing More...
Oct 16, 2011
Tahlia
rated it:
’Knights Curse’ is rich with imagery, magic and strange things like people becoming gargoyles and a bodiless head that is still alive and talking. It’s a tightly woven tale that keeps you reading with its unpredictability.
Chalice’s world is a dark one, enslaved to a cruel man, cursed to become a gargoyle or a gargoyles dinner and without family or friends, until she meets Aydin. Even then, she’s not sure if she can trust him, because her master does. Nevertheless, he shows her thing More...
Chalice’s world is a dark one, enslaved to a cruel man, cursed to become a gargoyle or a gargoyles dinner and without family or friends, until she meets Aydin. Even then, she’s not sure if she can trust him, because her master does. Nevertheless, he shows her thing More...
Dec 21, 2011
Bonnie
rated it:
Knight’s Curse was kindly provided to me by Netgalley for Harlequin.
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
Storyline
Chalice is an extremely gifted individual with heightened sight, hearing, and smell. After she is abducted from her home in a monastery she is trained as a thief by the Vyantara, ’an international organization of nerfarious magic users who profited from the sale of charmed and cursed objects I stole for them.’ She knows very little about More...
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
Storyline
Chalice is an extremely gifted individual with heightened sight, hearing, and smell. After she is abducted from her home in a monastery she is trained as a thief by the Vyantara, ’an international organization of nerfarious magic users who profited from the sale of charmed and cursed objects I stole for them.’ She knows very little about More...
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Aug 25, 2011
Julie (Manga Maniac Cafe)
rated it:
I haven't read many Luna titles, but after this read, I think that the line deserves a little more attention from me. There was less romance than I expected, and Chalice acted more like a teen than a woman in her twenties, but the story held my attention and I thought the world building was interesting. Knight's Curse should appeal to older teens ready to venture out of the YA reading sphere.
I am wavering between 3.5 and 4 stars.
Full review soon at www.mangamaniaccafe.com
I am wavering between 3.5 and 4 stars.
Full review soon at www.mangamaniaccafe.com
Aug 05, 2011
Claire
rated it:
This book has promise- Karen Duvall has an amazing imagination and the general idea in Knight's Curse has merit. The book needs editing though- the voice needs consistency, the characterizations and progression of the plotlines still need work- I hope she holds her publishers feet to the fire and gets the support her talent deserves.
Sep 11, 2011
Alison
rated it:
Knight's Curse is like a great b-grade fantasy show, bits are a little cheesy, sometimes the dialogue gets a little stilted but youre enjoying yourself and it's highly entertaining
Jan 18, 2012
Jeffrey
rated it:
The early promise of this story was not sustained throughout. The main character was interesting and not too super duper but the plot had some rough spots.
Still an enjoyable read.
Still an enjoyable read.
Dec 10, 2011
Did Not Finish
This book had some cool and creative ideas. Sadly, I just could not connect with the heroine. She seemed rather bland to me. I didn't dislike her, but I didn't care for her either. Moreover, the story took quite a while to unfold with the plot developing at a rather languid pace, which was way too slow for my admittedly short attention span. Consequently, the story just could not keep me interested. I kept putting the book down and picking up another one. After about th More...
This book had some cool and creative ideas. Sadly, I just could not connect with the heroine. She seemed rather bland to me. I didn't dislike her, but I didn't care for her either. Moreover, the story took quite a while to unfold with the plot developing at a rather languid pace, which was way too slow for my admittedly short attention span. Consequently, the story just could not keep me interested. I kept putting the book down and picking up another one. After about th More...
Sep 15, 2011
The author of this title is an RMFW member. For that reason, we do not rate these selections. We’re kind of biased. However, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t have them on our shelves. And you’ll see this message on any other titles that come from our members. We do hope that you’ll consider reading it, though. ;)
Gusto Dave, Publicity Chair for RMFW
Gusto Dave, Publicity Chair for RMFW
Feb 21, 2012
Trudy
rated it:
Charming Urban fantasy with a unique take on gargoyles. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down. I preordered the next one in the series due out in a month.
