Cameo the Assassin (Trilogy of Shadows, #1) by Dawn McCullough-White

Aug 18, 2010 Robert Duperre rated it 5 of 5 stars

At the end of the day, the art of writing fiction comes down to simply this: telling a good story. Sometimes there are other aspects involved, other points to be made. Yet, if those points of contention aren’t held within the framework of a tale interesting enough for the reader to endeavor, they will be words used for naught. They will remain unread.

More on this later.

First of all, it’s synopsis time. Cameo the Assassin is the story of, well, an assassin named Cameo. She is a woman with eyes wh...more At the end of the day, the art of writing fiction comes down to simply this: telling a good story. Sometimes there are other aspects involved, other points to be made. Yet, if those points of contention aren’t held within the framework of a tale interesting enough for the reader to endeavor, they will be words used for naught. They will remain unread.

More on this later.

First of all, it’s synopsis time. Cameo the Assassin is the story of, well, an assassin named Cameo. She is a woman with eyes white as a corpse, the best killer of a group called simply The Association. She resides in her tower when not off stalking her next victim, drinking copious amounts of liquor and being generally a miserable sod. She is a legend in her time, seemingly much older than she appears, never questions orders, and uses very unusual (and unknown to her employer) methods of both finding her prey and keeping herself safe.

Cameo seems content to live out her life in whatever perverse way she can, until she runs into a pair of highwaymen (coach robbers) while they hold up her carriage. These two men are named Black Opal, a “dandy” who wears too much makeup and enjoys women’s clothes (seemingly in an attempt to compensate for his scarred appearance) and Bellamy, a lawyer-slash-poet-slash-playwright turned criminal. When our heroine meets these two, and falls into line with them, her known life takes a turn for, if not worse, at least very, very different.

It is with these two characters, and one who comes later, that the joys of this little tale are met. Cameo herself is a one-note creation – and she has to be, especially when one considers her backstory – and cannot carry the novel on her own. Which is why having two enjoyable, fleshed-out characters such as Opal and Bel is important. In many ways, they steer the plot more than the main character. Cameo does what she does because she doesn’t have a choice in the matter. Opal and Bel, however, have free will, and they use that will to choose and follow a dangerous killer, for reasons of love. This is beautiful, it is necessary, and it’s also interesting, because many times it’s hard to figure out who exactly loves who. That guessing game in particular is quite fun.

The world that Dawn McCullough creates is one of magic and monsters, along with the type of technology one might see at the beginning of the nineteenth century. There are vampires, witches, corrupt royalty, and killers for hire, all plotting, both together and separately, to bring down our small band of antiheroes. This is something I really liked, as well. There are very few purely “good” characters in the book. All are deeply flawed, and some downright contemptible. They change very slightly, if at all, and yet seem to develop at least a sense of honor and duty, which presents itself in the loyalty they have to each other. I found this to be unusual and pleasing. It isn’t often that I’ve read a book like this.

Now, onto what I started out this review saying.

“Cameo the Assassin” is an adventure novel, and one that works, but that isn’t what I found to love the most about it. No, it’s the underlying message that snatched me by the eyelids and forced me to look deeper. You see, to this reviewer’s eye, Cameo the character isn’t just an alcoholic killer. No, she is much, much more than that. She is a metaphor for the battered woman; a survivor, dead on the inside, strong in a certain way, with a knowledge of all the horrible things that have happened to her, and yet always, around every corner, she is a slave to that pain and the men in her life who inflict it upon her. She was a rape victim, an abuse victim, and a victim of the supernatural, and she allows them to define her. Even her relationship with Opal, who is outside that sort of misogynistic realm, is defined by his feelings for her, and not the other way around. This shows great character weakness, and is sorrowful in its reality, though presented in a fantastical way. This is my favorite part of all, and a reason in and of itself to pick up this book.

Now, one might wonder, with all the praise I’ve heaped upon this book, why I gave it four stars instead of five. I do this because of the only problem I had with the novel, which is the way it was written. It is constructed in third person omniscient, which is to me the worst of all points of view. We jump into and out of every character’s head from one paragraph to the next, which can be 1) confusing, and 2) irritating. Now, I understand that it isn’t technically the wrong way to do things, but I personally can’t stand it, and think it’s actually a bit lazy, so I’m docking a point.

With that being said, I still loved it, which should tell you something about how good the story is. It’s definitely worth the couple bucks it’ll take to try it out, and I think anyone who reads this review should do just that.(less)

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Jan 21, 2013 Pavarti Tyler rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, for-review

Book One in The Trilogy of Shadows was interesting. The authors take on vampires was one I'm not used to seeing. Unfortunately, this also meant that it was something I didn't immediately understand. I spent the first half of the book trying to figure out why Cameo wasn't being a vampire since she'd been turned into one. I mean why didn't she defend herself?? Turns out, she wasn't. She's an imorotal "Thrall" of a vampire. This means she received just enough vampiric blood to make her undead but n...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Meg rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure-fantasy, alternate-history

The characters drew me into CAMEO THE ASSASSIN, and though I hated the ending, the novel was an entertaining read, and a nice break from physical perfection and honorable heroes.

Characters: **** 4 Stars
It was nice for once to have characters who aren’t physically perfect, or even very desirable. The author did a great job making me feel connected to these imperfect people and able to relate to their foibles.

Cameo is a coldly compassionate assassin, with dead gray eyes to match. She has a fairy t...more The characters drew me into CAMEO THE ASSASSIN, and though I hated the ending, the novel was an entertaining read, and a nice break from physical perfection and honorable heroes.

Characters: **** 4 Stars
It was nice for once to have characters who aren’t physically perfect, or even very desirable. The author did a great job making me feel connected to these imperfect people and able to relate to their foibles.

Cameo is a coldly compassionate assassin, with dead gray eyes to match. She has a fairy tale monster reputation for living in graveyards and killing children who don’t go to bed, but she doesn’t kill indiscriminately...well, unless she’s paid to do so. When she’s assigned to kill Black Opal, a notorious highwayman, she finds she can’t go through with it, and ends up alienating herself from the Association she works for in order to keep him alive. She’s an interesting mix of self-loathing, empathy, loneliness, warrior, and friend.

Black Opal, the apparent love interest, is a bit of an enigma. A dandy with a passion for fine coats and makeup, he is described both as pock-marked and handsome, and he has only one eye. While he is a womanizer, constantly picking up on ladies and whores alike, he has a soft spot for Cameo and becomes incredibly jealous any time she takes any interest, platonic or not, in another man.

Secondary characters include Bel (Opal’s partner in crime), Kyrian (a young acolyte who’s more than what he appears), and Wick (the leader of the Association and a witch capable of convincing everyone but Cameo that she’s a beautiful young temptress rather than an ugly old woman who smokes too much). Overall, a very well-rounded cast.

Plot: ** 2 Stars
The plot wasn’t terrible, but the ending killed it, no pun intended. There was a reasonably strong story arc with a good balance of action sequences and character development. However, it sometimes felt like the author was trying to build suspense by not telling the reader something that the character knows. For example, Cameo is given a task by her Master, but we’re not told what that task is until she’s practically done achieving it. Even given that, I probably wouldn’t have given the plot two stars, except that there was no ending. The book ends seconds after the climax, literally ending with an ellipsis and the word “End”. There are several plot points left open and no emotional release. I know the story continues in a trilogy, but each book should still be a complete novel.

Setting: ** 2 Stars
The story is set primarily on the road out of Lockenwood, in a quasi-eighteenth century world, but the characters just go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth...you get the idea. The description is limited, even when they visit taverns or inns along the way. I really wanted more sensory detail throughout the novel.

Romance: ** 2 Stars
Cameo and Black Opal are an odd pair. Arguably, neither is the ideal of beauty, and yet they are attracted to each other from the beginning. That being said, Opal is more concerned about his makeup and being desirable to everyone than he is about wooing Cameo (not that she would be easily wooed, but that’s beside the point). Meanwhile, Cameo is stuck in a loop of self-pity and can’t see that Opal likes her, despite his obvious jealousy when she’s around other men. Though they help each other through some rather horrific and violent events, they don’t actually come together in a romantic way until the last couple of pages.

Genre - Dark Adventure Fantasy: **** 4 Stars
CAMEO THE ASSASSIN is a pretty good representation of a Dark Fantasy novel, despite its flaws. There’s blood and violence, undead creatures, and two different graveyards. While I abhorred the ending of this first book, I imagine that the entire trilogy is probably a pretty decent story, and I may even give the second book, CAMEO AND THE HIGHWAYMAN, a chance.

Note: This review was requested by the author. The only compensation received was a free copy of the book.(less)

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Aug 08, 2011 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Cameo the Assassin is, for lack of a better or more descriptive term, fun. It's an adventurous fantasy with lots of traveling, highwaymen, assassins, and political mysteries and drama that plague our characters' every steps. I was reminded of the Poison series, not necessarily because of similarities of plot or characters, but because of the sense of scale of the story. I definitely got the feeling with this story that there is truly a whole world to be explored and that we're only seeing a smal...more Cameo the Assassin is, for lack of a better or more descriptive term, fun. It's an adventurous fantasy with lots of traveling, highwaymen, assassins, and political mysteries and drama that plague our characters' every steps. I was reminded of the Poison series, not necessarily because of similarities of plot or characters, but because of the sense of scale of the story. I definitely got the feeling with this story that there is truly a whole world to be explored and that we're only seeing a small part of it, the part that's immediately important.

Cameo has, by all accounts, had a terrible life. Attacked and left for dead at a young age, she's been making her living as an Association assassin, and is frightfully good at her job. That all comes crashing down when she's ordered to kill Black Opal, a highwayman who happened to rob the stagecoach she was on on her last job. When she's saddled with a "partner" who happens to be the worst, most despicable person she could be forced to work with, she eliminates him, which eliminates her protection under the Association in the process.

Forced on the run, Cameo ends up joining forces with Opal and his partner in crime, Bel. Their journey takes them all over the countryside, trying to avoid detection and their own assassinations. To make matters worse, Cameo has a few secrets of her own, stemming from her vicious childhood, that she wants hidden. She feels like it's enough of a miracle that anyone wants to associate with her and help her and that revealing all of her secrets would be extremely unwise.

Going into this story knowing it was a planned trilogy was a big help in sorting out which details were immediately important versus which ones may be important in the next two installments. Cameo is in the unfortunate predicament of having to serve two masters, and while they're both unhappy with her, life is very difficult indeed.

I also enjoyed the hint of romance and attraction between Cameo and Opal. We see just a little, enough to wonder if they're going to make a go of it or just leave it as another thing both of them want but can't have. I'm interested in how things develop between these two in the next few books.

I'm always on the lookout for fun fantasy novels with adventure, romance, good details and world building, and I was very satisfied after reading Cameo the Assassin.
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May 22, 2011 Jen (Red Hot Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Cameo the Assassin is set in a past/alternative world that is both dark and bleak. As the story begins, Cameo is clinging to life, after a brutal rape and attack. But a vampire steps in and keeps her from succumbing. She survives, in a manner of speaking. She becomes the vampire's thrall, half-living, half-undead.

Years later, she has become an assassin. In the course of a hit, her path crosses with two highwaymen who rob her carriage. She lets them escape, but tracks one down later to get her th...more Cameo the Assassin is set in a past/alternative world that is both dark and bleak. As the story begins, Cameo is clinging to life, after a brutal rape and attack. But a vampire steps in and keeps her from succumbing. She survives, in a manner of speaking. She becomes the vampire's thrall, half-living, half-undead.

Years later, she has become an assassin. In the course of a hit, her path crosses with two highwaymen who rob her carriage. She lets them escape, but tracks one down later to get her things back. It's those same highwaymen who become her next targets for assassination. She would have carried out that mission as well, if her boss hadn't sent Gail with her as a partner. She was a victim of Gail, herself, once. And the urge to kill him finally gets the better of her. Now she is thrown together with Opal and Bel as they try to survive the next wave of assassins.

Opal confused me a little as a character. He is flamboyant and over the top. He wears lots of make-up and Cameo asks more than once if he and Bel are involved. Yet, he is also painted as a rake who charms the pants off of women and develops a thing for Cameo, himself. I'm not entirely sure what to make of him, even now. But I do know, that I found myself rooting for him and Cameo to reach out to each other throughout the course of the book. So maybe all the make-up and purple brocade were just lagniappe. Who knows?

Joining our strange trio is a teenage acolyte named Kyrian. Cameo becomes his protector after his grandfather shows her a kindness. There's mystery surrounding the boy, not the least of which is why Cameo's master can barely stand his presence. And speaking of Cameo's master... he is hardly a benevolent sire. I'd kind of like to kill him myself. Despite the fact that he saved Cameo from death, all those years ago, he doesn't seem much better than the men who nearly killed her in the first place.

Overall, I did like the book. It features vampires and ghouls, but it didn't feel like standard horror or Urban Fantasy fare. Cameo isn't your standard heroine, either. Most supernatural heroines these days are snarky/sexy/tough/witty women who kick ass on the side of right. Cameo is haunted and broken and surprisingly sympathetic. I get the impression that she kills because she doesn't consider herself worthy of doing anything better. The ragtag group that comes together in the book are likely the only friends she has ever had. Which makes me ache for her to have just a little bit of happiness with them.

The ending of the book does wrap things up for the most part, but leaves several loose ends for the next installment, Cameo and the Highwayman. I feel fairly certain I will read it. 4 stars.

*This book was provided by the author for review.
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Nov 28, 2010 Celia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: celia-can-read

Storyline: Cameo the Assassin is a truly fang-tastic novel by Ms. Dawn McCullough-White!
Cameo is an assassin for hire and she’s good at her job. Very good. She is also the stuff of local legends and frightening children’s rhymes. Her story begins after she receives an atypical assassination assignment and a chance encounter leads to unexpected changes in her “typical” assassin routine. Cameo manages to make friends and make new enemies when she becomes the target of an attempted assassination.
T...more Storyline: Cameo the Assassin is a truly fang-tastic novel by Ms. Dawn McCullough-White!
Cameo is an assassin for hire and she’s good at her job. Very good. She is also the stuff of local legends and frightening children’s rhymes. Her story begins after she receives an atypical assassination assignment and a chance encounter leads to unexpected changes in her “typical” assassin routine. Cameo manages to make friends and make new enemies when she becomes the target of an attempted assassination.
The story is distinctive in that the reader is uncertain of Cameo’s origins and what she truly is until about mid-way through the book when her true nature is revealed. The pacing is just right, with enough back story and action to keep the reader interested, wanting to learn more and even cheering on the “bad” guys.
Grammar/Spelling: I only noticed a few missing commas or periods throughout.
Character Development: Ms. McCullough-White does a remarkable job creating a killer that is both plausible and easy to identify with. Cameo manages to leave your heart aching for her to have some normalcy and acceptance in the world. Ms. Mc-W’s ability to present the reader with a unique cast of characters without them becoming too contrived or predictable is truly remarkable.
Cameo is our heroine/killer and she is exactly what I would imagine a person in her line of work would be: excellent at killing people, jaded and lonely. Throughout all of this, she still has moments of true humanity and even romanticism that help prove that she is not without a conscience or heart. With each revelation of her past, the reader is drawn to her like a moth to the flame.
Black Opal is the dashing Highwayman who loves fanciful fashion and lovely lasses. Opal thinks of himself as a debonair and charming gentleman who just happens to rob coaches for a living to support his dandy lifestyle. However, there is more – much more - to him than he lets on.
Writing Style: Ms. Mc-W’s style is something to be envied and is certainly as refreshing as much as it is straightforward. She doesn’t bombard the reader with too many details; yet develops the story with enough speed and grace to keep the reader captivated.
Her choice of character names is very interesting in that many of the names seem to have been switched from the typical masculine use to the feminine and vice versa. I have always been intrigued by the origin of names and words and for someone efficiently switching it up a bit and creating “new” names without stringing together a series of vowels and consonants just to “create” a different name is an excellent change of pace for a fantasy novel.
Continuity: The length of a character’s hair is referred to several times as extremely long – all the way to his ankles – and towards the end of the story, his hair is described as touching the ground.
Overall Rating: 4+
I am extremely pleased with Cameo the Assassin and am looking forward to reading the second book Cameo and the Highwayman. Without giving away too much of the plot, I can say that a book with a central character like Cameo is like nothing else I’ve had the pleasure of reading and I can only hope that Ms. McCullough-White continues this series for many, many volumes!
The story has some violent scenes; though, none are too graphic and there is very little adult language. Although, the dark storyline isn’t for everyone, I can say that many people would enjoy this and I would recommend it to nearly anyone with an interest in the more macabre side of life (or death, as it were).

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Nov 04, 2010 Richard Jackson rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that rewards the reader for paying attention. From start to finish, there is a lot going. There is no point where the story drags. Its pace is smooth. The plot is in constant motion, driven by the characters.

The characters especially Cameo are complex and detailed. Each one has a past and background that plays a part in the story adding depth to it. There are characters that you will love, some that you will hate and a couple that will be a mystery to you. They are all...more

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Sep 11, 2010 Debra Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars

I bought this book back in July and finally had some time to read it. If you’re looking for a classic good vs. evil book, you won’t find it here. What you will find is a story full of action, surprising twists and turns and a cast of interesting and complicated characters.

The story opens up with horrific attack upon Cameo when she was a young girl. While she lay dying, a mysterious stranger, Haffef, comes upon the scene, heals her in his own unique way and her life is forever changed. Fast forwa...more I bought this book back in July and finally had some time to read it. If you’re looking for a classic good vs. evil book, you won’t find it here. What you will find is a story full of action, surprising twists and turns and a cast of interesting and complicated characters.

The story opens up with horrific attack upon Cameo when she was a young girl. While she lay dying, a mysterious stranger, Haffef, comes upon the scene, heals her in his own unique way and her life is forever changed. Fast forward years ahead and Cameo the Assassin has become a legend in her own time. She is a ruthless killer, accepting jobs from the witch, Wick, head of The Association. She moves from job to job with ruthless efficiency while consuming large amounts of alcohol to dull her own inner demons.

Her life takes another dramatic turn when her coach is stopped and she is robbed by a pair of highwaymen, Opal and Bell. Against her better judgment, she develops a relationship with these two instead of killing them for stealing from her. This is where the story ramps up the action because everything Cameo does has consequences not only for her, but for everyone she associates with. My favorite character was Opal, the flamboyant dandy. His decisions and interactions with Cameo keep you turning the pages to the very last page.

Throughout the book, Cameo is forced to make decisions that are not in her best interest, but she can’t help herself because she finds that after all the years spent alone, she now craves the company of others especially Opal. Haffef comes back on the scene in the last third of the book, compelling Cameo to do a job for him. Because of her bond to him, she cannot refuse his request. Needless to say, a lot happens, relationships change, people die and Cameo must bear witness to it all knowing that all the suffering can be laid directly at her feet.

I enjoyed this book, but I do have a complaint about the constant shifting of POV throughout the book. It took me awhile to figure out who was talking during some of the dialogue.
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Jul 14, 2011 Jadaloves rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to say that I’m a bit disappointed in this read because it came so highly recommended. Not that is wasn’t a perfectly decent story, but it didn’t come remotely close to meeting my built up expectations. Cameo, is an assassin hired by the association and Wick to kill whomever they feel needs to be taken out. But Cameo’s true Master is a Vampire named Hafeff, of whose bidding she must do, no questions asked. But when Cameo is sent to kill Black Opal and his sidekick Bellamy, she kills her f...more I have to say that I’m a bit disappointed in this read because it came so highly recommended. Not that is wasn’t a perfectly decent story, but it didn’t come remotely close to meeting my built up expectations. Cameo, is an assassin hired by the association and Wick to kill whomever they feel needs to be taken out. But Cameo’s true Master is a Vampire named Hafeff, of whose bidding she must do, no questions asked. But when Cameo is sent to kill Black Opal and his sidekick Bellamy, she kills her fellow assassin instead and soon becomes a target of the association. She befriends the two thieving highwaymen and decides to leave the area.

To me this book was about a bunch of unlikely friends and misfits ambling around the country with no real purpose or goals. Besides the two small tasks that needed to be done, there was absolutely nothing driving these characters and this story really didn’t have any direction. I wasn’t invested in the characters nor did I care what happened to them. There are a myriad of characters introduced that we never really get to know beyond the surface. Very one-dimensional and lacking depth. Even Cameo. We find that she was made a Zombie by a Vampire after her and her sister were attacked long ago. But we don’t know why, or exactly how long she’s been a zombie. We don’t know much about Hefeff or where he comes from. The details are just non-existent in this book.

The only character that was of some interest to me was the theiving Black Opal. But only because he was a bit sarcastic and an unusual theif who was very meticulous about his appearance. The fact that he would get all dressed up to find himself in a fight or sleeping in a graveyard was chuckle-worthy. But the appeal stops there. He’s not described favorably, nor the other characters, but finds himself interested in Cameo, whose also not the picture of desire. So for me the whole stiff budding romance between the two was cringe-worthy…very ick.

Honestly, I really don’t understand why people are raving about this book. Okay story, but truly nothing earth shattering and really a bit boring. I kept waiting for something to happen and then thinking maybe it was all leading up to a phenomenal ending, only to be let down again. The end was very anti-climatic. So I’m hoping the second book is better. If not, I don’t know if I can hang in there for the third book to come.

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Nov 25, 2010 Jaidis Shaw rated it 5 of 5 stars

I recently finished reading Cameo and the Assassin by Dawn McCullough-White and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. The characters are well defined and relatable which is an important part of any story. I was pulled into Cameo's world, wanting to learn more about her and what makes her tick. Having found herself working as one of the best assassins for The Association, Cameo lives day to day killing for a living. Just when she thinks her life is repeating the same patt...more

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May 07, 2011 Inga rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is the first novel written by Dawn McCullough-White. Cameo the Assassin takes us to the world of darkness, highwaymen, and assassins.

Characters:

Meet Cameo. She is an assassin who is very efficient at her work. She is feared, there are scary stories told about her, she is drinking a lot, she is beautiful, but there is something weird about her. She died violently and was brought back to life by Haffef, who gave her back her existence, but not as a human anymore. I liked Cameo, because under...more This is the first novel written by Dawn McCullough-White. Cameo the Assassin takes us to the world of darkness, highwaymen, and assassins.

Characters:

Meet Cameo. She is an assassin who is very efficient at her work. She is feared, there are scary stories told about her, she is drinking a lot, she is beautiful, but there is something weird about her. She died violently and was brought back to life by Haffef, who gave her back her existence, but not as a human anymore. I liked Cameo, because underneath her dark figure, she is funny, has a spark and at the same time she is conflicted, she dislikes herself of being a zombie.

Meet Black Opal who happens to meet Cameo under special circumstances – robbing the same coach which Cameo is using to get to her next target. Black Opal is a dandy who definitely knows how to use a rapier and how to fight and how to use his charms on ladies. He is a highwayman who earns his living by robbing people. Opal is being drawn into Cameos life accidentally and it seems that as the book develops, he does not want out of Cameos life at all.

Another character whom I really liked was Kyrian, 15 years old acolyte. His grandfather asks Cameo to bring Kyrian safely to a place where Kyrian could continue his studies as a priest. Kyrian is sweet, smart, genuinely good character who has some hidden abilities. What we know from the book is that he is a healer. I am sure that Kyrian has some other abilities, which will be shown to the reader in the next books. One thing is clear, there is a purpose why he met Cameo, because he has powers over the dark creatures like vampires. I guess that these other purposes will be revealed to us in the second book of the series.

Plot and the created surrounding

When I liked the main characters created by the author, I had difficulties of understanding the plot. All the characters were moving somewhere, but I still do not know what it is. During the first book there were lot of characters and most of them had a purpose in this book, but for me it stayed unknown what the purpose is. I can only guess. There were not any surprises in the plot, there was a clear beginning of the story which developed, but there was no ending. I am not sure if I understood correctly, but it seems that the first book was only to present the main characters, because there was not really lot of development of the plot. There was a lot of action, but nothing substantial to me as a reader to understand where this story would take us. In my opinion it did not take me anywhere. It gave me understanding of the characters, but not the real story. Author is good at creating characters, and good at storytelling, but the biggest weakness for me in this book was that I did not see development of the plot. Even considering that it was only the first book in the series, which I do understand, I missed the main story of the first book. It was a flow of things happening, but no clear purpose of the plot.

This book was easy to read when we talk about the use of language and it was difficult to read when talking about the plot development. Author is definitely a good writer, but I wanted to see more in the first book. It simply left me with way to many questions open.

One more thing which I simply MUST say. If you like film noir, then you will love this book. In my opinion it would be very good to create a great black and white movie out of it. I was actually thinking that this book would give many possibilities to movie makers to make an excellent film noir out of it. The book was written in flashes. My mind went to the movie Sin City, where most of the characters and scenes were black and white and then you had some elements which were created in colors. Cameo and Opal and other characters would be perfect to that – Cameo’s eyes in colors, Opal’s lips in colors and all the surroundings in black and white. It would be perfect for this book. These were the pictures I got in my head while reading.

To sum it up, this book gets 2 stars out of 5.

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May 09, 2011 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, vamps, urban-fantasy, zombie

GENRE: Dark Urban Fantasy
THEME: Zombie/Vampire
RECEIVED: From Author
AUTHOR: Dawn McCullough-White
MY BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com

REVIEW:
I was pretty surprised when I read Cameo; it was a different style from the normal PNR and Urban Fantasy that I normally read. The beginning was brilliantly written with immediately putting the reader into this horrible scene where our lead character is dealing with a pretty extreme situation. The first bit was intriguing, introducing a dark mysterious ch...more GENRE: Dark Urban Fantasy
THEME: Zombie/Vampire
RECEIVED: From Author
AUTHOR: Dawn McCullough-White
MY BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com

REVIEW:
I was pretty surprised when I read Cameo; it was a different style from the normal PNR and Urban Fantasy that I normally read. The beginning was brilliantly written with immediately putting the reader into this horrible scene where our lead character is dealing with a pretty extreme situation. The first bit was intriguing, introducing a dark mysterious character that makes Cameo into an intense and interesting assassin.

Cameo is a very sad character to me, something horrible happened to her and it seems as if she goes through each day emotionless. She does her job and moves on to the next like its nothing, she is definitely a feared person to people who don’t know her.

The story had its ups and downs the beginning was fascinating and really pulled me in. The middle I felt lost its pace for a while but soon picked up with some excitement. This book is very much a “Dark” Urban fantasy with violence happening a lot through out, but it’s an assassin story, what do you expect?
White wrote some very fun lively supporting characters, my favorite being Opal. His character is a fashionista male who is also great at fighting, a lot of the time along side Cameo. I loved every scene with Opal and Cameo; it wasn’t the same when they were apart. I also enjoyed Opals pal Bel who had lots of humorous conversations with Opal that gave a happier tone to the dark story.

There are two characters that I’m dying to know more about because they are so mysterious and you only get to know a bit about them. Haffef and Edel, I’m hoping to read more on them in the second book.

This was an interesting book and I mean that in a good way. I did have problems with the pace here and there and sometimes got little overwhelmed with all the characters introduced. I felt overall it was a great read and had really well thought out characters that I can’t wait to read more about. I recommend this novel to fans of Dark Fantasy and Urban Fantasy, anyone who likes some dark mysterious awesomeness.

RECOMMENDATION:
This is an adult novel, a lot of violence and horror type scene occur through out this book. Fans of Dark Fantasy like Jenna Blacks Morgan Kingsley series or Adrian Phoenix The Song Maker series.
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Dec 13, 2010 Raven Carluk rated it 3 of 5 stars

Cameo is a fun book, though a little lacking at times. I like the concept and setting, but the characters didn't always click for me.

Cameo herself sometimes bounced between gloomy and carefree with little reason, and her motivations for suddenly taking on friends is never fully sounded out.

I couldn't bring myself to like Opal at all. An ugly dandy who can wastes every coin on clothes with little concern for anyone else. He was shallow to me, and had very little to make him a true love interest.

T...more

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May 09, 2011 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-on-blog, kindle

*There may be spoilers*
This book was so mysterious. In a really good way! I really, really enjoyed it. Cameo is so complex. When I started out the book, I just thought of her in a very one-dimensional way; as a killer. But as the story progresses you keep unraveling more parts of her past and she just becomes so much more real and interesting! I really liked her, I was surprised by how compassionate she was.

Black Opal was such a strange guy. He was peculiar, but I liked that about him. I can’t...more *There may be spoilers*
This book was so mysterious. In a really good way! I really, really enjoyed it. Cameo is so complex. When I started out the book, I just thought of her in a very one-dimensional way; as a killer. But as the story progresses you keep unraveling more parts of her past and she just becomes so much more real and interesting! I really liked her, I was surprised by how compassionate she was.

Black Opal was such a strange guy. He was peculiar, but I liked that about him. I can’t wait to see what is going to happen between him and Cameo. I’m really happy that he was such a major role in this story because I initially thought that he was only going to be a minor character. I also love how taken he is with Cameo. He goes out on a lot of limbs for her and I think that is just so cute.

I was astonished by how many plot twists and surprises there were. It was awesome! I can’t even tell you how many times I didn’t see something coming. And I love it when that happens. When a book can totally surprise me, and catch me off guard, it makes me so happy! I want to tell you guys some of the things that blindsided me while reading, but not knowing was part of the fun for me, so I won’t take that away from any of you. Just know that there are some really cool twists in this story. Once I got about 25 pages into this book I just did not want to put it down. At all. I had to know what was going to happen next. Would I be surprised again? Would I be able to guess what was going to happen? Not knowing if something was going to be revealed that would send the story in a completely different direction was really fun for me.

I will say that sometimes the story switched between different scenes kinda quickly. I was left with an incomplete picture at times and then just shifted over to something completely new. I know that adds to the mysterious vibe that I really enjoyed about this book, but it also left me confused at moments. And the cliffhanger! Oh that cliffhanger- it definitely did its job, I want to read the second book right now!
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Apr 18, 2011 Barbara ~*Lindt Ninja*~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, paranormal, series

On a beautiful sunny afternoon, a young woman lay dying, molested, beaten and stabbed. She could see the bloody body of her sister nearby, the remains of their picnic lunch scattered across the clearing. As her life ebbed, she felt the brush of hair against her face, the ice cold pain of her slashed neck being lifted, then as endless hours passed, her strength returned and she rose.

Years later, Cameo is an assassin for the Association in a land where anyone of any importance can and probably wil...more On a beautiful sunny afternoon, a young woman lay dying, molested, beaten and stabbed. She could see the bloody body of her sister nearby, the remains of their picnic lunch scattered across the clearing. As her life ebbed, she felt the brush of hair against her face, the ice cold pain of her slashed neck being lifted, then as endless hours passed, her strength returned and she rose.

Years later, Cameo is an assassin for the Association in a land where anyone of any importance can and probably will have a price on their head someday. Her current assignment: the Prince of Sieunes. On her way to him in Lockenwood, the coach she's traveling in is robbed - very unfortunately for the bandits, a man named Bel and his companion, the foppish, eye-patch-wearing Opal. Successfully completing her assassination of the Prince, Cameo gets her next job: Opal. This time, she's saddled with a fellow assassin that she hates and when the two track down Opal, things go wrong. The head of the Association knows a political advantage when she sees it and immediately declares that Cameo, the other assassin, Bel and Opal are responsible for the Prince of Sieunes’ murder and issues prices on all of their heads.

I was trying to think of a way to classify this, came up with all sorts of options and decided not to put it in any particular box. There are a lot of swashbuckling-type things - people get shot and stabbed a lot and nearly everyone is usually drinking something out of a bottle or flask. There are paranormal elements - the head of the Association is a nasty witch named Wick, what exactly Cameo is and isn't doesn't get revealed for a while and of course there's the matter of who and what it was that came upon her that day that she was dying at the picnic. This has a really good adventure storyline, with Cameo and her reluctant new friends on the run first from the Association, then on their way to a new assignment and there's a rather strange - and to me, uncomfortable - slight romantic development.

McCullough-White has a terrifically vivid style of storytelling without falling into adjective-dump territory. The story covers a lot of physical geography and when there were breaks in the action, they usually took place somewhere interesting. The cast of supporting characters were nicely done, never one-dimensional and easy to distinguish from each other - the lusty barmaids were even unique from tavern to tavern. The paranormal elements blended seamlessly with the traditional storyline, sometimes humorously - the threat of Cameo was used by parents to get naughty children to go to bed.

My issues with the book come solely from problems that I had with the characters. Part of the problem I had with Cameo stemmed from the fact that I didn't know exactly what she was until well into the story. I don't want to give any spoilers, but there were things that made me wonder if she had the power to do more than she was doing and chose not to or if she had a different kind of power or what. She lounged around drinking a lot and I couldn't tell if she was acting like she didn't care because she was powerful and could crush everyone's head if she wanted or if she was doing it because she was just an alcoholic, bitter assassin - or a mixture. She was a cold-hearted assassin who sort of dreamily put makeup on a guy hardly a week later. Her inconsistency was maddening at times - there were flashes of her that were so wonderfully kickass that I wanted to just love her, I was frustrated that I didn't.

I probably could have loved Opal more than I did, but he'd have to have been stripped of his mannerisms that really made him Opal. He was a sweet and brave man and quite devoted to Cameo - he stuck like glue to her through just about every hell she heaped upon him and even when it was clearly the most idiotic thing in the world, kept trying to protect her. But even given the era, I was having an awful time with the idea of a highwayman who wore velvet and lace, eyeshadow on his one eye not covered by his patch and lip rouge. He fussed with his wardrobe incessantly, wasted every penny on it, even when they were running for their lives and there were all sorts of descriptions of his pockmarked face. As a highwayman, he'd have been caught within a month. As shallow as it is of me, I wish he'd have been a little less of a fop. I was wincing a bit by the end of the book at each application of lip rouge.

I loved McCullough-White's smooth writing style and she told a really interesting, exciting story. I think if some information about Cameo had been revealed earlier, it might have helped me understand her better, but I'd still have liked her be who she was consistently. I liked who Opal was much more, but his mannerisms sometimes got in the way of his personality. Take off his makeup and fancy coats and he'll be an interesting hero.

A huge thank you to the author for sending me a copy of Cameo to read - I appreciate it very much!
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Dec 20, 2010 Mechele Raleigh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, mecheles-reviews

Cameo the Assasin

By: Dawn McCullough-White

Summary-
Kingdom of Sieunes is rife with taverns, dirty streets, and clay pipe smoking citizens all toiling to feed their families and keep themselves in something little better than rags. With a foiled revolution just ten years prior still burning in the hearts of many, the royals enlist the aid of assassins to keep things in order. The townsfolk entertain themselves by dreaming of better times to come and regaling in stories of the undead said to wal...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Heather Book Savvy Babe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, review-on-blog

Cameo the Assassin is quite an intriguing novel. Dawn McCullogh-White combines paranormal elements, such as vampires and witches, with a fantasy world, creating an engrossing and unique read. I have always admired the strong female heroines, and Cameo the Assassin delivers. There is much more to this story than action and assassinations, I felt the emotional pull of the characters and the settings.

The nature of the assassins, the Association, and it's leader is unique and creative. I found mysel...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Jennifer | Nerdhuffing rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, steampunk

Cameo the Assassin took me by surprise. I was expecting a run-of-the-mill vamp novel and it didn't deliver that! What I got was a steampunk-esque (though I'm not sure I'd qualify it completely as Steampunk) story about a ghoul, I mean girl, who's a hired killer-with-a-soul for the Association (dun-dun-duuuuun!). I've never read a Zombie book before, and while the novel is careful to not bandy about that term (certainly, Cameo, our daring lead character doesn't like it), it certainly fits.
Dawn Mc...more

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Apr 25, 2011 Sarah (Workaday Reads) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

Cameo is an assassin for hire with corpse-like eyes. She's the source of stories that parents used to scare their kids into behaving. Everything is going normally until she meets with a highwayman dandy who sees her as a woman and not a killer.

This story was a pleasant surprise. Reading the synopsis, I had no idea it was about vampires or zombies. But they do feature in the story. In a fascinating and great way.

Cameo is a fully developed character. She is more than just a killer, and her true pe...more

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Jun 29, 2011 Rhianna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Strong Bones, Weak Flesh

Cameo is a legend, an assassin mother's tell their children will slay them if they don't behave. But when a botched job leaves her a wanted fugitive alongside a pair of eccentric highwaymen her status as a merciless murderer for money is tested. Falling in with the poetic Bellamy and foppish Black Opal their exploits lead them on a less-than-merry adventure through forrest and tavern. Charged with bringing a young acolyte to his temple in exchange for silence regarding he...more Strong Bones, Weak Flesh

Cameo is a legend, an assassin mother's tell their children will slay them if they don't behave. But when a botched job leaves her a wanted fugitive alongside a pair of eccentric highwaymen her status as a merciless murderer for money is tested. Falling in with the poetic Bellamy and foppish Black Opal their exploits lead them on a less-than-merry adventure through forrest and tavern. Charged with bringing a young acolyte to his temple in exchange for silence regarding her not-so-human state she'll wind up at the bitter mercy of her master and challenged with keeping her new found friends alive.

At it's core Cameo the Assassin is a solid adventure tale set in a fantasy world where vampires and their ghoulish minions are monsters whispered about in darkened corners. Alas, this fantasy world is lacking in any fresh world building. Rather generic, the reader is dropped right into the world with no knowledge given as to what the world is like and very few details are ever given. A few towns are named and there's mention of a king but nothing is truly established to guide the reader into a deeper understanding of the realm.

The cast of characters fares much better but is still lacking. Cameo, being the title character, is enigmatic which works quite well. Black Opal is an amusing dandy that is likely to be a reader favorite with his constant fussing over his appearance. But aside from them the other characters fall quite flat, feeling like cardboard cutout stand-ins to fill space. Overall they each had potential to be interesting but they've been polished down to less than caricatures.

The plot of the tale was never very clear. It was as if the characters came first and the purpose was to find mini adventures to string them along until they reached some sort of romantic interest but without any romantic fiction elements. Honestly, it reads like a series of dull tavern visits and nights in the woods tending wounds to the point of being almost boring.

Overall though I did enjoy it. Cameo the Assassin is light fantasy, very much lacking in the vivid descriptive details most Epic Fantasy stands on while still having exceptionally well written action sequences. It's quite good for a self-published debut novel and my main reason for the middle-ground star rating is my displeasure with the lacking climax of the story. I'd recommend this one for fantasy lovers who need a filler story or something light to pass a plane ride.
***Review Copy received via Author.(less)

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May 01, 2011 April rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, nook-books, suspense, self-pub, mystery, mc-with-special-talent-s, awesome-worlds, historical, paranormal-supernatural

Cameo the Assassin opens with a heart-rending scene; a woman is lying in a field after a brutal attack that left her little sister dead, she herself clinging to life. As she’s lying there in her own thoughts, a man comes and bites her, and suddenly she finds the strength to flee.
Several years later Cameo, a well-known assassin with a group known as the Associates, is given an assignment: to kill Leon Belfour, Prince of Sieunes, and heir to the throne. On her way to do the dirty deed

Cameo’s coa...more

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Sep 29, 2011 Read for your future! rated it 4 of 5 stars

Read Mechele's review at:
http://readforyourfuture.blogspot.com...

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Feb 28, 2012 Aimee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, owned, first-in-a-new-series

3.5 stars

This book would be 5 stars if it got a good, hearty polishing by an editor to clean up some awkward phrasing, typos, and add a touch of color to the characters' introductions (Opal in particular). I say this not to knock the author, but because i think its such a great tale that it deserves a good shine.

The story is interesting, the characters grow on you, and it has a different kind of fantasy/paranormal world without becoming too complex to enjoy the adventure plot easily. Its grueso...more

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May 18, 2011 Mishel Zabala rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, for-review

My Rating: 3.25/5 stars!

Cameo the Assassin is definitely a nice breath of fresh air in the dark fantasy/paranormal realm. Unique and entertaining, the first book looks to be a great opening into a very interesting series. I did have a few minor issues with the writing-style and technical execution. However, the characters are enjoyable, the storyline is fast-paced and engaging, and I’m looking forward to starting book two.

Cameo has a few dimensions to her character although she is very one-note...more My Rating: 3.25/5 stars!

Cameo the Assassin is definitely a nice breath of fresh air in the dark fantasy/paranormal realm. Unique and entertaining, the first book looks to be a great opening into a very interesting series. I did have a few minor issues with the writing-style and technical execution. However, the characters are enjoyable, the storyline is fast-paced and engaging, and I’m looking forward to starting book two.

Cameo has a few dimensions to her character although she is very one-note throughout most of the book. I absolutely loved seeing her open up on those rare occasions with Opal and Kyrian. Not only is Cameo an assassin but she has supernatural abilities thanks to a near-death experience when she was younger. Being a vampire’s thrall and an assassin for the Association, Cameo doesn’t have much control over anything in her life. Killing is what she knows and what she does best and her personality mimics the distant and cold life of a killer. That is until she starts to care for the unruly company she has later on in the story. So even though she isn’t the most compelling character it’s really tough to rule her out as a great character.

Black Opal and Bellamy are two notorious highwaymen that Cameo comes across and actually starts to travel with despite her reluctance. The two of them really stand out when next to Cameo. Their personalities are loud and fun despite the fact that they are thieves and sometime killers. I think Opal is definitely my favorite character. He’s so full of himself and he’s incredibly weird but he’s so likeable.

My personal issue with the writing-style was nothing too major. I just found myself a bit confused during the novel. I felt there were occasions where the writing was incomplete or transitioned so abruptly that it didn’t quite fit. It wasn’t enough to deter from the actual story but it was enough to make me have to re-read certain parts. It felt as though there were passages missing and it left me a puzzled.

Overall I’m very impressed with the story Dawn has created. The pace is quick and enjoyable. There is tons of action that succeeds in not being over the top and over-detailed. And the teasing amount of romance is a great addition. I feel that Dawn’s got a lot up her sleeve concerning Cameo and I’m curious to see what she has in store for her readers.
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Dec 03, 2011 Stefanie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Overall, I was pretty disappointed with this book. It started out very promising -- ominous, dark, I saw lots of potential and the intro grabbed me. The author did very well with the opening. However, once I dug further in, it just became a giant jumble. The characters had some consistency, but the main character Cameo was a light version of bi-polar (sometimes she wanted to make friends, other times she's portrayed as being an absolute unwavering loner, then... change of heart in an instant?)....more Overall, I was pretty disappointed with this book. It started out very promising -- ominous, dark, I saw lots of potential and the intro grabbed me. The author did very well with the opening. However, once I dug further in, it just became a giant jumble. The characters had some consistency, but the main character Cameo was a light version of bi-polar (sometimes she wanted to make friends, other times she's portrayed as being an absolute unwavering loner, then... change of heart in an instant?). I also did not care for the other main characters she created: Black Opal was annoying in his mannerisms that he repeatedly used, Bellamy made NO sense (when he and Opal are originally introduced they're so close, then at the end Bellamy sort of drifts off away from the group and it doesn't really mesh to me, there's no lead off, it just kind of... happens), Kyrian's role is never really revealed though at the end he kind of drops why he's around but not... really...

And if ANY of those characters said "Umm" ONE more time... Ugh, that showed up so often I wanted to scream. So did the word "dandy" which irked me to no end.

As for plot itself, I still have absolutely no idea what it was. Cameo is an assassin supposedly of the highest regard in her organization. She was sent out on some mission in the beginning of the book and was robbed by what turns out to be Opal and his pal Bellamy. She attaches something called a shade to Opal, even after she's gone after them to retrieve her cameo brooch (hence her nickname) "just in case" she wants to find him later (what? There was no indication that he'd be of any use or interest later, she's a stone cold killer, why...?). After this happens, she heads back to HQ and the Big Boss, a woman named Wick, sends her out on a mission with another assassin from their organization. Two important things here: this assassin she's paired with, Clovis, is someone who from what I gathered raped and tortured her before she entered the organization (so why she hasn't killed him after all these years I've no idea, if she's such a bad ass), and two, the person they're sent to kill is none other than Opal. Imagine that.

But on this particular mission, in a bout of sudden passion, which I thought Cameo was not prone to based on previous character building of a top notch killer... she kills Clovis for what he did after all those years. Finally she offs him and is so unprofessional and unable to contain herself she does it in the middle of when she's supposed to be killing Opal and Bellamy, and all of a sudden she's allied herself with them and they're buddies.

...What?!

After this happens, the plot just disintegrates even more. Her master shows up and tells her to go steal the bones of her dead sister from a grave. I never found out why, there's no reveal for that in the book whatsoever. It appears to be completely arbitrary. Then mid traipsing off to do that, she's thrown on another mission when she meets Kyrian and she has to escort him somewhere in exchange for his grandfather keeping this massive secret about her from Opal -- a secret that he finds out anyway before they get Kyrian to where he needs to go. Pointless.

Oh, and in the middle of THAT... yet ANOTHER wrench gets thrown in that throws everybody off course, when Opal hijacks a carriage, and the ensuing scenes felt like fluff and filler to me. Lorelei's character? Annoying. And how, not to mention WHY, did Opal decide to drag/throw himself down an embankment when he supposedly wasn't even able to stand up on his own? If he crawled there, why did he keep crawling until he fell? Just to get Cameo's attention? Again, pointless.

It appeared that the only "plot" carried through was actually more of a subplot that was never made very important, about Wick (leader of their organization) being a witch. And Cameo apparently deciding to kill her.

Honestly, the book seemed to chase itself in circles. Example: Cameo spends time burying a body, and there is only one other dead body around but it's inside a coach, and a character then looks off into the sunset and there is a description about how the bodies make the landscape look. ...What bodies? Where did they come from?!

I wasn't enthralled, and had to force myself to finish it. My vote: Pass.(less)

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Nov 27, 2011 Kara-karina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was such a fun romp! Perfect book to break the monotony of reading the same genre.

The setting of the story is some sort of fantasy/alternative history with kings, aristocracy, knights, sun cult, assassins and plenty of superstitions and fairy-tales.

Cameo is an assassin whose mission goes all wrong after a highwayman stops the carriage she is travelling in. A unique sort of circumstances brings Cameo and Black Opal (the highwayman) together on a very dangerous journey, losing and acquiring f...more

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May 16, 2011 Deea (Andreea) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review initially posted on my blog at Deea's Journal

It took me longer than usual to read this book because it's a little out of my comfy zone (different from the books I usually read), but I'm very glad I read it. It's a very original and interesting Dark Fantasy novel which offered me a perfect escape from all the fantasy and paranormal books coming out lately!

Cameo, the Assassin, was a fast paced, full of action read. The mystery and the suspense kept me interested and eager to know what happ...more Review initially posted on my blog at Deea's Journal

It took me longer than usual to read this book because it's a little out of my comfy zone (different from the books I usually read), but I'm very glad I read it. It's a very original and interesting Dark Fantasy novel which offered me a perfect escape from all the fantasy and paranormal books coming out lately!

Cameo, the Assassin, was a fast paced, full of action read. The mystery and the suspense kept me interested and eager to know what happened next throughout the entire story and the main character is very unusual and interesting to read about.

So Cameo (what a cool name, don't you think?) is a witty, kick-butt heroine who kills people for hire. She's very mysterious and there is also something eerie about her - well, she's not quite human. And though this description may not sound out of the ordinary, believe me, there is nothing ordinary about Cameo. On the contrary, she is a very unique, complex and intriguing character. Because of her slightly unusual appearance and her reputation as an assassin, people are really afraid of her - they even have creepy stories about her:
Kyrian to Cameo: "My parents used to tell me stories about you when I was a little boy. Well, a rhyme really about how you killed children who didn't go to bed on time."
But something went wrong with her last mission and she found herself teaming up with a couple of highwaymen, because they were all considered responsible for killing the king. So they had to make a plan, flee town and stick together - which didn't make Cameo happy at all (at least not at first). She's used to being alone and minding her own business, and suddenly she felt responsible for other people too and she had to deal with far more challenges that she had ever expected. But with every new dangerous adventure, I got the chance to know more about all the gang members and to even understand Cameo better. She proved to be stronger and much more caring and selfless than people might have thought.
Kyrian was looking up at her, shocked at the warmth in her tone."You are Cameo?"
She smiled at him, the same caring smile she had gifted him with a moment earlier.
And despite the fact she wasn't much of a talkative person, everyone listened to her and respected her. I actually liked her attitude: she's mysterious and sarcastic, yet she makes her own decisions and sticks with them, no matter the consequences.
"You got your cameo brooch back I noticed, the one that was robbed from you," Wick clicked the pipe between her broken teeth.
"Yes."
"And yet that highwayman is still alive. Why is that, Cameo?"
"Shocking as it may seem, I don't kill every man, woman, and child I meet. I leave some of them alive for you to bully."
The story is very beautifully written and I found the time period and the setting really fascinating. But there was also something that kind of bothered me (does this surprise anyone? doubtful - I always find something to complain about - just ask Julia here LOL): the beginning of the story was a little slow and confusing. Also, the story was told from the third person POV and the switching from one POV to another really confused me at times, especially when it happened all of a sudden.

All in all, Cameo, the assassin is a dark, gritty yet entertaining read that offers an unusual blend of mystery, suspense, action, horror and just a touch of humor and romance. The strong, unique heroine will accompany readers in a journey set in an unusual, yet fascinating world where they will like to return.(less)

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Nov 22, 2011 Heidi rated it 1 of 5 stars

I couldn't finish this book. I love reading but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't finish this book. The wording was way to flowery and I feel like she took a thesaurus to words she overly used. The problem is the more I read the book the more it became a search for the craziest words used to describe something simple.
The characters names drove me crazy!!
Good luck reading this book and I'm sorry I couldn't finish the tome.

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Mar 04, 2011 J.M. Pierce rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book isn't really what I expected, but in a good way. I picked it up expecting a vampire novel, and was surprised when I found that they occupied a very small portion of the story. I LOVED the time period in which this book was set, and the picture the author painted was a dark yet vivid back drop to the great characters within. I really disliked Opal at first, but found myself rooting for him midway through the book. He is full of quirks that make him endearing and annoying at the same tim...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars

The characters and the world are all very two dimensional...and the plot is vague. Didn't really like the main characters, especially Black Opal...he really doesn't have any depth to his character at all. And i didn't really understand how the relationships between the characters were built. All in all i think it was a pretty poorly written book.

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