Knight's Curse

Knight's Curse #1

by Karen Duvall

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 break the curse that enslaves her, Chalice agrees. But it is only with the help of Aydin— her noble warrior-protector—that she will risk venturing beyond the veil to discover the origins of her power. Only for him will she dare to fully embrace her awesome talents. For a deadly duel is at hand, and Chalice alone will have to decide between freedom…and the love of her life.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Ebooks, Fiction, Magic

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Karen Duvall is a native Californian who grew up in Hawaii, lived in Colorado most of her adult life, and now lives in Bend, Oregon with her husband and four incredibly spoiled pets. She has three grown children and six grandchildren.

Karen has been telling stories since the age of three, when she wasn’t yet able to write but could tell her tales to her mother, who wrote them down for her. Illustrating the stories with crayons was one of her favorite parts of writing those early books.

She still draws pictures, but put her crayons away in favor of computer graphics. Karen is a professional graphic designer with a passion for portraying her characters and scenes by painting pictures with words.

Reviews

[Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker · Rating 5 out of 5]

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. However, I’m the first reviewer for this book on Goodreads AND I loved the book so I feel guilty if I don’t do my job as a reviewer & do a complete, thorough review. Guilt makes me do a lot of things (just ask my manipulative hubby and kids that can work me over using their damn “puppy dog” eyes and don’t even get me started on the ACTUAL puppy dog, she pretty much rules the damn house..ok..so off subject here).

The start of the actual review (maybe)

Before I started the book and solely based on the cover

Ok. So I have no clue why I picked this book. What is up with this cover? Is that glass floating in the wind? If so, it did not come from the stained glass window since that looks intact. Is that a girl or a pretty looking guy? What is up with those jeans? Why is she just standing there? I wonder if she is making the wind? Who knows… why not read the book and find out?

First an introduction of Chalice

Chalice is different. She has senses that are extraordinary. She can hear like a….like a…. dolphin (yeah, I had to look up an animal that has super good hearing). She has vision like a hawk (figured that one out on my own) and the sense of smell better than the bear (again.. all on my own). Her senses are so good, they are debilitating. She has to wear earplugs, nose plug, and contacts just to withstand the everyday overload of stimuli.

Now really, the story

As a child, Chalice is living in a Monastery. Not by choice, but because that is where she was born. Chalice thinks her mom died giving birth to her (the key word is “thinks”). While her life is simple among the Monks, it is her life and she lives it.

When Chalice was still a child, a man named Gavin comes to the monastery claiming that he is Chalice’s dad. The monks have no reason to doubt him since he has ways to prove his fatherhood. Chalice instantly knows that Gavin is lying (she heard Gavin talking to his men from miles away before he approached the monastery). Chalice vocalizes her suspicions and in the end, Gavin takes Chalice and kills the monks that raised her.

Fast-forward 12 years. Chalice is bonded to Shui. Not by choice. Shui is a gargoyle and he was one vicious human being before he was turned into a gargoyle. Shui continues his viciousness in gargoyle form and there is no love lost between Chalice and Shui. So why is Chalice bonded with Shui? Because Gavin controls Shui, and unless Chalice makes contact with Shui every 72 hours, Chalice will turn into a gargoyle as well (trust me, these gargoyles are dangerous scary creatures, not the little stone gargoyles you may be used to). Gavin uses this forced bonding to control Chalice and Chalice is forced to use her senses to be a kick ass thief (she can hear when people are approaching from miles away. She can hear the pins in a combination lock as it turns; she can see not only what is in front of her, but also what was in the room previously. She can smell not only blood but also whose blood it is).

Gavin, a member of the Vyantara, uses humans, demons, angels, gargoyles or whatever supernatural he can get his hands on to do his bidding in stealing priceless artifacts, artwork or other curiosities. In return, he sells them and makes a huge profit. As long as he can control his supernatural servants, he has the perfect gig.

Chalice has been trained by Gavin (and other instructors controlled by Gavin), in knife fighting, combat, stealth, and deception. She is good at her job and she hates it. She hates that she has to hurt people, lie to them, and steal from potentially good, honest people. However, due to her indentured servitude, she can’t do a damn thing. Or can she?

Aydin comes into the story when Chalice thinks she is going on just another job. Aydin, like Chalice is bonded to a gargoyle named Shojin. Again, like Chalice, Aydin will turn if he does not make contact with his gargoyle within 72 hours. However, Aydin has been around a long time and has quite the story. He has a history that brings to the story more questions than answers, and some conflict that creates some interesting twists.

Chalice hates magic. She hates magic because the Vyantara use it to hurt people and force their hand. However, Aydin shows Chalice another side to magic. He introduces her to wide range of characters that opens Chalice’s eyes and more importantly gives her hope that one day she can be free of the servitude placed on her. But, at what cost?

The other characters

What makes this book so outstanding is the multitude of characters. Usually I hate many characters because, well, I get confused. That does not happen here. There are bad “guys” like Zee, Shui, & Gavin but there also a huge cast of great characters such as Shojin, Quin, Elmo, Ling Ling, and my absolute favorite- Ruby.

Here is a pic of what I think Ruby looks like (she is a “cursed” gem encrusted thimble sized frog with a heart of gold and endless love for those that are good).



What I loved

Aydin- not the normal alpha hero. He isn’t perfect looking and he isn’t super strong with a ton of muscles.

All the other characters. The author really thought out each character, and how the individual characters were important to the story and their relationship to Chalice.

The story. It had action, mystery, and just a small touch of romance (very small, this is definitely not a paranormal romance novel).

What I didn’t like

The cover. Chalice has very unique eyes and you can’t even see them. In fact, Chalice is so far away, you aren’t even sure if it is a woman on the cover at first glance. Furthermore, Chalice is an expert at using a specific type of knife. Why not show the knife in her hands? It seems silly to have such a strong female character but than represent her as this tomboyish looking simplistic girl with unknown skills and/or talents.

The book summary. When you read the book summary, you think there is alot of romance in this book (at least I did). There is not. This is definitely Urban Fantasy at its best.

Overall

Except for my dislike for the cover, everything else was pure love. Not only did I love this book from the beginning but I maintained the lovefest throughout the entire novel.

5 out of 5 stars!

[Maja (The Nocturnal Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"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 about her father so her heightened senses (smell, hearing and sight) were never explained to her. Her senses are so strong that she’s forced to wear ear plugs and contacts to protect herself from sensory overload. Because of her abilities, Chalice was taken from the monastery where she was peacefully growing up by a man claiming to be her father. To keep Chalice from running away, the organization that took her, Vyantara, tied her to a gargoyle. She is now forced to steal rare artifacts for Vyantara and keep pretending that the man who took her truly is her father. If she fails to do so, she will turn into a gargoyle herself.

Because of the way she was taken and treated, Chalice is convinced that all magic is bad. But then she meets Aydin, a guy who’s in a very similar situation, tied to a gargoyle and working for Vyantara. He introduces her to a hidden world of good magic and benevolent magical creatures.

I must admit that I liked the way the story developed and, what’s more important, I was genuinely surprised by the ending. On the other hand, the world Duvall created just wasn’t colorful enough and, as much as I tried, I couldn’t picture all the necessary details in my head. I can’t say I liked Chalice much either, and Aydin was creepy at times.

I have many friends who are primarily urban fantasy fans, just like I am. I think most of them might enjoy Knight's Curse.
I will definitely read the next book in this series.

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 nefarious magic users who profited from the sale of charmed and cursed objects I stole for them.’ She knows very little about why she is who she is or who her parents are but after finding out information about her who her mother is, Chalice is desperate to break the curse that keeps her a slave to the Vyantara.

Thoughts
This was an intriguing read from the very beginning, but once the storyline progressed and added new elements I was a bit thrown. Wasn’t really expecting angels. Not what I thought this was about. Plus with the weird details of her slavery and the gargoyle neck licking thing… well I’ve probably said too much already. Suffice it to say it was different, but not necessarily in a bad way, and was still interesting enough to keep me reading.

Chalice’s enhanced senses were an interesting concept, but her being able to ‘slide’ her contacts in and out was highly unrealistic. Where does she put them when she’s not wearing them? In her pocket? What about pocket fuzz? Don’t they dry out and shrivel up or anything? Where’s her travel bottle of opti-fresh or her mini travel case? Yes, I put a lot of thought into this even though it’s pretty inconsequential and they probably aren’t you average type of contacts anyways. I am a contact lens wearer for over 15 years though so I understand that contacts don’t slide in an out. And they do shrivel up. Okay, probably put far too much thought into it but whatever. It bothered me.

I enjoyed the various characters that were presented in this story… definitely added to the originality. The jewel-encrusted frog named Ruby was a cute addition. The ‘jewel-encrusted lie-detecting frog’ was a bit overkill though, but I did still enjoy her part in the story. Also, I loved the concept of the shape-shifting animal named Ling-Ling, but all I could think of when they said her name was ‘Ling-Ling the giant panda bear’.

I think the world building was lacking which is always a problem for me, especially when there were SO many supernatural creatures. There needed to be some development of some sorts, rather than just leaving it as the world we live in with supernaturals thrown in for good measure. The main characters weren't extremely likable either and pair that with the lack of world-building and I wasn't entirely overjoyed with this book. Okay, so in retrospect, I was being a bit knit-picky with this one but there were a lot of things that didn’t sit well with me. It was interesting enough but I’m not sure I’ll be continuing the series.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 claimed to be her father, then stole her after butchering the monks of the order in which she was raised. She became his slave, his thief. And for the twelve years since the day of her capture she's been bonded to a homicidal gargoyle and forced to do what her faux father tells her to do. Which is almost exclusively to collect precious magical artifacts from whomever owned them and turn them over to the group Heinrich works with, a dark, secretive magic sect known as the Vyantara.

Somewhere among those artifacts she touches, those pieces of magic and history he sends her out to retrieve, lies the truth of her heritage. The truth of a line of warrior women, hardened by battle, almost erased by circumstance. Chalice may be a thief, but she's a thief with a destiny that, in the end, could show her a path that will ally her and her kind with angels...or see her set upon and destroyed by demons.

It's been a while since I was able to sink into a new urban fantasy series and get lost in an author's fantastic imagination. Sure, there are several wonderful UF series I follow and thoroughly enjoy, but there is just something special about that first glimpse, the initial introduction to characters you'll fall in love with, the first experience with a fresh voice spinning a new tale of the supernatural, paranormal, magical, and/or mystical world he or she created, that just sets my reading-addicted heart to racing. I was nearly desperate in my hope that I'd find that sort of excitement and thrilling read from Duvall's debut. Unfortunately, I can't say that I did.

I loved the concept and was thrilled by the idea of the Hatchet Warriors and Saint Geraldine, but I struggled with the plot of the book and had trouble connecting to the lead character, Chalice. I felt the plot was a bit disjointed and clumsy, the narrative plodding, and it all seemed like quite a lot of trouble for not a whole lot of gain by the end. The world wasn't as fleshed out as I would've liked. I never really understood the Vyantara organization or their...mission statement, so to speak, beyond them being a group of magic collectors and dark magic users. Nor did I fully grasp Heinrich's position within that organization. I got that they were the bad guys, but they were mostly faceless and unknown.

Despite the issues I had with the plot and the world building, I still would have found the book interesting had I been able to relate to or enjoy Chalice. Sadly, I can't say I did that, either. Instead I found her character hard to pin down and prone to wildly vacillating yet superficial thoughts and emotions that translated as unbelievable and unnatural. After a one-day acquaintance with Aydin, for example, she flickered back and forth between blindly trusting her new friend and possible ally, then, when it appeared he had lied, feeling deeply betrayed and hurt and riddled with disbelief. Such intense but disparate emotions after so short an acquaintance wasn't believable, and after awhile, Chalice's predilection for that sort of emotional roller coaster got downright annoying.

This is a character who was raised by monks and kidnapped at the age of thirteen to be turned into a thief and a slave by a power-hungry man with megalomaniacal and homicidal tendencies. I would've thought, at the age of twenty-five, she'd be a bit more cautious and cynical, jaded by her experiences. I also would've found her more believable if she'd found a way to secure for herself some boundaries with Heinrich in the twelve years she was with him, by fair means or foul. She is so quick to rebel and fight against him now, but if that's her nature - and it seemed to be so - I kept wondering why she hadn't tried sooner.

I also found her to be distressingly naive, disturbingly close-minded, and ridiculously self-involved. In that last regard, her relationship with Aydin failed to spark any sort of chord with me, and failed utterly as any sort of romantic thread. Chalice was just too wrapped up in her own agenda and needs to really see or know Aydin, as evidenced by her "solution" to a problem that comes late in the book. For more detail

Chalice is so horrifyingly self-absorbed that, despite Aydin repeatedly stressing throughout the book that he and his gargoyle Shojin were friends and that he cared for him, she begs Aydin to not only let Shojin die, but to actually kill him and consume his heart to undo the change Aydin chose to undergo to save Chalice's life. Yeah...that's not my definition of love, sorry..

There was potential in this book but it just didn't work for me, and I think the main character needs to be a bit more refined to be able to be sympathetic and likable. I really enjoyed Saint Geraldine - both her character and her backstory, and though I'm not sure I completely understood the angels and their roles in the big picture of the series, nor fully grasped the underlying conflict between the Vyantara and the Hatchet Warriors, I think there is still a large amount of potential for the series. I wish nothing but success for Duvall as the series continues.

Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Harlequin via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.

~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

[Dark Faerie Tales · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Dark Urban Fantasy where the bad guys always have the upper hand and a heroine that just wants to be good. A decent story but too many plot devices detract from the overall plot.

Opening Sentence: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I’d see them coming long before they hurt me.

The Review:

I am a little on the fence about my review for Knight’s Curse. I love history and I really like it when an author takes something out of history books, especially something I’ve never heard of, and puts their own spin on things. Chalice was born the daughter of an angel and a Hatchet Knight. Hatchet Knights are basically female descendants of angels. They are born with special powers that they use to help defeat the evil in the world. Chalice’s mother died due to strange events at the time she gave birth to her daughter leaving Chalice to grow up in a monastery until the age of thirteen, when she is kidnapped.

Chalice is then raised by a very bad man, Gavin. He is a powerful member of the Vyantara, a secret society of sorcerers and thieves. Gavin takes advantage of Chalice’s unique abilities of hyper-senses to be a thief for the Vyantara. Gavin has Chalice bonded to a gargoyle in order to keep her under control. She can only be away from the gargoyle for three days before she begins to turn into one of them.

She has been dealt a bad hand but she tries her hardest to be good. She wants nothing more than to break her curse, get away from the Vyantara and claim her birthright as a Hatchet Knight. Her only help comes from her long lost father and her only ally in the Vyantara, Ayden, an immortal warrior who has been with the group for over 800 years and who is also bonded to a gargoyle.

The world-building in Knight’s Curse is simply done. There is no huge info dump, in fact, for two organizations that have been around for over one thousand years there is surprisingly little told about them. I think how little is revealed works for this story, just enough information is revealed to move the plot along.

Knight’s Curse is completely told from Chalice’s point of view. The plot moves along at a steady pace for the most part. There is a lot going on with the story that it did have me wondering how the story would end and which conflict would be resolved. I did feel the tone to Knight’s Curse was dark and despairing, it may not intentionally have been this way, but I felt Chalice was in way too deep with the enemy to get out. Her curse alone is bad enough but her only ally is also in deep with the Vyantara. The tension definitely runs high.

Knight’s Curse is a decent urban fantasy debut with a new twist on a historical group, truly evil bad guys and a heroine who just wants to do the right thing. It’s not a bad read but it is not spectacular either, it had potential but does fall a little flat at times. Knight’s Curse was a book that I normally wouldn’t have picked up off the shelf but I am pleased that I read it.

Notable Scene:

“Come on,” Ayden said, and took hold of my arms to help me out. My back hurt so badly that I couldn’t stand up straight. He grabbed my scarf off the floor of the SUV and draped it over my head, forming it into a hood that hid most of my face.

“That bad, huh?” I asked.

“Let’s just say we don’t want to upset the neighbor.”

A middle-aged couple walked by and after one look at me, they shrank back, their faces leeched of color. The woman’s gaze locked on to me and she took a cautious step closer. “Honey, I’ve got some cream that will clear that right up.” She handed me a business card, snapping her hand away the second I touched it. “Give me a call.”

I looked at the card. Avon.

I touched my face, fingertips running over scales the size of pennies. I wanted to scream, but my voice was locked in my throat. I’d never come this close to changing before. Agitation chewed at my nerves and I knew that if I could relax, I’d be able to slow the transformation process.

The Knight’s Curse Series:

1. Knight’s Curse

2. Darkest Knight

FTC Advisory: Harlequin/Luna provided me with a copy of Knight’s Curse. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 like her has special abilities, and (like her) is bound to a gargoyle. Chalice is now twenty five and wants her freedom; she will find out that freedom has a cost and along the way she will have some tough choices to make.

There were some things I really liked about this book. The whole theme of angels and gargoyles is unique and interesting. The world built here is complex, yet incomplete.

I had some problems with Chalice as a character. I didn't understand the need for the flashback prologue, I think the story would have been better without it. Chalice always came across as kind of bland to me, she was vindictive but didn't have a lot of dimension to her character outside of that. At many points in time Chalice comes across as much younger than twenty five; she seems like a teenager or even younger. I am not sure if this was intentional, but it was frustrating. She would complain about wanted freedom like a true adult but her actions and complaining would be very childish.

Her love interest in the book, Aydin, was also bland to me. He was kind of funny and cute, but was never very engaging as a character. Aydin and Chalice as a couple were pretty lackluster. The heat between them seemed one-sided (Chalice obviously was into him) and never really got anywhere; I never found myself rooting for them as a couple or really enraptured by any of the scenes they featured in.

Chalice's Fallen angel father, despite his brief appearance, was probably the most interesting character in the book. Followed by a side character who can talk with angels, hopefully he features more in the next book too.

While I found the idea of a world filled with angels, gargoyles, and magic alluring I had trouble wrapping my head around the world in this book. The settings, place in time, and surroundings were hard to picture. Even when the story was in Colorado I had trouble remembering we were in Colorado. I also had trouble making sense of the magic system; it was a blend of super hero like angel abilities, wards, spells, and curses. I could never quite figure out the rationale behind any of them, the rules behind the different types of magic, or really which type of magic was what. It was something that should have been explained better, especially since Chalice is immune to some types of magic but not all.

The plot was mysterious and well done. I did like the inclusion of many different races (Eeves, gargoyles, angels, etc). I enjoyed reading about Chalice's fighting abilities. I also enjoyed Aydin's ghosting abilities. I like the quirky idea of a Saint who is living parcled out in pieces.

Basically I enjoyed a lot of the ideas in this story, just not how the ideas were executed. The story ends well, some things are wrapped up but you can tell Chalice's adventures are just beginning. Definitely the first book in a new series.

Overall an okay read. Some of the concepts in here are very neat: love the gargoyles and bindings, the half angel children, and other magical stuff like that. I wasn't big on our two main characters Chalice and Aydin; they weren't likable or engaging and the chemistry in their relationship felt forced. The world is a bit confusing as the different types of magic are never explained very well; the descriptions were a bit lacking...I kept forgetting where the story was taking place. I personally won't be reading any more of this series, although I will keep an eye on it to see if subsequent books are better. If you are big into angel mythology you might enjoy this, although I would recommend the Remy Chandler series in place of this one.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Rating* 4.0
*Genre* Urban Fantasy

*Review*

Knight’s Curse (Knight’s Curse # 1) is the first book by author Karen Duvall that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Duvall’s story is told in the first POV by Chalice a character who is so much more than she truly realizes. She is forced to wear eye, ear, and nose protection because her senses are superhumanly enhanced.

Chalice spent the first 13 years of her life with the Maronite Monks in Lebanon who not only trained her in their ways, but also told her that her mother died during childbirth in order to protect her from the real truth. After Gavin Heinrich shows up claiming to be her father and subsequently kills all the monks who protected Chalice, she is forced into a slave/owner relationship with Gavin.

Flash forward 12 years, and Chalice now wears a tattoo on the back of her neck and is linked to the ever nasty gargoyle assassin named Shui. Shui, who was a piece of work as a human, is even worse as a gargoyle. Chalice can only be away from Shui for 72 hours before needing him to lick her neck to prevent her from becoming a full time gargoyle.

Gavin uses this forced bonding in order to control Chalice into doing pretty much do whatever he asks of her. Gavin and Vynatara (international organization of nefarious magic users) trained Chalice into being one of the best thieves in the world who is able to use her superhuman abilities to get into pretty much any location where an artifact is located.

A surprise revelation takes place when Chalice is attempting to steal a hand that is said to belong to Saint Geraldine from a wealthy collector. Upon touching the hand, she hears her mother’s voice saying “Remember, little one, our people need you. Find them. And whatever happens to me--know that I love you always."

Duval later reveals with the help of Aydin Berkant, that Chalice is really a Hatchet Knight like her mother. The Hatchet Knights are a group of women, formed during the Crusades, who have special abilities and were conceived between human women, and fallen angels. That, in essence, makes Chalice part angel. *In other books, they would be called Nephilim.*

Aydin is also bonded to a gargoyle named Shojin after making a deal with a demon during the Crusades after failing to save Geraldine. Aydin has the ability to become a ghost, and is thief just like Chalice. Unlike Chalice, however, Aydin seems to actually like his gargoyle.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it because it focused on Chalice’s struggles to get away from Gavin and Shui, and later her relationship with Aydin that comes out of knowing and caring about one another and shared experiences of being bond to a gargoyle.

I liked Chalice as well. She just doesn’t sit around throughout the book whining and crying about her circumstances. She actually fights with everything she can and learns more about her mother, and father, as well as her membership in the Hatchet Knights so that she can break her bon with Shui once and forever.

Duval’s world is different from others in that the Fallen were former Guardian Angels and now they have to make a choice between remaining on the good side of things, or turning evil and working with people like Gavin.

I want to learn more, obviously, about the Hatchet Knights and their abilities to use their special gifts to protect the world from darkness. Thankfully, I already have the next book in my que, and plan on reading it really soon.

I normally hate cliffhangers, but, in this case Duval actually sets the stage for the next step in Chalice’s growth and story and in becoming a full time member of the Hatchet Knights without leaving me gasping for air and wanting more now!

Darkest Knight (Knight’s Curse #2) releases March 20, 2012.

[Jen Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 then kidnapped and forced into slavery by a nefarious group of magic manipulators, called the Vyantara. Her handler is Gavin, a cruel and powerful man who has tied her life to a gargoyle... and through that tie, he forces her to steal magical artifacts. If she refuses or runs away, she'll turn into a gargoyle herself.

Her latest assignment puts her in the path of Aydin, another supernaturally enhanced being forced into servitude by the Vyantara. But he knows so much more about magic... even about Chalice herself. He helps her break through some of barriers she has built and the prejudices indoctrinated in her by Gavin and his cohorts. With his help, she learns about her heritage and her destiny and allows herself to finally hope for a better future.

The world-building was interesting here. It definitely felt fresh and unique. But I found myself always waiting for more. More resolution. More satisfaction. More between Chalice and Aydin. And I didn't get it. By the time I got to the end of the book, I felt more like I had just read a long a set-up than a complete novel. Don't get me wrong, it was entertaining, but it was equally frustrating. All the build, build, build and then it's over. It didn't even feel like a cliffhanger so much as that it just stopped midway through the story. Grr.

I guess it's telling that I want to find out what happens to Chalice. I want to find out the deal with her dad... whether that disembodied head will ever be reunited with its body... and what's up with the guardian angel. And of course, whether Chalice and Aydin will ever get PAST FIRST BASE. Maybe in the next installment. 3 1/2 stars.

P.S. (Click here if you have already read the book.) I was very disappointed in Chalice that she would suggest that Aydin should kill his gargoyle to save himself. He made it very clear that he cared for the beast --that it was once a man and had a good heart. No way would he kill it to recapture his humanity. Fail.

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

[Tahlia Newland · Rating 5 out of 5]

’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 things and gives her information that revolutionises the way she sees the world and offers her hope for the future, if she can just get out of the curse that makes her return to her master every seventy two hours or turn into a monster.

Chalice has our sympathy from the very beginning of this book when at thirteen years of age, she is kidnapped from the only home she’s ever known and forced to become a thief of magical artefacts. When we meed her again many years later, she is a likeable young woman trying to do make the best of a terrible situation and when Aydin befriends her, we are delighted. He’s just what she needs, a lovely handsome guy, with an interesting past who wants to help her. Of course, plans do not go according to plan, and Chalice’s improvisations and others interventions have unwanted side affects which her and Aydin have to deal with.

The end is excellent, leaving us with a resolution to one problem, whilst setting up another one but without resorting to a cliff-hanger. Rather, we are left with a new beginning - a hopeful one - and a promise to rectify the remaining problem. Since we know there is a solution to the problem (all be it a rather tricky one), we are not left bereft, but trusting that Chalice will do what she swears she will and all will eventually be well. That story will make an interesting read, presumably in a sequel, and I’ll certainly be reading it when it comes out. I give it 5 stars and recommend it for all paranormal fantasy lovers. There’s nothing too hot and heavy in it, but it is a cruel world.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

RECEIVED FROM: Net Galley For Review


***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***


Chalice is a Vyantara thief, kidnapped as a child from a monetary she has been forced to use her enhanced sense to steal magical artifacts from around the world ever since. The one thing she desires more than anything else is her freedom, a chance to have a life of her own away from her captors and the things they force her to do. She doesn’t trust magic, she’s only seen the bad side of it. When she meets Aydin another Vyantara thief he opens up a new world to her, a world where not all magic is evil and shows her another side to the world of magic. Together they must discover an escape from the Vyantara so that they can fulfill her destiny, to reunite the Hatchet Knights she was born from and help them to protect the world. But with evil surrounding them, can they make it out of the organization that has kept them captive so long alive?

The first thing I have to say is that I didn’t understand the relationship between Aydin and Chalice. I mean yes he was helping her because he was sworn to protect the order of the Hatchet Knights. But Chalice trusts him and falls for him rather quickly over the spans of what a couple days. DuVall’s created this character who was basically violently abducted from a monastery, forcible bonded to a vicious killer gargoyle and forced to steal even though it goes against all her believes. She’s never had one person in her life she could depend on her trust. Knowing that it doesn’t make sense that she’d let Aydin in so quickly or trust any attraction she might feel for him. I mean yeah I could eventually see a bond forming between them over time, but as quickly as this one did, I just found it very hard to believe and that’s one of my major issues with the story. I honestly think with the type of character DuVall has created here it would take Aydin coming through for her multiple times and proving what type of person he was before any sort of trust would occur. Trust is earned, it’s not a gift and with a character like this it should take a lot more time and be a lot harder for that trust to be earned than what is shown in the story. My second issue with the book as that though the end of the novel was written with a sense of closure, the story itself seemed less like plot and more like world building. Meaning what we’ve been offered in this first novel in the series seems more like setting the scene and creating a world the reader can understand. I guess the intent of the plot was for Chalice to get free of the Vyantara so she could begin her destiny of uniting the Hatchett Knights. But while there was a lot going on I wouldn’t really call the book fast paced and neither would I call the plot I don’t know driven I guess I’d say. It didn’t really feel like the story had a beginning middle and end. It more felt like the scene for the world has been set, the main character is being built and suddenly there’s an end that does have a feel of closure but I just don’t really know how to explain it. While the world was interesting I think this book would have served better as the start to a longer novel, rather than writing the final scenes with a sense of closure it would have served better as a scene transition to a new chapter in the character’s life. Also while DuVall has created an interesting world here I don’t feel she explained things enough, the history is missing from the story. We sort of know what the Vyantara is, but we don’t know how long they’ve existed or why or really what their purpose is other than to make money. I can’t see an organization existing as long as this one is hinted to have existed without a larger purpose beyond monetary gain. Also how does anyone know Chalice’s destiny, why was this order of Knights really created? Finishing this novel leaves a lot more questions than there are answers and while I understand that it’s the start of a larger series I personally feel it should have offered more in the opening novel rather than only offering enough to leave you curious as to what will happen in future works. The first person novel was well written, but I didn’t feel it was really fulfilling. While DuVall shows a talent for world building I didn’t think there was enough of a plot for this to be a standalone novel. Now with what little taste she’s given us of her world in this novel, I’m certain that this combined with future series world will lead to a stunning series, but as a standalone title in my opinion it falls short.

DuVall did a decent job with building characters. Being in the first person Chalice is obviously well developed. Though some of her actions don’t quite fit with the history and life created for her she does have a nice depth of feeling as well as obvious strength and flaws. She promises to be a very interesting character in the series to come. Aydin was less developed but we definitely got a good sense of him in the novel. Considering his fate at the end I’m not sure if we’ll be offered the opportunity to learn more in future works or not. Gavin was a cross between well developed and one dimensional. While he did come across as a fleshy character, no reasons were offered for his motives and his only real character traits were that he was demented and evil. The thing is no matter how good or bad a person is no one is completely one thing or another and Gavin needs a little bit more to his character though it’s pretty much a given that’s not going to happen. Other characters were given enough to be distinctive from one another but we didn’t really get a sense of knowing them which is common in a first person novel.

Overall I think I’d recommend the book to fantasy readers, but I would probably also advise to wait and get more than one title in the series before reading it since this book more serves as a series introduction than it does a fleshed out and fulfilling novel.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually love Luna books, but this was one of my least favorite I’ve read. Not only did I find the writing underdeveloped and a bit juvenile, but I felt the story was rushed and not really given a lot of depth. The characters also seemed to be pretty one- dimensional, and nothing really surprised me about the book at all.

[MJ Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite.

The writing was all right but really should have had another proofread. The there was a lot of telling verses showing and don't even get me started on the feeler words. Looked. Felt. Saw. Heard. How about showing your readers what's going on instead of telling them??

This is my subjective opinion.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this one up years ago because it sounded interesting, and because I have never read an author I did not like from Luna Publishing. This was no different. I liked the characters, the storyline moved quickly. It was a good fantasy read.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast paced. An interesting take on guardian angels.

[O. · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 legend. The book got off to a relatively slow start with a lot of explaining of what and how and who, setting the scene for the relationship between Chalice and her captor, but once that was established and the author got on with the story it was actually able to keep my interest throughout. The book ended with a satisfactory resolution to the major conflict and without a cliff-hanger but the premise for the next book is thoroughly set up in the final chapters so the reader knows in what direction the story will progress in the sequel.
I enjoyed the varied world of ancient magical beings living side by side with the unsuspecting public and keeping their existence secret. Duvall gives us barely a glimpse of majority of them but the ones that get the attention are developed with much thought and the secondary characters like Elmo and Zee often become scene-stealers. It would be interesting to see what she would do with the rest.
Character development seemed natural and realistic - Chalice has trouble accepting that the things that have been ingrained in her for years aren't actually true, she's wary of everybody she meets and her transformation from someone who believes that all magic is evil to a person who accepts that there's a good side to it too refreshingly takes more than a chapter. I also enjoyed that Chalice's sudden, overwhelming attraction to her warrior protector Aydin isn't set up as a natural thing that happens between two people who barely lay eyes on each other and Bam! they're in love. It is rooted in their magical natures and Chalice's struggle between believing that it's real and wondering whether it's something that wouldn't even exist had it not been for their curse and gives an extra angsty dimension to her character.
There were a number of things that made this book not nearly as enjoyable as it could have been and are the cause of me not particularly hurrying to find out when the sequel will be released. My main gripe is with the fact that Chalice has been Gavin's slave for over a decade and yet in all this time she hasn't wondered how to break herself free, what kind of person her mother really was or how Gavin controls the gargoyle that binds her curse (she must've been paying zero attention to that little detail despite the fact that she has to come into contact with it every three days and Shui is far from tame), she apparently somehow has had no interaction whatsoever with anyone outside of a few members in Gavin's organization and has done no research at all to find out more about her situation. Give me a break, not like the girl was drugged or kept in a cell, she actually has her own apartment. She may be watched, but she's not chained to a guard 24-7! All this could've seemed realistic if she had been a prisoner for months, may be a couple of years (extensive training, they didn't trust her and didn't leave her much alone time, etc.) but not for over a decade. Besides, she's smart and feisty, sitting around being scared of the consequences of her snooping around is very much out of character for Chalice.
All in all this was a fast-paced and entertaining book with a good story and a few plot twists to keep it going and if you're looking for an escapist read that won't keep you up till 3 in the morning because you just can't put it down you might want to check it out.

ARC of this book was received from Luna Books via NetGalley. It is now available in stores and on Amazon.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was yet another great read for me. I loved the writing style, plot, characters, pacing, and the world. (SPOILERS INCLUDED)

I appreciated that despite being an urban fantasy of sorts this book ventured into areas not often portrayed in other books of the genre. Gargoyles are prominent and I enjoy that the world of faerie is explored in different ways than simply Seelie/Unseelie or Oberon and what not. The different colored veils are spoken of and I really liked when they brought up white magic because this reminded me of my gaming days, like in Final Fantasy when mages could use white magic to heal and such.

Some of the reviews I read concerning this book mentioned how they didn't like Chalice or Aydin as characters that much. However, I really liked their personalities and their interactions with each other and others. Chalice is a rather tough girl and even though she was supposedly trained in martial arts since nine and the Vyantara kidnapped at the age of thirteen, it was believable to me that she wouldn't be able to fend them off by herself. Some people had issues with this but I felt that despite her training Chalice had never met the Vyantara before or Gavin, had never witnessed their power/magic, and after seeing her mentor and only friend Thomas die she became rather incapable of acting. I can understand that. She was in shock and it seemed more than believable that she would end up captured.

Aydin's history as a Turk and his fight in the First Crusade was very interesting. His previous relationship with Geraldine was also fascinating and how he helped Chalice without making her some damsel in distress really made me happy. He worked with her and gave her plenty of room to voice her opinions and ideas. He and Chalice played well off one another and near the end of the book I had grown attached enough to their relationship that I felt sad when they were separated. Their relationship is something that takes time in the book to build and I thoroughly appreciated this. Despite their initial attraction Chalice is slow to trust him and I felt this was appropriate. When the two finally admit their feelings it is realistic.

The side characters like Quin, Gavin, and Elmo also enchanted me. Gavin especially played the role of bastardly evil guy well.

The only thing I had a bit of an issue with was how easily Chalice came to trust her father Barachiel. I know that he saved her life and that means something but even she said herself that despite that she should remain wary of him. Soon after this comment though she begins saying that she can't not trust him. I found that a little weird but not too bothersome.

The mythology behind gargoyles in this book was another major plus for me. It did something different than other stories I've read thus far. Shojin and Shui were pretty cool and when Aydin became a gargoyle I could really sympathize with his decision, despite the fact that he looked utterly cool!

I recommend this book and the series to all who love urban fantasy and want something new out of this genre. The Hatchet Knights seem like a really fascinating historical group of women warriors and I can't wait to get to know them better in the next book.

[Gabbi Calabrese · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 saying that this book has a lot of room for improvement and progression that will be achieved by experience.


From the very beginning, I was very intrigued by the premise and Chalice's, the protagonist, abilities. Throughout the entire story, though, I felt like something was missing. It wasn't until the very end that I realized what it was. There's sort of a lack of tension in this book. Sure, Chalice faces tons of obstacles but I feel like the solution is just two easy and there's not enough consequences. The other thing that felt wrong, to me, about this book was that the world was a little lackluster. I could tell that there were loads of awesome aspects of the world, like a living person that is in pieces and talks, but I didn't really feel their awesomeness.


I loved the plot. I loved it. Loved it. Loveeeeed it. I thought it was super original and fun. I mean, how many books do you get to read about gargoyles!? There were some parts in the book that I honestly wasn't expecting and I was absolutely stunned by the different ways that Duvall incorporated some unique supernatural aspects.


As for the characters. I feel like there was a lot of growth for Chalice, but to me it seemed like every change was sort of nonchalant. She finds out this big news and she struggles with it for a little while but then she just accepts it. That kind of fits in with the lack of tension. I liked her a lot, though. She was spunky and tough and smart. All good qualities in a heroine. Now Aydin. Hmm. I loved him. I'm not particularly fangirl for him, but he was a really good character to read. He's sweet and smart and nice. All good qualities in a love interest.


This book didn't really keep my undivided interest. It could be because I was reading it on my computer and I kept getting distracted by that shiny little thing called the internet. But I did want to find out what happens and how it ends! I'd say it's an even-paced book that was light and easy to read.


I wouldn't say this book blew me away, but I'll certainly be looking out for the sequel! I feel like many people could enjoy this, but to me it seemed just a little bland.



REASONS I LIKED IT:


- Gargoyles. I cannot get over that. They weren't just random, either. The gargoyles had a major part in the plot, considering Chalice runs a huge risk of becoming one. I've never ever read a book with gargoyles in it before.

- Consistency. Chalice has unique abilities and Karen Duvall doesn't forget that. Those abilities come in handy for almost every scene and while they help her a lot, they can also be really inconvenient.

[Kristie Elston · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally published at Dark Faerie Tales: http://darkfaerietales.com/review-kni...

Quick & Dirty: Dark Urban Fantasy where the bad guys always have the upper hand and a heroine that just wants to be good. A decent story but too many plot devices detract from the overall plot.

The Review:

I am a little on the fence about my review for Knight’s Curse. I love history and I really like it when an author takes something out of history books, especially something I’ve never heard of, and puts their own spin on things. Chalice was born the daughter of an angel and a Hatchet Knight. Hatchet Knights are basically female descendants of angels. They are born with special powers that they use to help defeat the evil in the world. Chalice’s mother died due to strange events at the time she gave birth to her daughter leaving Chalice to grow up in a monastery until the age of thirteen, when she is kidnapped.

Chalice is then raised by a very bad man, Gavin. He is a powerful member of the Vyantara, a secret society of sorcerers and thieves. Gavin takes advantage of Chalice’s unique abilities of hyper-senses to be a thief for the Vyantara. Gavin has Chalice bonded to a gargoyle in order to keep her under control. She can only be away from the gargoyle for three days before she begins to turn into one of them.

She has been dealt a bad hand but she tries her hardest to be good. She wants nothing more than to break her curse, get away from the Vyantara and claim her birthright as a Hatchet Knight. Her only help comes from her long lost father and her only ally in the Vyantara, Ayden, an immortal warrior who has been with the group for over 800 years and who is also bonded to a gargoyle.

The world-building in Knight’s Curse is simply done. There is no huge info dump, in fact, for two organizations that have been around for over one thousand years there is surprisingly little told about them. I think how little is revealed works for this story, just enough information is revealed to move the plot along.

Knight’s Curse is completely told from Chalice’s point of view. The plot moves along at a steady pace for the most part. There is a lot going on with the story that it did have me wondering how the story would end and which conflict would be resolved. I did feel the tone to Knight’s Curse was dark and despairing, it may not intentionally have been this way, but I felt Chalice was in way too deep with the enemy to get out. Her curse alone is bad enough but her only ally is also in deep with the Vyantara. The tension definitely runs high.

Knight’s Curse is a decent urban fantasy debut with a new twist on a historical group, truly evil bad guys and a heroine who just wants to do the right thing. It’s not a bad read but it is not spectacular either, it had potential but does fall a little flat at times. Knight’s Curse was a book that I normally wouldn’t have picked up off the shelf but I am pleased that I read it.

[Kt · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 together to be finally free, because at this rate, the alternative is death.

Knight's Curse is a very refreshing book. In a genre that seems saturated with books that all muddle together because of similarities. Yes there are some familiar elements with angels and demons, as well as the fae. However the focus is more on gargoyles and the unique bond they have with humans. Anyone bonded to one is actually enslaved because if they do not merge with their gargoyle every three days then they will turn into one of the creatures themselves. Another aspect that made the book refreshing was the way Chalice's extremely enhanced senses were handled. In so many Urban Fantasies, the heroine will have these great senses, yet they are somehow able to conveniently shut them off for comfort. Chalice has no such "off" switch so she has to use nose and ear plugs, as well as special contacts just to be able to keep the sensory overload to a lessor amount. I found this to make her seem more realistic, and well human as the gifts were as much of a hindrance as a help.

I really enjoyed getting to see Chalice grow throughout this book. At the start she was so skittish and untrusting, and while she had good reason to be that way, she was so shut off to everything and everyone. She only looked for the worst in people and stubbornly felt all magic was evil. However as time went on and she was able to defy her master more and more she started to really open up. Of course a lot of that had to do with the charismatic Aydin, and her attraction to him. They didn't really get a chance to progress anywhere in a relationship together, but there is so much potential there. I'm really rooting for them in the next book even though the odds are highly stacked against them.

I enjoyed Knight's Curse as it was a great opening to a new series that read very quickly. There was just the right amount of world building, action and character development to make it a very well rounded book. The only thing I wish for more of would have been a little romance, but that isn't too much of a hindrance as it leaves room to grow. So, if you are looking for a new Urban Fantasy that is anything but "run of the mill" then Knight's Curse is for you.

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 allow her to see into the unseen, to sense not just technical alarm systems, but magical ones. The sorcerer, and those he represents, train her to be a thief. Chalice learns to steal magical, especially cursed, artifacts.

And she can never run. That bonding to the gargoyle...every three days, she must return to the gargoyle, and the bond must be renewed...or she will become a gargoyle herself. Chalice has tested the bond, and the potential transformation. She's come much too close to want to test that boundary again.

But Chalice is more than just a thief with some boosted abilities. In Knight's Curse, by Karen Duvall, Chalice discovers that she is the modern-day descendant of an order of female knights that have existed since the Middle Ages. And that she has a destiny--to gather all of her sister knights together to fight the order of sorcerers that has both cursed her and trained her. But first, she has to free herself.

I enjoyed reading this book. I kept wanting to see what happened next. On the other hand, there were a lot of things about Chalice's story that bothered me. For someone who has been emotionally abused and isolated as much as Chalice has, she trusts much too easily. For one thing, she falls in love with the first man she meets, in spite of the fact that she discovers he is 1) a double agent for the bad guys, 2) 900 years old, and 3) in love with her great-great-great-grandmother.

There are a lot of very neat ideas in this book, including, but not limited to; an order of female knights from the Crusades existing into the 21st century, an order of evil sorcerers, previously mentioned, guardian angels, fallen angels, gargoyles, fae folk, hellhounds, angel speakers, and saints who are still alive in spite of having been drawn and quartered nearly 1,000 years previously.

This story read like the set-up for a series. Possibly in the vein of see how the kick-butt heroine becomes the kick-butt heroine. Because she isn't there yet. And there are too many ideas in the soup right now. None of them are cooking terribly badly, but the recipe would probably be better with a few less ingredients and more attention paid to the parts that remain.

[Scooper Speaks · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 demons. It has a secret society of women warriors, slavery and gargoyles. It has dark moments and I thought I’d love it, but I didn’t really care for Chalice and it impacted my overall enjoyment of the story.

Chalice worked my nerves. She is childish, self-centered and wishy-washy. On the other hand I really enjoyed her kinda love interest, Aydin. He is not an open book and he was able to overlook Chalice’s imperfections. However, Chalice and Aydin as a possible couple was confusing. I don’t know what either really, truly liked about the other. Sure they were sexually attracted to one another, but Chalice thought Aydin was in love with another woman and that he was the enemy for most of the book. Despite my disinterest in many of the characters, I did like the gargoyles.

Heck, the best parts of the book revolved around gargoyles. From their creation to the bond Chalice and Aydin had with them, gargoyles carried the weight of the book. We are shown positive and negative views of gargoyles and the bonds between them and humans. The effects of not following through with a bond between human and gargoyle–well let’s just say Chalice was terrified of failing to complete the bonding ritual with good reason.

In the end, the book was okay. It wasn’t spectacular because I didn’t really care for the characters and when the name of the warrior women became known I was tempted to put the book down. I just wasn’t interested. What made me like the book? Duvall was able to surprise me. Out of no where she pulled a major OMG moment out of her hat and it makes me wonder what else she is capable of. I know she has great ideas, my hope is that over time I’ll come to enjoy the characters enough to stick with the series. Duvall has piqued my interest and I will read the next book which will make or break the series for me

[Cocktails and Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 gifts are important to bring together a circle of women warrior who can protect the world from evil.

I was hopeful this was going to be another book that would sway my angel reluctance. Unfortunately, it wasn't.

Here's my issue with the story.

Chalice is a woman that was abducted and abused by Grant, who has delusions of grandeur on ruling the magical underworld. He forces her to steal magical artifacts for this purpose. He's also managed to bond her with a gargoyle, which must lick her every three days or she'll die. Nice guy...right? I should have felt sorry for her, having gone through all of this, but I didn't. Instead, I kept wondering why she didn't do something to change what was happening to her. Sure Gavin always seemed to know where she was and what she was doing, but at some point don't you figure out how to be sneaky just to get away from the bastard?
The "romance" between Aydin and Chalice was weird. She liked him, she suspected him of lying to her and then she liked him again. Then she suspected he was still in love with someone else. He was never more than outwardly friendly with her during the entire story, then towards the very end, they're is almost a declaration of love. WHAT???
I'm still confused about the Saint Geraldine, the angel talkers, the Fallen, the Vyantara and what the heck is going on. There was no back history on who the Vyantara are or why they are doing what they're doing today.


I'm sure others will enjoy this book, but there were one too many unanswered questions or moments were I was scratching my head to engage my interest.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chalice is the daughter of a Hatchet Knight and a fallen angel. The Hatchet Knights are a group of women, formed during the Crusades, who have special abilities. In Chalice’s case, she has extra-sensitive senses. She has to wear contact lenses, nose plugs and ear plugs when she goes out in order to close off the overload of sensory input.

Chalice was born in a monastery and thinks her mom died giving birth to her. When Chalice turned thirteen, a man named Gavin comes to the monastery claiming that he is Chalice’s dad. The monks have no reason to doubt him since he has ways to prove his fatherhood but Chalice knows that Gavin is lying because she heard him talking to his men from miles away. Chalice calls him on the lie so he kills the monks and takes her captive.

Fast-forward 12 years. Chalice is bonded to Shui, a vicious gargoyle. Gavin, a member of the Vyantara, masters of dark magic, controls Shui, and unless Chalice makes contact with Shui every 72 hours, Chalice will turn into a gargoyle as well. Gavin uses this forced bonding to control Chalice and she is forced to use her senses to be a supernatural thief. Her one friend in this mess is Aydin, a warrior from the Crusades who can turn into a ghost at will. But Aydin, like Chalice is bonded to a gargoyle named Shojin. He shows her, though, that not all magic is bad.

This is a fascinating story that kept me glued to it to the very end. It is also obviously part of a series. I usually hate this type of marketing, but this story was so good that I can’t wait to read the others. I want to find out what happens to Chalice, Aydin (the warrior), Echo (elf), Geraldine (the saint) and Quin (psychic). The characters are realistic, the settings familiar enough for the reader to be comfortable with, and the problems Chalice faces laid out well enough to be believable. Ms. Duvall is a talented fantasy writer with a vivid imagination who did her research. If I had any issues with the story, it was that it was too short. I wanted more, which I’m certain I will get with the next installment(s).

I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes urban fantasies.

[Kristin (MyBookishWays Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/02/...

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 is taken to live with the Vyantara, a group of magic users who use Chalice, and others, to steal cursed and magical objects for their own nefarious means. Chalice has become a skilled thief, but she’s got a secret that tethers her to her kidnapper, Heinrich, and the Vyantara, and she’s desperate to be free.

Knight’s Curse was not what I expected! I expected pretty run of the mill urban fantasy, but the characters and world that Ms. Duvall has created really are rather unique and refreshing. The curse in the title refers to Chalice’s binding to a gargoyle (foisted upon her by Heinrich, to keep her under control). They must maintain close contact or Chalice will actually turn into a gargoyle herself. It’s not a pleasant situation, especially since her particular gargoyle was once a human, who also happened to be a psychopath. Aydin, the handsome sorcerer that is also a member of the Vyantara (but on her side), is also bound to a gargoyle, but theirs is a very different relationship. Knight’s Curse is told from Chalice’s point of view and is very much a tale not only of magic, but of self-discovery. She discovers that she is descended from an ancient order of female Knights (the Hatchet Knights), and may be destined for greater things. First she has to escape her curse and her evil captor. This was such a fun book, and Chalice and Aydin’s love story added a certain sweetness. Loved the magic and otherworldly creatures in this one and can’t wait to explore Chalice and Aydin’s romance and adventures further in the next book, Darkest Knight!

[Charlotte Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 break the curse that enslaves her, Chalice agrees. But it is only with the help of Aydin— her noble warrior-protector—that she will risk venturing beyond the veil to discover the origins of her power. Only for him will she dare to fully embrace her awesome talents. For a deadly duel is at hand, and Chalice alone will have to decide between freedom…and the love of her life.

Review:
In the beginning I didn't feel that Chalice had enough courage, she maybe had a little bit too much attitude for my liking. But the more you delve into the story the more you realise that she's changing. She learns how to hate, and also how to love.

Aydin is a sneaky protector. There were honestly times when I thought he was betraying Chalice but then he does the unspeakable and saves her life while giving up his own. The truly honourable dead cost him dearly - he really is the knight in shining armour.

The writing is captivating, the flow of the story is steady and continual, leading you on to a heartbreaking but exciting outcome. Of course, there has to be a book 2 because the story is still incomplete. But its certainly one that I can't wait for.

Overall I found it compelling, exciting, emotional and you certainly want to root for the good guys. But who will win in the end?? Will Aydin and Chalice ever finally find their love? We shall have to wait and see....

[Danny · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 background and I found her magical talents and heritage refreshing and magical, also I loved the twist with the curse! I won’t dare say too much, but this was one of the best features of the story!

With the addition of Aydin the story moves on and as usual, I became even more invested! I need a good romance and love story in between those mysteries and Aydin is the perfect man! I loved him and when he agrees to help free Chalice.
I had a hard time believing in the romance between Chalice and Aydin – I didn’t feel the spark between them! The love felt too fast and unbelievable for me, which was very sad and drew me back a bit. Also, some dialogues felt a bit off and were kind of awkward…

Bottom Line:
This was definitely a great start in a new series and despite my complain about the romance I will definitely pick up the next. This one ends with such a horrible cliffhanger that I simply have to get the next one in a series too.
In addition, I learned that often first books might not be the strongest and I’m looking forward seeing where the sequel will lead

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a while to decide to pick up Knight’s Curse. The cover copy sounded great but there was just something about it that had me putting it down when I was at the bookstore. But then, the other day, it seemed like the perfect fit so I ordered it and waited…and waited…for it to arrive. Thankfully, it finally showed up! And while I wasn’t compelled to read it in a single sitting, I did find it it be quite enjoyable. Here’s why:

The world that Karen Duvall has created is fantastic. I love the idea of an order of female knights and had no idea it was a real thing back in the day. (If you’re feeling nerdy, you can check out this site for some history.) I think it’s a very original setting for an urban fantasy/PNR series and I look forward to finding out what happens to Chalice next in Darkest Knight. (Incidentally, am I the only one who thinks Batman when they hear that title?) I thought the author’s take on gargoyles was particularly interesting but I won’t say too much to keep it a surprise for you all.

Chalice, the main character, has a fascinating backstory. Karen Duvall takes a trope — orphan learns about her family and special destiny — and makes it feel fresh. I really loved the opening scenes with a younger Chalice because we get to see the moments that really shape her relationship with Gavin and the Vyantara. I didn’t always like grown-up Chalice but I understood where she was coming from because of these great opening moments.

Overall, I thought Knight’s Curse was a great debut and I look forward to reading Darkest Knight, which I have on my e-reader right now!

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[Wendy Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chalice has had a rough life. Born to an angel and a Hatchet Knight, a female descended by angels with special powers, she should have had a nice life. Unfortunately, her mom dies giving birth to her and Chalice grows up in a monastery. When she turns thirteen, she is kidnapped by Gavin, a powerful member of the Vyantra, a secret group of thieves and sorcerers. Gavin treats Chalice horribly, bonding her to a gargoyle so that she can never leave for long. If she is away from her gargoyle for more than three days, she turns into one. Gavin wants to use Chalice's superb talents to steal a magical artifact.

He has spent years training her to hone her powers. Wanting to break away from Gavin and the Vyantra, Chalice agrees. She wants to claim her birthright of being a Hatchet Knight and only another who is also bonded to a gargoyle can help her. His name is Aydin, a warrior and her protector. He's sexy, sweet and totally in love with Chalice and will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

With superb world-building, diverse characters and clever writing, KNIGHT'S CURSE is a thrilling urban fantasy that will enthrall readers. Chalice is a sharp and intelligent heroine who wants to do the right thing, even though she's been put into some bad situations and does what she has to do to survive. Aydin wants to keep Chalice safe, help her steal the artifact and out-wit the Vyantra, but will he lose her if she succeeds? Fans of urban fantasy fiction won't want to miss this one!

[Nita · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 herself starts to turn into one.

So the ideas and world Duvall created are fantastic. It was the characters I had problems with - more specifically the emotions and dialogue. The dialogue was very generic to me. The characters did not have their own voice. Same with emotion; Chalice would tell me she was feeling a certain way, but I did not feel it. Gavin, the man Chalice reports to, is supposed to be very evil. But between the emotions he expresses and his dialogue, he did not feel evil to me. The characters did not have very unique personalities.

The book ends with a satisfying conclusion and a set up for the next book. I am interested to see where Duvall is taking this series. I hope she fleshes out her characters; I would love to enjoy the next book.

ARC provided by NetGalley

[Jessie Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 first chapter) because she is the descendant of a human woman mating with angels. In this world of Duvall's, those women who mated with angels and bore their (apparently only female) offspring were of an order of Knights existing since the Middle Ages. Her mother was deliberately murdered and Chalice kidnapped at thirteen by an evil organization (think the mafia with mojo), she was cursed as a means of control- every three days Chalice must make contact with her gargoyle, Shui, or be turned into a monster like him for all time.

Chalice herself failed to engage me, or make me really care about her story. I wanted to like this character much more than I did. By all means, I should love her: she's smart, snarky, sarcastic, good with a blade, and fierce. Why don't I?