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Dorina Basarab #5
Queen’s Gambit
Dorina Basarab is a dhampir—the feared and hated cross between a vampire and a human—or so she has always believed. She spent most of her life on the fringes of her two worlds, yearning to belong to one or the other, but despised and distrusted by both. Recently, a war in the supernatural community allowed her to get a foothold into her vampire father’s world, one of danger, intrigue, glitz and glamour, where she found not only a home, but a lover, too.
For the first time in centuries, life seemed to be going her way. But now, a freak accident with a dangerous magical device has left her two natures separated into duplicate bodies, both fighting to survive while they search for the truth about her past, and the key to her future.
For the first time in centuries, life seemed to be going her way. But now, a freak accident with a dangerous magical device has left her two natures separated into duplicate bodies, both fighting to survive while they search for the truth about her past, and the key to her future.
525 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 2020
266 people are currently reading
1205 people want to read
About the author
Karen Chance
62 books5,231 followersKaren Chance is the author of two New York Times bestselling series, plus a number of novellas and short stories, all set in the Cassandra Palmer universe. A full-time writer since 2008, she was previously a university history teacher, which comes in handy when writing the time-travel aspect of Cassie’s crazy adventures. She loves Las Vegas, the main setting for her novels, but currently lives in Florida near her family home. Visit her website or connect with her on Facebook here.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
August 10, 2020
Wow. There was a LOT in this book that could’ve been left out, IMHO. This has been my favorite KC series since its start, mainly because it was a tighter, more concise series compared to Cassie. I am behind on CP, having stopped (I thought temporarily) at book 8, but haven’t felt a rush to return. As these two series weave closer together I’m finding that I probably should return to CP.
The problem is this series is becoming as overfilled with, what feels like, unnecessarily long action scenes and other miscellany. The need for better editing was felt throughout this installment. Personal preference, I wanted more Dorina’s POV and less of Dory’s. And, this really could’ve been resolved in one book, I feel, instead of leaving on a cliffhanger.
Normally, with a favorite series, I’m all for “the more pages, the better”. In this instance, it lessened my enjoyment instead of improving it. It makes me sad to say that I was relieved when I finally reached the end. That’s definitely not something I thought I’d ever say about this series.
The problem is this series is becoming as overfilled with, what feels like, unnecessarily long action scenes and other miscellany. The need for better editing was felt throughout this installment. Personal preference, I wanted more Dorina’s POV and less of Dory’s. And, this really could’ve been resolved in one book, I feel, instead of leaving on a cliffhanger.
Normally, with a favorite series, I’m all for “the more pages, the better”. In this instance, it lessened my enjoyment instead of improving it. It makes me sad to say that I was relieved when I finally reached the end. That’s definitely not something I thought I’d ever say about this series.
July 19, 2020
How can a 160k word novel end in a cliffhanger? That's like having a part 2 for an eight hour documentary.
Unlike the usual Basarab books, it didn't feel like a lot of things happened, despite the length of the number of pages. A lot of the words seemed a bit unnecessary, like the book could use a really good editor, not the kind who corrects spelling or grammatical errors, but the kind who adds a finishing touch to the novel,
if that makes any sense.
And there was so much of Louis-Cesare in this novel. Way too much if I'm honest. 'Cause throughout the novel, he treats Dory like a damsel in distress, in need of rescuing. That motherfucker. Like need we remind him of all the badass shit Dory has done including, but not limited to, killing his psycho-ex girlfriend?
But nooooo, he feels the need to stick Dory in bubble wrap, because of leftover guilt from the loss of one measly limb.
And there was no Radu, no Marlowe and no Mircea throughout the novel. Worst of all there was no New York, meaning no Claire, no Caedmon, no Olga. Every single one of the characters who have been in all of the previous Dory books, just up and vanished in this one. There were some new characters, well new according to the Dory novels, but they were definitely not able to make up for the loss of the previous ones. Also,
But despite all of the things I did not like about this one novel I'm still waiting with bated breath for the next one, because I need to know what happened. And also because of Dory. Duh.
Unlike the usual Basarab books, it didn't feel like a lot of things happened, despite the length of the number of pages. A lot of the words seemed a bit unnecessary, like the book could use a really good editor, not the kind who corrects spelling or grammatical errors, but the kind who adds a finishing touch to the novel,
if that makes any sense.
And there was so much of Louis-Cesare in this novel. Way too much if I'm honest. 'Cause throughout the novel, he treats Dory like a damsel in distress, in need of rescuing. That motherfucker. Like need we remind him of all the badass shit Dory has done including, but not limited to, killing his psycho-ex girlfriend?
But nooooo, he feels the need to stick Dory in bubble wrap, because of leftover guilt from the loss of one measly limb.
And there was no Radu, no Marlowe and no Mircea throughout the novel. Worst of all there was no New York, meaning no Claire, no Caedmon, no Olga. Every single one of the characters who have been in all of the previous Dory books, just up and vanished in this one. There were some new characters, well new according to the Dory novels, but they were definitely not able to make up for the loss of the previous ones. Also,
But despite all of the things I did not like about this one novel I'm still waiting with bated breath for the next one, because I need to know what happened. And also because of Dory. Duh.
August 10, 2020
3.5
As I said before about book 4, I have always loved this series more than the parallel one about Cassie. Unfortunately the 2 are merging and that implies that you loose quite a few references and the book lost its personality.
I stopped reading Cassie’s (at book 5) because the books were the paper format of a tv franchise series: 45 minutes of never ending action but at the end of that time the clock rewinds itself and everything stays unchanged. Cassie books were like that, a never ending adrenaline shot, but at the end of the books there wasn’t much change. People running, running, running and not going anyway isn’t my idea of fun (at least not book after book).
Dorina’s books had action, yes, but they had their own plot and it seemed to me, it was solid. Last 2 books though I was left with the idea I was reading a Cassie Palmer, not a Dorina Basarab.
This book has a strong idea that never developed into a full plot (and in fact it has no resolution) but again was mostly action. It needs you to read the previous novella too (and probably all the CP series).
Mostly you have a whopping door stopper with a thin plot. And it’s often confusing too. It felt like eating a lot of candy, after which you feel both still hungry and at the same time nauseated...
Still it’s Dorina and from this book forward we may have a Dorina together with a Dory, who knows..
Note it’s a self pub book with a standard publisher price.
As I said before about book 4, I have always loved this series more than the parallel one about Cassie. Unfortunately the 2 are merging and that implies that you loose quite a few references and the book lost its personality.
I stopped reading Cassie’s (at book 5) because the books were the paper format of a tv franchise series: 45 minutes of never ending action but at the end of that time the clock rewinds itself and everything stays unchanged. Cassie books were like that, a never ending adrenaline shot, but at the end of the books there wasn’t much change. People running, running, running and not going anyway isn’t my idea of fun (at least not book after book).
Dorina’s books had action, yes, but they had their own plot and it seemed to me, it was solid. Last 2 books though I was left with the idea I was reading a Cassie Palmer, not a Dorina Basarab.
This book has a strong idea that never developed into a full plot (and in fact it has no resolution) but again was mostly action. It needs you to read the previous novella too (and probably all the CP series).
Mostly you have a whopping door stopper with a thin plot. And it’s often confusing too. It felt like eating a lot of candy, after which you feel both still hungry and at the same time nauseated...
Still it’s Dorina and from this book forward we may have a Dorina together with a Dory, who knows..
Note it’s a self pub book with a standard publisher price.
July 21, 2020
This book needs an editor like humans need air.
July 22, 2020
This one gets 3.5 stars, because of several reasons.
First, the premise was excellent: Dory and Dorina finally have separate bodies (something I had felt the series was leading up to almost as certainly as the Cassie series were leading to the Cassie/Pritkin pairing), but that's it.
The rest of the book is... the usual Karen Chance rollercoaster ride, and while usually that rollercoaster had a tight plot and an excellent story to tell, this one felt a bit off. KC calls this a Dory novel with a Dorina novella sandwiched in for the other side of the story, but I feel like it should have been the other way around. The focus should have been on Dorina instead of Dory in this one, because of two reasons. First, Dorina as a character was in a perfect position for adaptation to a new environment and change. Second, Dory was in a perfect position to see what it would mean to be without Dorina and her gifts and abilities... and we get none of that. Literally. Dory just runs around after about two or three clues as to where Dorina was taken, and she spends about 60% of the novel just getting that clue. Why?
Because Michael Bay level of action.
Which, this reader finds tiresome after so many books in this series.
And that's problem number three: the overall plot did not really move forward much. Nothing really happened. No, really, nothing: Dory doesn't find Dorina, though she discovers she was taken to Faerie via a portal... which wasn't so hard to deduce in the first place, was it?
Problem number four: the repetitive information. Some of the things that Dory discovers are later on discovered by Dorina, which, might be important for their characters' perspectives, but are boring to the reader. I felt like KC should have chosen which sister would get the information, and leave the other one in the dark (probably Dory), but oh well. After Shatter the Earth, we already knew Elena (Dory/Dorina's mother) was a special snowflake - JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER GODDAMN CHARACTER.
Here's a list.
- Pritkin went from half-demon-quarter-fey, to 1/16th or so god.
- Cassie went from a bumbling psychic human to a Pythia to a demigoddess. (Love the weird relationship between Cassie and Dory, that's for sure).
- Dory went from dhamphir to half-human/half-Master vampire, and now... a demi-demi-goddess, or a God-Killing weapon (yay for the war efforts! of which we see almost zip, zilch, nada). And, apparently, Dorina's abilities, and her essence even, might not be vampiric at all in nature, considering that Dorina never ever drank blood like Ray did, and she had a heartbeat. And while I'm miffed at yet another special snowflake superpower to help the war effort, I loved Dorina's foray into Faerie, it was wonderful and amazing, only because Faerie as a world is so unexplored in the novels, even less so than the hells, of which we got a good glimpse during the "save Pritkin" arc.
- Claire went from a null witch to a dark fey princess and a light fey princess by marriage. And a dragon to boot!
- Caedmon went from an enigmatic fey to a demigod, and the major faerie players as well. Everyone's a demigod these days, it would seem.
Discovering that Mircea was gone was not a surprise, but I honestly cannot bring myself to care for the "save Elena" arc that was started in Brave the Tempest, and continued throughout Shatter the Earth without resolve.
Just like in this novel, because damn it if KC doesn't serve a cliffhanger.
But see, there are many types of cliffhangers. The cliffhanger at the end of Hunt the Moon worked, because the whole novel was leading that way. Even the cliffhanger at the end of Tempt the Stars worked, because still, the "rescue Pritkin from the Hells and team up with the demons" arc was sorta done. "Save Pritkin in the past" took two full-length novels that only tied up the current plotline with Ares - in the past! - so when I read them back-to-back, I'm not that annoyed.
I was annoyed at this book, however. First, the Ray-scare. I wasn't ready for it to be real, but I knew in the back of my head that no, it wasn't time for Ray to die, and he didn't. Dorina and Ray going on an adventure in Faerie was the best thing about the novel, which is why it's a shame that KC decided to focus more on Dory. Because there was nothing to focus on about Dory.
Sometimes, it seems as if KC adds more and more problems to the already existing problems in the world just to add more action. I felt like the whole Hong Kong thing was completely unnecessary. Now, I have two things to say about magical Hong Kong. First, magical Hong Kong is one of KC's best worldbuilding feats, hands down. Second, she also seems to love it just as much, because the foray into that place in this book felt... completely forced.
And here, I have to talk about the plot, it's inevitable, and the writing itself.
KC is a great writer; she can weave a great story. However, she shoots too big, gets bogged down in descriptions and the Michael Bay action scenes she seems to adore to write. I hate to read them because sometimes, it's too much show, too little tell, and my understanding of those scenes is awfully close to nada.
At a whopping 160k words, the story is weaker than an Ilona Andrews' novel of half that length.
Why?
Because the beats of the story were gone. Let's recap.
First, Dory and LC are sent to Hassani's court in Egypt, which was another wonderful feat of worldbuilding by KC. But, what happens there is, of course, an action scene that lasts two chapters and ends with Dory and Dorina separated by a godly weapon. Ray is torn to pieces. Ray and Dorina get captured in a portal to Faerie.
This is followed by a great character moment for Dory and LC, and then the next morning, LC leaves her, just like he did in the second book. Dory is put in her place by Hassani, who then has a change of heart because Dory is nobody's bitch, and they go down to their version of a morgue to see what's left of the Consul that Cleo, Anthony and Mircea fought and defeated back in Masks, when Mircea was a baby. And then Jonathan comes again, raises the beast, and they have to kill him again. LC realized he left Dory unprotected and returned in time for them to kill the old crazy Consul - again. Because, of course, Hassani just had to be showing Dory the old snake man at that precise moment. There is some talk about the beast being indestructible, being the original OP vampire, so they've only managed to subdue him for the time being.
Which..... felt a bit redundant, especially because the whole point of that was to get Hassani's court to like Dory and LC, and for Hassani to propose that Elena had been a creature like the old Consul, modified by the gods to be a god-killer (something that Nimue confirms to Dorina later on anyway). I felt that this had nothing to do with find-Dorina, and was merely more fodder for action scenes, which are already annoying because they're so damn chaotic. But, think about it. What happened? A battle with an old demigod, who was already killed before. He was subdued. The only change as a result was Dory getting proper respect, and LC falling even further into his heroic BSoD. Point is, the only thing that possibly moved the plot forward was Hassani's suggestion about Dory's mom. And that took three chapters, a party, a lot of food, and some action too, to happen. Dory reacts to the suggestion so badly that it takes yet another chapter for Hassani to explain. This part could have been shorter, with many things cut out to make room for more Dorina.
As for the action scenes. I know, action scenes are SUPPOSED to be chaotic, but chaos and long sentences and convoluted metaphorical explanations along with commentary are difficult to follow in an action scene. So, I've started to skim those, because my inner editor is itching to fix them.
And, had I been KC's editor, I would have cut out about 60,000 words from the novel, because it was mostly descriptions of food. And more food. And more magical weapons. And filler. So much filler. It took two chapters in Egypt after the fight with the snake demigod for Dory to realize she had to go to Hong Kong. It took at least two chapters in Hong Kong for Dory to find Zheng, which... why? And it took about 40% of the novel to fight through the magical mayhem of what's left of phased Hong Kong to get to the HQ of Eternity, the gang that supposedly took Dorina. Sure, seeing Thomas was... interesting, but I felt his character and his crew were so wasted here, that it was ridiculous. At the end of the HK foray, Dory discovers that Dorina is in Faerie. And that Efridis is alive. And that's kind of it. Look, Dory could have made the smart assumption that Dorina was taken to Faerie. Dory could have gone back to NY, discover Mircea gone, and rounded up Radu and Gunther and some of the demonized vamp army to go find her. As for Thomas, well...
Now. Let's talk about Johnathan and Efridis.
I am tired of them both by now. If Asshat (Aesubrand) returns, I'll probably be even more miffed (he's also a demi-demi-god, yay!). So, basically, I'm tired of the same old, same old villains that pop up literally in every single novel, especially Johnathan! The guy was killed so many times by now, and no amount of Chimera spells can make me believe that he's scary anymore. I guess that was the point, but whatever, the way it got there was so "deus-ex-machina" that I can't even.
Same with Efridis. Angry Claire eating her after the bitch went for Aiden one too many times was the best victory and payoff to Claire's "I wanted to eat them because they were being stupid," line in Shadow's Bane. And it was taken away, just like that, because Chimera spell. Same with Cassie finally killing off Johnathan(at the expense of Billy, no less!), only for him to come back - yet again! - in this novel.
It feels uncreative. As if KC didn't know which villain was next, so she was like, oh, but wait, these two are alive and working together. It never made sense to me that Johnathan was working with Jo, and now with Efridis... tomorrow, Caedmon will be the villain, and Johnathan might be his right hand as well.
Now, I understand that Thomas would be a crucial part of the next Dory foray into Faerie, because he's been there probably far longer than any other characters, except for Francoise, and again - KC is not using the characters she has set up in their full might. However, his appearance in this novel was very disappointing. I know that Thomas has been cut off from the main cast for the longest time and that he doesn't really know what's going on, but still, LC and Thomas had tension that could have been resolved in a two minute conversation. Instead, the tension added to the already chaotic action scenes, and was just.. meh. Characters should change, dammit, not act the same way they did back in Touch the Dark.
Dorina's journey into Faerie was wonderful because it was a new world, and because she was accompanied by Ray, and they made an even greater team than Dory and Ray. I love how loyal that guy is to both of them, and how Ray finally seems to have a Master, considering he could hear Dorina's thoughts, and could talk to her too. If Dorina's abilities are like a Master vamp, Ray will definitely get a boost eventually. However, their journey, while fun, was again gobbled down by action scenes after action scenes, even though it was interesting to see Dorina use her abilities in Faerie. And the end with Marlowe was good for this Dorina-Marlowe shipper on deck. I think Dory and Dorina will not reunite completely. That was why I was miffed that Dorina's powers, and their absence from Dory was never properly addressed, beyond a mention by Hassani and Dory. I thought Dory was in a good place to progress as a character due to this absence, but all we got was Dory and LC arguing which one of them is going to protect the other more, and... after watching Pritkin and Cassie do the same thing for two books in a row, it's getting old.
While I appreciate that KC is self-publishing this year - and putting out novel after novel after novel - the absence of an editor is becoming more and more obvious. This book definitely feels like a Part 1, with Part 2 to follow. But, I felt like there would have been no need not to end this find-Dorina arc in this novel, because a large part of the novel is filler and sometimes even needless action scenes. Combine the first two action scenes with Dory: Eternity and Johnathan attacking them to separate Dory and Dorina, along with some serious action from Dory that saves Hassani, and you don't really have to resurrect the Old Consul to get the point about Dorina across and have Hassani's court treat Dory and LC differently. Hassani explained everything anyway. Don't take two or three chapters to get to a party and then to Hassani, and then to yet another chapter, just to get the point that Dorina might be a god-killer and that the gang Eternity from HK are those who took Dorina. Don't take two chapters to get to Zheng-zi, don't take another two chapters to get to Thomas, cut, cut, and cut, because the action scenes in Hong Kong were really over-the-top, padded out the story, while, the irony, bogging the story down.
Dory putting one team member after another in her bag was cool and all, but if you took away the action scenes and gotten to Efridis and Johnathan sooner, they might've opened up a portal, the gang could have followed through, and the story could have continued there. Armed with the weapons in the bag, they could have probably done a good job looking for Dorina there, and the whole arc could have ended in one book. Because the fight with the old Consul and the fights around Hong Kong added to the world, but did not push the story forward. Not everything needs to happen through chaos,
First, the premise was excellent: Dory and Dorina finally have separate bodies (something I had felt the series was leading up to almost as certainly as the Cassie series were leading to the Cassie/Pritkin pairing), but that's it.
The rest of the book is... the usual Karen Chance rollercoaster ride, and while usually that rollercoaster had a tight plot and an excellent story to tell, this one felt a bit off. KC calls this a Dory novel with a Dorina novella sandwiched in for the other side of the story, but I feel like it should have been the other way around. The focus should have been on Dorina instead of Dory in this one, because of two reasons. First, Dorina as a character was in a perfect position for adaptation to a new environment and change. Second, Dory was in a perfect position to see what it would mean to be without Dorina and her gifts and abilities... and we get none of that. Literally. Dory just runs around after about two or three clues as to where Dorina was taken, and she spends about 60% of the novel just getting that clue. Why?
Because Michael Bay level of action.
Which, this reader finds tiresome after so many books in this series.
And that's problem number three: the overall plot did not really move forward much. Nothing really happened. No, really, nothing: Dory doesn't find Dorina, though she discovers she was taken to Faerie via a portal... which wasn't so hard to deduce in the first place, was it?
Problem number four: the repetitive information. Some of the things that Dory discovers are later on discovered by Dorina, which, might be important for their characters' perspectives, but are boring to the reader. I felt like KC should have chosen which sister would get the information, and leave the other one in the dark (probably Dory), but oh well. After Shatter the Earth, we already knew Elena (Dory/Dorina's mother) was a special snowflake - JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER GODDAMN CHARACTER.
Here's a list.
- Pritkin went from half-demon-quarter-fey, to 1/16th or so god.
- Cassie went from a bumbling psychic human to a Pythia to a demigoddess. (Love the weird relationship between Cassie and Dory, that's for sure).
- Dory went from dhamphir to half-human/half-Master vampire, and now... a demi-demi-goddess, or a God-Killing weapon (yay for the war efforts! of which we see almost zip, zilch, nada). And, apparently, Dorina's abilities, and her essence even, might not be vampiric at all in nature, considering that Dorina never ever drank blood like Ray did, and she had a heartbeat. And while I'm miffed at yet another special snowflake superpower to help the war effort, I loved Dorina's foray into Faerie, it was wonderful and amazing, only because Faerie as a world is so unexplored in the novels, even less so than the hells, of which we got a good glimpse during the "save Pritkin" arc.
- Claire went from a null witch to a dark fey princess and a light fey princess by marriage. And a dragon to boot!
- Caedmon went from an enigmatic fey to a demigod, and the major faerie players as well. Everyone's a demigod these days, it would seem.
Discovering that Mircea was gone was not a surprise, but I honestly cannot bring myself to care for the "save Elena" arc that was started in Brave the Tempest, and continued throughout Shatter the Earth without resolve.
Just like in this novel, because damn it if KC doesn't serve a cliffhanger.
But see, there are many types of cliffhangers. The cliffhanger at the end of Hunt the Moon worked, because the whole novel was leading that way. Even the cliffhanger at the end of Tempt the Stars worked, because still, the "rescue Pritkin from the Hells and team up with the demons" arc was sorta done. "Save Pritkin in the past" took two full-length novels that only tied up the current plotline with Ares - in the past! - so when I read them back-to-back, I'm not that annoyed.
I was annoyed at this book, however. First, the Ray-scare. I wasn't ready for it to be real, but I knew in the back of my head that no, it wasn't time for Ray to die, and he didn't. Dorina and Ray going on an adventure in Faerie was the best thing about the novel, which is why it's a shame that KC decided to focus more on Dory. Because there was nothing to focus on about Dory.
Sometimes, it seems as if KC adds more and more problems to the already existing problems in the world just to add more action. I felt like the whole Hong Kong thing was completely unnecessary. Now, I have two things to say about magical Hong Kong. First, magical Hong Kong is one of KC's best worldbuilding feats, hands down. Second, she also seems to love it just as much, because the foray into that place in this book felt... completely forced.
And here, I have to talk about the plot, it's inevitable, and the writing itself.
KC is a great writer; she can weave a great story. However, she shoots too big, gets bogged down in descriptions and the Michael Bay action scenes she seems to adore to write. I hate to read them because sometimes, it's too much show, too little tell, and my understanding of those scenes is awfully close to nada.
At a whopping 160k words, the story is weaker than an Ilona Andrews' novel of half that length.
Why?
Because the beats of the story were gone. Let's recap.
First, Dory and LC are sent to Hassani's court in Egypt, which was another wonderful feat of worldbuilding by KC. But, what happens there is, of course, an action scene that lasts two chapters and ends with Dory and Dorina separated by a godly weapon. Ray is torn to pieces. Ray and Dorina get captured in a portal to Faerie.
This is followed by a great character moment for Dory and LC, and then the next morning, LC leaves her, just like he did in the second book. Dory is put in her place by Hassani, who then has a change of heart because Dory is nobody's bitch, and they go down to their version of a morgue to see what's left of the Consul that Cleo, Anthony and Mircea fought and defeated back in Masks, when Mircea was a baby. And then Jonathan comes again, raises the beast, and they have to kill him again. LC realized he left Dory unprotected and returned in time for them to kill the old crazy Consul - again. Because, of course, Hassani just had to be showing Dory the old snake man at that precise moment. There is some talk about the beast being indestructible, being the original OP vampire, so they've only managed to subdue him for the time being.
Which..... felt a bit redundant, especially because the whole point of that was to get Hassani's court to like Dory and LC, and for Hassani to propose that Elena had been a creature like the old Consul, modified by the gods to be a god-killer (something that Nimue confirms to Dorina later on anyway). I felt that this had nothing to do with find-Dorina, and was merely more fodder for action scenes, which are already annoying because they're so damn chaotic. But, think about it. What happened? A battle with an old demigod, who was already killed before. He was subdued. The only change as a result was Dory getting proper respect, and LC falling even further into his heroic BSoD. Point is, the only thing that possibly moved the plot forward was Hassani's suggestion about Dory's mom. And that took three chapters, a party, a lot of food, and some action too, to happen. Dory reacts to the suggestion so badly that it takes yet another chapter for Hassani to explain. This part could have been shorter, with many things cut out to make room for more Dorina.
As for the action scenes. I know, action scenes are SUPPOSED to be chaotic, but chaos and long sentences and convoluted metaphorical explanations along with commentary are difficult to follow in an action scene. So, I've started to skim those, because my inner editor is itching to fix them.
And, had I been KC's editor, I would have cut out about 60,000 words from the novel, because it was mostly descriptions of food. And more food. And more magical weapons. And filler. So much filler. It took two chapters in Egypt after the fight with the snake demigod for Dory to realize she had to go to Hong Kong. It took at least two chapters in Hong Kong for Dory to find Zheng, which... why? And it took about 40% of the novel to fight through the magical mayhem of what's left of phased Hong Kong to get to the HQ of Eternity, the gang that supposedly took Dorina. Sure, seeing Thomas was... interesting, but I felt his character and his crew were so wasted here, that it was ridiculous. At the end of the HK foray, Dory discovers that Dorina is in Faerie. And that Efridis is alive. And that's kind of it. Look, Dory could have made the smart assumption that Dorina was taken to Faerie. Dory could have gone back to NY, discover Mircea gone, and rounded up Radu and Gunther and some of the demonized vamp army to go find her. As for Thomas, well...
Now. Let's talk about Johnathan and Efridis.
I am tired of them both by now. If Asshat (Aesubrand) returns, I'll probably be even more miffed (he's also a demi-demi-god, yay!). So, basically, I'm tired of the same old, same old villains that pop up literally in every single novel, especially Johnathan! The guy was killed so many times by now, and no amount of Chimera spells can make me believe that he's scary anymore. I guess that was the point, but whatever, the way it got there was so "deus-ex-machina" that I can't even.
Same with Efridis. Angry Claire eating her after the bitch went for Aiden one too many times was the best victory and payoff to Claire's "I wanted to eat them because they were being stupid," line in Shadow's Bane. And it was taken away, just like that, because Chimera spell. Same with Cassie finally killing off Johnathan(at the expense of Billy, no less!), only for him to come back - yet again! - in this novel.
It feels uncreative. As if KC didn't know which villain was next, so she was like, oh, but wait, these two are alive and working together. It never made sense to me that Johnathan was working with Jo, and now with Efridis... tomorrow, Caedmon will be the villain, and Johnathan might be his right hand as well.
Now, I understand that Thomas would be a crucial part of the next Dory foray into Faerie, because he's been there probably far longer than any other characters, except for Francoise, and again - KC is not using the characters she has set up in their full might. However, his appearance in this novel was very disappointing. I know that Thomas has been cut off from the main cast for the longest time and that he doesn't really know what's going on, but still, LC and Thomas had tension that could have been resolved in a two minute conversation. Instead, the tension added to the already chaotic action scenes, and was just.. meh. Characters should change, dammit, not act the same way they did back in Touch the Dark.
Dorina's journey into Faerie was wonderful because it was a new world, and because she was accompanied by Ray, and they made an even greater team than Dory and Ray. I love how loyal that guy is to both of them, and how Ray finally seems to have a Master, considering he could hear Dorina's thoughts, and could talk to her too. If Dorina's abilities are like a Master vamp, Ray will definitely get a boost eventually. However, their journey, while fun, was again gobbled down by action scenes after action scenes, even though it was interesting to see Dorina use her abilities in Faerie. And the end with Marlowe was good for this Dorina-Marlowe shipper on deck. I think Dory and Dorina will not reunite completely. That was why I was miffed that Dorina's powers, and their absence from Dory was never properly addressed, beyond a mention by Hassani and Dory. I thought Dory was in a good place to progress as a character due to this absence, but all we got was Dory and LC arguing which one of them is going to protect the other more, and... after watching Pritkin and Cassie do the same thing for two books in a row, it's getting old.
While I appreciate that KC is self-publishing this year - and putting out novel after novel after novel - the absence of an editor is becoming more and more obvious. This book definitely feels like a Part 1, with Part 2 to follow. But, I felt like there would have been no need not to end this find-Dorina arc in this novel, because a large part of the novel is filler and sometimes even needless action scenes. Combine the first two action scenes with Dory: Eternity and Johnathan attacking them to separate Dory and Dorina, along with some serious action from Dory that saves Hassani, and you don't really have to resurrect the Old Consul to get the point about Dorina across and have Hassani's court treat Dory and LC differently. Hassani explained everything anyway. Don't take two or three chapters to get to a party and then to Hassani, and then to yet another chapter, just to get the point that Dorina might be a god-killer and that the gang Eternity from HK are those who took Dorina. Don't take two chapters to get to Zheng-zi, don't take another two chapters to get to Thomas, cut, cut, and cut, because the action scenes in Hong Kong were really over-the-top, padded out the story, while, the irony, bogging the story down.
Dory putting one team member after another in her bag was cool and all, but if you took away the action scenes and gotten to Efridis and Johnathan sooner, they might've opened up a portal, the gang could have followed through, and the story could have continued there. Armed with the weapons in the bag, they could have probably done a good job looking for Dorina there, and the whole arc could have ended in one book. Because the fight with the old Consul and the fights around Hong Kong added to the world, but did not push the story forward. Not everything needs to happen through chaos,
January 7, 2021
Were you as curious as I was about Dory's 'twin' hidden inside her? Well, we finally get the answers and it is a rush. Oh, and things get a lotta crazy, chaos happens in earth and faerie, and in the end the reveals were high impact. I need, need, need the next installment pronto.
Queen's Gambit is the fifth of the Dory Basarab series and the fifteenth book in the Cassie Palmer world. Early on, the two series might have been able to be read quite separately, but lately, the series are two sides of the same coin so much be read as one. Queen's Gambit came right off the events of Shatter the Earth. So, if you haven't started at all, you're in a good place to read both series as one and get the best out of them.
Queen's Gambit opens with Dory and Louis-Cesare on a smoozing diplomatic job for the Consul in Egypt meeting with the Egyptian Consul. Dory is anathema to the vamps and could care less, but then the party is unexpectedly crashed hard making bodies fly and suddenly Louis-Cesare is off chasing a gang of the party-crashers who turn out to be fey. Dory can't let him go without back up and chases after him with her second Ray Lu on a magic carpet ride through Cairo. Then the unthinkable happens and Dory loses Dorina into a vortex along with Ray.
Wanting to go find her internal twin and feeling lost and off-kelter, Dory is stymied by Louis-Cesare getting over protective and an Egyptian Consul who has a huge problem that becomes hers. She must find her twin and stop the fey who sacrifice anything to get her.
Meanwhile, Dorina and Ray can't catch a break with a multitude of fey after them who want Dorina for some nefarious purpose. For the first time ever, she is on her own in her own body. She recalls the past and how things came about for Ray and then learns stunning secrets about herself- secrets that shake both earth and faerie.
Queen's Gambit has both the feeling of a typical, exciting Dory book, but also something more. It's two stories in one with Dory narrating earth-side while Dorina catches up on her past and narrates while in faerie. It was brilliantly done because the two have two distinct voices, actions, and mannerisms. So much about the two halves of Dory/Dorina are explained through the past and finally getting mysterious explanations from others. I felt this was necessary because of the way the author took the current plot.
I loved that Dory visited Egypt and the author incorporated ancient Egyptian myth and history into the story along with eastern vampire characters. It was a delight to have so much Dory and Louis-Cesare time. They were sizzling, but some long overdue communication happened between death-defying action scenes. But, I also thought the building of friendship between Dorina and Ray was magical, too. They are misfits who find a connection in shared danger and understanding. It was non-romantic, but still special.
There is a whole segment of excitement and reveals in the last quarter that I won't even touch on to prevent spoilers, but it does end on a surprising cliffhanger for the first time in the Dory series. It wasn't a huge one because things are in a good place to stop, but yes, there is a feeling that I need the next segment pronto.
Joyce Bean continues to narrate the series. She had a varied cast to voice from two separate Dorys to Louis-Cesare to an international cast. She keeps all the dazzle of the magical world, the intense action, and the emotions in balance so that the story feels tighter and not confusing.
All in all, this was layered with good emotion, character development, series development, and action. So good. And, there are always the most imaginative worldbuilding going on. Those who enjoy action-driven urban fantasy should definitely reach for the Cassie Palmer world.
My thanks to Tantor Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.
Queen's Gambit is the fifth of the Dory Basarab series and the fifteenth book in the Cassie Palmer world. Early on, the two series might have been able to be read quite separately, but lately, the series are two sides of the same coin so much be read as one. Queen's Gambit came right off the events of Shatter the Earth. So, if you haven't started at all, you're in a good place to read both series as one and get the best out of them.
Queen's Gambit opens with Dory and Louis-Cesare on a smoozing diplomatic job for the Consul in Egypt meeting with the Egyptian Consul. Dory is anathema to the vamps and could care less, but then the party is unexpectedly crashed hard making bodies fly and suddenly Louis-Cesare is off chasing a gang of the party-crashers who turn out to be fey. Dory can't let him go without back up and chases after him with her second Ray Lu on a magic carpet ride through Cairo. Then the unthinkable happens and Dory loses Dorina into a vortex along with Ray.
Wanting to go find her internal twin and feeling lost and off-kelter, Dory is stymied by Louis-Cesare getting over protective and an Egyptian Consul who has a huge problem that becomes hers. She must find her twin and stop the fey who sacrifice anything to get her.
Meanwhile, Dorina and Ray can't catch a break with a multitude of fey after them who want Dorina for some nefarious purpose. For the first time ever, she is on her own in her own body. She recalls the past and how things came about for Ray and then learns stunning secrets about herself- secrets that shake both earth and faerie.
Queen's Gambit has both the feeling of a typical, exciting Dory book, but also something more. It's two stories in one with Dory narrating earth-side while Dorina catches up on her past and narrates while in faerie. It was brilliantly done because the two have two distinct voices, actions, and mannerisms. So much about the two halves of Dory/Dorina are explained through the past and finally getting mysterious explanations from others. I felt this was necessary because of the way the author took the current plot.
I loved that Dory visited Egypt and the author incorporated ancient Egyptian myth and history into the story along with eastern vampire characters. It was a delight to have so much Dory and Louis-Cesare time. They were sizzling, but some long overdue communication happened between death-defying action scenes. But, I also thought the building of friendship between Dorina and Ray was magical, too. They are misfits who find a connection in shared danger and understanding. It was non-romantic, but still special.
There is a whole segment of excitement and reveals in the last quarter that I won't even touch on to prevent spoilers, but it does end on a surprising cliffhanger for the first time in the Dory series. It wasn't a huge one because things are in a good place to stop, but yes, there is a feeling that I need the next segment pronto.
Joyce Bean continues to narrate the series. She had a varied cast to voice from two separate Dorys to Louis-Cesare to an international cast. She keeps all the dazzle of the magical world, the intense action, and the emotions in balance so that the story feels tighter and not confusing.
All in all, this was layered with good emotion, character development, series development, and action. So good. And, there are always the most imaginative worldbuilding going on. Those who enjoy action-driven urban fantasy should definitely reach for the Cassie Palmer world.
My thanks to Tantor Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 15, 2024
Reconozco que empiezo a presentar síntomas de agotamiento como lectora de acción desenfrenada, compulsiva e ininterrumpida. Me falta el resuello.
Aunque este libro en cuanto a descubrimientos no se quedó corto, madre mía!. Ríete tú de los orígenes de Cassie.
Dorina (o las Dorinas, que ahora son..., otro madre mía!) no tiene nada que envidiar a los peculiares orígenes de la pitia (que ya se barruntaba que con su madre algo muy muy raro había, después de los acontecimientos de los dos últimos libros de Cassie), pero aún así 😱😱😱
Y ahora? Porque menudo lío de Dorinas!. Hace que la guerra, los fae, la invasión, los dioses y todo ese barullo (y eso que esta es la saga del Crossover que no salta en el tiempo, que si no...), parezca poco en comparación 😂😂😂. Menudo tinglado!. Autores en GL Bis
Aunque este libro en cuanto a descubrimientos no se quedó corto, madre mía!. Ríete tú de los orígenes de Cassie.
Dorina (o las Dorinas, que ahora son..., otro madre mía!) no tiene nada que envidiar a los peculiares orígenes de la pitia (que ya se barruntaba que con su madre algo muy muy raro había, después de los acontecimientos de los dos últimos libros de Cassie), pero aún así 😱😱😱
Y ahora? Porque menudo lío de Dorinas!. Hace que la guerra, los fae, la invasión, los dioses y todo ese barullo (y eso que esta es la saga del Crossover que no salta en el tiempo, que si no...), parezca poco en comparación 😂😂😂. Menudo tinglado!. Autores en GL Bis
July 21, 2020
The adventure starts right from the start with Dory and her "twin" Dorina, who have always shared a body with each their own mind, are ripped a part as Dorina is kidnapped into Faerie.
Queen's Gambit has plenty of action, excitingly fast paced and brutal, just as we love it, but there is a wealth of world holding and back story woven into this book that fleshes out a large part of the overall series, both for the Dorina Basarab books and sister series Cassie Palmer.
Dory (and Dorina) is likely my favourite character in a book ever. She's feisty, funny, furious, and just a joy to read. I could barely stop laughing through the book. Her obsession with her husband's butt was great relief from some heavy relationship issues being played out. As a character and her interactions with other she feels so genuine (as does all of the characters in Karen's writing).
While Dory maintains her status as beloved badass in my view, this was the first chance we got to see of Dorina being a character all her own and not just glimpses in-between Dory. Turns out, they are both beloved badasses. Her backstory being laid bear was heartbreaking but the way she works through it and thinks and talks were more fantastic written scenes. She's an entire different character to Dory, even without the chapter headers it is so easy to "hear" the difference between them both.
This was an exciting addition to my favourite series, and I can't wait for the next installment.
Queen's Gambit has plenty of action, excitingly fast paced and brutal, just as we love it, but there is a wealth of world holding and back story woven into this book that fleshes out a large part of the overall series, both for the Dorina Basarab books and sister series Cassie Palmer.
Dory (and Dorina) is likely my favourite character in a book ever. She's feisty, funny, furious, and just a joy to read. I could barely stop laughing through the book. Her obsession with her husband's butt was great relief from some heavy relationship issues being played out. As a character and her interactions with other she feels so genuine (as does all of the characters in Karen's writing).
While Dory maintains her status as beloved badass in my view, this was the first chance we got to see of Dorina being a character all her own and not just glimpses in-between Dory. Turns out, they are both beloved badasses. Her backstory being laid bear was heartbreaking but the way she works through it and thinks and talks were more fantastic written scenes. She's an entire different character to Dory, even without the chapter headers it is so easy to "hear" the difference between them both.
This was an exciting addition to my favourite series, and I can't wait for the next installment.
July 23, 2020
Separation
Wow. This was a really good story. Dory has the honeymoon from hell. A Senate gathering in Egypt goes epically wrong when the fae attack a formal gathering. We get to revisit the magical Hong Kong on an epic quest, get a satisfying vengeance, and lots of story in this big book! Sorry is the bomb.
Wow. This was a really good story. Dory has the honeymoon from hell. A Senate gathering in Egypt goes epically wrong when the fae attack a formal gathering. We get to revisit the magical Hong Kong on an epic quest, get a satisfying vengeance, and lots of story in this big book! Sorry is the bomb.
August 16, 2020
This comes shortly after Shatter the Earth, though I accidentally read them out of order. Turns out, the big baddy Jonathan from the dark circle left a trick or two up his sleeve before he was killed. (Or was he actually dead? So unclear, and central to the plot.) Dorina and Louis Cesar are on a diplomatic mission to Egypt, and also sortof on their honeymoon, but the festivities are interupted by fae attackers that somehow manage to separate Dory and Dorina into two different bodies using a magical artifact, and the fae promptly kidnap Dorina to Faerie. But Dorina is a heck of a lot more deadly than the fae figured, and she and her 2nd (Ray) manage to stay alive through all sort of crazy situations, learning along the way some really important clues to the family tree. Meanwhile, Dory is very upset about the kidnapping and apparent death of Ray, but is up to her eyeballs in crazy vampire stuff, like the resurrection of the giant snake vampire that the consul and Mircea killed several hundred years ago. That one is a wild ride. Then Dory ends up in the magical twin of Hong Kong searching for clues to Dorina's kidnapping, but that place hasn't been doing so well since the big magical fight that almost sent it crashing through the dimension to destroy both versions of Hong Kong. Getting to the baddies that the clue points to is not easy, because of wild magic taking over neighborhoods, making graphics into monsters. They end up teaming up with Thomas, who immediately tries to kill Louis Cesar, for reasons explained in prior books.
July 17, 2020
I have mixed feelings about it
On the one hand I get to see Tomas ( who I have been saying should be brought back ) then we see a bit of some old faces that should have been dead. ( and no this time it was not time travel )
I Saw some of my Favourite characters like Zheng Zie, I did love the book it didn’t bring me great satisfaction it slow going the plot doesn’t really move forward a lot but it has good buildup for resolution in the next Cassie book
Hopefully this will be one of a combined Dory/ Cassie
I did like reading about Dorina ( this isn’t a spoiler as the first two chapters have been out ages ago )
Loved a lot of things about this book but it was also slow moving
A lot of action but the plot line didn’t really move
On the one hand I get to see Tomas ( who I have been saying should be brought back ) then we see a bit of some old faces that should have been dead. ( and no this time it was not time travel )
I Saw some of my Favourite characters like Zheng Zie, I did love the book it didn’t bring me great satisfaction it slow going the plot doesn’t really move forward a lot but it has good buildup for resolution in the next Cassie book
Hopefully this will be one of a combined Dory/ Cassie
I did like reading about Dorina ( this isn’t a spoiler as the first two chapters have been out ages ago )
Loved a lot of things about this book but it was also slow moving
A lot of action but the plot line didn’t really move
July 18, 2020
Marvelous
Another marvelous read. Karen Chance needs to put herself in a book writing sweatshop. Hahaha. Maybe keep Dorina in her own body. Have her own series. 24\7 writing for you Miss Chance. The world has decided that you are to good at wordage. 😁 seriously though, I love the interactions between the characters. Watching couples like Dory and Louis-Cesare, or Cassandra and Pritkin (rooted for that match from the beginning). Love the story lines and how the adventure, drama, and romance come together, without one element overshadowing the others. Thanks for the entertaining read. This definitely is going on my re-read pile
Another marvelous read. Karen Chance needs to put herself in a book writing sweatshop. Hahaha. Maybe keep Dorina in her own body. Have her own series. 24\7 writing for you Miss Chance. The world has decided that you are to good at wordage. 😁 seriously though, I love the interactions between the characters. Watching couples like Dory and Louis-Cesare, or Cassandra and Pritkin (rooted for that match from the beginning). Love the story lines and how the adventure, drama, and romance come together, without one element overshadowing the others. Thanks for the entertaining read. This definitely is going on my re-read pile
June 8, 2024
Absolutely always a joy to read this author’s work and this does the unthinkable and actually separates Dory from Dorina which is a fabulous idea . So Dory is in Egypt whilst her “sister “ is ripped away to Faerie ! I will not go into the plot but will say there are answers here about the dual aspect and indeed even the purpose so definitely worth reading . Yes it is chock full of the usual action, adventure and general fast pace plus of course humour and I will never think of Betty Boop the same way again ! if I have a criticism it’s just that I am not a fan of cliffhanger endings but will happily continue the series as well as the Cassie Palmer books because they are just so much fun.
July 22, 2020
I enjoyed this book! I liked how the story line switched back and forth between from Dorina to Dory! The story line is action packed, maybe a little too much going on with Dory in Hong Kong! I laughed when Dory said Louis-Cesare read Barbara Cartland! And Ray telling stories of trading Little Debbie cakes to the Fae!
July 20, 2020
Nonstop action, mystery, humor, adventure, and fun!
Karen Chance at her amazing, inventive and satisfying best. Mysteries solved, characters advanced, humor, fabulous adventure, and more humor. This may be her most fun book yet!
What makes Chance's world and stories so satisfying, besides the delightfully vivid and evolving characters, is the depth and creativity of her world-building. Her world is built on a secure foundation of history and world mythology, painted in glorious color and detail and peopled by engaging, unforgettable people of all kinds.
Did I mention the nonstop action? Yes, there are quiet moments when we catch our breath and learn even more about the characters, but the action is a wild, exhilarating ride that takes us and the characters on an unforgettable journey---two, in fact, as two sets of the characters pursue two rollicking adventures at once.
This book is packed with fun, adventures, and wonderful characters. It's way too good to miss!
Karen Chance at her amazing, inventive and satisfying best. Mysteries solved, characters advanced, humor, fabulous adventure, and more humor. This may be her most fun book yet!
What makes Chance's world and stories so satisfying, besides the delightfully vivid and evolving characters, is the depth and creativity of her world-building. Her world is built on a secure foundation of history and world mythology, painted in glorious color and detail and peopled by engaging, unforgettable people of all kinds.
Did I mention the nonstop action? Yes, there are quiet moments when we catch our breath and learn even more about the characters, but the action is a wild, exhilarating ride that takes us and the characters on an unforgettable journey---two, in fact, as two sets of the characters pursue two rollicking adventures at once.
This book is packed with fun, adventures, and wonderful characters. It's way too good to miss!
July 28, 2020
Queen's Gambit is the fifth novel in the Dorina Basarab series by Karen Chance, and it is a book I've been dying to read. To be fair, I've felt that way about every novel in this series (and the Cassandra Palmer series, for that matter).
Dory is a dhampir, which creates no end of complications in her life. Yet the biggest challenge is about to occur, and all she can do is hope to get herself and her family safe through the ordeal. It's strange, her having a family. It's not something she thought she'd ever be allowed to treasure, but now that she has it, she's never letting go.
“My name is Dory Basarab, daughter of the famous vampire senator and general Mircea Basarab, and recently a member in my own right of the North American Vampire Senate.”
It's here! Queen's Gambit is here! This book is easily in my top ten books I've been waiting for. It almost feels like a dream, to finally have it in my hands. Anyway, I should probably move on with my review now.
Queen's Gambit was one hell of a rush, and I mean that in the best of ways. Dory has always been one of those characters that leaps from one insane event to the next. But this particular book doubled the action. And I'm not just saying that because of the book size (five hundred and twenty-three pages).
Dory's entire series has been a chaotic whirlwind that I've completely fallen in love with. As such, my expectations for this novel were high. And I was not disappointed. This novel was everything I could have hoped for, and then a whole lot more. It's the Dory novel we've all been waiting for. Providing action, politics, magic, family drama, and a bit of romance. In short, it's pure perfection.
“Battlefields were no place to poke your head up.”
The latest addition to the series pushed the plot forward in such unexpected ways. I'm thrilled to see more of the world, and of Dory (alongside the amazing side characters of her series). But I'll confess that I truly was surprised by some of the twists that occurred here.
Once again, everything ties back to what has happened within Cassie's series, though sometimes it takes a moment to create the connection. Now I'm left sincerely curious as to what is going to happen next. Also, I'm shamelessly hoping to see both leading ladies working together for a bit at some point in the future. No idea how realistic that is.
In some ways, what happened here felt inevitable. That's a good thing, by the way. It's proof that Karen Chance has been building up to this for quite some time, giving fans a chance to adapt (and predict) to the fact.
The bonus cameos were a nice surprise, though they did throw me through a bit of a loop. It provided a completely different set of context to characters that I had thought I knew well. I absolutely loved that.
What really boggled my brain is the fact that this book ends in a bit of a cliffhanger. That's right, a huge book such as this, ending like it was halfway through the tale. That means this book would have easily been twice the size, if Karen Chance hadn't been careful. A little terrifying (and exciting!). I imagine for the sake of pacing, the next Cassie novel will be vital in filling in the gaps, thus the break here.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Dory is a dhampir, which creates no end of complications in her life. Yet the biggest challenge is about to occur, and all she can do is hope to get herself and her family safe through the ordeal. It's strange, her having a family. It's not something she thought she'd ever be allowed to treasure, but now that she has it, she's never letting go.
“My name is Dory Basarab, daughter of the famous vampire senator and general Mircea Basarab, and recently a member in my own right of the North American Vampire Senate.”
It's here! Queen's Gambit is here! This book is easily in my top ten books I've been waiting for. It almost feels like a dream, to finally have it in my hands. Anyway, I should probably move on with my review now.
Queen's Gambit was one hell of a rush, and I mean that in the best of ways. Dory has always been one of those characters that leaps from one insane event to the next. But this particular book doubled the action. And I'm not just saying that because of the book size (five hundred and twenty-three pages).
Dory's entire series has been a chaotic whirlwind that I've completely fallen in love with. As such, my expectations for this novel were high. And I was not disappointed. This novel was everything I could have hoped for, and then a whole lot more. It's the Dory novel we've all been waiting for. Providing action, politics, magic, family drama, and a bit of romance. In short, it's pure perfection.
“Battlefields were no place to poke your head up.”
The latest addition to the series pushed the plot forward in such unexpected ways. I'm thrilled to see more of the world, and of Dory (alongside the amazing side characters of her series). But I'll confess that I truly was surprised by some of the twists that occurred here.
Once again, everything ties back to what has happened within Cassie's series, though sometimes it takes a moment to create the connection. Now I'm left sincerely curious as to what is going to happen next. Also, I'm shamelessly hoping to see both leading ladies working together for a bit at some point in the future. No idea how realistic that is.
In some ways, what happened here felt inevitable. That's a good thing, by the way. It's proof that Karen Chance has been building up to this for quite some time, giving fans a chance to adapt (and predict) to the fact.
The bonus cameos were a nice surprise, though they did throw me through a bit of a loop. It provided a completely different set of context to characters that I had thought I knew well. I absolutely loved that.
What really boggled my brain is the fact that this book ends in a bit of a cliffhanger. That's right, a huge book such as this, ending like it was halfway through the tale. That means this book would have easily been twice the size, if Karen Chance hadn't been careful. A little terrifying (and exciting!). I imagine for the sake of pacing, the next Cassie novel will be vital in filling in the gaps, thus the break here.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
August 15, 2021
Probably a 3.5-4. I love Dory, and I usually love her books. They have a good mix of adventure, romance and hilarious side characters. I also love the Cassie series (which takes place in the same world at approx the same time) but one thing that can frustrate me a lot with that series is so much happens, but also NOTHING actually happens. I felt that same frustration with this Dory book.
Love Dory and Louise-Cesare - their relationship is something I’m invested in, and they are still struggling with his over-protectiveness despite the fact she’s a BA. This frustrates Dory, but they also love each other so much they are constantly trying to save each other from dangerous situations, which I like. I missed the usual secondary characters - Mircea, Claire, etc. we did get Zheng who is extremely entertaining, but her whole storyline just felt like a ton of running around while not actually making any progress. SO FRUSTRATING.
Dorina’s storyline was interesting but also just kept feeling like things were getting worse and worse and I really thought her and Ray were going to die several times. I felt really bad when she was talking about her childhood and what Mircea did to her, and how she turned that pain into protecting Dory. So noble, and she really does deserve to be happy.
Love Dory and Louise-Cesare - their relationship is something I’m invested in, and they are still struggling with his over-protectiveness despite the fact she’s a BA. This frustrates Dory, but they also love each other so much they are constantly trying to save each other from dangerous situations, which I like. I missed the usual secondary characters - Mircea, Claire, etc. we did get Zheng who is extremely entertaining, but her whole storyline just felt like a ton of running around while not actually making any progress. SO FRUSTRATING.
Dorina’s storyline was interesting but also just kept feeling like things were getting worse and worse and I really thought her and Ray were going to die several times. I felt really bad when she was talking about her childhood and what Mircea did to her, and how she turned that pain into protecting Dory. So noble, and she really does deserve to be happy.
July 26, 2020
This book had a promising start: a sneak attack separates Dory and Dorina, giving the latter a body of her own. From there, we follow two separate adventures, as they both try to figure out what has happened, why and by whom, and how to get back together again.
Unfortunately, instead of a proper plot, we have endless battless, some of which don't really have anything to do with the actual aim of the book, in both storylines. And then the book ends without any conclusion to either story. Dory ends up where she began, practically none the wiser, and Dorina's story ends with a kind of a cliffhanger.
Of the two stories, I liked Dorina's better, as she has for the first time a chance to reflect her weird existence within Dory. Dory's storyline evolved into endless discussion about her marriage with Louis-Cesare, which got old after a while. The only good thing I can say about it is that in the end they managed to talk things through and reach some sort of understanding. So this was not my favourite in the series by any means. But these books have had greatly uneven quality before, so I'm not giving up yet. And the way Dorina's side of the story ended, it gives me hope that the two series will connect properly for the first time in the next book. We'll see.
Unfortunately, instead of a proper plot, we have endless battless, some of which don't really have anything to do with the actual aim of the book, in both storylines. And then the book ends without any conclusion to either story. Dory ends up where she began, practically none the wiser, and Dorina's story ends with a kind of a cliffhanger.
Of the two stories, I liked Dorina's better, as she has for the first time a chance to reflect her weird existence within Dory. Dory's storyline evolved into endless discussion about her marriage with Louis-Cesare, which got old after a while. The only good thing I can say about it is that in the end they managed to talk things through and reach some sort of understanding. So this was not my favourite in the series by any means. But these books have had greatly uneven quality before, so I'm not giving up yet. And the way Dorina's side of the story ended, it gives me hope that the two series will connect properly for the first time in the next book. We'll see.
April 2, 2024
I love these characters, but the books are generally too long
May 20, 2021
3.5 stars
September 17, 2020
I have always preferred Dory to Cassie in the companion Cassandra Palmer series. Although she can be surly, Dory is proactive and decisive. As always, it's is non-stop action leavened with Dory's attempts to figure out the agenda/source behind whatever evil she is fighting. That she has found a worthy husband in Louis-Cesare gives the narrative dimension as does the attempts of these two alphas to find a way to make their relationship work.
The massive retcon from Shatter the Earth impacts this narrative as well but not as severely--the two story lines are clearly coming together. In a change from her usual narrative style, Ms. Chance sets up two competing story lines, which limits the page time for Dory and Louis-Cesare, but does provide excellent character development for two characters I've wanted to know better; Dorina and Ray.
Other reviewers have criticized the ending as a cliff-hanger, but I find that harsh. The main narrative line is complete. Ms. Chance has borrowed a technique from the Cassie books that I have never liked - the last chapter should be the first chapter of the next book.
*Retcon: a piece of new information that imposes a different interpretation on previously described events, typically used to facilitate a dramatic plot shift or account for an inconsistency.
The massive retcon from Shatter the Earth impacts this narrative as well but not as severely--the two story lines are clearly coming together. In a change from her usual narrative style, Ms. Chance sets up two competing story lines, which limits the page time for Dory and Louis-Cesare, but does provide excellent character development for two characters I've wanted to know better; Dorina and Ray.
Other reviewers have criticized the ending as a cliff-hanger, but I find that harsh. The main narrative line is complete. Ms. Chance has borrowed a technique from the Cassie books that I have never liked - the last chapter should be the first chapter of the next book.
*Retcon: a piece of new information that imposes a different interpretation on previously described events, typically used to facilitate a dramatic plot shift or account for an inconsistency.
July 25, 2020
Now - that escalated quickly!
I love Karen Chance's books for their humor, epic fight scenes, speed and - most of all - for the incredibly crazy/weird/amazing situations her characters manage to get themselves into. You never know what happens next, you usually don't even have a chance to guess... Queen's Gambit fullfilled all my expectations and more. It made me laugh and made me tear up. I love it!
I love Karen Chance's books for their humor, epic fight scenes, speed and - most of all - for the incredibly crazy/weird/amazing situations her characters manage to get themselves into. You never know what happens next, you usually don't even have a chance to guess... Queen's Gambit fullfilled all my expectations and more. It made me laugh and made me tear up. I love it!
July 18, 2020
Riveting
So much learned and yet so many questions still unanswered! She has created another brilliant addition to the story line. I was on the edge of my seat and continue to be! I appreciate the humor and the nature of her characters, and the evolving of both plot and people. Simply put brilliant and beautiful!
So much learned and yet so many questions still unanswered! She has created another brilliant addition to the story line. I was on the edge of my seat and continue to be! I appreciate the humor and the nature of her characters, and the evolving of both plot and people. Simply put brilliant and beautiful!
July 20, 2020
Wonderful book but it’s more of a set up book for the next phase of Dory/Dorina’s life. I felt like we could have condensed sections like some of the battle scenes. Loved the Dorina sections and spending time in her innocent mind and her budding friendship with Ray. Would have liked to see what happens when the sisters come back together but I have a feeling that’s the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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August 10, 2020Whenever you let your imagination run wild about an author's creation, there is a slight chance what you dream about might just come true... Chance brought it to life way better than I could ever imagine in Queen's Gambit.
Dory and Dorina are forced apart by an attack. Dory is in Eygpt with her new honey on a kind of honeymoon, which Dorina is trapped in Fairy with Dory's 1st.
I loved the dynamics. The action is NON-STOP! Take a big breath before you start because this wild ride starts at the very beginning and just doesn't end.
What an ending, leaving you wanting more, screaming for more, and making your mind run wild with what will be coming next.
Dory and Dorina are forced apart by an attack. Dory is in Eygpt with her new honey on a kind of honeymoon, which Dorina is trapped in Fairy with Dory's 1st.
I loved the dynamics. The action is NON-STOP! Take a big breath before you start because this wild ride starts at the very beginning and just doesn't end.
What an ending, leaving you wanting more, screaming for more, and making your mind run wild with what will be coming next.
July 26, 2020
An enjoyable read
A well written action packed story. Dorina is my favourite series from this author. I enjoyed catching up with old favourites from the first books and new characters. A couple of editing issues but they didn't detract from the flow of the story. However I did not like being left with a cliff-hanger ending! Can't wait for the next book.
A well written action packed story. Dorina is my favourite series from this author. I enjoyed catching up with old favourites from the first books and new characters. A couple of editing issues but they didn't detract from the flow of the story. However I did not like being left with a cliff-hanger ending! Can't wait for the next book.
August 4, 2020
Totally not what I was expecting coming off of "Shatter the Earth." Being a part of both Dory's and Dorina's lives "in the daylight" is fabulous. We learn so much from Dorina ... and maybe a romance is in the air with Ray. I think Dory is going to miss him, if he stays with Dorina. Magical Hong Kong is back, and what a ride. I think we might finally find/meet Dory/Dorina's mother in the next installment, as Dorina finds Marlowe in Faerie searching for Mircea.
September 1, 2020
A great story seeing Dorina established as a more separate character, some fun sequences and the tale deepens even more around her origin.
October 30, 2020
Audible version.
Cliffhanger ending.
Cliffhanger ending.
September 4, 2020
Another cliffhanger?? What am I doing wrong in my life to deserve this
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