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Tempt the Stars (Cassandra Palmer, #6) by Karen Chance; Start Date October 2nd
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My grocery store had the book in so I splurged and bought a second copy. lol Here's the 100 Pages-a-day reading schedule break down:
Date Chapters Pages
October 2nd 1 - 8 1 - 101
October 3rd 9 - 16 102 - 204
October 4th 17 - 25 205 - 303
October 5th 26 - end 304 - 418
Remember to add SPOILER TAGs like the following or something similar so people know what section you're talking about:
*******SPOILERS for Chapters 1 - 8*********
I'm going to be starting this one soon.
I meant to power read this series this past weekend but then I came down sick so I only managed to read the first one. I've heard tidbits about the rest of the series but if I have any questions about previous books, I'll ask. Please don't worry about spoiling me for the other books in your comments. If I didn't want to read any spoilers, I wouldn't participate in the thread. Disclaimer aside, here I go...Thoughts on Chapters 1 - 8
Warning, Spoilers Ahead...
"That was kind of important, since we were hovering on train-wreck territory here. Of course, that pretty much described my life lately." - That's an apt description of most urban fantasy heroines' lives.
More time trips. I'm not really into time travel as a plot device but I didn't mind it in the first book because it didn't make my head hurt. I'm easily confused when it comes to time travel.
For a master vampire, Fred isn't that scary. Of course, he is worried about having his dingle cursed off. I'm sure that would unsettle most men.
"...who had shot me in the ass the one and only time I'd tried it." - That's one way to ensure that people make appointments ahead of time.
"...then one will have the knowledge that one fell in pursuit of an admirable goal." - That doesn't sound promising.
"Is anything going to kill me if I use your bathroom?
"Knowing you?" - This made me laugh.
"Bugger" - Quite the understatement considering the situation they're in.
Sorry for being a bit late for this one. My mom is having heart surgery tomorrow and I spent the day at the hospital waiting to see how her procedure to see if there were any blocked arteries went today. We got there a 8AM and it was almost noon before she went in. Crazy.
No problem. My mom had spinal surgery last week so I know how the wait goes for the pre-op tests and procedures. I hope your mom has a smooth surgery and recovery.
**** SPOILERS Comments for Chapters 1 - 8 *******I was so confused at the beginning of this book. I thought I'd missed something somewhere (maybe a short story) because the way things were worded I thought they were saying Pritkin was gone as in dead. Gah!
So how in the world did Cassie time travel in her sleep? Much worse than sleep walking. Reminded me of the scary time traveling in The Time Traveler's wife. That would concern me if I was her. Who knew she could do that?
I love that she time traveled back to the time period of the last Cassie Palmer book. I wonder if she'll end up telling him what happened and he'll somehow manage to avoid being taken? He wouldn't be able to tell her he was okay until after she time traveled back in time.
So the talking Taro Card talking about stars and a quest have to come into play in the future--I'm thinking foreshadowing and possibly how the book got its name?
Who do you like better, Pritkin or Mircea? Could anything work with Pritkin and his Incubus problem? There has to be a way around it.
I wonder what Mircea said after Cassie was pulled from the fireplace? I wish she'd heard too.
Sara wrote: "No problem. My mom had spinal surgery last week so I know how the wait goes for the pre-op tests and procedures. I hope your mom has a smooth surgery and recovery."I woke up at 1 AM last night and couldn't sleep. I kept worrying. Hopefully I can sleep tonight.
I hope you sleep well too. I was very worried before my mom's surgery too. The first few days were rough but she's doing much better now. It's very nerve-wracking in the days leading up to the surgery. Mom seemed to be calm - she claimed that on a nerves scale of 1 to 10 she was only at a three - I was closer to an 8. Best wishes - try to get some sleep - tomorrow will be a long day.
Lisarenee wrote: "Who do you like better, Pritkin or Mircea? Could anything work with Pritkin and his Incubus problem? There has to be a way around it.I wonder what Mircea said after Cassie was pulled from the fireplace? I wish she'd heard too"
Yeah, I would have loved to hear what Mircea said.
As for Mircea vs Pritkin, I am torn. I really liked Mircea in the first book - Pritkin was the crazy mage who kept trying to kill Cassie. However, Pritkin has been rather cool so far. I might have an answer by the end of the book.
I notice in the reviews for Touch the Dark a lot of people compared Mircea to Jean Claude from the Anita Blake books. I don't see it - the only similarity is both vampires speak in a foreign language. Jean Claude is very annoying and Mircea is not.
Sara said, "As for Mircea vs Pritkin, I am torn. I really liked Mircea in the first book - Pritkin was the crazy mage who kept trying to kill Cassie. However, Pritkin has been rather cool so far. I might have an answer by the end of the book.I started out loving Mircea, but have started warming to Pritkin as well. That last statement by Mircea made me question his motives for getting involved with Cassie.
Sara said, "I notice in the reviews for Touch the Dark a lot of people compared Mircea to Jean Claude from the Anita Blake books. I don't see it - the only similarity is both vampires speak in a foreign language. Jean Claude is very annoying and Mircea is not."
I would never have thought that either. Who was the mage in the first Dorina book? I thought he was more so than Pritkin. I can't remember his name, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Pritkin.
Thoughts on Chapters 9 - 10Warning, Spoilers Ahead...
I like Daisy.
I don't think Roger and Pritkin are going to be BFF's.
"It's merely a name for a magic worker who specializes in the dead - all sorts of dead. The only reason it has an evil connotation is that the Circle has gone out of its way to give it one." - Lets see, non-evil necromancers in urban fantasy: Anita Blake, Jaime Vegas, Chloe Saunders, Alex Craft..
"I have a head, woman!" - Poor colonel, he only wants people to recognize that he has a head.
Thoughts and Comments for Chapters 9 - 16I agree, Roger and Pritkins (one light and the other a dark mage) are going to be friends, although who knows. If they got over their preconceived notions about each other I have a feeling they'd get along fine. Neither seemed to be evil. I liked that we got a nice view of Cassie's dad. I think he's not guilty of the crimes he was accused of, sounds like someone came up with a story to justify their actions.
So things are a little strange where the ghosts are concerned, it reminded me a little of Doctor Who. Made me think of Daleks, although technically they're not run by ghosts.
So I liked hearing of how Cassie's parents met. I feel people were scared that he could travel and never truly looked into who he was.
"You are the child of chaos, Cassie, of turmoil and mayhem and wild uncertainty. Your very existence is proof..." "That hope cannot be chained. That fate can be undone." What did you make of that? Is she different than what her mother had expected? Did her mother jump to the future and not like what she did so she did what she could to change Cassie's destiny? I'm confused.
(will continue later)
Thoughts on Chapters 12 - EndWarning, Spoilers Ahead...
"You are the child of chaos..." - Not quite sure what to make of that statement.
"...although how I would manage to kill myself in a shower was debatable. But let's face it, if anybody could..." - Where there's a will, there's a way?
"I thought you had more sense..."
"Have you met her?" - Cassanova has a point.
We have a wacky adventure in hell with Star Wars, I Dream of Jeannie, and Aladdin references. We even have flying rugs!
I know Rosier is supposed to be the "big bad" but I like him. He reminds me of a world-weary father dealing with an overly rebellious son.
Cassie isn't so great with the pop culture references - she missed the Star Wars comment and the Lethal Weapon one went right over her head.
I don't blame Caleb - I'm not fond of text speak either.
Poor Jules! I hope they can reverse the spell because that is a nasty fate! Caleb deserved the whack on the shin. He also deserved the second whack. You would think he would realize that if you are arguing with someone with a stick you should do so from a distance.
I can understand why the demons weren't buying Artemis's justifications: "I killed numerous of your people but it was for your benefit..." Yeah, no.
"...his face white with grief. If I'd ever wondered if he loved his son, I didn't now." - Poor Rosier - to try so hard to have that son and then for him to be killed despite his efforts to protect him...ouch!
"Do you have any idea how it felt, to see her again? Standing there, alive and amused - amused - at our consternation, at our shock and fear? To hear her give orders as if no time had passed, as if nothing had changed..." - Cassie needs to see this from the demons' point of view - Artemis is their ultimate boogey man.
I do think the demons' spin on Artemis's motivations is very interesting.
I'm confused - we spent the entire book attempting to bring back Pritkin and now we're going to spend the next book trying to bring back Pritkin? That is what the counter-spell is for, correct?
Final thoughts:
- The book needed more Mircea. I can now say I am rooting for Mircea. The Cassie-Pritkin connection felt forced to me.
- I loved Rosier. I wouldn't mind a Rosier-Pritkin novella.
- I hope Artemis ends up being the true big bad of the series. I was very intrigued by the demons' speculation.
*****SPOILERS FOR THE END*****I, like you, kept thinking where the heck is Mircea? We had the shower scene, which was interesting and confusing. Was that something related to the link that Artemis opened in Cassie's mind? Is Mircea staying away from Cassie because he sensed her feelings for Pritkin? After her hell confession, it sounded like she was in love but didn't know it.
I'm not sure what to make of Rosier. This book painted him as someone I could like, but that contradicts all we've ever heard about him.
So, just out curiosity, when Cassie received healing from Pritkin (naked on the battle field) did that prove he could be with Cassie? Was she doing what they claimed Artemis did to demons in that exchange? Is she his one shot for true happiness or would she, ironically, be unknowingly the death of him?
Did it sound to you like Pritkin wanted Cassie to admit she loved him? For a second I felt like we were in one of those Disney stories where only True Love's Kiss, or in this instance, confession could fix things.lol
Jules, I'm not sure he wanted to be a vampire. I wonder if he'll be happier as a human? Maybe this is his second chance? I can't believe he wasn't mentioned again at the end except that Cassie and he share a link.
What the heck happened to Cassie's search for her dad locked up in the snow globe? They set off finding the globe then totally stopped. Granted, they found him prior to his imprisonment, but it just seemed odd. Plus, they didn't really seem to glean anything from him. Did I miss something?
Do you believe Artemis is truly dead or did she bridge back to the other realm for a while to increase her powers? I don't get the big bad vibe from Artemis, but we'll have to wait and see.
Mircea - The book needed more Mircea. I did laugh at the shower scene when Cassie and Mircea argued over who was having the fantasy.I liked Rosier. He seemed to be a loving, very concerned, yet over-controlling father. Pritkin seemed to be the wild, rebellious son. If Rosier was so determined to pimp his son out it would have happened before Cassie & company arrived to save the day.
Cassie/Pritkin re: naked battlefield - If she would end up being the death of him, that would be an unusual twist on the romantic triangle.
Pritkin/Cassie re: Disney - I think you're right, all we needed in the background was "Kiss the Girl" from the Little Mermaid.
Jules - It should be interesting to see if Mircea attempts to transform him into a vampire or if Jules decides to stay human. I'm just glad Cassie was able to remove the flesh curse. That was nasty!
re Cassie's father: I'm not sure what the point of his scenes were either. The snow globe plotline fell off the face of the earth.
Artemis: I bet she bridged back. In Greek mythology, Artemis was the second most vindictive of the Olympians (Hera was the first.) I would love to see that aspect played out in the series.
Bring on Ares! I wonder if he will be the Ares of the Trojan War - big and bad until wounded by a mortal and then he retreats to Olympus and whines to his parents.
This topic is open for discussion of Tempt the Stars by Karen Chance. Be prepared for SPOILERS.
Synopsis:
Being a goddess is a lot less fun than you might think. Especially when you’re only a half goddess, and when you only found out about it recently, and when you still don’t know what you’re doing half the time. And when you’ve just used your not-so-reliable powers to burglarize the booby-trapped office of a vampire mob boss.
Yeah, that part sucks.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Cassandra Palmer, aka the Pythia, the freshly minted chief seer of the supernatural world. After all, Cassie still has to save a friend from a fate worse than death, deal with an increasingly possessive master vampire, and prevent a party of her own acolytes from unleashing a storm of fury upon the world. Totally just your average day at the office, right?