Claimed By Shadow (Cassandra Palmer #2)

[Enjee, Founder]

I'm in my re-read of CbS and I thought I would put some thoughts down.
(view spoiler)[One thing I noticed in the re-read is that Cassie takes her pentagram ward with her when she shifts in time in spirit form. (hide spoiler)]
What are some things you read that you did not remember from the first time you read the book?

[Susan]

I just finished this book for the first time, and I really enjoyed it.

[Tammy]

I'm currently reading Claimed by Shadow for the first time

[Lannister]

Let us know what you think, Tammy.

[Carmen]

Just finished reading it for the first time last week. I must say the author's imagination is awesome. I've got the third book on hold at my local library and am itching with anticipation to get it and start reading. I'm starting to warm to Pritkin and am wondering where Chance will take things with him and Cassie in the later books...

[Lannister]

Excellent Carmen! Glad you're liking it. I love how Cassie's relationship with Pritkin slowly changes over the books, but I'm not giving anything away! The third book's excellent so let us know what you think when you get to it.

[Tammy]

I enjoyed Claimed by Shadow, I found it much easier to follow than Touch the Dark. I still love Mircea. I'm excited for the third book!!

[Lannister]

I think the books get better as they go on Tammy. There's some awesome good stuff in Embrace the Night!

[Cameo]

I completely agree with Lannister on that one.. keep reading Tammy - it'll only get better, bigger and infinitely more awesome!

And sorry for going all twilight on you, but I'm totally on team Pritkin, never really warmed as much for Mircea as I did Pritkin.

[Lannister]

LOL Leodora, you're not going Twilighty at all! We could debate the merits of Team Pritkin or Team Mircea all day!

Just in case anyone overlooked them, the group has some polls, and Poll No. 9 deals with this very question! So if you haven't voted yet, why not hop over to the Poll section (click on Poll on the vertical menu at the top right of the page) and tell us which side you're on. Mircea fans take note: Pritkin has a fairly convincing lead at the moment!

[Cameo]

Oh thank god! I actually cringed a little when I wrote it. And yes we could, so I won't even begin. (Mainly because it's a looooonnng time since I've read the books, so I'll just shut up and start the series all over again) Yay!

[Lannister]

LOL, well that's a good idea! You get to appreciate Pritkin's fabulous-ness all over again. :D

[Cameo]

That is a very good point! I wonder if KC based the character on somebody she knows... An old boyfriend maybe, her neighboor? complete stranger?

[Tammy]

LeodoraM wrote: "And sorry for going all twilight on you, but I'm totally on team Pritkin..."

LOL, Leodora I think Pritkin's a very interesting character and I'm glad there was more of him in Claimed by Shadow, but...I'm Team Mircea :-D

[Cameo]

Tammy wrote: "LeodoraM wrote: "And sorry for going all twilight on you, but I'm totally on team Pritkin..."

LOL, Leodora I think Pritkin's a very interesting character and I'm glad there was more of him in Clai..."

Noooo... I don't get it! Pritkin is tall, blond, buff and a badass! Mircea is all "oh I have secrets and oh I'm not telling you anything oh I'm old and mysterious oh"! haha okay so maybe I'm a bit partial, my type is totally blnd and buff ;)

[Lannister]

LeodoraM wrote: "That is a very good point! I wonder if KC based the character on somebody she knows... An old boyfriend maybe, her neighboor? complete stranger?"

About this, KC actually talked about this in Q & A 27 (the full thing is here) but I've copied it below:

QUESTION 3: Have you ever based any of your characters off someone you knew? Or took someone and made into a character?

No. What other authors choose to do is up to them, but I've always thought: what if I need for something bad to happen to a character? It's not a problem normally--I can be ruthless in pursuit of a plot. But what if that character is based off a friend? Or even an enemy? I've had some people I didn't care for in the past from time to time, but I can't honestly say I've ever wanted any of them blown up or decapitated or eaten. Well, okay, not most of them. So it just seems a bad idea to put someone in a book who might become a barrier to the plot.
+++

So, I guess that means there's no Pritkin running around in real life. Too bad! :)

[Cameo]

I really need to step up and read those Q&A's XD but ooorrhhh too bad :( It would have been fun stalking and drooling on a real (and lifesize) Pritkin.

oh and btw, I just tried making the Free Pritkin tee on a webstore.. it's gonna be legen... wait for it... DARY! too bad not many people in my country has read the books :(

[Lannister]

I wondered about doing something on CafePress (it's cafepress.com or cafepress.co.uk). You submit your design, they print it on demand and they ship all over the place I believe. I'm not overflowing with artistic talent though and I'd be scared of making a complete balls up of it.

[Tammy]

LeodoraM wrote: "Tammy wrote: "LeodoraM wrote: "And sorry for going all twilight on you, but I'm totally on team Pritkin..."

LOL, Leodora I think Pritkin's a very interesting character and I'm glad there was more ..."

But Mircea is a vampire and he's hot too...

[Cameo]

Lannister I'll post a link sometime tomorrow, then let me know if I cocked it up. :) And I'll check out your link and see if I can make a better one there.

[Cameo]

And yeah Tammy, I'm with you on the hot vampire thing, but somehow Mircea gave me a dad vibe from the beginning, and that made it VERY difficult for me to feel the hotness.. but I'm reading the series all over again at the moment, so I'll let you know if the hotness arrives ;)

[Sarah ♥ dog crazy ♥ , Mircea's Moderatrix]

Mircea... Dad vibe? *shocked*

But he can be your dad, Leodora. Then I don't have to share him that way and he can be my hot, feet-licking, awesome lover... LMAO

[Tammy]

Sarah wrote: "Then I don't have to share him that way and he can be my hot, feet-licking, awesome lover... LMAO"

LMFAO!!

[Lannister]

Dad vibe!! I love it! It cracks me up when Dory calls Mircea Daddy. He's just not the kind of guy you could ever picture changing a nappy. Toe sucking: yes. Pooping babies: no!

[Cameo]

XD not that kind of dad! but the overprotecting-don't-mess-with-me-I'll-feed-you-your-own-testicles-kind of dad.. and yes, I know must people find that incredibly sexy, but not in the dad way! the Pritkin way.. oh yes! And sorry guys ,but the long hair just doesn't do anything for me...

[Sarah ♥ dog crazy ♥ , Mircea's Moderatrix]

Oh, normally I'm so not into long hair but Mircea... Yummy!

[Lannister]

LeodoraM wrote: "XD not that kind of dad! but the overprotecting-don't-mess-with-me-I'll-feed-you-your-own-testicles-kind of dad.. and yes, I know must people find that incredibly sexy, but not in the dad way! the ..."

You know, that's exactly how he treats Cassie. Very over-protective and a little controlling. Hmmm, Freud would have a field day with this!

I love a guy with longish hair (it's my not so inner rock chick). I think Louis Cesare has Mircea beat in the long-hair stakes. He's the long hair champ of the KC universe.

[Cameo]

Exactly! now do you get my dad vibe?! Haha I think that even Freud would have a meltdown trying to psychoanalyze everybody in the KC univers!

Yeah he probably is.. and granted ,kinda hard being badass fighting with a rapier and long wavy hair, but he pulls it off! LOL well I'm kinda rock-biker-chic so I'm all for the hands-on soldier style that Pritkin got going on. Plus: when he's got short hair my hands can concentrate on other bodyparts ;)

[Lannister]

Mircea and Cassie's relationship has always had a slight icky factor to it. He was a father figure to her when she was eleven or twelve. Now he's a boyfriend/husband, but still acting like a father. No wonder Cassie goes nuts with him! His whole "Mircea knows best" thing would cause me to repeatedly punch him in the face!! :D

kinda hard being badass fighting with a rapier and long wavy hair, but he pulls it off!

That's cos everyone's too scared to say "Louis Cesare, you look like a girl!!" ;)

Plus: when he's got short hair my hands can concentrate on other bodyparts

Well, you see, I like the fact that I can grab a handful of long hair and steer him towards my favourite body parts!! LMAO!

[Cameo]

I would've slapped Mircea silly if he pulled that crap on me!
And he DOES look like a girl! he wears yellow with lavish lace cuffs for crying out loud!

LOL well some of us don't need the hair to be able to do that ;) But hey, if that's your fancy!

[Lannister]

LOL, I think I conveniently blank from my mind the fact that some of the vamps wear crazy outfits. I mean, Canary Yellow?? WTF? No wonder he's the best duelist the vamp community's ever seen. He's been fighting everyone who laughed at his outfits, so he's had tons of practice!! Even my guy Marlowe wears crazy outfits from the Elizabethan era! But they've all got great legs, so apparently it's OK?!

[Cameo]

LMAO! poor little vampire, being bullied because of his wardrobe... but KC does have a point, those knee pants and stockings actually do make mens legs look good.

[Lannister]

Men in stockings!! I'm having a highly amusing flashback that I don't think I should share LOL! I just hope they shave their legs. (Cassie could always do it for them, she's had practice!)

[Cameo]

no no, share please! :D I always think of Aubrey and Hornblower when people say stockings.. LOL yeah she does *cough Pritkin cough* But if it's the real silk stocking I actually don't think it's necessary

[Enjee, Founder]

Lannister wrote: "I love a guy with longish hair (it's my not so inner rock chick). I think Louis Cesare has Mircea beat in the long-hair stakes. He's the long hair champ of the KC universe.
..."

Tomas had hair down to his waist (view spoiler)[before he cut it in "Day of the Dead" (hide spoiler)].

And what about those Fae Caedman and Heidar? I think they have long hair.

This is probably a good question for the KC Q&A on FB.

[Lannister]

LeodoraM wrote: "no no, share please! :D I always think of Aubrey and Hornblower when people say stockings.. LOL yeah she does *cough Pritkin cough* But if it's the real silk stocking I actually don't think it's ne..."

For the sanity of the group, it's probably best if I don't recount a certain drunken incident involving a pair of lace-topped hold ups and some hairy male legs LMAO!!

Enjee wrote: "Tomas had hair down to his waist ... And what about those Fae Caedman and Heidar? I think they have long hair"

God, I forgot about Tomas and his luscious waist length hair!! And to be honest I didn't even consider the Fae guys. Oh well, LC's reign as the hair model of Cassieland was short-lived!

[Cameo]

LMAO!!! Thnk you SO much for that mental image Lannister!

[Lannister]

LOL! You're very welcome. I aim to please!! :D

[Cameo]

All right Lannister, it didn't turnout like I wanted it... at all! the program didn't fancy cooperating with me.. and found out afterwards that the T-shirt only came in white! But here it is.. my quickly pulled together Free Pritkin T-shirt! Simple yet to the point. (If I'd had my way the lettering would be waaaaayyy bigger!)

http://www.cafepress.com/cp/customize...

Have I cocked it up?

[Lannister]

Wow, no you haven't cocked it up at all! I love it! It's a huge shame it only comes in white though :( I hoped for black with white lettering (I do badly with white clothes, I swear toddlers stay cleaner than me! Plus I'm a vampire and white's not my style)!

I like the grungy font though. It suits Pritkin!

Does anyone else want to have a go at designing a T-shirt?

[Lannister]

Right, I just can't leave things alone! Here's my attempt at a Pritkin T-Shirt ...

http://www.cafepress.co.uk/cp/customi...

Anyone else want to have a shot? You go to cafepress.com or cafepress.co.uk then click 'Design Your Own' at the right hand of the menu and take it from there!

[Susie]

ok i gave it a shot, let me know what you think

http://www.cafepress.co.uk/cp/customi...

[Lannister]

I love it Susie!! Who is the guy? I can't make him out too clearly.

[Susie]

umm I'm not sure but I was looking somewhere that had other people's versions of characters and I liked him the best. Shoot I forget where it was I'm gonna have to search for it because I think there was a really good one of Mercia and Marlowe.

[Susie]

Ok so no Marlowe but some good ones of Mircea (I was wondering why his named looked funny, cause i was spelling it wrong lol), and it turns out I only looked at page one. There are about 84 pages of man candy! :-}

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

[Lannister]

Oh my god, 84 pages!! I'll have a look through those when I've got more time for drooling LOL!

[Cameo]

OMG I litterally just drooled when I clicked on that link! Thanks Susie! ;)

And WHY didn't I think of Daniel Craig as Pritkin.. brilliant!

[Kathy]

Leodora wrote: "OMG I litterally just drooled when I clicked on that link! Thanks Susie! ;)

And WHY didn't I think of Daniel Craig as Pritkin.. brilliant!"

Omigod...okay, now I'm a Pritkin fan...

[Cameo]

Kathy wrote: "Leodora wrote: "OMG I litterally just drooled when I clicked on that link! Thanks Susie! ;)

And WHY didn't I think of Daniel Craig as Pritkin.. brilliant!"

Omigod...okay, now I'm a Pritkin fan..."

Yeeesss Kathy! Welcome in the fabulous club! :D

[Lannister]

Someone in another group asked a question and I can't remember the answer exactly, so I'm hoping someone here can help me out.

At the start of Claimed by Shadow, Cassie thinks to herself "I’d recently acquired - okay, stolen - a bunch of items from the Vampire Senate". She's talking about the runes and the box with the Graeae.

Does it ever say anywhere exactly when Cassie acquired these items? She describes the Senate Stronghold at the end of Touch the Dark, and says there are rows and rows of black boxes, so that's obviously where she got them, but do we know exactly when?

I wondered if it might be just after the end of Touch the Dark, when she shifts back. I wondered if she might have ducked into the Senate, grabbed a few things, then shifted out again, but I can't remember if this is confirmed in any of the books anywhere.

I have a feeling I've read some discussion about this somewhere, but I can't find anything. Anyone got any ideas?