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    Claimed by Shadow
    Claimed by Shadow
    Claimed by Shadow
    Audiobook13 hours

    Claimed by Shadow

    Written by Karen Chance

    Narrated by Cynthia Holloway

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A recent legacy made Cassandra Palmer heir to the title of Pythia, the world's chief clairvoyant. It's a position that usually comes with years of training, but Cassie's circumstances are a little...unusual. Now she's stuck with a whopping amount of power that every vamp, fey, and mage in town wants to either monopolize or eradicate-and that she herself doesn't dare use.

    What's more, she's just discovered that a certain arrogant master vampire has a geis on her-a magical claim that warns off any would-be suitors, and might also explain the rather intense attraction between them. But Cassie has had it with being jerked around, and anyone who tries it from now on is going to find out that she makes a very bad enemy.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateOct 27, 2008
    ISBN9781400178186
    Claimed by Shadow

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    Reviews for Claimed by Shadow

    4/5

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    • 5/5
      Not a bad book. The ending always sucks you in to wanting to read the next.
    • 5/5
      Cassandra Palmer would like a normal life, but now she is heir to the Pythia, the world's cheif clairvoyant, and has more power than she ever wanted. A power the Silver Circle and the Vampire Senate want control over. Unfortunately for her, this power has a mind of it's own, and it's wants the ritual that will make her finally Pythia completed, so it's doing all it can to make this happen, and some people have never looked so good to Cassie.Then she finds out that Mircea had a geis on her, a magical spell which has now started to make itself known, acting like a big "keep off" sign to anyone who shows any interest.If that wasn't enough, Myra, the original heir to the Pythia, is trying to screw up the timeline to get things to go her way. What's a girl to do when everyone wants to screw up your day?This book was so much better than the first! No breaking up of the action now the world building is done and it runs a lot smoother. However, this girl sure as to deal with a huge amount! The whole book spans only two days, but Cassie finds herself in so many life threatening situations, it's mental! Normally, I don't like it when too much happens in a book as it feels like the book is jumping around too much, but it all flows rather well in this book.It's very exciting and your sitting on the edge of your seat wondering whether things are going to go the way she wants, and wondering who she can trust, it's great. There's a passage that stood out for me:Once upon a time, when I was a child reading fairy tales, I'd ached to have my own adventures. Not that I'd wanted to be some drippy heroine languishing in a tower, awaiting rescue. No, I'd wanted to be the knight charging into battle against overwhelming odds, or the plucky country lass who gets taken on as the apprentice to a great wizard. As I got older, I'd found out the hard way that adventures are rarely anything like the books say. Half the time you're scared out of your mind, and the rest you're bored and your feet hurt. I was beginning to believe that maybe I wasn't the adventurous type.I really like that passage, it just struck a chord with me. You really get an idea of how she's feeling. It was such a great book, so exciting, I loved it!
    • 2/5
      Sooo cassie's stance of I don't want to be controlled but I don't want to be pythia and I don't want this or that got really annoying she needs to stop whining and just OWN it. she's obviously the best choice for the "job" as she calls it. also Pritkin is soooooooo annoying...
      I guess i was just annoyed with most of this book
    • 3/5
      Claimed by Shadow
      3.5 Stars

      With various vampires, mages and fae all vying for control of her newly acquired powers, Cassie Palmer is, herself, on the trail of the vampire she holds responsible for the deaths of her parents. To make matters worse, the rival for her abilities is determined to destroy the competition by any means necessary including traveling back in time to dispose of the powerful and sexy master vampire who has always been the one constant in Cassie’s life.

      ***Warning***: Minor spoilers ahead

      The action in this installment begins immediately, which is both a good and a bad thing. It is good in the sense that the story is fast paced, but bad as expository information is lacking to the point that it feels as if a novella is missing - it isn’t and the explanations of events in the beginning are forthcoming later in the book.

      There are some interesting developments in Cassie’s relationships with the various men in her life -Mircea, Pritkin and Tomas. To begin with the Geas is a questionable trope. On the one hand, it increases the sexual tension and emotional connection that exists between Mircea and Cassie, but on the other hand, it also undermines the relationship as one cannot know if Cassie’s feelings for him are real or a result of the spell.

      Pritkin is one of the more intriguing characters in the series. While he and Cassie are obviously at odds on numerous issues and his reactions to her are aggressive and even violent, it is also clear that they are attracted to one another albeit very reluctantly. It will be interesting to see where Chance takes this.

      Tomas is the weakest love interest for me. Not only did he betray Cassie in the last book, but his whiny beta tendencies do not make him a promising match for Cassie. The fact that he is the one to take Cassie’s virginity was disappointing as Mircea is the one who appeals to the romantic in me.

      The actual plot is a mixed bag. The time travel elements are entertaining and it is interesting to see the social interactions and mores of the European vampires in London of 1888. In fact, these are the best parts of the book. The threads that focus on Myra’s machinations are exciting and action packed although the resolution is anti-climactic - Agnes taking possession of Myra and ending her life takes the decision out of Cassie’s hands and is somewhat of a cop-out.. The weakest plot points involve the excursion into Faerie as very little occurs there to forward the overall storyline and it seems that it is merely a launch pad for the next book.

      In sum, Claimed by Shadows has its ups and downs, but it is intriguing enough to justify continuing with the series.
    • 4/5
      Cassie Palmer is still on the run from mages, vampires, and her new unwanted powers. Will she or won't she complete the "ritual" required to completely claim her status as the new Pythia? I wasn't surprised at her decision on this particular issue, just who the other participant in the ritual was. Didn't make much sense to me. Guess I'll have to keep reading the series to see where this goes!
    • 3/5
      In the last book Cassandra got the power of the pythia but there's one thing she has to do before the power is hers. There's a geis between herself and the vampire Mircea, a geis that's hurting both of them, there's another clairvoyant who wants to be pythia and several other complications in Cassandra's life. It wasn't bad, it took me a while to remember some of the background, and in many situations I didn't get a great sense of place or time, not the best read but not a bad read. I'm not pushed to get the next book in the series but I wouldn't reject the idea of reading it.
    • 4/5
      This is the second book in the Cassie Palmer series, I reviewed the first book a couple of months ago. I like this book more than I did the first. Part of the reason I like this book more than the first one is because a significant amount of the world building had been done in the first book. Sometimes, world building can be fun and exciting to read, but for the me, the first book felt at often times confusing for me to really sink my teeth into. Because of that I spent a lot of time being confused by what was going on within the first book. But in this second book, I had enough of a foundation to really get into the book. Not to mention the characters in this book had already been established and I already had a vested interest in them.One of the things about this series of books is that they take place over a very short period of time. Because of this there is seldom a time where there isn't any action in the book. This is a good thing because it keep the reader really involved in the writing. However if you are going to be reading this book in more than one sitting, I might suggest reading a few of the pages you have already read before delving into new material, the action happens so quickly you may need a bit of a refresher.One thing I would have liked to have seen more of in this book is Mircea, he is by far one of my favorite characters within this series. Although I understand that this book is primarily about the journey Cassie takes, I still wish there had been more of Mircea in the book itself.As I just mentioned this book is really about Cassie coming into her power. In the previous book Cassie had received the power of the Pythia, but she did not complete the rituals (she needed to no longer be a virgin). I am not going to say who she slept with but I will say by the end of the book Cassie becomes a full blown Pythia.In a lot of ways this book feels a lot more like a set up for the future of this series. It give Cassie the power of the office of Pythia, with no more chance that it goes to someone else. It also sets up several other scenerios/problems that are going to need to be resolved, and sooner rather than later. Dracula makes an appearance, and it is clear that the vampire community does not want him alive. Dracula is clearly going to play a role in the books to come. Cassie has still not been accepted by the Circle, so there is that to be resolved, or at least hope they stop trying to kill her with every chance they get. A deal was made with the a King that Cassie needs to complete. And of course the geis that caused Cassie so much trouble throughout this book needs to be removed, not just for Cassie's sake but also for the sake of Mircea, if not dealt with it is completely possible that both Cassie and Mircea will be driven crazy.Overall this book was a much more enjoyable book to read than the first. On top of that it left me wanting to read the third book in order to continue on with Cassie's journey. That is a huge skill for an author, the ability to get the reader to want more. I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes Urban Fantasy. I would recommend reading the first before though, the background information contained in the first is invaluable. I hope all of you enjoy this series as much I as did.
    • 2/5
      Cassandra Palmer escapes the Senate with a duffel full of weapons only to be attacked by the Circle. Pritkin and Cassie are forced to become allies due to a common goal-although she never truly trusts him. Besides Pritkin, Cassie is helped by Billy the ghost and Mac, a tattoo artist mage. Cassie's Pythia powers drag her into the past to save Mircea from Myra who is set on making sure Cassie never lives to get her powers. By going into the past, Cassie accidentally sets the geis, a bonding spell Mircea had cast, in the future on the past Mircea strengthening their bond. This becomes problematic for both of them since they can't seem to keep their hands off eachother when together and when separated are in total physical pain (a pain that has led others under the same circumstances to commit suicide). After reading the first book in the series, Touch the Dark, I thought this can only get better. I was a bit disappointed. I mean, yes it was action packed. And yes, there was never a dull moment. But the plot didn't really progress until the last 10 pages or so. Also, I love Mircea, and I hated how he was barely in this book. He showed up briefly in the present, but only for short periods of time in the past. Also, the whole thing with Tomas at the end was weird. I did like Cassie's spirit in this book. No matter how many times she was knocked down, she just got right back up again. All she wants is to find her father, kill Tony, and live a normal life. But everyone else wants something from her. They are all one-step ahead of her. Even though the odds are in no way stacked in her favor, she keeps on fighting for what she wants. Honestly, I like the series so I'll keep reading. I want to find out how it ends. I felt rushed through the book, and I found myself confused several times wondering if I missed something but after rereading realized I didn't miss anything. By the end of the book I got the gist of what happened, however I was still lost. Both in this book and the first I felt like I was thrown into the middle of it and was left to figure out what was going on.
    • 3/5
      Arghhh I really wanted to give this 4 stars because the action is terrific, the pace pulls you along with barely a breath. The world continues to be interesting - this installment focuses more on the mages and a little glimpse of faerie. There are some awesome ideas in terms of magical abilities and charcters. Its lots of fun to read BUT Cassie is driving me insane.She actually accomplishes very little herself because any time anything happens her brain goes numb or she is dazed or confused or too exhausted to make sense of anything. There is only so many times her inaction can be blamed on her being overwhelmed before I am thinking get over yourself already. In the very few instances she makes any decision its an incredibly stupid one.I really hope that she starts taking some ownership and deliberate action in the next installment which I am starting tonight
    • 3/5
      I want to like this series--but it is confusing to me. Hard to keep track of all the characters and time travel, etc. Not sure I'll read #3. To be fair, I tried this one on audio and that could've contributed to the confusion--you really need to read these carefully.
    • 4/5
      This is the sequel to [book: Touch the Dark], and it takes the storyline in a completely different direction than I expected. The vampires don't play quite as prominent a role; the story focuses on Cassie interacting with the battle mages, though the vampires are hovering around the edges. IMO, there's not enough Mircea for my taste, heh. However, Cassie is still very likable without being obnoxiously spunky, and this book added some nice character development all around.
    • 3/5
      I was very disappointed by the first book in this series "Touch The Dark". I found there were too many characters and plot devices to keep track of. Yet, I found myself reaching to this book anyway. "Claimed By Shadow" was much better than "Touch the Dark". While Chance adds new characters to this book, I found them to be refreshing and well drawn out compared to many from the first book. The beginning of this book also slowed things down a little bit, which I appreciated as I felt I got the chance to really meet Cassie. I loved the interplay between Cassie and Pritkin and I don't know if Chance will build this into any kind of relationship in the future but the two of them have chemistry unlike Cassie and Mercia (the vampire) she has a supernatural connection with. Also Cassie has another kind of relationship with her friend turned betrayer Tomas. I don't understand where that is going yet either. All the supernatural side characters are a hoot. There is Billy the ghost, a pair of one eyed hag magical creatures, zombies, and others. I found this book to be a lot funnier than the first one also. The tale was slightly easier to understand, but I still can't give the story more than three stars. The overall plot is still cluttered. Descriptions, especially those trips back in time, and during body possessions, are too confusing. I have to backtrack more than I ever have with any books. Overall this tale is definitely better and I hope it continues to progressively improve. However, this is not one of the better urban fantasy/paranormaal fiction on the market.
    • 3/5
      I was really looking forward to this book after reading the author's debut, "Touch the Dark." However, I found it somewhat disappointing. This was especially apparent when I went to read it last week and realized I already had! I forgot I had read this one and needed to start book 3. This rarely happens as I have a very good memory for books. I quickly scanned through the book again to familiarize myself with the story and realized why I didn't remember it. Despite the length, not much happens. Cassie's power is different and intriguing, but has become something of a trap for the author. Cassie's main adversary here is Myra, who wants to be Pythia. Because clairvoyance is not an offensive weapon, but we still want it to be cool, Cassie spends a lot of the book time traveling to the past to stop Myra from disrupting the timeline. At first, this is interesting as she meets Mircea way before she was born, and learns about events that shape her present. Only, it got old pretty quick. Back and forth, back and forth. Myra understands these powers far more than Cassie so it always seems to be sheer luck that Cassie thwarts her at every turn. Despite this, the book does cement Cassie as Pythia and there were some well done action scenes. The new twist of a geis put on her by Mircea could be fun if she doesn't go too far. Does she love him, or is it just the spell? And what about his feelings? I like it as a tool for sexual tension, but pushed too far it will take over the story (kind've like the ardeur - sex becomes compulsive not choice). I also liked that we got more information on the mages, in addition to the vampires. Pritkin is an annoying prick, but I suspect that he'll become more sympathetic in book 3. I agree with other reviewers that I would like to see her get a solid ally besides Billy. Someone she can trust who doesn't keep her constantly guessing at their motivations. Overall, this entry wasn't nearly as strong as I had hoped, but I enjoyed it enough to want to read more of Cassie. The world is exciting, and her political landscape more and more interesting. Hopefully, "Embrace the Night" will grab me by the throat and not let go. Otherwise, there are other vampires in the urban landscape.
    • 4/5
      I love this series. Cassandra Palmer kicks ass. I love a strong heroine.
    • 5/5
      Cassie now has a unwanted power of Pythia, only she has no interest in accepting this power. She is torn in this world of magic that she did not even know truely exsisted to this extent. I love this series is a group of amazing book. Just the right ticket to keep me reading for hours.
    • 3/5
      I’ll be honest, I’m kind of meh...about paranormal romances; I dig certain aspects of them (the paranormal…vamps, werewolves, witches, etc.) and don’t like other aspects (mainly the romance). Don’t get me wrong if the sex is well done and not the defining characteristic of the story, it can be a big bonus. I don’t necessarily want a love story with every paranormal book I pick up, but that’s my personal preference. I really dug the first book (Tough the Dark, 2006) and I think in my review of it I billed it as Otherworld meets the Soprano’s and said it was wonderfully complex and entertaining and I was certainly looking forward to reading the next in the series when it came out. As fate would have it, I didn’t manage to get a copy until recently. As it turns out, that was probably for the best as this second book in the series is decidedly inferior to the first. In Claimed by Shadow, we pick up shortly after the events of the previous novel with Cassie on the run from the Vampire Counsel and stoically avoiding taking on the duties of the Pythia (she just wants a normal life after all). In the first book Cassie has spunk…she was a butt-kicking heroine who gave as good as she got…in Claimed by Shadow…not so much. Cassie has devolved to a whiny, confused girl who can’t figure out her powers. In the previous book I enjoyed watching her growing skill with prophecy…this time out it seemed like there really wasn’t any skill, she spent all her time screaming at various characters about how she didn’t know how to use the powers and more importantly that she didn’t want them at all. In the end, she who puts up a lot of struggle and energy into NOT becoming the Pythia comes to a lame conclusion…this entire section of the storyline ends poorly (very anti-climatic).As with the previous book there was an assortment of vampires, mages, witches, fey, shrunken heads, satyrs, ghosts…and what should have been the lovely addition of Dark Fey (this could have been a very interesting addition to this growing world, but in the end…not so much). We were also introduced to incubi (very charming, if a bit over played), gargoyles (I would have liked to see more of them), the Graeae pulling a special guest appearance (very amusing and appreciated), and with Elvis and Hendrix in interesting cameo rolls (I won’t spoil it for you…but it was funny)! Even with all of this, this world manages to fall flat in the sequel…it doesn’t have that gritty dark urban fantasy feel…it’s muddled and confusing and the many plot lines were hard to sort out in the end and I had trouble liking Cassie as the book progressed. This is billed mainly as a “paranormal romance,” and as I said when I started out here, I can take them or leave them and I prefer the paranormal to the romance…for me to really enjoy a book of this type, it needs to be weighted toward the paranormal, which this mostly was. The twist and play up of the sexual tension through the use of a Geis was potentially interesting, but I found that halfway though the book I really wanted to slap Cassie (and/or the author) around because in the end what could have been a nicely played sexual tension with a side of bittersweet lust became one of the most annoying plot devices I think I have had to keep reading about. Overall…I have to agree with other reviewers, the first book was far superior and the sequel is almost (but not quite) a tired “rehash” of the original. In my opinion this is not a true continuation of the story line, the author spends 374 pages treading over the same territory again and again….I’ll certainly try the third in the series when it comes out in 2008 (every series has a book or two that aren’t on par with the others), but if there isn’t significant improvement that’ll be the end of this series for me. I rate it at 3 stars (and feel that is generous), if you like paranormal romance, you’ll likely find this amusing and fun…if your like me and prefer the paranormal to the romance…this is likely to fall short of the mark for you. This is definitely one to check out of the library.
    • 4/5
      Quite good, I was amused and pleased. I'll read the next one. It was a swallow-in-one-sitting book.
    • 4/5
      Cassie is still fighting her new nature as the, almost, Pythia as she still trys to find Myra, the other would-be Pythia who is trying to kill her. She is also after Tony, the vampire who raised her after killing her parents. Well it is just too complicated to try to explain.I liked this book better than the first. Maybe because I had read the first, this one seemed to make more sense and was easier to follow. You actually get to know the charaters a bit more in this book and I liked that a lot. There is a lot of mythology to the story, but I am beginning to catch on. I will definitely try another one.
    • 4/5
      This picks up very much where 'Touch the Dark' left off - I think it's the next day.Cassie is still trying to work out about the Pythia, hunted by magi, vampires etc. There are twists galore - Cassie is under a geas, the circle magi are blocking access to her ward, she's got allies who might be enemies, allies who she knows are untrustworthy and so much more.The story romps along quickly, and has a satisfactory end to some story lines, while opening some new ones, and leaving some unresolved. Roll on the next book!
    • 4/5
      Good story, good characters, but the plot sometimes races along so frenetically that you can't keep track of what's going on where. I'm also a little skeeved on the idea of incorporating EVERY major historical figure into fiction (Rasputin, Dracula, Mircea, Marlowe, etc.).