Shatter the Earth

Cassandra Palmer #10

by Karen Chance

Ironically for the time traveling, chief seer of the supernatural world, time has never been on Cassie Palmer’s side. There has always seemed to be too much to learn, too much to master, and never enough hours in a day. But the tables have now turned, and the fluctuating timelines of Earth and Faerie are diverging, slowing time in Faerie relative to Earth, and giving humans an advantage for the first time in their war with the fey. It is one they desperately need, for a literal war of the worlds is about to take place. To win, or even to survive, Cassie and her allies, the powerful vampire senator Mircea Basarab and the formidable war mage John Pritkin, will have to pull off their greatest feat yet. And find a way to become more than the sum of their parts.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Magic, Romance, Time Travel

485 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2020

About the author

Karen 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.

Reviews

[Aly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really waffled between 3 and 4 stars. I love these characters, but I wish the plot had more of a chance to breathe. I feel like we’re being hurled from one disaster to the next and I would really, really love for the pacing to just slow down in places.

There is SO MUCH happening in these books - a lot of it set up for future arcs - and some streamlining would really help the plots and characters shine.

[Jen Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggle writing reviews for this series because the things I love about these books, I love hard every time. My criticisms stay the same. At least you can count on Karen Chance to be consistent.

I will say this, though, stuff happens to progress the larger arc for sure. With Mircea and Pritkin. With the Lover's Knot. With that freaky Jonathan dude. Cassie's Pythian training. Rhea. And the war with the Fae.

My biggest complaint is how so much frenetic action gets jam-packed in these books. Cassie reminds us only five months have passed since the events of the series began and that is unfathomable. There's never time to breathe and I think these books need a little more of that.

I still freaking love Pritkin and just about every single scene he and Cassie share. I am so here for this romance. And while I have been ready to show Mircea the door for a while now, at least I feel confident he is no longer a love interest.

Chance totally surprised me with where she took things in the last few chapters. And I'll admit, there's a loss here which completely sucker punched me.

I will totally read the next book to see where this goes. And, of course, get my next Pritkin fix. Hopefully, we'll have these two back as a team to face whatever comes next.

And if we're really lucky, Mircea will get what he wants and just exit stage left.

[Bar]

3.5

Maybe i ve just read it too fast. Action scenes seemed to really take over the character development because Cassie felt like she took a lot of steps backwards. (Pritkin on the other hand blossoms in their relationship)

I really liked all scenes with Billy Joe (our precious baby..) even if his death was somewhat weird. And, duh, every Pritkin scene. They have matching outfits now, how cool is that!? I m so happy Cassie got her own war mage coat! Hopefully she s gonna wear it from now on. As for Mircea i m fuckin confused about him. Casting Lover s Knot made me bloody mad. How dared he. I started appreciate him in last book but if i were Cassie i would kill him already billion times. At least Elena wasnt that much in it.

1. Where is my Rosier??? I miss him
2. And Casanova, Rian and others.
3. I need past!Pritkin from Gertie s time.
I NEED HIM. Imagine the drama...

Cant wait to finally have some real scenes with Pritkin s incubus half. A dialog maybe? You can blame him of all the evil in the world *stares at Casskin duo* but i love him and my boy did nothing wrong.


Before reading

Edit 2
Has anyone else seen it? Is Ignite the Fire real or was it just a dream? Another six months and another book? I guess i ll just die happily
Edit 1
Right after finishing BtT: OH MI GOD I NEED THIS NOW PLEASEEE. Like there wasnt HtM kidn of cliffhanger but i need this now. Also the series to have at least 20 novels. I believe in you Karen. We all do.

And before:
Fingers crossed for Shatter the Earth to be out before December 4th so i could have best birthday ever

I'm so excited... We haven't got BtT yet, but here we are - title, cover and ~release date of next one!
Great. How can i focus on exam (or really, anything) when such earth-shattering news happen? ;)

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly excited for the next installment! Imminent war on the horizon! Curious to see the side effects/fallout of the Nodo D’Amore, betting it’s going to be interesting. Kinda hoping for an awkward trio time trip to fetch Elena 🤞🏼

[Piseog · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can you both love and hate a series so much. Okay, hate is a strong word, but immensely frustrated is how I was feeling with this book. Lately I am always more excited for what could be in the next book (hoping) than reading the actual book. I guess the anticipation built it up and unfortunately it kinda let me down. Why does Karen Chance refuse to give those fans that waited 8 books for Pritkin and Cassie to become a thing any happiness? We still get more Mircea than Pritkin, and the triangle that should be dead is alive and kicking. Similarly to the previous book, Pritkin makes some brief appearance a good bit in, then we have them sleep together somewhere in the middle and then he's with her in the battle in the end. We also get a scene where they fight about her safety. But we actually get more romantic sweet stuff in book 9. I was hoping for so much more with those two in Shatter the Earth. But no, we get more Mircea drama.

This author tends to drag things out, like the never-ending Geis in the first few books and the save Pritkin storyline of the last three books. Well, we get the Geis all over again in this one with the Lover's Knot spell, and even better it connects Cassie to Mircea even more. Yeh:( I also hate what Mircea is forcing Cassie to do. He's so annoying.

Is it just me or is Cassie the Pythia becoming less and less special with each book. Suddenly everyone has the same powers as her and she's no longer unique. The acolytes, her court, past acolytes and backup pythias can all travel through time. Then we have the Lover's Knot spell which allows other people to use her power. The whole split soul thing is also an annoying addition.

Okay, despite these issues there were still some good parts. The characters are great- still love Cassie, Pritkin and the vamps. Billy the shining star! Rhea's issues I could do without (another dragged out plot point). Some good action and excitement and a couple to definitely root for. I just hope I don't have to repeat the same issues after reading the next book. I still look forward to reading this series and hoping for great Cassie/Pritkin stuff.

[Lea Bookjoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

French & English reviews

Un avis comme pour le précédent livre ... Très partagé ><

Ce que j'ai particulièrement aimé :
- l'univers toujours aussi addictif (je veux plus de choses sur les mages d'Afrique !! Ils ont l'air fascinant =D Et j'adorais visiter toutes les boutiques de magie ><)
- les différentes intrigues : celle autour de Mircea, son obsession (comment il va s'en sortir auprès des autres vampires ?? Jamais la Consule va laisser passer ça ...) et sa femme (qui est peut-être une fae ?? Ça veut dire que Dorina aura du sang de fae ??!!) mais aussi l'incube de Pritkins (est-ce qu'il est gentil et qu'il a failli les tuer par erreur ou est-ce qu'il veut remplacer Pritkins ou pire ??) ou encore la fameuse guerre contre les Fae et autres complices des dieux (qui va beaucoup avancer avec la fameuse invasion ... Mais aussi un énorme massacre (je me demande où en sont les effectifs du Cercle parce qu'ils ont du perdre pas mal de monde entre l'attaque du QG, le début de l'invasion ...)) et aussi l'histoire du Nœud des Amoureux (qui à mon avis n'a pas fini de causer des ennuis ...)
- les personnages toujours aussi amusants (Cassie et son manque de chance légendaire), attachants (qu'est-ce que j'ai pleuré pour Billy ... Et cette scène de fin à Samhaim ... <3) ou détestables (JONATHAN !! Je crois que c'est l'un des méchants les plus intelligents de tous les livres ... Et l'un des plus monstrueux ><)
- la scène trop choupinou entre Cassie et Pritkins dans l'hôtel <3 (ça faisait tellement longtemps que ces deux-là s'étaient pas retrouvées ensemble !!)
- cette fin !! (j'espère tellement qu'elle va donner Jonathan à Dory =D)

Ce qui m'a un peu déçue (c'est toujours un peu les mêmes reproches ces derniers livres ><) :
- des descriptions un peu kaléidoscopes qui me font perdre le fil de l'action (le plus marquant peut-être ici était pendant la scène de la grande bataille finale ... Du coup j'ai été un peu déçu parce que je m'attendais à plus !!)
- les scènes de sexe avec Pritkins qui sont ... BOAF (finalement, ils ont eu des moments beaucoup plus chauds sans être ensemble au début >< )
- trop de blabla de Cassie qui se pose dix millions de questions tout le temps (OUI je comprend c'est dur il faut prendre des décisions très dures rapidement et elle a subi pas mal de changements mais j'avais parfois envie de la secouer pour juste qu'elle arrête et qu'elle agisse !!)
- Cassie qui répète les mêmes erreurs (tout faire toute seule au risque de se tuer à petit feu, ne pas faire confiance à Pritkins pour des trucs ultra importants (genre le chantage de Mircea ou pire le gain de pouvoir de son incube !!))

Bref, j'ai dévoré ce livre comme les précédents et Cassandra Palmer reste l'une de mes séries préférées mais ... j'ai peur que la série attrape le virus des "séries trop longues qui finissent par devenir nulles" ... A voir ce que le prochain livre donne =)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


An opinion as for the previous book ... Very mixed ><

What I particularly liked :
- the universe still addictive (I want more things about the magi of Africa !! They look fascinating =D And I loved visiting all the magic shops ><)
- the various plots : the one around Mircea, his obsession (how he will manage with the others vampires ?? No way the Consule is going to accept all this sh*t !) and his wife (who is perhaps a fae ?? Does that mean that Dorina has fae blood ??!!) but also the incubus of Pritkins (is he nice and almost killed them by mistake or does he want to replace Pritkins or worse ??) or the famous war against the Fae and other accomplices of the gods (with at last the famous invasion ... But also a huge massacre (I wonder how many men are still in the troops of the Circle because they must have lost a lot of people between the HQ attack, the beginning of the invasion ...)) and also the story of the Lovers' Knot (which in my opinion hasn't stopped causing trouble ...)
- the characters still funny (Cassie and her legendary lack of luck), endearing (how much I cried for Billy ... And this scene at the end during Samhaim ... <3) ​​or detestable (JONATHAN !! I think he's one of the smartest villains of all the books ... And one of the most monstrous ><)
- the scene too cute between Cassie and Pritkins in the hotel <3 (it had been so long since these two had been together !!)
- this end !! (I really hope she will give Jonathan to Dory =D)

What disappointed me a little bit (it's always the same reproaches for these last books ><) :
- descriptions a little bit like kaleidoscopes which make me lose the thread of the action (the most striking example here was perhaps during the scene of the great final battle ... I was a little disappointed because I expected more !!)
- the sex scenes with Pritkins which are ... MEH (finally, they had much hotter moments without being together at the start ><)
- too much blathering by Cassie who asks herself ten million questions all the time (YES I understand it's hard you have to make very hard decisions quickly and she has undergone a lot of changes but I sometimes wanted to shake her to make her stop and act !!)
- Cassie who repeats the same mistakes (doing everything alone at the risk of killing herself slowly, not trusting Pritkins for ultra important stuff (like the blackmail of Mircea or worse the power gain of his incubus !!))

In short, I devoured this book like the previous ones and Cassandra Palmer remains one of my favorite series but ... I am afraid that the series will catch the virus of "series too long which end up becoming bad" ... I'll see how the next book is =)

[Heather♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I'm a Team Pritkin gal here (oh let me count the ways) and it's always my desire to see Pritkin's scowling face front and center and early on in the stories. So I had to mentally prepare myself that this book might instead have Cassie spending a crap ton of time with Mircea while she helped him time travel back to Romania to find his wife Elena. And I was pretty much OK with that because the reason for said trip would be to reunite Mircea with Elena. So imagine my surprise when, after all the buildup, the Elena part of the storyline was, at least to me, just a small part of the book. Now if it was a fairly small part of the book, was there anything about it that still bugged me, you ask? And the answer to that is yep, I think there kinda was.

First, we had to once again take a trip down memory lane about Cassie and Mircea's feelings for each other and how they would most likely love each other forever. Umm, can we maybe think about focusing on Elena and Pritkin now please? Especially Pritkin. I think he's earned his title as Cassie's boo. Second, we found out Mircea had already cast the Lover's Knot spell on Cassie, apparently without her knowledge, so what was with that whole speech of his in the last book when he told her he would NEVER do such a thing and she could trust him? Cassie was honestly surprised when Mircea shifted for the first time so I guess I'm just wondering at what point Mircea had the spell cast (especially since he commented to Pritkin later that he and Cassie had their bond in place first). To not tell her about it though just made it feel like a repeat of the earlier geis that he put on her (again without her knowledge) and look how well that turned out. Third, Cassie seemed so surprised that Mircea could use her powers to shift (and how exactly was he able to do that with such ease when her acolytes trained for months/years to do that?) and she was questioning so many things about the spell, like how advanced the abilities would be, or would they still work if they were separated in different time periods, and especially how it could be removed, etc. So did she just forget everything about it when Pritkin cast the exact same spell on her in a recent battle and she was able to channel Pritkin's powers so easily? Seems like she should have been more familiar with the spell by now or that she and Pritkin would have at least talked about it after the battle was over (unless Pritkin never really removed his spell from her?) Fourth, and probably the most bothersome is that Cassie didn't tell Pritkin about Mircea casting the Lover's Knot spell on her or that she created an additional mental bond with Mircea to help keep him stable. I get that in her mind she figured Pritkin would have a bad reaction to the news, but I thought they turned a corner in their relationship in the last book and had more open trust between them now. She used to really confide in him about things before, so what happened? I don't like the secrets.

The portion of the story that involved Cassie's time with Gertie's court was a bit of a slower read for me. Whenever Cassie was with Gertie, Agnes or Rhea, I found myself wondering what Pritkin was up to. And part of the reason Cassie and Rhea were at Gertie's was to do more research about the Lover's Knot spell and how to remove it. Again, Pritkin already had that knowledge. Why did she not just ask him about the specifics instead of seeking out librarians? I did, however love any time Cassie was with Marco. And Billy. I'm gonna light a candle for you man.

As usual in this series there were plenty of action sequences with fey assassins, dark mages, manlikans, Ancient Horrors and the big invasion itself. I thought the fabulous fey king Caedmon stole every scene he was in. I'd like to see more of him please. Some sequences were easier to follow than others, with all the time jumps, invisible participants, and Lover's Knot powers constantly adapting/morphing and changing things up. There were moments though where it was a little hard for me to believe that one person could be responsible for everything they were going through and be one step ahead of them the entire time as well, especially since Cassie had new amped up powers to play with. Or that the Pythian power would warn Cassie of minor infractions in the time line but not the major ones caused by her enemies. I'd have to say the biggest eyebrow raise for me though was when Cassie and Pritkin were having an intense sexual encounter, skin and eyes blazing, with their powers looping and building and burning so hot that their room actually set on fire. Cassie ended up with third degree burns on her arm and Pritkin had half his face burned. And yet amazingly Cassie still had her bathrobe on and Pritkin had his boxers on when they shifted out during the middle of it to escape the inferno. And her man apparently kept those teflon undies on while then proceeding to battle their foes. Impressive.

So what will the next book bring? I suspect issues with Pritkin's demon, not to mention potential problems with Mircea because of Cassie's continued mental link with him. Will the search continue for Elena? I sure hope so, because I seriously don't want any more of this love triangle nonsense with Mircea, Cassie and Pritkin. There's no choice to be made here. Pritkin made her a matching war mage coat. Enough said.

[Choco Con Churros · Rating 5 out of 5]

¿Se desplazó dónde? Aaaaaahhhh ¿Dónde?. Cómo puede terminar así?😱😱😱. Quiero maaaaaas!. Haaaaambre!.
Por esto me encantan las sagas, cuanto más largas, mejor. No necesitas un cuarto de libro para ponerte en antecedentes. Conoces los personajes de cabo a rabo, conoces el universo hasta sus más mínimos detalles... y entras a saco según abres el libro.
A veces aflojan por el camino si son muy largas, o se repiten, o pierden fuelle. Pero cuando no... mejoran libro a libro, apoyándose en los anteriores y cada vez se disfruta más. Cuando encuentras una de estas sagas que no encogen con los lavados, es genial. Y así pasa aquí... aunque lo de Billy😢. Yo que ya me lo imaginaba incluído en el lazo ese raro. Pues habrá que correr a por el siguiente, a ver hacia dónde se desplazó y qué pasó ahí. Autores en GL Bis

[Noodle The Naughty Night Owl · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/10: Finished the book and it was above average.

Jet lag had nothing on time lag, let me tell you.

So, I wasn't sure I would pick this one up. After the last two in the series, let's just say, I was disillusioned.

But this is the Cassie Palmer series. One of my all-time favourite vampire series. I have been Team Mircea all the way back from book one and haven't changed camp since. Vamps for me, baby!

Which might explain why I'm getting turned off by these later instalments.

But this is the Cassie Palmer series, and as the author has just gone Indie, I wanted to support her, so picking up Book Ten it is.

And it started out great. I thought maybe the author was getting to write the story she wanted to write and not what the publisher made her write. All good, yeah?

Yeah-nah as my fellow kiwis say.

It all boils down to this...

I'm Team Mircea and I'm likely never to change. Pritkin just doesn't do it for me. That's the old prickly Pritkin and definitely the new who-the-heck-are-you lovey-dovey Pritkin. I just get bored when he's on the page. (And I did skip many pages in this book).

Throw in Mircea, though, and I gobble that s**t up in a heartbeat.

And, thankfully, Mircea does get some page time in this one. But not in the way that had me falling in love with these characters, tagging it as my all-time favourite vampire series, and making me read all ten of the books published.

So, yeah-nah. Not so sure about going forward from here. I can't see a way back for Mircea and Cassie, and I am just so over the whole Mage Pritkin thing.

I guess a leopard - I mean vamp-lover - can't change its spots.

Also, and this is just a quiet little addition to my rave, the editing let this one down a fair bit. I don't mind the odd mistake - everyone makes them- but this one had multiple errors on multiple pages, detracting from the story. Just needs a little tightening on that front. That's all.

[Natari · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cassie Palmer series is one of those rare books that you can pick up and be transported straight into the adventure. You lose yourself in the characters, the emotions and storyline. Karen Chance continues to amaze and enthrall me with her fun writing style and ability to weave such a complicated multi book spanning plot while keeping one clear and exciting storyline for the book you are in. I have giggled out loud, I have wept, I have been on the edge of my seat And I have been smirking to myself through the book - two or three times over. Shatter the Earth is an EXCELLENT continuation of the Cassie Palmer series and I cannot wait for more.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've waited through three re-reads for this book to come out, and then it flew by! This is one of my favorite paranormal series. I usually laugh so loud while listening to these books.

The only thing wrong here is that I would have liked more Pritkin, but we all knew Mircea would be a manipulative twerp, and Cassie would be busy, so I guess it's understandable. And Fred - argh - and the covens - ugh - and ghosts, so so many ghosts.

It's a wild ride and you should definitely take it!

[Just Josie]

🧡 IS IT SOON DECEMBER!!! I WANT THIS BABY!!!🧡

[Rhiannon Chillingworth]

I am too afraid to pick this up, and there are hardly any review that give any sort of detail to make me decide.

I can't stand Mercia. I want to repeatedly smash his head into a wall. If this book is Cassie running around in the past with him to do the thing he's been manipulating her for throughout the series, then I don't want to put myself through it.

I pretty much read for Pritkin now. If he's barely in this, like the last book, then I may well just not bother.

I would not be at all surprised if, after finally supposedly resolving the love triangle, we don't have yet more carrot dangling.

Someone take pity on me who's read it!!!

[Kimi5564 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, wow, wow ... what a ride. I really needed a dose of Cassie and Pritikin, and this was more than I could have hoped for! The storylines that developed on the periphery as Cassie, Mircea and Pritikin, and ... navigated the war ... just masterful!! I don't know how Karen Chance comes up with these worlds, but she's incredible. So many characters, so many personalities, so many backstories, so many worlds and illusions; I don't know how she ever sleeps! I loved what I think was the perfect segue to Dorina's next book, and I look forward to "watching" Louis-Cesare deliver some well-deserved payback.

[Marielle Authier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still many fights, though in this installment there was more character development, which was nice. I wish it was Cassie doing the development, but I guess she isn't there yet!
Also the cliffhanger ending ...... I could have done without it. The book would have been better without that section of the epilogue.

[LexiLikesLiterature · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Schizophrenic Clairvoyant afraid of her own shadow" - Cassie

What Book Goddess did I anger? Why must I be plagued with these spineless, cry baby, indecisive, female leads???

We are in book 10.... BOOK TEN !!! Yet, Cassie Palmer is still the same Book 1 Cassie.

Please Book Goddess... Let this Cassi grow! 🙏🏽

[Debrac2014 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually find Dory's stories more enjoyable than Cassie's but this one hit the spot for me! Action packed fun, maybe a bit too frantic at times, but Cassie has come into her powers!

[Lana *Best left alone with books and snacks* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a little heartbroken and also hella impressed. Our team sustained some losses but it's becoming more powerful than ever and I'm here for it. Even Pritkin doesn't annoy me so far. He's become a lot more tolerable ever since his rescue. Now if only we can resolve the Elena issue I'll be happy as a clam.

Over and out

[Margaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

400+ pages, and it seems like nothing happened. The war still isn’t over, major plot lines aren’t resolved, and Cassie and Pritkin’s relationship didn’t progress. I can’t believe that only 5 months have passed since the beginning of this series and we’re already on book 10! I guess it makes sense, because as action-packed as these books are, nothing of real substance ever happens.

My favorite part of this series, though, and why I keep reading it, was the humor and the teaming up of Cassie and Pritkin. They were fun together. And they were barely together in this one, just like the last, and I think I might be done if that’s going to continue. The humor was also missing in this installment...I think Chance has used up all her funny in the Dorina Basarab series and has none left for poor Cassie (at least I hope...that’s also my favorite part of Dorina, too!).

I’m also bummed about the narrator change...I really liked Cynthia Holloway, and the new one isn’t nearly as good!

[E.G. Manetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a huge fan of this series since the beginning, enjoying Cassie's underdog persona and tenacity. As always, it's is non-stop action punctuated with Cassie's frantic attempts to make sense out of her life and relationships. After the wheel spinning of the last two installments there is finally forward movement in both plot and relationship development including more than one character calling Cassie on her tendency to the play the victim.

I am disappointed that the narrative is going in Pritkin's direction when I'm die-hard team Mercea. My major criticism is that there is a massive retcon related to the death of Mercea's wife in the 14th Century.

*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.

[Aira · Rating 4 out of 5]

will be rereading because A LOT happened, so a moment is needed

[Catherine Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always fantastic

Karen writes action like no one else I've ever read. Reading her books is almost like being in a blockbuster movie. I love every second and usually finish them over the course of a day and a half.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous

Wow! Just wow. Every book in the series keeps getting better and better. This book had so much growth and development from so many characters. This is one of my favorite series.

[Sami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My God

What can I say but yet another truly awesome book in the Cassie Planet series. Seriously, thank you My Chance.

[Ileana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another awesome Cassandra Palmer book

Loved it! Reading a Karen Chance book is always like a thrilling fun ride! I highly recommend this addition to the Cassandra Palmer series.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tenth in the Cassandra Palmer urban fantasy series and revolving around an unwanted Pythia who's learning on the job. The focus is on Cassie, the new Pythia (for the past six months); a powerful gorgeous vampire, Mircea Basarab; and a half-incubus/part-human/part-fae — and very scary war mage — John Pritkin.

My Take
Trust — a really big deal for Cassie and Pritkin — is the underlying issue.

"Two guarded, mentally messed up people who had long ago learned to hide their hearts away, finally daring to trust."

Meanwhile, Mircea is succumbing to the vampire curse, obsessing over personal matters when he should be concentrating on the war. This obsession will find Cassie chasing him throughout time to prevent his changing the timeline. And, hoo boy, what a lot of adventures this leads to!

Chance spends quite a bit of time with info blurbs on the past, although it is handy for the refresher course. It's a bit of a relief to know that the Wallachians of the day were getting fed up with Vlad's entertainments. Chance also provides plenty of foreshadowing that finally resolves itself near the end. I still don't understand how it ended up happening. There's also a sneaky twist about Elena — actually a number of twists!, and Chance sets us up to continue the series.

It's rather annoying. Mircea has his excuse for his obsession, but Cassie, using first person protagonist point-of-view, is so obtuse in this. Why does she keep denying that Elena was kidnapped? Isn't she curious about why?

Who'd've thunk Horatiu would come up with such words of wisdom? I loved how he pointed out that if it works for the goose, it works for the gander as well, lol. Then there's Tami handing out some danged useful advice as well about delegating and prioritizing. Gertie has her own points to make to Cassie about how Cassie is using the power. And she's right too.

Crack me up! That scene where Cassie needs to be "certified" to use the Silver Circle library was so hilarious, and doesn't say much about some of those war mages' intellects.

"His actions spoke volumes, all on their own, whole libraries of thought and emotion."

It's been awhile since I read the series, and I received Shatter the Earth before I had a chance to re-read Ride the Storm and Brave the Tempest, so I'm rather clueless about what's been happening. After all these stories, it's weird to find Cassie and Pritkin as an item. As for Cassie's vampires all being emancipated?? Huh??? Oh, man, the courting, ahem, that Cassie's been surviving. Oh, boy.

It's definitely been a fun series to read with Chance's take on the magic world and how the vampires, magic users, and fey interact. Lord knows, there are plenty of factions in each of the three groups as well, which only adds to the fun. The leaders of various factions all want a piece of Cassie and even the "allies" on the good guys side don't necessarily like each other. The witches certainly have good reason! They all want to control her and do not like her being such an independent cuss.

It's so sweet that Cassie's tiny little acolytes adore Marco, and that they in turn give him purpose. Yep, we finally get back history on Marco. We also get more back history on Rhea, and do her mommy issues ever pour out! Then there's Pritkin's confession. Jeez.

The court is a bit of a frat house what with midnight strip poker parties and sneaking food. Mostly because Cassie wasn't brought up at the Pythian Court and could care less about protocol and primping.

It's Gertie who gives Cassie the dirt about the role of Pythia being that of a servant, although Gertie does turn it around on itself and note that getting dirty (as a servant) is the most fun part of the job. Oh, that memory Gertie's grandmother made for her is so sweet. And sad all at the same time.

That is one of those points that no one seems to get, that the power chooses where it will go. Just as the power will do whatever it likes with these new abilities Cassie is getting from the Lover's Knot spell. Gertie certainly sees the power as being independent. I do like that new one that allows Cassie to page through someone's life like a book.

On the negative side, there were sections that left me clueless as to how we got there, and Chance needs to talk to her proofreaders. Oy.

I gotta say, I'm exhausted, cold, and I really need a long, hot shower after reading Shatter the Earth. Just reading of Cassie's adventures will do that to ya. I mean, who'd've thought libraries could be so scary!


The Story
Oops, seems that Lover's Knot spell Mircea had put on him and Cassie is evolving in some very unexpected ways with powers zipping back and forth between them.

And Pritkin's demon half is getting stronger.

The Characters
Cassandra Palmer is a time traveling, ghost whispering, chief seer of the supernatural world who broke up with Mircea two months ago. You could also describe her as a "demigoddess foundling raised by vampires". Some of her "new" powers include VampVision. Billy Joe is an Irish gambler murdered back in the 1800s whose ghost is now Cassie's friend.

Elizabeth O'Donnell, a.k.a., Artemis, who had been a goddess who kicked out all the other gods and then slammed the metaphysical door on them, later became Agnes' heir, until she ran off with Roger. Seems Artemis had been a huntress, only she'd been hunting demons and not deer. Roger Palmer had been a necromancer con artist who had ended up working for Tony Gallina, one of Mircea's masters. They're also Cassie's parents. Eugenie had been Cassie's governess.

John Pritkin is one scary war mage, and he's in a relationship (about time) with Cassie. In the demon world, he's known as Emrys, because he's Rosier's son. When Pritkin first came to earth, he was known as Myrddin (we'd know him as Merlin). He's made Cassie her very own war mage coat. God knows she needs it!

Senator Mircea Basarab has been a vampire since the 15th century, developing some strong mental powers over the centuries. A one-time prince of Wallachia and Cassie's "husband", now he's a diplomat for the North American Vampire Senate and has been appointed the commander of today's army. Elena had been Mircea's peasant wife back then, who discovered her pregnancy after Mircea was Changed. She had a daughter, Dorina, a dhampir. Horatiu had been Mircea's trusted servant back in the day, and even now as a vampire. Vlad III "the Impaler", a.k.a., Dracula, was Mircea's older brother.

The Pythian Court
Agnes had been the previous Pythia. She's the one who "arrested" Roger Palmer back in the 1600s. Gertie was Pythia before Agnes; she's also Hilde's sister. Their grandmother had been a touch clairvoyant as well. The current court consists of sixty-one people including initiates, bodyguards, acolytes, Tami's adopted kids, coven witches, and war mages.

Rhea is Agnes' previously hidden daughter with Jonas and is Cassie's chief acolyte and heir. Other acolytes include Annabelle; Hilde, who's no longer retired; the stern Milly; and, four-year-old Amelie.

Tami, a null witch, is Cassie's friend and self-appointed life manager. Françoise is a French witch from the 17th century and is now Cassie's appointment secretary. Augustine is a part-fey clothing designer and Cassie's court designer...and what I wouldn't give to have some of his outfits!! He's also creating some amazing weapons for the war mages. Reggie is the Silver Circle liaison to the Pythian Court. The Coven liaisons include Vi, the female version of Marco, and her lover, the punkish Saffy.

Marco, a vampire who had once been a gladiator, is Cassie's chief bodyguard. Turns out he's done some work as an investigator. Rico, who's interested in courting Rhea, and the food-lovin' Fred are more of Cassie's vampire bodyguards. Turns out they've been assigned to her as a punishment, lol.

The Silver Circle is...
...an organization of the supposedly good magic users with underground headquarters in Stratford, England. Jonas Marsden, a mage, is its current leader, who's bummed that he can't control Cassie as he'd intended. Emma Lantham had been a librarian until the enemy invaded. Tom is what Cassie will name Mrs Lantham's cat. Tobias is a chef at HQ and a knowing friend of Pritkin's.

The War Mage Corps is the police unit of the Silver Circle where Caleb is a formidable war mage and a friend of Pritkin's...and who also knows his secret. More war mages include the snotty Simpson, Benson, Sato, Jenkins, Thompson, and McKennon.

The Black Circle is... 
...the bad magic users, who include Jonathan, a truly evil mage who's been alive for centuries. Jo, a necromancer, had been a Pythian acolyte who went rogue.

Faerie
The Blarestri, a.k.a.,
...the Blue Fey, are led by Caedmon.

The Svarestri, a.k.a.,
...the Black Fey, find their power base in earth and disdain all humans. Aeslinn is their king.

The Alorestri, a.k.a.,
...the Green Fey, have kidnapped human women for years for breeding purposes.

The Demons
Adra is the head of the demon council. And what Cassie learns about why they cursed Pritkin will make you so mad! Rosier is Lord of the Incubi and wants Emrys to help him hold onto his throne. A rahkschalt demon is a world shifter, one who can travel freely between worlds.

Lover's Knot, a.k.a., Nodo D'Amore, is a spell that allows Mircea and Cassie to share abilities. Abilities that are evolving and merging. Chimera is a technique that allows the user to inhabit two places at once. The Tears of Apollo is a potion that gives Pythias extra stamina. The god, Apollo, was the original source of the Pythian power. The chrono cells are the Pythian jail cells, set outside of time. The Golden Lotus is a salon for the supernatural set in Chelsea, London, that Rhea recommended.

The Cover and Title
The cover is a chilly range of blues with a snow-covered forest in the background, a royal blue sky with a full moon centered at the top. Cassie is in profile, her long blonde hair floating in the breeze, and making me cold looking at her in her cropped black tank top and what appears to be a filmy, multi-layered skirt blowing in that same breeze. The title is in yellow and centered over Cassie's hip with an info blurb in white below it and the author's name immediately below that, also in white. I do wish she'd put the series information on the cover...

The title is mostly Cassie's world, for events Shatter the Earth where nothing can be okay again.

[Elishia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

This was an other fast pased, keep you guessing addition to the series. I am excited for the next book

[Paula Patience · Rating 5 out of 5]

War is a witch of a time

As with all of its predecessors, this Cassie book raced along. I was done long before I wanted to be. Lots of favorites make appearances, but you still find solid character growth in the main players. While you do get a concrete ending to the main plot, there are plenty of loose threads to flow into the next book--which never comes soon enough!

That's the positive.

I do wish Ms. Chance would get an editor. A second set of eyes is always a good thing. And errors like "have" instead of "half" are perfectly understandable from a tired writer but would easily be caught by the next to proof. And stop driving me nuts.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting addition to the series. Following on from the previous book, it was lovely to see Cassie grow as a character. It was a series of moments needed to evolve the character to the next stage. The book dealt with the consequences of the previous events in the previous stories. It was simultaneously a nice change of pace whilst also maintaining interest right until the end. The emotional depth and relationships between characters was quite well developed. Missed some of the characters but the sustained focus in a few locations and characters enabled some much needed character development. Looking forward to the next one already, Ms. Chance seems to be on a roll. I’ve been following the series for years, it’s always worth the wait.

[Briana Slate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone gifted this to me, and I read it in about a day. As usual, it has laugh out loud moments, a cast of wonderful dynamic characters, and so much adventure. Cassie has come so far from book one, and I love seeing her growth. Will definitely be re-reading this book over and over (let's be honest, I reread all of these books quite often).