Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer)

A real snooze fest

I originally read this book 9 years ago. I just did a reread. I never did a review the first time around. And since it has been so long since I read it, its like reading it for the first time. I think I enjoyed it even more. There is so many elements to the story. Vampires, weres, ghosts, fairies etc. And the all surround Cassandra. I enjoyed being reintroduced to the characters. So many personalities. Poor Cassie as she tries to figure out what's really going on. Who's friend or enemy. So many choices to make. This one of my favorite series. I can't wait to reread them all again and fall in love with the characters once again.

I long ago lost track of how many times I’ve read these books. Touch the Dark is the doorway to an amazingly detailed and fantastic world of characters and chaos of which I’ve yet to see the equal. Cassie is a wonderfully ‘real’ heroine with her personal flaws, insecurities and honest reactions. She is supported by a cast of characters so rich and vivid that any one of them could carry a series all of their own (...and I sincerely hope that they do!!) I love the emotional depth of the characters connections and Karen’s chaotic ‘warts and all’ approach to creating a wonderfully 3 dimensional read (4 if you count time travel!!)

This is the first book in one my absolute favorite series, Karen does a fantastic job of creating the world and characters. If you like the Mercy Thompson series, the night huntress series, the Kate Daniels series, or the hollows series you'd probably enjoy this series!

I’m re-reading this series...again (that’s how much I LOVE the Cassie Palmer and Dory Basarab series!) and wanted to finally post reviews of all the stories in the intertwining timeline. In Touch the Dark we meet Cassie who is a clairvoyant. She has visions of future and past horrors while also being able to see/talk to ghosts. And as if that isn’t enough to deal with, she’s on the run from the vampire who raised her...after murdering her parents. Now the North American Vampire Senate needs her help and promises to protect her from the Silver (“good” mages) and Black (bad mages) Circles. Yeah, right. I love Cassie because while the world isn’t real, she is. She has flaws, she’s not perfect. And while she does ok at protecting herself she’s not kicking major a$$. But she’s also smart. “Where my life was concerned, I’d learned long ago that everyone wanted to use me for something.” What made me pick up the next book is the writing. Karen Chance is absolutely amazing. I also love the world. In this book you’ll meet satyrs, weres, witches, a pixy and war mages. And there are so many more throughout the series. Plus it’s almost non-stop action. One of my favorite bits: “I just stood there, not able to believe I was watching a pixie have a conversation with a shrunken head. I think that was about the time I gave up on logic and just decided to go with the flow. If I was lucky, someone had spiked my drink and I was hallucinating.”

Cassie Palmer works at a travel agency, but she isn't an ordinary human. She's clairvoyant and can see and communicate ghosts to start . She was raised in a vampire court and made enemies with the Master, Tony, who killed her parents. Her revenge was to collect his crimes and give the information to the FBI. Now he wants her dead and she's been in hiding for three years. She's been found. The supernatural world wants her for more than retribution, however. Cassie's life is about to get much much more complicated. As the first book in the series there is (like always) a good bit of info dumping. Not only the world building kind, but Chance knows her history and will go on the occasional tangent. The story drags during them. On top of that, Cassie is one of the lowest powered people in every room. She doesn't have a lot of agency when surrounded by Master vampires. When she breaks free of their grasp, Cassie makes an impression. She may not be as powerful as most of the introduced characters, but she uses all of the weight she has and it works. She leaves everyone stunned by what she can accomplish. Touch the Dark is an okay start to my all time favorite series. 3.5 stars.