If you like your urban fantasy relentless, chaotic, and just a little bit unhinged, Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance will leave you breathless. As the fourth installment in the Cassie Palmer series, this one cranks the magical mayhem to eleven, blending vampire intrigue, war mage drama, and flirtations that could kill you (literally). Cassie’s world is all danger, snark, and impossible choices, and watching her navigate it is half the fun.

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What is Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance all about?

In Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance, Cassandra Palmer, the newly crowned Pythia, can’t catch a break. While vampire politics keep her tethered to the dangerously charming Mircea, war mages and a vengeful god named Apollo keep trying to kill her. Cassie’s only chance to survive, and save the world, lies in outwitting both allies and enemies.

Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance Book Review

I think I need a lie down and a nice cup of tea! I have read the four Cassie Palmer books back to back and frankly I am exhausted just reading the damn things! Which, makes me extremely grateful that I am not Cassie, the world’s cheif clairvoyant (if they would only listen to her!), who has to put up with a lot of crap, from over protective sort-of husbands to a vengeful god who wants to enslave mankind. It all seems a little over the top when you think about it, how can one 5’4″ strawberry blonde keep getting herself out of such impossible situations with only a few scars and a massive headache to show for it, well I guess you will have to read the books and find out!

So Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance was another fast and furious week or so in Cassie Palmers life and it doesn’t look that much different from the last month, attacked by war mages, check! A dozen near death experiences, check! Wreck Dantes, check! A few out of body experiences, check! Ratchet up the sexual tension between herself and Mircea and herself and Prirkin, double check! Like the other books, Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance was pretty non-stop as Cassie tries to make her wau through the magical world and get others to acknowledge she is Pythia whilst trying to stay from the vampire senates control.

What I liked about Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance was that it told you more of the inner workings of the Silver Circle, which is the organization the mages are under, and it finally allows you to see a way that Cassie can make peace with them. As much as I do enjoy that action in this book, it is going to start bein pretty repeatative unless it gets shaken up a little. We also see more about Cassie’s parents which I imagine will have a further role in future books.

Pritkin is an onion, he has many layers and each one makes your eyes water, in this we a little more of the man behind the crazy war mage, and WHAT A MAN! The bits between Cassie and Pritkin were some of my favourite in the book. Not that Mircea is a slouch, but although I like him he doesn’t come off the page like Pritkin does.

So I am still trying to catch my breath after the last 4 books! But can’t wait to dive in to Cassie’s next adventure when I finally get my hands on the book!

Something really hilarious happens in Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance book, so to give you a clue, here is my favourite quote!

“What’s the problem?”
“There’s no toilet.”
“This is an old house,” Pritkin said, like that explained anything.
“And they didn’t need to pee in the past?” I demanded.
He groaned and threw an arm over his face. “There’s a WC down the hall.”
“A what?” I asked, a little desparately.
“A water closet. It’s in a separate room.”
“Why? Why not put it in the-“
“Because a bathroom is where one goes to bathe*, hence the name.”*
“That’s bizzare.”
“No, Miss Palmer,” Pritkin said savagely. “It isn’t. What is bizzare is that I currently have a vagina*.”*

Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance proves that the Cassie Palmer series isn’t slowing down anytime soon. With breakneck pacing, razor-sharp banter, and enough supernatural chaos to keep you hooked, it’s a wild ride from start to finish. If you’re craving urban fantasy that never lets you breathe, Cassie’s world is waiting.

About the Cassie Palmer series by Karen Chance

The Cassie Palmer series is a whirlwind blend of urban fantasy, action, and romantic tension. Following a psychic heroine who becomes the Pythia, a supernatural time-walking oracle, the series pits Cassie against vampires, mages, and deities, all while juggling messy relationships and high-stakes magical politics. If you’re wondering where to start reading the series, check out the Cassie Palmer Series Guide.

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• Next in the series: Hunt the Moon by Karen Chance
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