If you’re into urban fantasy with a chaotic edge, clairvoyant heroines, and seductive master vampires, Touch the Dark by Karen Chance is a wild ride. It’s the first book in the Cassandra Palmer series, blending paranormal politics, ghostly chatter, and vampire danger into one fast-paced, magical mess in a good way.

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What is Touch the Dark by Karen Chance all about?

Touch the Dark by Karen Chance is the start of the Cassie Palmer series. Cassandra Palmer has spent her life on the run from the vampire mobster who raised her and now he’s back. As a clairvoyant who talks to ghosts, she’s not defenseless… but she is in over her head. To survive, she turns to the vampire Senate and their seductive, deadly enforcer.

Touch the Dark by Karen Chance Book Review

WARNING! This book may leave you out of breath and dizzy due to non stop action and far too sexy vampires

Cassie Palmer has a problem. In fact Cassie has quite a few, a psycho mobster vampire who also happens to be her former guardian has found her after 3 years of being on the run; her clarvoiyant abilities seems to be getting more vivid and disturbing; her Billy Joe, her ghostly sidekick keeps disappearing at most inconvenient times and her former roommate isn’t quite what he seems. But this is just the start for Cassie things have started to shift in the supernatural ability and it seems that several factions want a piece of her and she is never quite sure who to trust.

What I love about this series is that it grabs you as soon as you start reading and drags you straight into the action. There is almost no let up; hence the warning at the top of the review. Cassie is flung from one dire situation to another. Touch the Dark by Karen Chance also gives you a lot of information all at once and on top of everything else going on it can make it an intense read.

The world the Karen Chance has created though is really interesting, full of vampires, weres and mages all kind of living in harmony. And once you have gotten past the intial information overload you can appriciate the complex world the Ms Chance has wrought. Another great thing about this book is the characters. It is told from first person POV and I know this can put some readers off, but I find that I quite like this in UF, especially if I like the person whose head I am inside, like I do with Cassie. Cassie was a great character, she wasn’t your usual tough chick who makes pithy sarcastic comments as she kicks the crap out of people, instead she makes pithy sarcastic comments as she runs away or as she is being almost beaten by the enemy.

As for the sexy-dangerous vampires, there are a few to pick from, there is Mircea, brother to Dracula, the seemingly urbane and calm master vampire, so long as you don’t piss him off; Louis Cesar (my personal fave) with the long auburn hair and the lethal fencing skills and Tomas hot, sexy and likes to ripe people hearts out with his bare hands. Choices, choices!

Touch the Dark by Karen Chance sets the tone for a long-running series that’s equal parts chaotic and compelling. If you love messy heroines, magical politics, and dangerous paranormal protectors, this book delivers the high-energy start of a world that only gets wilder with each installment.

About the Cassandra Palmer Series by Karen Chance

The Cassandra Palmer series is an urban fantasy saga full of magical mayhem, shifting alliances, and steamy paranormal tension. With a reluctant heroine, a tangled supernatural hierarchy, and high-stakes time travel, this series is perfect for fans of Anita Blake, Fever, or Kate Daniels…but way messier.

FAQ: Should I read Touch the Dark by Karen Chance in order?

Yes, definitely start with Touch the Dark by Karen Chance. Each book in the Cassandra Palmer series builds on the events of the previous one, and while you can enjoy standalone moments, the overall arc and character development unfold sequentially. Also, here’s a fun fact: even by the 5th book (Hunt the Moon), the events within Cassie’s Pythia timeline span only about two months!

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• Start here: Cassie Palmer series guide
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