Karen Chance – Claimed by Shadow

The second book in the Cassie Palmer series, published April 30, 2007.
Genre: urban fantasy
Cover: love it



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. And 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 put a geis on her – a magical charm that warns off any would-be suitors and might also explain the rather intense attraction between them. But Cassie’s 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…


Cassie is back at Dante’s casino, trying to get Tony’s location out of the manager, Casanova. She wants to rescue her father’s ghost from his hands, and locate Myra, the rogue seer who is probably with him. But Casanova really doesn’t want to tell her, betraying one’s vampire master is always bad for your health. Casanova wants nothing more than for Cassie to leave, and to take her three “friends” with her.
When Cassie left MAGIC in the previous book, to escape the clutches of the Consul, she ended up in their treasure room, and stuffed a few things in her pockets. Including an orb that held the three Graeae, and now that she has freed them, they accompany her everywhere. They are bound to serve her for a year and a day, or until they have all saved her life. Three old crones, sharing one eye and one tooth amongst them. Until Cassie is in danger, and they morph in some kind of deadly Amazons, protecting her.

And then hell breaks lose in Dante’s when the mage Pritkin is coming for Cassie, intent of taking her with him. Does he still want to kill her, or is he protecting her from the other warmages? Dante’s casino will never be the same, and they are searching for a way out, fast.
Cassie does manage to find out that Tony and possible Myra, are hiding out in Faery. Which means, she will have no choice but to follow them there, and kill them. Before Myra changes history by preventing Mircea from being made, and so protecting Cassie herself.

After a vicious fight in the kitchen, where Cassie and Pritkin meet the kitchen helpers, illegal aliens from Faerie, Cassie and Pritkin manage to escape. When Cassie and Pritkin go to one of Pritkins mage friends, Mac, where he gets another magical tattoo, they find out that Cassie is under a major geis. Apparently, Mircea wanted her to remain a virgin, to be in the running for the powers of Pythia, and the geis makes sure no man will come to close to her to become her lover. Or they both end up in horrible pains. But the Pythia’s power wants Cassie to stop being a virgin, and tries to call males to her, to take care of that. Having two strong powers fighting inside her, is truly horrible. Unfortunately, the only one to get rid of the geis is Mircea himself, or the mage who put it on her. The more Cassie and Mircea are in each others company, the stronger the geis gets. But a geis works two ways, Mircea is bound to it as well, and when he meets Cassie in the past, the geis has been working for him for more than a hundred years, becoming too powerful to handle in the present.

But there is more bad news for Cassie, the Silver Circle has shut down the power that empowered her ward, making her quite defenceless. Sure, she still has the bracelet of the black mage, and her secret ghostly weapon, Billy Joe, but she is very open for physical attack.

When they decide to go to Feary, to find Tony and Myra, Mac and Pritkin discover the truth about the weapons Cassie stole at MAGIC, and are awed by them. Magical runes, thought long lost, and null bombs. Cassie wants to use the box that housed the Graeae to capture Myra. But Faery is not a good place for humans or mages, and they are soon captured by the Dark Fae. Only bartering with the Fae king to bring him Merlin’s lost book will get them out.


I enjoyed this story very much. It is filled with action, and Cassie encounters the strangest creatures and magics. I loved it all. I never knew what was going to happen next. Pritkin is growing a bit on me, though he still is suspicious of Cassie at times. I still like Mircea, because of how he acts in the past, when he doesn’t know Cassie. That geis really bit him in the backside, I am wondering how he will solve this problem.
The ending was action filled, and filled with surprises. I loved it, and am looking forward to starting the next book, Embrace the Night.

9 stars

© 2012 Reviews by Aurian