Early Review: Fury's Kiss by Karen Chance
Fury's Kiss by Karen Chance
Dorina Basarab #3
Dorina Basarab is a dhampir—half-human, half-vampire. Subject to uncontrollable rages, most dhampirs live very short, very violent lives. But so far, Dory has managed to maintain her sanity by unleashing her anger on those demons and vampires who deserve killing...Being a dhampir, half-human, half-vampire, Dorina Basarab has lived a very long and rough life. Hated by vampires due to her uncontrollable and deadly rages, it's a miracle she wasn't killed long ago. Even so, she had finally started to gain some control over those periods of rage, but her latest case working for the very creatures that despise her must have tipped the scales. She wakes in a unknown lab with the rage consuming her, almost costing Louis-Cesare his life. After calming her down, the Vampire Senate realized that the answers they so desperately need are hidden behind that rage fog, and they would do anything to get them, for it could mean the difference between victory or defeat in the war.
Dory is used to fighting hard and nasty. So when she wakes up in a strange scientific lab with a strange man standing over her, her first instinct is to take his head off. Luckily, the man is actually the master vampire Louis-Cesare, so he’s not an easy kill.
It turns out that Dory had been working with a Vampire Senate task force on the smuggling of magical items and weaponry out of Faerie when she was captured and brought to the lab. But when Louis-Cesare rescues her, she has no memory of what happened to her.
To find out what was done to her—and who is behind it—Dory will have to face off with fallen angels, the maddest of mad scientists, and a new breed of vampires that are far worse than undead…
Prior to reading Fury's Kiss, out of Karen Chance's two series set in this world, my favorites were definitely Cassie's books. However, now that I have finished Fury's Kiss, I have to say that the scales have tipped in Dory's favor. Granted I realize some of that is probably due to the fact that Dory is fresh in my mind while the last Cassie book was released over a year ago, but there is more to it than that. Dory has grown so much from the angry and bitter woman we first met. She's still rather wary of most of the vampires (completely understandable due to her terrible history with them), but she also has made great strides in learning to work with them. Between her father, Radu, Louis-Cesare, and even Ray, she makes great inroads in this book towards opening herself up. Now, instead of blind mistrust standing in her way, it is more her own insecurities that seem to be her biggest road block. Of course, when you have been treated a vile thing your entire life, and are terrified of yourself because you hurt others in uncontrollable rages, it would be rather hard to have a good sense of self worth. That being said, Dory seemed to slowly be opening up to the idea of accepting and hopefully embracing both sides of herself, which will go a long way in overcoming those insecurities.
Another thing that makes this series so great is the dance of a romance between Dory and Louis-Cesare. Perhaps a more apt description would be a game of cat and mouse now that Louis-Cesare has made it rather apparent where he stands on the issue. Dory, isn't so certain, but a lot of that is due to insecurities, which like I mentioned previously, she has made great strides in that area. I really enjoyed the steamy moments between them, even as the sexual tension was ratcheted up several knots leaving me more than a little frustrated at times as I just wanted them to finally get their groove on. That being said, I really feel like they have finally started to settle things and head in the right direction, making me one very happy camper.
I have to admit that I was a little intimidated by the size of this book as the ARC copy I read had 536 pages. Whenever a book goes over 400 pages (and sometimes even when the page count is less), there always is that concern that parts will drag as it hadn't been condensed down enough to its best form. That wasn't even a possibility of a concern for Fury's Kiss as it was non-stop from start to finish. Seriously, I cannot even begin to express how impressive it was to read a book of that length without having a single dull moment. Even if I wasn't already incredibly satisfied with all the other elements of the book, that feat alone would have earned it a high rating. So when you add in the yummy romance, the great character growth, and the heart pounding action, Fury's Kiss more than earns a resounding five star rating. Seriously, run, do not walk to your nearest book store and snatch this puppy up as it is an absolute must buy!
(Received a copy from the publisher)
Rating:
Pre-order:
Other Reviews:
- Midnight's Daughter
- Death's Mistress
