Review: Ride the Storm by Karen Chance

Ride the Storm

Author: Karen Chance

Release Date: August 1, 2017

Publisher: Signet

Casandra Palmer Book #8

ISBN:  110198998X

ISBN13: 9781101989982

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: NetGalley

The New York Times bestselling author of Reap the Wind returns to the “fascinating world”* of Cassie Palmer.

Ever since getting appointed the chief seer of the supernatural world, Cassie Palmer has been playing catch up. Catch up on the training she missed being raised by a psychotic vampire instead of at the pythian court. Catch up on the dangerous world of supernatural politics. Catch up on the powerful, and sometimes seductive, forces trying to mold her to their will. It’s been a trial by fire that has left her burned.

But now she realizes all that was just the warm up.

Ancient forces that once terrorized the world want to return, and Cassie is the only one who can stop them. But to win, she needs help: from a friend lost in time, from a secretive lover, from every supernatural group that has ignored her up until now. And with the vampires and fey preparing to wage war across two worlds, Cassie's time is running out ...

I am very conflicted about my feelings when it comes to RIDE THE STORM. Things happened SOOOOOO slowly that it was hard to stay interested in the various events that happened, but after all was said and done I did enjoy the story, just got bored more than I would like to admit.

Why does each event of the book have to take five chapters of inconsequential conversation, thoughts, and action scenes? Half of the time things jumped around so much or was dragged out so long that I could have skipped chapters and still knew everything that happened. And really, do things need to blow up or engage in fight scenes so much? There were quite a few times that the chaos got way out of hand and just made zero sense. I have never read a book that was so full of action, but felt so stagnant at the same time.

The love triangle that is Cassie, Mircea and Pritkin  definitely explodes in RIDE THE STORM. I still can't decide if that is a good or bad thing.  One definitely feels like it makes more sense than the other, but the other still feels really important. I just don't know anymore who I'm rooting for.

The ending really saved the book for me. Things are about to change and I just don't know where these changes will take Cassie. Hopefully the author can reign in the use of unnecessary things that have plagued the last few books.

I gave it 3/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.