Brave the Tempest by Karen Chance, Jorjeana Marie
Narrator: Jorjeana Marie
Length: 20.5 hours
Series: Cassandra Palmer #9
Published by Tantor Audio on August 6, 2019
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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Rating:

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Cassie Palmer, chief seer of the supernatural world, faces her biggest challenge yet-her own allies! Everything's on the line in the latest thrilling entry in the New York Times bestselling urban fantasy series. Cassie Palmer has been chief seer of the supernatural world for a little over four months. In that time, she's battled two gods, fallen in love with two men, and confronted the two sides of her own nature, both god and human. So it's not surprising that she currently finds herself facing two adversaries, although they have a single purpose: to wipe out the supernatural community's newest fighting force, leaving it vulnerable to enemies in this world and beyond. To prevent catastrophe, the vamps, mages, and demons will have to do the one thing they've never managed before and come together as allies. Cassie has the difficult task of keeping the uneasy coalition intact, and of persuading her own two opposing forces, a powerful mage with a secret and a master vampire with a growing obsession, to fight at her side. She just hopes they can do it without tearing each other apart. Contains mature themes.

Can’t a gal catch a break? Or, you know, get a time out for a breather? This fast-paced, original, and oh-so action-packed Urban Fantasy series just keeps up a hammering plot pace with a heroine at the core of matters who is faking it until she makes it even as she slowly comes into her own. I’ve had a blast with each book in this series and this one was no exception.

Brave the Tempest is book nine in the Cassandra Palmer series and would probably be utterly crazy reading if taken out of order. Also, if you’re considering jumping in, I would recommend including the Dorina Basarab side series where they fit by release date as if they were one united series for best reading/listening experience.

The last few books were all about getting John Pritkin, a powerful War Mage (aka Merlin), back while defeating a god and fighting a war with faery and the mages of the Dark Circle to keep the gods from returning. Cassie, the new Pythia (able to wield some magic including time itself), feels she has been through so much and done so much and yet more keeps coming at her. She has separated herself from Mircea and the Vampires after learning the whole truth about why they courted her, she’s held off the Silver Circle mages who want to control her and her power, she’s showed the demons what she can do, and she’s made the powerful enemies of Dark Circle Mages and fey sit up and take notice.

But, for all that, she feels she, her Pythia Court, and her love life are one hot mess. And, she wouldn’t be wrong. Cassie is confronted by several friends and allies that force her to stop long enough to consider what makes her tick, change what is necessary, and consider what she really wants and go for it.

It is make or break time for Cassie and she has to dig deep and learn some important lessons even while surviving long enough to help save the world.

As I said, the series arc for the last several books is complete and now Cassie is back to figuring out how to get all the allies working together and taking her seriously as Pythia. There is a lot more soul-searching in this one. At times, it felt like Cassie got a bit whiny as she took the pointed remarks about how she was doing stuff (or, in some cases, in denial and avoiding stuff). But, I’m pretty sure most of us would get whiny if we had her life so I’ll cut her some slack.

At last, the love triangle was finally dealt with and Cassie is firmly with Pritkin though still smarting and missing what could have been with Mircea. I loved that Cassie had some good ‘come to Jesus’ moments that will set some stuff straight including how she thought and felt about Dory/Dorina. (Now that was a fab encounter that I have been anticipating forever) Some old enemies that were still out there and trouble were front and center once again and I enjoyed how that all panned out so that plot threads that confused me or I felt needed more attention were getting them. And, for those who wanted more attention given to the romance? You got it.

I was only able to pick up one other from the Cassie Palmer World that was on audio, but I loved my first time with narrator, Jorjeana Marie. She captured the tone, pace, and voices of the characters so well. This was my first time hearing her voice Cassie (the other story was a Dory one), but I quickly adjusted from the voice in my head of her to Jorjeana Marie’s voice and her voice for other characters. I can’t get over how great she does with the blow by blow aspect of the action scenes so I didn’t get lost. Definitely worth picking up more of her work.

All in all, this was a solid entry in the series and I flew through it even if it was a longer one. Urban Fantasy fans who enjoy the usual paranormal suspects and some creature ones as well not to mention incredible magical settings and situations should give this series a go.

My thanks to Tantor Audio for the opportunity to listen to this one in exchange for an honest review.