Customer Reviews

Captive Moon (Tales of the Sazi, Book 3)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This was a good book, but not one of the better ones this year. The opening chapter,in which Antionne finds and rescues Tahira, was probably one of the best ones in the book. It grabbed your attention. But the rest of the book largely left you hanging, waiting and waiting to see would happen next.

Tony Giodonne, our upstart anti-hero from the previous two books makes a passing cameo in a phone call. And plenty of Sazi are mentioned in this tale, although if you haven't read atleast the previous book, Moon's Web, your just not going to have a clue about who a large amount of these characters are, nor will you fear the evil spider-lady nearly as much.

The best character was oddly the snearing Ahmad, 2,000-plus-some year old king of the snakes. I kind of want to see him fall for someone now. Which is surprising after Moon's Web when you couldn't stand the guy.

I was annoyed that the authors never explained why Antoinne's sisters changed their names nor why there is so much emnity among them after all this time has passed. We did get to learn a tiny bit more about Wolven, however, the Sazi police force.

Also, Tahira's brother was a bit of an idiot though he was made out to sound like hot stuff. He was held captive for over a month. His tribe is known for the fact that they can all turn invisible...and in that whole month it didn't once occur to him to use this ability to escape???

I loved the first two Moon books and if your a big fan of the series or a die hard were-book lover than pick this up. If not skip it, it's not for you.

Even though I like this kind of book, this book just didn't do it for me.

I really enjoyed the second book in this series and was looking forward to this one. I was a bit disappointed. I think the authors had a good idea, but didn't push it into as much depth as they could. I didn't feel they brought out the culture of the Turkish and German lands they were visiting enough and the characters were not as relatible as they could be. Again, I think it was a lack of depth of the character. I get that Antoine had a bad childhood and that is what is holding him back from wanting to let go with his visions, but for Tahira to be able to know him so well in only a few days and one sexual encounter to be able to diagnose his problem and advise him on it was silly. Also, the scene where her brother escapes completely annoyed me. The thought that he could have so easily escape for over a month! and didn't because he simply never thought of it?! I know this is fantasy, but that is simply unrealistic human behavior.

I'll continue reading, simply because I liked the first two books, but I certainly hope this was a one time only goof.

This was as dull as dishwater. Too many details crammed together which didn't make any sense. The sex wasn't very good. I found some of the writing actually a bit childish. I didn't care about the two main characters, and the female lead was just annoying. This is not a patch on Hunters Moon and Moon's web.

I liked this series. This was my first time reading these two authors, and I must say I enjoyed it. I have read quite a bit of the paranormal romance genre, and I didn't feel lost or confused as to what was going on in the Sazi world. I did find the were-spider quite interesting, and overall found the book quite entertaining and have planned to purchase all other books in this series. The only fault I had with the book was the love story was a little lacking in depth, but hey, you can't have everything. All in all, I think if you like these types of books, which I love, you will enjoy it.

I enjoyed the anti-hero and heroine of the first two books but found these characters flat and boring. They had no depth, pretty to look at and little going on underneath and dialogue not interesting. I found the plot limited and slow, little action. I did not care what happened to these annoyingly vapid characters...I would skip this one, readers. Hopefully, the next one will have more complex characters, dialogue and plot. I will give them another chance. I enjoyed the first book in the series, the second a bit less and this third one not at all. I really enjoyed the first in the Thrall series, though.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

The writing duo of C T Adams and Cathy Clamp has given us yet another fascinating story of the Sazi that readers will love.

Antoine Monier is the "Rex," or leader, of all the cats in Sazi society. He also just happens to be one of the best known performers of big cat shows in the world. He's always been content with his choices of careers until he arrives in Germany and trouble finds him. One of his most beloved tigers is stolen and slaughtered. When he finds out what happened, he's in for a surprise. As it turns out, there was one tiger who escaped the brutality and she just happens to be a shape shifter as well!

Tahira Kuric is one of a very rare race, the "ghost tribe," or Hayalet Kabile. When she is rescued by the thrillingly sensual Antoine, she wants nothing to do with him, for he is Sazi, sworn enemy to her kind. Trouble still beckons however, for Tahira's brother is missing and she needs to find him. When Antoine comes to her aid, they discover that she is very special... a mythical "power well" who can store up the energies of others.

Antoine must find Tahira's brother, help her learn to control her powers, and get a handle on the impossible-to-resist passion between them, for their greatest battle is yet to come. Can they overcome their differences to save both races from extinction at the hands of a deadly enemy?

Readers get to meet Antoine in previous books in the series, but that only gave a slight hint of his personality, just enough to intrigue. In this novel, we get to delve deeply in to the heart and mind of Antoine, learning just how complex a person he is. More insight is also given into his abilities and readers experience his struggles with him as he tries to control them. Old fears and bad memories rear their ugly head for Antoine and he has to conquer them in order to take his true place in Sazi society.

Tahira has always felt like an outsider in her family, never quite living up to their expectations. When she was imprisoned, she thought any chance of gaining respect was over. As she learns more about herself, and her abilities, after Antoine rescues and shelters her, she comes to realize that maybe she finally has the chance to prove herself to everyone. As her relationship with Antoine grows, readers see her confidence blossom and her powers strengthen in the light of his love for her.

Once again, readers are gifted with a unique story full of action, passion, and mystery from the minds of these two very talented authors in Captive Moon. Readers are catapulted in to one adventure after another with Antoine, Tahira, and company as they race against time, and the phases of the moon, to get to the bottom of what is really going on in Germany. The introduction of an ancient race, the Hayalet Kabile, adds another dimension to the tale, for their society is very traditional Middle Eastern, where they originated. Watching the modern Sazi deal with the more conservative ways of the Kabile will be quite interesting to readers.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, June 2006. All rights reserved.

Sazi cat chieftain Antoine Monier has terrific illusionary skills and an ability to see the future. He is proud of the former, but hides the latter since he learned as a child a seer talent is taboo for a Sazi. In Germany, local police show Antoine the slaughter of several tigers apparently captured by poachers. He knows he cannot do anything for them, but hears that these illegal hunters hold a female tiger prisoner; he plans to rescue her.

American Tahira Kuric of the Hayalet Kabile Ghost Tribe came to Germany to rescue her brother, Rabi, a kidnap victim, but instead was captured by poachers. Antoine rescues Tahira, but she does not trust him as her people learn from childhood that the Sazi are cunning and deceitful. However, she has no choice but to plead with him to help her locate Rabi. However, instead of uncovering Rabi's whereabouts, the duo realizes a cross species war is imminent unless they can perform a miracle to prevent it. Even Were-snake Councilman Ahmad al-Narmer challenges Antoine for the leadership and for Tahira's affection. Neither is aware that she contains a power that if she fails to control means the death of any shifter who is in her vicinity.

The latest Sazi romantic fantasy (see MOON'S WEB) is a marvelous tale that grips fans with its fascinating star-crossed yet needing one another on several layers story line. The lead couple keeps the plot moving as they run from one fiery episode into another lethal incident; Ahmad augments the novel as he competes for Tahira and for the leadership; thus he adds to the romance and provides a delightful look at the Sazi politics and community. Filled with surprising twists, C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp insure readers are captivated by this enthralling thriller.

Harriet Klausner

And the trend continues. I loved this one as well.

But first, a brief PSA: Phone lines in Germany are underground--thus, the phones do not go out regardless of how bad a winter storm is. Cars drive on the right in Germany, and the driver sits on the left, just as in the U.S. You won't find a roast beef sandwich, or indeed a sandwich at all in a typical German restaurant--you might possibly find one in an English pub or an American diner. When flying from the U.S. to Germany, you'll never arrive at 5 p.m. Note: this is all stuff that you wouldn't notice unless you live here, and it really makes no difference to the story.

I was a little sad to discover that this third Sazi book didn't feature Tony again, nor was it written in first person, but it didn't take me long to get caught up in the new characters--maybe a page or two.

Antoine Monier, the shapeshifting half-lion, half-cougar leader of the Sazi cats, and world-famous entertainer, discovers a were-tiger being held in a cage after poachers killed several tigers. He rescues her, only to find that she's a member of the Hayalet Kabile, a tribe thought to be extinct--a tribe that views the Sazi as enemies.

Meanwhile, Antoine's grandmother has challenged him for control of the clan, charging that he's allowing those under his care to come to harm and that he's not making full use of his gifts.

Tahira is the were-tiger Antoine rescued, and it quickly becomes apparent that it's not a simple case of poachers. She'd been searching for her missing brother Rabi, and had been missing herself for a month--of which she has little memory. The abductors are clearly looking specifically for shapeshifters.

The search and investigation are exciting and will keep you turning pages long after you should have turned out the lights. But it's exciting because you care so much about the characters. Both Antoine and Tahira are very powerful, but neither of them knows much about their more unusual gifts, and as a result neither uses them to the fullest.

Antoine is a seer, but his visions make him feel worried and helpless, so he ignores them as much as he can. Tahira is a power well--that is, she can absorb and store power from other shapeshifters--but she has no understanding of what that means, and instead has always thought the powerful members of her clan had avoided her because she was useless.

It's fascinating to watch them discover their potential while they discover their attraction to each other, while dealing with danger, mystery, winter storms, and the leader of the snakes who's there to witness the challenge and sees himself as a rival for Tahira's affections.

The secondary characters--Antoine's grandmother and employees, as well as the villains--are all realistic and have plot threads of their own. I'm hoping to see more of several of them, particularly the Australian Matty; Margo, Antoine's secretary; and Larry and Bruce.

As with the previous two Sazi books, Captive Moon is a dense, rich story that seamlessly combines fantasy, mystery/adventure, and romance. I hope this series continues a good long while.

I stumbled into the Sazi books a year ago and fell in love with this world of shapeshifters and magic. They are dangerous, fascinating and noble. In Captive moon, Antoine (a powerful lion shifter)is investigating the murder of some of his cats when he discovers a tigress unlike anything he's seen or heard of before. She's a shapeshifter, but she's not Sazi and she's not interested in letting him help her, even though she's trapped and dying.

If you dig shapeshifters, thrillers, or paranormal romance, you'll dig this series!