Customer Reviews

Touch of Evil (The Thrall, Book 1)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

If you insist on reading this book, lower your expectations.

I honestly wasn't expecting much to begin with - just a few hours of entertainment. But the only thing I came away with after reading 'Touch of Evil' was the burning question, "How did this get published?"

The authors have followed the tradition of Laurell K. Hamilton's later novels, giving up all pretense of exploring the supernatural world or their characters and resorting to contrived plots to write hollow sex scenes.

The characters in 'Touch of Evil' are entirely static and homogenous. The thing I recall best about the proposed 'heroine' is that during a superfluous trip to the emergency room, she was willing to cut ahead of a crying boy with a bloody head injury. I felt more for that boy in his one sentence mention than I did for the heroine throughout the book's entirety. The woman is a culmination of an unrealistic number of skills and characteristics, as though the two authors were unwilling to compromise on their individual ideas. The resulting Wonderwoman is wholly unbelievable and unsympathetic. Not unlike Hamilton's Anita Blake, she is surrounded by several characters who adore and support her unconditionally. If only she deserved them. And if only I could remember who they were. The other main character, the heroine's love interest, is by all accounts a werewolf, yet aside from the initial statement of the fact, there's nothing to support it. To call this part of the shapeshifter genre is granting the book a classification it in no way deserves. Like the heroine, her soon-to-be bedmate is entirely forgettable, and perhaps even more cliché - he's a sexy fireman. In a calendar and everything.

The plot is rather lacking, as well. What's there is used as an excuse to create baseless and tedious sexual tension and finally get the characters between the sheets for a wholly underwhelming sex scene. Even what appealed to me most when buying this book - the original idea of the Thrall - ended up feeling like a bad sci-fi movie. Too much of the story hinges on the reader's attachment to the heroine, on their believing that the Thrall want her and believing that there are people willing to fight with her. I couldn't believe she was worthy of any of it.

First, I want to say I enjoyed the first of the Sazi tales and thought I'd give this new series a shot. That being said ...

I cannot understand the glowing reviews on this page. First problem - the main character Kate. She is uninteresting. A stereotype of the "strong and independent" female heroine -- owns her own apartment building but won't charge the high rents the neighborhood commands because she just doesn't have the heart for it. She is also the resident 'handy-man' who does all the repair and maintenance work herself. The authors might as well have given her a job as a waitress as an international courier since her job is totally irrelevant to the story and we never see her at work. Perhaps the most significant fault of all were Kate's inner monologues. I do not need to read an entire page devoted to why she enjoyed the British comedy "Fawlty Towers" and ordered the collection of DVDs. This does not add depth to her character or give me an inside look at her personality. Instead, it was boring, useless information useful for nothing more than "filler" and reads like the authors went off on a tangent while writing this book and forgot to continue with the story.

My second problem: Tom, the werewolf fireman/calendar model and Kate's new tenant and love-interest of the book - although calling him a love interest implies there was sexual tension between the two of them -- there wasn't -- or that they fall in love. Naturally, he claims to by the book's end, but I wasn't buying it. Tom's entrance to Kate's life was not believable -- he was being forcibly evicted from his old apartment because the landlord was prejudiced against werewolves. Kate, Ms. Independent, decides to come to his rescue and gives the landlord a comeuppance in front of Tom and all his firemen buddies while loaning her truck to move his furniture to her building. This totally neutered Tom as far as I'm concerned, mainly because of the authors' description of Tom's reaction -- awed gratitude, and he then spends another few pages drooling over her at dinner and showering her with compliments. As far as Tom being a werewolf, this was never illustrated, only referred to as a given fact. His pack is matriarchal, so apparently he is culturally conditioned to taking orders from a female.

The plot, while innovative and original, was too complicated and frankly, I don't have the energy to waste trying to criticize it. However, if you'd like an incisive and well thought-out review of the DVD collection "Fawlty Towers" -- read this book.

The market is glutted these days with paranormal romance/ urban fantasy novels with vampires and werewolves as characters.

C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp put an interesting spin on the whole angsty/attractive/killer vampire more. Instead of being the undead, vampirism is caused by a parasite which is part of a hive ruled by a queen. It is transmitted via saliva. The problem is that the parasite uses up the host body that it uses to become the queen. The old queen wants the main character, Katie, to become the new queen.

The premise of the story is interesting. Werewolves are matriarchal (a departure from other paranormal romance/urban fantasy), vamps are parasites.
The main character, Katie, is dangerously near Mary Sue-ism, but is saved by the fact that she gets the crap kicked out of her throughout the entire book. The conclusion of the novel offers a possibility that the character is growing and maturing through her experiences. However, as another reviewer stated, I had difficulty actually liking or relating to any of the characters. They are all extreme examples of their character type.
However, I have hope that the second book in the series will rely less on stereotypes and more on actual characters as less exposition is neccesary to explain the world in which the story occurs.

Courtesy of Love Romances

Readers, buckle your seatbelts, Touch of Evil is a non-stop thrilling ride.

Katie Reilly has been through a lot in her life. She's traveled the world as an international courier, watched her brother become a drug "zombie," and fallen in love only to have her former best friend steal the man. Oh, and she's had her former lover sacrifice her to the parasitic vampire Thrall to save his own hide. This all happens before the story even begins...

Fast forward six years. Katie has discovered that being attacked by the Thrall has magnified her already strong natural psychic abilities. Now the new Thrall Queen, Monica is near death and must find her successor before she and the whole hive die. Unfortunately for Katie, she has been hand picked to replace Monica, who will stop at nothing to get her.

When Tom, an incredibly sexy werewolf, rents an apartment from her things begin to change dramatically. For the first time since Dylan betrayed her, Katie feels stirrings of desire for a man. Just as their relationship seems to be getting good, Dylan comes to her to protect his niece, also chosen as a possible successor to Monica. Never did Katie expect the way that would affect her life. Tom knows more than he is telling... and her life, and those of her family and friends are in more danger than ever. Just why are the werewolves so intent on interfering with her job to protect the young girl? Can Katie get past her mistrust of Tom to experience the shifting love they share?

With Touch of Evil, CT Adams and Cathy Clamp prove once again they are a stellar writing team in the paranormal romance genre. The action starts immediately and carries readers through to the several peak moments that all lead up to the final confrontation between good and evil. The tension is gripping and the multiple minor story lines all work together to enhance the main plotline, never detracting from it.

Katie is a take charge kind of girl, insisting on doing everything alone. One of the lessons she must learn is that everyone has their strong traits, which complement hers to make the combined team a force to be reckoned with. Her history makes her who she is, and this reviewer loved her all the more for her weaknesses, as well as her strengths. Of course, one can't forget her sexy werewolf, Tom, whose strong alpha wolf tendencies give him the desire to protect Katie at any cost, even when she doesn't believe she needs his help.

One will especially love the authors' vampire world. They use a completely different concept than this reviewer has ever read. The vampires are actually parasitic creatures that take over the human "host" in order to survive. There's certainly nothing sexy about these bloodsuckers, unlike how vampires are so often portrayed in the romance genre. It's also interesting to have the community of the Thrall being described as hives, very similar to what people think of in regards to bees. Some of the best descriptive scenes can be found when the behavior and actions of the Thrall are being illustrated.

If readers are looking for a completely different kind of vampire story, blended in to a society where werewolves are common, though looked down upon as inferior, and featuring a leather-clad, tough as nails warrior woman like Katie, then Touch of Evil by CT Adams and Cathy Clamp will more than satisfy the craving. What's even better? There are obviously many stories yet to be told about Katie and company.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, December 2005. All rights reserved.

In this world, vampires are not sexy, they are more like parasites, much like the Go'auld on Stargate, and to them, all but a few humans are considered lawful Prey. Only a few earn the designation Not Prey, and Kate Reilly is among them. Her life has been tough, and made her tough as well, and also, the perfect candidate to be taken over by a Host and become the vampire queen. Kate would rather die. So, when Queen Monica is dying and decides it's time to claim Kate, she does all she can to avoid it, until the second choice candidate, a young runaway, needs her protection and people Kate loves are threatened. Kate is in a race against time for more than her life and humanity. She may have allies, but when all is said and done, it's all up to Kate.

The authors have created a new, complex world using familiar devices in unusual ways. There's a lot of action, but also, much character development. You will need to pay attention as the story unfolds rapidly and intricately. This is not a book for someone looking for a lightweight, mindless read, but it is something for someone who wants a good one.

Amanda Killgore

What a fantastic twist on the vampire story! In this world, vampires are parasites who survive in hives with a queen who controls the hive. Vampires are called the Thrall due to their power over the minds of humans. Once selected as a host by the Thrall, the human body is worn down by the parasite and eventually the human host dies. Once the queen of the hive nears her death, she must select a new queen or all of her hive will die with her. Unfortunately for Katie Reilly, Queen Monica has chosen her as her successor. Katie survived an attack 6 years earlier and now is designated Not Prey. According the rules surrounding Not Prey, Katie should be safe from Monica but Monica isn't playing by the rules and has grown in power to the point that the other queens can't control her. In addition, Katie's ex-fiance, Dylan (who is the reason behind her designation as Not Prey), asks her to locate his niece, Dusty, and protect her from the Thrall as Dusty is Monica's second choice for queen. Meanwhile, Katie has a new tenant, werewolf firefighter Tom Bishop, who is protecting Dusty and doesn't trust Dylan's motivations in asking Katie to find Dusty. C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp have created a very complex and fascinating world that I definitely want to read more about. Highly recommended!

As this is the first book I have read by the authors, I tried to be open-minded from the start in regards to the writing style and character development. Both were well done in my opinion. There were some questions I had but they seemed to have been left dangling. In this vampire novel, the vampires are not exactly the undead but more the walking, soon-to-be dead who are infected with an eventually fatal parasite. Kate was bitten and would have been transformed into a member of the Thrall,but her unique psychic ability saved her from that fate. She did not emerge unscathed as she is now psychically linked to the Thrall queens and the Hive. (Deja-Borg?) Kate reminds me a lot of the early Anita Blake character by Laurell K. Hamilton (not to be confused with the seriously weird Anita of late). She's serious, spunky, tough, smart, repulsed by evil, talented, and has some baggage. Anyway...I think sci-fi readers and vampire aficionados will like this book.

Katie Reilly is Not Prey. She has killed a vampire and thus has earned the title of Not Prey. The Thrall, which is a vampire hive, run by one of the vampire queens, Monica, must leave Katie alone. But now the Thrall wants Katie to be their new queen, and all bets are off. I liked this new book by C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp. I have read some of their Sazi series, and thoroughly enjoy reading what these authors write. The book had lots of action, a great line of characters including Tom, the werewolf, Joe, her brother, Father Mike, her priest and ex-boyfriend. I am looking forward to the next in the series. If you like paranormal action, you will like this book. I found it to be very light on the romance. There was just enough to keep it interesting but did not bog down the story.

Touch of Evil is an entertaining and griping book. It is fast paced and has plenty of twists and turns to keep your eyes glued to the pages. The unique take on vampires - parasites with a hive mentality - is fresh and intriguing. The characters are interesting and life like. Kate is a fabulous heroine. She can kick ass and take care of herself, and she has many layers to her personality. The world is well-developed and believable.

I haven't had the time to do much reading lately, and I am very glad that I picked up Touch of Evil. I enjoyed it immensely and would highly recommend it!

Former pro volleyball "Terminator" turned bonded air courier Mary Kathleen "Katie" Reilly travels the globe delivering valuables. However, the glamour and boredom of this jet setter comes from her war with the Thrall, vampires to the illiterate. The Thrall who considers humans as prey want Katie eradicated like a nuisance bug; however classify her as Not Prey following her rescuing her former fiancé Dylan Shea six years ago; ironically he dumped her for her best friend Amanda, took her cat Blank and became part of the human herd owned by the Thrall.

Most vampires recognize Katie as a formidable enemy who is clearly Not Prey until now. However, the Vampire Queen Monica decides differently sending her Thralls, Hosts, and Herds after Katie, but apparently has other uses for the human because her orders are not to kill the 6'1" athletic Amazonian adversary. Refusing to hide, Katie fights, but instead of her brother Joe having her back, werewolf firefighter Tom tries to keep her safe. However, the odds seem overwhelming in favor of the vampire queen obtaining her desire.

The reason supernatural fans will appreciate TOUCH OF EVIL is the orderly world developed by the two authors that make vampires, werewolves, and psychic phenomena seem ordinary even while the supernatural creatures are vastly different from the "normal" bloodsuckers and shapeshifters. The action-packed story line is driven by the heroine who readers will root for as the Thrall and their human slaves and fodder attack her. Besides trying to keep Katie safe though she is quite capable, Tom terrific provides an interesting cross-species romantic element to a strong supernatural drama.

Harriet Klausner