Knight's Curse by Karen Duvall (REVIEW)

Knight's Curse by Karen Duvall

Genre: Urban Fantasy - Publisher: Luna - Publication date: August 23, 2011 - Format: eBook - Pages: 315 - Source: NetGalley

A skilled knife fighter since the age of nine, Chalice knows what it’s like to live life on the edge—precariously balanced between the dark and the light. But the time has come to choose. The evil sorcerer who kidnapped her over a decade ago requires her superhuman senses to steal a precious magical artifact…or she must suffer the consequences.

Desperate to break the curse that enslaves her, Chalice agrees. But it is only with the help of Aydin— her noble warrior-protector—that she will risk venturing beyond the veil to discover the origins of her power. Only for him will she dare to fully embrace her awesome talents. For a deadly duel is at hand, and Chalice alone will have to decide between freedom…and the love of her life. (Goodreads.com)

I don't read a lot of adult books. There's not much of a reason for it except that I'm a teen and I like reading about teens. But I read (Read: Stalk) Karen Duvall's blog and I'll admit, I was ferociously excited for this book. When I saw it on NetGalley, I sort of flipped and had to get it.

Now, this book definitely has a debut feel to it. I'm not saying that debut books are bad or any worse than books written by an author who has multiple books under his or her belt. I'm just saying that this book has a lot of room for improvement and progression that will be achieved by experience.

From the very beginning, I was very intrigued by the premise and Chalice's, the protagonist, abilities. Throughout the entire story, though, I felt like something was missing. It wasn't until the very end that I realized what it was. There's sort of a lack of tension in this book. Sure, Chalice faces tons of obstacles but I feel like the solution is just two easy and there's not enough consequences. The other thing that felt wrong, to me, about this book was that the world was a little lackluster. I could tell that there were loads of awesome aspects of the world, like a living person that is in pieces and talks, but I didn't really feel their awesomeness.

I loved the plot. I loved it. Loved it. Loveeeeed it. I thought it was super original and fun. I mean, how many books do you get to read about gargoyles!? There were some parts in the book that I honestly wasn't expecting and I was absolutely stunned by the different ways that Duvall incorporated some unique supernatural aspects.

As for the characters. I feel like there was a lot of growth for Chalice, but to me it seemed like every change was sort of nonchalant. She finds out this big news and she struggles with it for a little while but then she just accepts it. That kind of fits in with the lack of tension. I liked her a lot, though. She was spunky and tough and smart. All good qualities in a heroine. Now Aydin. Hmm. I loved him. I'm not particularly fangirl for him, but he was a really good character to read. He's sweet and smart and nice. All good qualities in a love interest.

This book didn't really keep my undivided interest. It could be because I was reading it on my computer and I kept getting distracted by that shiny little thing called the internet. But I did want to find out what happens and how it ends! I'd say it's an even-paced book that was light and easy to read.

I wouldn't say this book blew me away, but I'll certainly be looking out for the sequel! I feel like many people could enjoy this, but to me it seemed just a little bland.

• Gargoyles. I cannot get over that. They weren't just random, either. The gargoyles had a major part in the plot, considering Chalice runs a huge risk of becoming one. I've never ever read a book with gargoyles in it before.
• Consistency. Chalice has unique abilities and Karen Duvall doesn't forget that. Those abilities come in handy for almost every scene and while they help her a lot, they can also be really inconvenient.

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