Cameo the Assassin (Trilogy of Shadows Book 1)
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Debra L. Martin
Greater than one weekI bought this book back in July and finally had some time to read it. If youre looking for a classic good vs. evil book, you wont find it here. What you will find is a story full of action, surprising twists and turns and a cast of interesting and complicated characters. The story opens up with horrific attack upon Cameo when she was a young girl. While she lay dying, a mysterious stranger, Haffef, comes upon the scene, heals her in his own unique way and her life is forever changed. Fast forward years ahead and Cameo the Assassin has become a legend in her own time. She is a ruthless killer, accepting jobs from the witch, Wick, head of The Association. She moves from job to job with ruthless efficiency while consuming large amounts of alcohol to dull her own inner demons. Her life takes another dramatic turn when her coach is stopped and she is robbed by a pair of highwaymen, Opal and Bell. Against her better judgment, she develops a relationship with these two instead of killing them for stealing from her. This is where the story ramps up the action because everything Cameo does has consequences not only for her, but for everyone she associates with. My favorite character was Opal, the flamboyant dandy. His decisions and interactions with Cameo keep you turning the pages to the very last page. Throughout the book, Cameo is forced to make decisions that are not in her best interest, but she cant help herself because she finds that after all the years spent alone, she now craves the company of others especially Opal. Haffef comes back on the scene in the last third of the book, compelling Cameo to do a job for him. Because of her bond to him, she cannot refuse his request. Needless to say, a lot happens, relationships change, people die and Cameo must bear witness to it all knowing that all the suffering can be laid directly at her feet. I enjoyed this book, but I do have a complaint about the constant shifting of POV throughout the book. It took me awhile to figure out who was talking during some of the dialogue.
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Scott A. Kinkade
Greater than one weekCameo has an interesting story and a few compelling characters, but a number of problems bring it down. First: the dialogue is frequently awkward. Second: the pacing is bad. There are too many scenes in taverns that go on for too long and dont contribute enough to the story. Also, characters have a habit of going on and on about mundane things and, as I already stated, the dialogue is awkward (not to mention the fact that new paragraphs begin even if the same character is still speaking). Third: the revelation concerning what exactly Cameo is, which should have been a bombshell, is casually mentioned, as if the reader was supposed to already have guessed it. While this series has definite potential, Im just not too keen on the first book.
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JudyK
> 3 dayI often found myself thinking it was Cameo speaking when, in fact, it was Opal. I found the names very confusing, since to me, Opal is a feminine name. The jumps in scenes and actions were also somewhat hard to follow. The story line, if there is a follow-up story, is interesting -- sort of like Ugly Americans where zombies, vampires and demons all hang out together. The story had potential, but in my opinion, it fell kind of flat.
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IngaKS
> 3 dayThis is the first novel written by Dawn McCullough-White. Cameo the Assassin takes us to the world of darkness, highwaymen, and assassins. Characters: Meet Cameo. She is an assassin who is very efficient at her work. She is feared, there are scary stories told about her, she is drinking a lot, she is beautiful, but there is something weird about her. She died violently and was brought back to life by Haffef, who gave her back her existence, but not as a human anymore. I liked Cameo, because underneath her dark figure, she is funny, has a spark and at the same time she is conflicted, she dislikes herself of being a zombie. Meet Black Opal who happens to meet Cameo under special circumstances - robbing the same coach which Cameo is using to get to her next target. Black Opal is a dandy who definitely knows how to use a rapier and how to fight and how to use his charms on ladies. He is a highwayman who earns his living by robbing people. Opal is being drawn into Cameos life accidentally and it seems that as the book develops, he does not want out of Cameos life at all. Another character whom I really liked was Kyrian, 15 years old acolyte. His grandfather asks Cameo to bring Kyrian safely to a place where Kyrian could continue his studies as a priest. Kyrian is sweet, smart, genuinely good character who has some hidden abilities. What we know from the book is that he is a healer. I am sure that Kyrian has some other abilities, which will be shown to the reader in the next books. One thing is clear, there is a purpose why he met Cameo, because he has powers over the dark creatures like vampires. I guess that these other purposes will be revealed to us in the second book of the series. Plot and the created surrounding When I liked the main characters created by the author, I had difficulties of understanding the plot. All the characters were moving somewhere, but I still do not know what it is. During the first book there were lot of characters and most of them had a purpose in this book, but for me it stayed unknown what the purpose is. I can only guess. There were not any surprises in the plot, there was a clear beginning of the story which developed, but there was no ending. I am not sure if I understood correctly, but it seems that the first book was only to present the main characters, because there was not really lot of development of the plot. There was a lot of action, but nothing substantial to me as a reader to understand where this story would take us. In my opinion it did not take me anywhere. It gave me understanding of the characters, but not the real story. Author is good at creating characters, and good at storytelling, but the biggest weakness for me in this book was that I did not see development of the plot. Even considering that it was only the first book in the series, which I do understand, I missed the main story of the first book. It was a flow of things happening, but no clear purpose of the plot. This book was easy to read when we talk about the use of language and it was difficult to read when talking about the plot development. Author is definitely a good writer, but I wanted to see more in the first book. It simply left me with way to many questions open. One more thing which I simply MUST say. If you like film noir, then you will love this book. In my opinion it would be very good to create a great black and white movie out of it. I was actually thinking that this book would give many possibilities to movie makers to make an excellent film noir out of it. The book was written in flashes. My mind went to the movie Sin City, where most of the characters and scenes were black and white and then you had some elements which were created in colors. Cameo and Opal and other characters would be perfect to that - Cameos eyes in colors, Opals lips in colors and all the surroundings in black and white. It would be perfect for this book. These were the pictures I got in my head while reading. To sum it up, this book gets 3 stars out of 5.
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Michelle@Book Briefs
> 3 dayThis book was so mysterious. In a really good way! I really, really enjoyed it. Cameo is so complex. When I started out the book, I just thought of her in a very one-dimensional way; as a killer. But as the story progresses you keep unraveling more parts of her past and she just becomes so much more real and interesting! I really liked her, I was surprised by how compassionate she was. Black Opal was such a strange guy. He was peculiar, but I liked that about him. I cant wait to see what is going to happen between him and Cameo. Im really happy that he was such a major role in this story because I initially thought that he was only going to be a minor character. I also love how taken he is with Cameo. He goes out on a lot of limbs for her and I think that is just so cute. I was astonished by how many plot twists and surprises there were. It was awesome! I cant even tell you how many times I didnt see something coming. And I love it when that happens. When a book can totally surprise me, and catch me off guard, it makes me so happy! I want to tell you guys some of the things that blindsided me while reading, but not knowing was part of the fun for me, so I wont take that away from any of you. Just know that there are some really cool twists in this story. Once I got about 25 pages into this book I just did not want to put it down. At all. I had to know what was going to happen next. Would I be surprised again? Would I be able to guess what was going to happen? Not knowing if something was going to be revealed that would send the story in a completely different direction was really fun for me. I will say that sometimes the story switched between different scenes kinda quickly. I was left with an incomplete picture at times and then just shifted over to something completely new. I know that adds to the mysterious vibe that I really enjoyed about this book, but it also left me confused at moments. And the cliffhanger! Oh that cliffhanger- it definitely did its job, I want to read the second book right now! michelle @ [...]
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Read for your future!
21-11-2024Cameo is the first zombie story I have read. Very detailed characters, which is nice for a change. I love the storyline. It is well planned and executed. Its an easy read. All kinds of unexpected twists and turns. I picked it up and before I knew it I was at the end of the book. A colorful fast paced story. I dropped into her world and stayed with her thru the entire ride. I hope there will be a sequel. Id love to read it and add it to my personal collection. Its a keeper Publisher-iUniverse Our Rating: 4.5 Stars Reviewed by~Mechele
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Heather BookSavvyBabe
> 3 dayCameo the Assassin is quite an intriguing novel. Dawn McCullogh-White combines paranormal elements, such as vampires and witches, with a fantasy world, creating an engrossing and unique read. I have always admired the strong female heroines, and Cameo the Assassin delivers. There is much more to this story than action and assassinations, I felt the emotional pull of the characters and the settings. The nature of the assassins, the Association, and its leader is unique and creative. I found myself wondering what exactly Wick (the Association leader) was, and what her ultimate motivation was. I found the characters in Cameo the Assassin to be colorful and endearing. Black Opal, the dandy thief, is entertaining and enigmatic. The subtle attraction between Opal and Cameo is well written and developed. They are two misfits, outcasts who find similarities in each other. As for Cameo, her supernatural side was unexpected, but I love the character and her idiosyncrasies. The paranormal elements to this story are some of the most unique that I have read in awhile. It is refreshing to come across new ideas and concepts, and the new concepts here were well done. I am not exactly sure how the vampires enthrall their subordinates, and am curious about that. In fact, there seem to be several open ends and things remaining to be explained in this book. These open ends do not really detract from the story, but they do leave me curious. Cameo the Assassin is book 1 in a series, and it sets a solid foundation for future books. It did take me a little while to really understand the fantasy world, and adjust to the new paranormal concepts. The relationships have been established, and I am very much looking forward to finding out what comes next. I do recommend this book. It is only 99 cents on amazon for the kindle format (or on smashwords), and that is a fantastic deal!
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Enter the Portal
> 3 dayThe characters drew me into CAMEO THE ASSASSIN, and though I hated the ending, the novel was an entertaining read, and a nice break from physical perfection and honorable heroes. Characters: **** 4 Stars It was nice for once to have characters who arent physically perfect, or even very desirable. The author did a great job making me feel connected to these imperfect people and able to relate to their foibles. Cameo is a coldly compassionate assassin, with dead gray eyes to match. She has a fairy tale monster reputation for living in graveyards and killing children who dont go to bed, but she doesnt kill indiscriminately...well, unless shes paid to do so. When shes assigned to kill Black Opal, a notorious highwayman, she finds she cant go through with it, and ends up alienating herself from the Association she works for in order to keep him alive. Shes an interesting mix of self-loathing, empathy, loneliness, warrior, and friend. Black Opal, the apparent love interest, is a bit of an enigma. A dandy with a passion for fine coats and makeup, he is described both as pock-marked and handsome, and he has only one eye. While he is a womanizer, constantly picking up on ladies and whores alike, he has a soft spot for Cameo and becomes incredibly jealous any time she takes any interest, platonic or not, in another man. Secondary characters include Bel (Opals partner in crime), Kyrian (a young acolyte whos more than what he appears), and Wick (the leader of the Association and a witch capable of convincing everyone but Cameo that shes a beautiful young temptress rather than an ugly old woman who smokes too much). Overall, a very well-rounded cast. Plot: ** 2 Stars The plot wasnt terrible, but the ending killed it, no pun intended. There was a reasonably strong story arc with a good balance of action sequences and character development. However, it sometimes felt like the author was trying to build suspense by not telling the reader something that the character knows. For example, Cameo is given a task by her Master, but were not told what that task is until shes practically done achieving it. Even given that, I probably wouldnt have given the plot two stars, except that there was no ending. The book ends seconds after the climax, literally ending with an ellipsis and the word End. There are several plot points left open and no emotional release. I know the story continues in a trilogy, but each book should still be a complete novel. Setting: ** 2 Stars The story is set primarily on the road out of Lockenwood, in a quasi-eighteenth century world, but the characters just go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth...you get the idea. The description is limited, even when they visit taverns or inns along the way. I really wanted more sensory detail throughout the novel. Romance: ** 2 Stars Cameo and Black Opal are an odd pair. Arguably, neither is the ideal of beauty, and yet they are attracted to each other from the beginning. That being said, Opal is more concerned about his makeup and being desirable to everyone than he is about wooing Cameo (not that she would be easily wooed, but thats beside the point). Meanwhile, Cameo is stuck in a loop of self-pity and cant see that Opal likes her, despite his obvious jealousy when shes around other men. Though they help each other through some rather horrific and violent events, they dont actually come together in a romantic way until the last couple of pages. Genre - Dark Adventure Fantasy: **** 4 Stars CAMEO THE ASSASSIN is a pretty good representation of a Dark Fantasy novel, despite its flaws. Theres blood and violence, undead creatures, and two different graveyards. While I abhorred the ending of this first book, I imagine that the entire trilogy is probably a pretty decent story, and I may even give the second book, CAMEO AND THE HIGHWAYMAN, a chance. Note: This review was requested by the author. The only compensation received was a free copy of the book.