Cameo the Assassin (Trilogy of Shadows Book 1)

Cameo is a legend, an assassin mothers tell their children will slay them if they dont behave. But when a botched job leaves her a wanted fugitive alongside a pair of eccentric highwaymen her status as a merciless murderer for money is tested. Falling in with the poetic Bellamy and foppish Black Opal their exploits lead them on a less-than-merry adventure through forrest and tavern. Charged with bringing a young acolyte to his temple in exchange for silence regarding her not-so-human state shell wind up at the bitter mercy of her master and challenged with keeping her new found friends alive. At its core Cameo the Assassin is a solid adventure tale set in a fantasy world where vampires and their ghoulish minions are monsters whispered about in darkened corners. Alas, this fantasy world is lacking in any fresh world building. Rather generic, the reader is dropped right into the world with no knowledge given as to what the world is like and very few details are ever given. A few towns are named and theres mention of a king but nothing is truly established to guide the reader into a deeper understanding of the realm. The cast of characters fares much better but is still lacking. Cameo, being the title character, is enigmatic which works quite well. Black Opal is an amusing dandy that is likely to be a reader favorite with his constant fussing over his appearance. But aside from them the other characters fall quite flat, feeling like cardboard cutout stand-ins to fill space. Overall they each had potential to be interesting but theyve been polished down to less than caricatures. The plot of the tale was never very clear. It was as if the characters came first and the purpose was to find mini adventures to string them along until they reached some sort of romantic interest but without any romantic fiction elements. Honestly, it reads like a series of dull tavern visits and nights in the woods tending wounds to the point of being almost boring. Overall though I did enjoy it. Cameo the Assassin is light fantasy, very much lacking in the vivid descriptive details most Epic Fantasy stands on while still having exceptionally well written action sequences. Its quite good for a self-published debut novel and my main reason for the middle-ground star rating is my displeasure with the lacking climax of the story. Id recommend this one for fantasy lovers who need a filler story or something light to pass a plane ride. ***Review Copy received via Author.

This 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.

I recently finished reading Cameo the Assassin by Dawn McCullough-White and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. The characters are well defined and relatable which is an important part of any story. I was pulled into Cameos world, wanting to learn more about her and what makes her tick. Having found herself working as one of the best assassins for The Association, Cameo lives day to day killing for a living. Just when she thinks her life is repeating the same pattern, Cameos path crosses with that of two highwaymen, and though she may not know it at that time, her life will be forever changed. Moving at just the right pace, we learn more about Cameo and her past, and why she is forced to do the things she does. Although the book jumps from character to character which can at times be confusing, it is easily forgivable because it is overall well written and intriguing. I can not wait to read more about Cameo in the sequel, Cameo and the Highwayman! Keep up the great work Dawn McCullough-White!!

First thing: I havent finished the book. So take this as you will. Im only 3 chapters in, but already there is something about the book which is extremely annoying to me. The dialogue. You see, dialogue attribution is very important in understanding the flow of what is happening in a scene, and if youre constantly rereading dialogue and attempting to figure out who is saying what, it really hurts your immersion in the story, and leads the reader into a growing sense of frustration. Multiple times, already, by page 72, Im frustratedly saying to myself, Who is talking? On page 72, the characters Opal, Cameo, Bellamy, and Kyrian, along with the Innkeeper are all talking. People jump in with dialogue having no attribution, and its only after reading a couple responses down when the talking character is correctly attributed that you even realize the person who piped in in the first place. This really isnt a problem when there are two people talking (most of the time, but there are exceptions in this book), but its a HUGE problem when there are 5 people, all having a shared conversation! I kind of understand what the author is going for here, but I just dont think it works. Her tactic is to elucidate the speaker in a following response. So you read the words of dialogue and just as youre going who said that? the following lines will have the speaker give a clue as to the target. But Im a dumb reader, and I kind of expect a bit more hand holding than that. Example, on page 72, with my annotations in parentheses: Here you are, the innkeeper said as he set four bowls of stew down in front of them. Can I get you anything else? Another glass, Opal said, hefting the third glass of rum he had guzzled down. (so far, so good) The innkeeper was a bit taken aback at the speed with which Opal had polished off the last three but didnt question it. Seems a bit noisy in here at this time of day, Cameo mentioned. Yes. Is that typical? Its midday after all. (Wait, is this the innkeeper? Why would he ask if its typical? Wouldnt he know? It must be one of the other characters, and one could maybe /assume/ its Opal, since he was the other character who was most recently talking) He picked up the empty glass and searched around behind the bar for another. That lot are all waiting for the Quick Ferry. It takes people over to Shandow, and its late *again*, he set the rum in front of Black Opal. [...] Well, thats a real shame, Bel said politely. (okay, so Bel asked if this is typical? Or was it Opal, since he was mentioned directly before Cameo spoke?) The boat across the canal is still running though, right? (who is this?) The innkeep loked down at the young man. Yeah, lad, its fine. Thats good, Kyrian replied with a mouthful of stew. (oh, it was Kyrian) Opal drank down another mouthful, his hazel eye on the annoying lad sitting to his right. Are you going with us the rest of the way, Opal? (who is speaking here?) Of course I am, my dear. What would stop me? (note: Opal calls both Bel and Cameo my dear, so that is no clue. Also, it just stated that he was looking at Kyrian) Cameo pulled a clay pipe from a wooden cup at the center of the table, Just dont want you falling off the boat on the way. (okay, so I guess that was Cameo speaking there) See what I mean? Kyrian has hardly said anything during this whole scene, and then someone asks a question, and only when the question is answered do you find out the person who spoke. Id like to picture the words coming out of the correct character AS THEY ARE SPOKEN, but I can only do that in retrospect with the way the dialogue is written, which lends a halting, confused quality to virtually all of the dialogue comprised of more than 2 characters Ive seen thus far. Then the same frustrating shift is repeated immediately after with Cameo being the new mystery speaker. Im not sure I can make it through an entire novel, not to mention an entire series of this. I know the author would like to think that this is her new avant-garde way of doing dialogue. To me, however, it occurs as a bad habit she needs to break. I havent even gotten into the scenes with two characters in which the dialogue is sometimes murky. I want to like this book. I think the concept is fresh, the characters are interesting and more than one-dimensional, and the rave reviews by others suggest I should just ignore the structural shortcomings of the story and just focus on the story at hand. I dont want to give the book a 1 star review simply based on the handling of dialogue, but its a real issue. Im working way too hard to figure out who is speaking, and theres really no excuse for it.

It took me longer than usual to read this book because its a little out of my comfy zone (different from the books I usually read), but Im very glad I read it. Its a very original and interesting Dark Fantasy novel which offered me a perfect escape from all the fantasy and paranormal books coming out lately! Cameo, the Assassin, was a fast paced, full of action read. The mystery and the suspense kept me interested and eager to know what happened next throughout the entire story and the main character is very unusual and interesting to read about. So Cameo (what a cool name, dont you think?) is a witty, kick-butt heroine who kills people for hire. Shes very mysterious and there is also something eerie about her - well, shes not quite human. And though this description may not sound out of the ordinary, believe me, there is nothing ordinary about Cameo. On the contrary, she is a very unique, complex and intriguing character. Because of her slightly unusual appearance and her reputation as an assassin, people are really afraid of her - they even have creepy stories about her: Kyrian to Cameo: My parents used to tell me stories about you when I was a little boy. Well, a rhyme really about how you killed children who didnt go to bed on time. But something went wrong with her last mission and she found herself teaming up with a couple of highwaymen, because they were all considered responsible for killing the king. So they had to make a plan, flee town and stick together - which didnt make Cameo happy at all (at least not at first). Shes used to being alone and minding her own business, and suddenly she felt responsible for other people too and she had to deal with far more challenges that she had ever expected. But with every new dangerous adventure, I got the chance to know more about all the gang members and to even understand Cameo better. She proved to be stronger and much more caring and selfless than people might have thought. Kyrian was looking up at her, shocked at the warmth in her tone.You are Cameo? She smiled at him, the same caring smile she had gifted him with a moment earlier. And despite the fact she wasnt much of a talkative person, everyone listened to her and respected her. I actually liked her attitude: shes mysterious and sarcastic, yet she makes her own decisions and sticks with them, no matter the consequences. You got your cameo brooch back I noticed, the one that was robbed from you, Wick clicked the pipe between her broken teeth. Yes. And yet that highwayman is still alive. Why is that, Cameo? Shocking as it may seem, I dont kill every man, woman, and child I meet. I leave some of them alive for you to bully. The story is very beautifully written and I found the time period and the setting really fascinating. But there was also something that kind of bothered me (does this surprise anyone? doubtful - I always find something to complain about - just ask Julia here LOL): the beginning of the story was a little slow and confusing. Also, the story was told from the third person POV and the switching from one POV to another really confused me at times, especially when it happened all of a sudden. All in all, Cameo, the assassin is a dark, gritty yet entertaining read that offers an unusual blend of mystery, suspense, action, horror and just a touch of humor and romance. The strong, unique heroine will accompany readers in a journey set in an unusual, yet fascinating world where they will like to return. *Review also posted on my blog:

Tried really hard to get into this but the dialogue is terrible and difficult to follow. This is one of the few books that I could not finish.

I read this book. I should have gone back and read Amazons description. Without it, the book is hard to follow. The book doesnt make clear much of anything. Not the period of time it is occurring, not the country, and very little about the characters. You have to fill in the gaps as you go along. It never really mentions she was raped. About the middle of the book, she finally mentions her sister and her being molested and left for dead. You run into a man who is involved with her abuse (I think) for a few sentences and then she kills him. But that is a bit vague too. It bounces around a little so you need to have a quick mind and good imagination to keep up. The male character she is having an arms length romance? with, appears to have been written by a drag queen. He uses lip rouge, makeup, frilly clothes and fancy boots he cant walk in. He is flamboyant in the extreme. A dandy indeed. I am not sure if the author intended to write this story in this manner or if the issues are with writing the first book. She is either a good writer or a sloppy one who got lucky. That being said, I actually enjoyed it. I liked Cameo. I liked Opal and Bel. I even liked the shadows. Im not particularly sure why other than they were quirky, odd, amusing, and a bit strange. I dont think Ive read a book quite like this one. I will most likely purchase the 2nd book and really am not sure if I want the writer to improve. It would throw the whole story off it the book actually got better.

Cameo 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

At the end of the day, the art of writing fiction comes down to simply this: telling a good story. Sometimes there are other aspects involved, other points to be made. Yet, if those points of contention arent held within the framework of a tale interesting enough for the reader to endeavor, they will be words used for naught. They will remain unread. More on this later. First of all, its synopsis time. Cameo the Assassin is the story of, well, an assassin named Cameo. She is a woman with eyes white as a corpse, the best killer of a group called simply The Association. She resides in her tower when not off stalking her next victim, drinking copious amounts of liquor and being generally a miserable sod. She is a legend in her time, seemingly much older than she appears, never questions orders, and uses very unusual (and unknown to her employer) methods of both finding her prey and keeping herself safe. Cameo seems content to live out her life in whatever perverse way she can, until she runs into a pair of highwaymen (coach robbers) while they hold up her carriage. These two men are named Black Opal, a dandy who wears too much makeup and enjoys womens clothes (seemingly in an attempt to compensate for his scarred appearance) and Bellamy, a lawyer-slash-poet-slash-playwright turned criminal. When our heroine meets these two, and falls into line with them, her known life takes a turn for, if not worse, at least very, very different. It is with these two characters, and one who comes later, that the joys of this little tale are met. Cameo herself is a one-note creation - and she has to be, especially when one considers her backstory - and cannot carry the novel on her own. Which is why having two enjoyable, fleshed-out characters such as Opal and Bel is important. In many ways, they steer the plot more than the main character. Cameo does what she does because she doesnt have a choice in the matter. Opal and Bel, however, have free will, and they use that will to choose and follow a dangerous killer, for reasons of love. This is beautiful, it is necessary, and its also interesting, because many times its hard to figure out who exactly loves who. That guessing game in particular is quite fun. The world that Dawn McCullough creates is one of magic and monsters, along with the type of technology one might see at the beginning of the nineteenth century. There are vampires, witches, corrupt royalty, and killers for hire, all plotting, both together and separately, to bring down our small band of antiheroes. This is something I really liked, as well. There are very few purely good characters in the book. All are deeply flawed, and some downright contemptible. They change very slightly, if at all, and yet seem to develop at least a sense of honor and duty, which presents itself in the loyalty they have to each other. I found this to be unusual and pleasing. It isnt often that Ive read a book like this. Now, onto what I started out this review saying. Cameo the Assassin is an adventure novel, and one that works, but that isnt what I found to love the most about it. No, its the underlying message that snatched me by the eyelids and forced me to look deeper. You see, to this reviewers eye, Cameo the character isnt just an alcoholic killer. No, she is much, much more than that. She is a metaphor for the battered woman; a survivor, dead on the inside, strong in a certain way, with a knowledge of all the horrible things that have happened to her, and yet always, around every corner, she is a slave to that pain and the men in her life who inflict it upon her. She was a rape victim, an abuse victim, and a victim of the supernatural, and she allows them to define her. Even her relationship with Opal, who is outside that sort of misogynistic realm, is defined by his feelings for her, and not the other way around. This shows great character weakness, and is sorrowful in its reality, though presented in a fantastical way. This is my favorite part of all, and a reason in and of itself to pick up this book. Now, one might wonder, with all the praise Ive heaped upon this book, why I gave it four stars instead of five. I do this because of the only problem I had with the novel, which is the way it was written. It is constructed in third person omniscient, which is to me the worst of all points of view. We jump into and out of every characters head from one paragraph to the next, which can be 1) confusing, and 2) irritating. Now, I understand that it isnt technically the wrong way to do things, but I personally cant stand it, and think its actually a bit lazy, so Im docking a point. With that being said, I still loved it, which should tell you something about how good the story is. Its definitely worth the couple bucks itll take to try it out, and I think anyone who reads this review should do just that.

Cameo the Assassin is set in a past/alternative world that is both dark and bleak. As the story begins, Cameo is clinging to life, after a brutal rape and attack. But a vampire steps in and keeps her from succumbing. She survives, in a manner of speaking. She becomes the vampires thrall, half-living, half-undead. Years later, she has become an assassin. In the course of a hit, her path crosses with two highwaymen who rob her carriage. She lets them escape, but tracks one down later to get her things back. Its those same highwaymen who become her next targets for assassination. She would have carried out that mission as well, if her boss hadnt sent Gail with her as a partner. She was a victim of Gail, herself, once. And the urge to kill him finally gets the better of her. Now she is thrown together with Opal and Bel as they try to survive the next wave of assassins. Opal confused me a little as a character. He is flamboyant and over the top. He wears lots of make-up and Cameo asks more than once if he and Bel are involved. Yet, he is also painted as a rake who charms the pants off of women and develops a thing for Cameo, himself. Im not entirely sure what to make of him, even now. But I do know, that I found myself rooting for him and Cameo to reach out to each other throughout the course of the book. So maybe all the make-up and purple brocade were just lagniappe. Who knows? Joining our strange trio is a teenage acolyte named Kyrian. Cameo becomes his protector after his grandfather shows her a kindness. Theres mystery surrounding the boy, not the least of which is why Cameos master can barely stand his presence. And speaking of Cameos master... he is hardly a benevolent sire. Id kind of like to kill him myself. Despite the fact that he saved Cameo from death, all those years ago, he doesnt seem much better than the men who nearly killed her in the first place. Overall, I did like the book. It features vampires and ghouls, but it didnt feel like standard horror or Urban Fantasy fare. Cameo isnt your standard heroine, either. Most supernatural heroines these days are snarky/sexy/tough/witty women who kick butt on the side of right. Cameo is haunted and broken and surprisingly sympathetic. I get the impression that she kills because she doesnt consider herself worthy of doing anything better. The ragtag group that comes together in the book are likely the only friends she has ever had. Which makes me ache for her to have just a little bit of happiness with them. The ending of the book does wrap things up for the most part, but leaves several loose ends for the next installment,