Cameo the Assassin (Trilogy of Shadows Book 1)

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.

Cameo the Assassin took me by surprise in an extremely good way. I was expecting a run-of-the-mill vamp novel and it didnt deliver that! What I got was a steampunk-esque (though Im not sure Id qualify it completely as Steampunk) story about a ghoul, I mean girl, whos a hired killer-with-a-soul for the Association (dun-dun-duuuuun!). Ive never read a Zombie book before, and while this novel is careful to not bandy about that term (certainly, Cameo, our daring lead character doesnt like it), it certainly fits. Dawn McCullough-White writes Cameo incredibly well. When you are introduced to her, she is aloof and emotionless, taking swigs from her flask while she watches the rather questionable activities that surround her each day. She is paid to do her job and not question, something she does well. She is the very embodiment of someone without a soul. Or so you think. Shes not without morals, however I felt like she largely kept them hidden, because frankly, Cameo is a survivor. What you find beneath Cameos surface...well, I wont spoil it for you. But its spectacular. And not the least bit ordinary. As you read, youre drawn into the story, bit by bit, like a lazy fishing line slowly being reeled in. She paints a dark, yet lovely picture of a Victorian-era period with fine clothing, large egos and intrigue that invites you want to keep reading. Her supporting characters, Opal, Kyrian and Bellamy, are often delightful and amusing with their verbal repartee; I found myself giggling at Opals and Bellamys witty and comical conversations. And while they are both deep, complicated characters, they certainly are the light to her dark. It was a little difficult to keep up with the character jumps, but I attribute that more to the way it was formatted on my Nook than anything else, so its easily overlooked. I definitely recommend this for anyone who enjoys Steampunk, Dark Fantasy or Paranormal Fiction. It was a great read!

Book One in The Trilogy of Shadows was interesting. The authors take on vampires was one Im not used to seeing. Unfortunately, this also meant that it was something I didnt immediately understand. I spent the first half of the book trying to figure out why Cameo wasnt being a vampire since shed been turned into one. I mean why didnt she defend herself?? Turns out, she wasnt. Shes an imorotal Thrall of a vampire. This means she received just enough vampiric blood to make her undead but not enough to make her a vamp. Instead she was referred to as more like a Zombie and under the compulsion of her maker. Super cool huh? This idea of dead but not dead, immortal but not a vamp, human but inhuman... I just wish I understood it better. I mean, why did she eat? Did she poop? Shes dead so no digestive system... There was also the issue of Shadow People who she seems to be able to give tasks. I think the author has a great imagination but was trying a little too hard to keep some things in her vest pocket. Instead of making me want to read more, it frustrated me because I didnt understand. Overall, this was an interesting and unique story, set in a world which allowed for some fabulous characterization and plot twists. If you like historical vampire pieces this one is well written and intricately conceived. Personally, it didnt spark my fire, so while I enjoyed Book One, I wont be reading Two or Three.

I generally stick to high fantasy when reading, but lately Ive branched out into the urban fantasy genre. Cameo the Assassin happens to be one of those new discoveries I have made. I must confess, I am not a vampire fan in the least, and when I saw that this book was tagged as a vampire book, I was a bit unsure of what to expect. But the plot sounded interesting and Ive been trying to read more indie books of late, so I went ahead and purchased the Kindle version. Im happy to say that the whole undead theme seemed, at least to me, a background detail; the story is more about the characters and their battles within and without as opposed to a focus on what supernatural powers the undead possess. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the nonstop action and the unique setting of this story, I absolutely loved the two main protagonists the best. Cameo and Black Opal are so hopelessly flawed that one would never consider them to be ideal heroes at all. They both have a past that is dark and dismal, and as the reader gets to know them, this past is revealed little by little. I consider this to be a wonderful attribute to the story, for there is nothing worse than reading about a hero or heroine who is absolutely perfect. Bravo Dawn McCullough-White on a well crafted tale!

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.

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 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!!

This book isnt really what I expected. I picked it up expecting a vampire novel, and was surprised when I found that they occupied a very small portion of the story. I LOVED the time period in which this book was set, and the picture the author painted was a dark yet vivid back drop to the great characters within. I really disliked Opal at first, but found myself rooting for him midway through the book. He is full of quirks that make him endearing and annoying at the same time. Cameo is a refreshingly original character that I pictured as a twisted mess one minute, and then the next as a beautiful monster. The ending came on a bit sudden, which may or may not be intentional. Dont get me wrong, it wasnt a bad ending. I think I was so into the book that it stopped and I found myself not ready to be done. That only means one thing...I will for sure be picking up the sequel.

I loved the characters. They are complex and interesting, with plenty of faults -and I find myself wanting to have drinks with them. The story quickly grabbed my interest. I cant wait for the next book; Im dying to know what happens next!

Cameo is the kind of novel that sucks you in from the very first page. Filled with twists and turns it truly is an amazing novel that you lose yourself in as youre reading it. Cameo is not a classical heroine by any means and from our very first meeting with this hard-bitten character she simply continues to grow. While I wouldnt necessarily say that Cameo is likeable she is intriguing and very, very compelling. All in all as a dark fantasy adventure this is one of the better ones Ive read in recent times and I would highly recommend it; just bear in mind its not a classic fantasy in many ways.