Cameo the Assassin (Trilogy of Shadows Book 1)

Filled with action, intrigue, a splash of romance and fascinating characters, Cameo is an exceptional read! I loved the characters and never expected the twists and turns that the story takes. Dawn does a great job of keeping the reader in suspense while giving just enough to keep this reader curious to keep turning the pages. Very clever!!

I was intrigued from page one. The characters are real in all their flawed glory. I especially enjoyed the dialogue between characters. Opal is charming, Bel is a riot, and Cameo is incredibly interesting. I highly recommend this!

It was a refreshingly creative tale- It was my first read by the author and will hopefully continue this series- Even a book outside/apart from this Trilogy I would definitely give a chance- Good character development-

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!

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.

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.

I struggled to get through this novel. The writing was weak and character development short-sighted. In fairness, I was never able to finish the book (I finally gave up at 78%) so maybe there is a radical and amazing turn around at the end, but I doubt it. This was a novel that started well, but lost me in the middle with a disjointed and rambling plot. It doesnt lack for potential and action, it just lacks decent writing.

*** Edit for 2012 version *** I have added an extra star having read the new version. As an editor, it is wonderful to think that an author can get so much direct feedback from her readers; even better for the readers then, when the author goes back and reworks the book. Although McCullough-White has edited with a fairly light touch, if you enjoy her work, and especially if you enjoyed it the first time around, it is well worth a re-read. Many of the things that bothered me before (see my original review below) have been addressed, as apparently have the remarks of other reviewers. The first chapter still feels a little tentative, but once she hits her stride this is a boisterous and chilling romp through a bleak and forbidding world that establishes some solid and durable characters, and sets up considerable intrigue for the future. I heartily recommended this before and I do so even more now. *** end of Edit *** I can forgive many things in return for a good story. And Dawn McCullough-White delivers a good story. I can forgive even more in return for good characters. In Cameo the Assassin, the characters are intriguing and compelling from the start. I was quite happy to forgive the odd malapropism; there are very few outright linguistic errors, which suggests either considerable rigor on the part of the author or thorough and skilful copy editing. From time to time there is a little too much repetition avoidance, and this is most obtrusive when the author refers to her key symbol - eyes, vision and sight. Rather too often, McCullough-White goes out of her way to avoid using the word eyes, which spoils her otherwise satisfying style in places. The most interesting feature of Dawn McCulloughs writing from the point of view of a critic, is that her characters dont always agree with her descriptions of them. Let me try to explain. She knows her characters well, she has a strong sense of who and what they are, and how they would react in given circumstances. You can tell because the secondary characters are established quickly, simply and clearly, through their reactions to the primary characters. Indeed, the first character for whom I began to feel real empathy was a secondary character, Bellamy, who is established entirely through his relationship to primary character, Opal. Opal is the case in point. The author keeps trying to convince the reader that he is charismatic and charming in spite of his other characteristics, when it is obvious that it is his failings that make him attractive. It is his desperate, exaggerated vanity that compensates for his selfishness and occasional brutality. His vanity is both disgusting and endearing at the same time. So how can it come about, that the character seems to disagree with the author? I think the author knows him too well, and wants us to forgive his failings, but tries too hard. One of the consequences of this is that the rare romantic moments dont ring true at all, because they dont involve the real Opal, but the authors misty-eyed, rose tinted version of him. Cameo herself is a solid invention, weakened at times by some confusing description, especially of her supernatural metabolism. I suspect this may arise from a lack of confidence in her ability to let the characters describe themselves. She need not lack confidence; she has the ability and it shows. Besides this, there are one or two plotting problems - mostly missed opportunities but foreshadowing is a little clumsy. Finally, the author is a little skimpy on locations, arriving and departing so rapidly that most of the locations seem paper-thin and disposable. This is a pity, as fleshing out the locations would have greatly enriched the story, and made the reading experience more satisfying. I suspect this comes from a mild case of plot-jitters - the author is enjoying the story, and wants to keep it hurrying along. Heres why you should read it: If you like mainstream gothic fantasy that prefers a thrill-ride to psychology and romance. If you like cartloads of moral ambiguity. If you like your supernatural unobtrusive. The characters are believable; intriguing where they are not likeable, sympathetic where they are not intriguing. It is easy to get drawn into the story both by the twists and turns of the plot and by curiosity as to the nature and backgrounds of the characters. McCullough is developing a strong style; unsettling, jarring, gory, she paints a strong picture of the unnatural (a much more difficult skill to master than the mere supernatural). Characters are ambivalent - at once repulsive and sympathetic. It is a good story, and I want to read more.