Review: Knight’s Curse – Karen Duvall

Knight’s Curse by Karen Duvall
Series:
Release Date:  August 23, 2011
Publisher:  Luna
Page Count:  384
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.

• Chalice is a woman that was abducted and abused by Grant, who has delusions of grandeur on ruling the magical underworld.  He forces her to steal magical artifacts for this purpose.  He’s also managed to bond her with a gargoyle, which must lick her every three days or she’ll die.  Nice guy…right?  I should have felt sorry for her, having gone through all of this, but I didn’t.  Instead, I kept wondering why she didn’t do something to change what was happening to her.  Sure Gavin always seemed to know where she was and what she was doing, but at some point don’t you figure out how to be sneaky just to get away from the bastard?
• The “romance” between Aydin and Chalice was weird.  She liked him, she suspected him of lying to her and then she liked him again.  Then she suspected he was still in love with someone else.  He was never more than outwardly friendly with her during the entire story, then towards the very end, they’re is almost a declaration of love.  WHAT???
• I’m still confused about the Saint Geraldine, the angel talkers, the Fallen, the Vyantara and what the heck is going on.  There was no back history on who the Vyantara are or why they are doing what they’re doing today.