Although I’m a semi-jaded reader, I would like to believe I am above casting judgment based on cover art and publisher descriptions. I certainly wasn’t expecting to become so enthralled with Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty Norville series based on what I saw out of the box. But after consuming the first two novels in two days, I obviously need to work on my preconceived notions of what makes a book a worthwhile read.
Kitty Norville is a fairly run-of-the-mill twenty-something that seems to attract all sorts of uncomfortable life-transforming misadventures. But then, she becomes not-so-run-of-the-mill: a werewolf. And she still attracts misadventure, though now it’s mostly of the paranormal kind. Like any twenty-something, she has to figure out who she has become and what she’s willing to sacrifice in order to get by.
In book one, Kitty and the Midnight Hour, Kitty is at the bottom of the pecking order in her local pack, but her first taste of freedom post-werewolf bite comes at her own late-night radio talk show. That popularity turns out to be a bad thing when her oppressive Alpha and the local Vampire troupe feel it as a challenge to their authority. Book two, Kitty Goes to Washington, sees Kitty on the run from her Denver, Colorado pack, and though she goes all the way to the nation’s capitol, she still finds herself a pawn in the unkind machinations of the local DC evil. Book three, Kitty Takes a Holiday, follows Kitty into a retreat from fame and civilization, and where Kitty goes the big bad will follow. Book four, Kitty and the Silver Bullet, finally brings our heroine back to her native Denver to take care of her family. In returning home, Kitty really grows up, but she is also forced to a bloody stand-off with her old pack and Alpha pair.
Book five, Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand, is the real focus of our attention. Released on January 27th, the fifth novel in the series is part one of a double-header taking us deeper into the shadowy paranormal world that Kitty strives to bring into the light. On her way to Vegas to get married to Ben, her lawyer/mate/fiancé, Kitty finds that not everything that happens in the glittering town stays there. Though they do manage to tie the knot, the couple gets dealt yet another dose of crazy lycanthropic mayhem and convoluted vampire plotting. This doesn’t imply that the series is getting repetitive, either. The layers that have been building as Vaughn continues Kitty’s story have really hit pay-dirt in this latest installment, with promise of more to come in book six, Kitty Raises Hell, forthcoming a few short weeks into February.
The amazing thing about this series, in my humble opinion, is Vaughn’s vision of her main character. Kitty may be young, but she has strength of moral fortitude that transcends her youth, becoming almost the Joan-of-Arc of changelings. In the course of battling corrupt Masters, abusive alphas, wannabe despots, murderous warlocks, and all manner of crazy politician, Kitty’s uncanny ability to engender the support of non-werewolves is almost as miraculous as her magnetic attraction of nasty evil. She always comes out on top – she wouldn’t be a good heroine otherwise – but she also manages to be the force of good because her internal make-up would never allow it to be any other way.
These books aren’t all about having a finely-tuned moral compass, either. This series is the full package – action, sex, romance, vampires, irony, pop culture, exquisite humor, literary references, music, and a smidge of social commentary – we’re talking a sit-down buffet of juicy morsels between the dust jackets. There aren’t many authors that can pack that much fun into a novel without the end result seeming disjointed or contrived. Vaughn works her magic beautifully.
Contest: Here’s the best bit for you readers: We have the chance to offer you the opportunity to sink your teeth into Kitty’s adventures firsthand. The publisher has offered to help us hook up one lucky reader with all six books of the Kitty Norville series as a lovely thank you. Read the article above and leave a comment below by 11:59 PM PST February 10, 2009, and we’ll use a random number generator to choose the winner. We’ll announce the winner February 11th and contact you via email to get your mailing information.
This contest has now ended. Thanks to all of you who entered!
If you feel up to a little refreshment of your paranormal palate, give Kitty a try. She doesn’t disappoint, and she really knows how to get up to her eyeballs in messy.
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