Kitty Norville Series, Books 1-3

By Carrie Vaughn



Kitty and the Midnight Hour

One call that might've been a crank and late night DJ Kitty Norville ends up the hostess of the popular "The Midnight Hour." People call in with supernatural problems and she helps - without mentioning she's a werewolf herself. Kitty truly loves her job, and it helps her become more confident.

I though Kitty was a nice change of pace from the urban fantasy heroines I've been reading about. She's not the big bad, she's just a girl who would rather someone protect her. Being able to turn into a wolf helps sometimes, but other people has abilities as well and her wolf isn't equipped with dominant instincts.

I also liked Cormac, a human assassin of things that go bump in the night. Kitty talks him down from killing her and their relationship progresses from there. Even with my fondness for assassins, he's a good character. He's after the monsters but he's not a fanatic; he can use logic.

KITTY AND THE MIDNIGHT HOUR isn't perfect, but I picked up the second the instant I finished. It's very mainstream urban fantasy, but has a little different approach.



Kitty Goes to Washington

The beasties may be out in the open in Kitty's world, but the law hasn't quite caught up. The Senate is holding hearings and Kitty is called upon as a witness. She's got her and Cormac's lawyer Ben on hand for counsel, but she may need even more help. The senator in charge of the committee is a "Christian" and determined to make the monsters look as bad as possible.

I love Alette, the Master Vampire of Washington, D.C. She's a nice mix of maternal and ruthless. So far she's only had a brief cameo in another book, and I miss her. (But it does make sense since the series doesn't take place in D.C.)

I'm not sure I like the romantic subplot in this one, upon reading the rest of the series. Kitty and Luis's sexual relationship is pretty casual and she just doesn't seem like the casual sex type in the other books. Her relationships always mean something.

However, I didn't mind it at the time. KITTY GOES TO WASHINGTON moves quickly, right into a bonus short story that's absolutely hilarious. Kitty's conversations with her "Midnight Hour" guests are always amusing.



Kitty Takes a Holiday

After the events of KITTY GOES TO WASHINGTON, Kitty needs a break. Ostensibly, she's in nowhere Colorado to work on her memoirs. Of course, her idyll is interrupted or there wouldn't be a book. Someone's leaving dead rabbits at her door, and Cormac shows up with an injured Ben in tow.

I really liked this one because some of the sexual tension finally gets resolved. Plus, it features an urban fantasy character facing legal consequences. Jail happens, but urban fantasy characters always seem to escape it despite killing people left and right.

This book contains lots of crazy family relations, from Cormac and Ben's past to the one that created the villain. It's quite the contrast to Kitty's well-adjusted clan, who become a large part of KITTY AND THE SILVER BULLET.

Carrie Vaughn ties the A and B plot together well in this one. She manages to have stuff go on in Colorado or New Mexico without everything falling apart or too coincidentally connected.

Be sure to come back tomorrow, when I post reviews of the rest of the series currently available.

Also come back tomorrow for an interview with Jonathan Bernstein and the announcement of the first half winners.