Kitty Norville Series, Books 4-6

By Carrie Vaughn

She can also be found at her blog. All of these books are available now. I think releasing KITTY AND THE DEAD MAN'S HAND and KITTY RAISES HELL a month apart was an interesting choice and hope it pays off - there are a ton of series I would love to see released like this!

You can read the short story "Dr. Kitty Solves All Your Love Problems" online. It eventually became part of the first novel.

Reviewing these all at once you don't know how hard it is to avoid spoilers.



Kitty and the Silver Bullet

Kitty's been away from home for awhile, but decides to return when she learns her mother might have cancer. But Kitty and the boyfriend are walking straight into trouble - both the vampires and werewolves are having some power issues. In her time away from the pack Kitty has come more into her own, and she doesn't want to interfere but she also doesn't want to get pushed around by any side.

Between her mother's and her own medical issues, this is a very emotional novel. It's also very satisfying, as it builds up to a confrontation that's been coming since KITTY AND THE MIDNIGHT HOUR. (This would also be the book where Alette makes her cameo.)

I'm also really fond of the romance, because I think Kitty and her man are good for each other. This events of the book help them define their relationship and what it means to them. It did happen somewhat suddenly, so they need that time. Their decisions about the relationship lead straight into the fifth book.



Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand

Kitty and her boyfriend go to Las Vegas, both to do those things that stay in Vegas and those that don't, since they're legally binding. (Y'know, my sister got married in Vegas.) This also gives Kitty a chance to do a TV version of "The Midnight Hour" and plug her memoirs.

The vacation turns out to be unrelaxing as both of them manage to get into trouble. For Kitty, it's the very odd local therianthrope community. I do admit she annoyed me a little with her pursuit of the animal troupe despite a number of people warning her that they were dangerous.

While KITTY AND THE DEAD MAN'S HAND stands alone, with a satisfying climax, it is nice that KITTY RAISES HELL was released immediately after since they share a big bad. (Also, KITTY RAISES HELL depends on knowledge from KITTY AND THE DEAD MAN'S HAND, so it's good to read it while the details are still fresh.)



Kitty Raises Hell

Kitty and the husband are back from Vegas, but somebody forgot the slogan quoted above. Not willing to forgive and forget, a firestarting force has been let loose on Kitty and the things she loves and protects. Her options are the master vampire of Denver, who doesn't know how to help, a newcomer vampire whose price might be too high, and a group of human paranormal investigators.

I liked the Paradox PI crew and felt Kitty was somewhat insensitive to the fact they were human and thus not well-suited to fighting supernatural beings, even if their knowledge could help track the thing down. I also liked that the magician Grant continued to be part of the story. One of the sad things about the Kitty series is side-characters often don't return, especially if they're from the books where she's on the road.

It's hard for me to judge each book individually, as I marathoned the books in a little over a week. To me, the first six books were a fast-paced, coherent whole about a woman learning to be tough and developing a healthy relationship with a pretty good catch. KITTY RAISES HELL drops some hints about what might come next, and I look forward to it. This is one series worth picking up.

I received my review copies from the Hatchette Book Group as part of a blog tour. The other participating blogs are:
http://BookingMama.blogspot.com
http://booksamyreads.blogspot.com
http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/
http://Cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com
http://acircleofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://amateurdelivre.wordpress.com
http://cindysloveofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://confessionsofaromancebookaddict.wordpress.com/
http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com
http://stephaniesbooks.blogspot.com/
http://www.bookthoughtsbylisa.blogspot.com
http://www.bananas4books.blogspot.com/
http://www.chikune.com/blog
http://www.foreigncircuslibrary.blogspot.com
http://www.jennsbookshelf.blogspot.com/
http://www.msbookish.com
http://www.myfriendamysblog.com
http://www.writeforareader.blogspot.com
http://www.amberstults.com
http://literaryfeline.blogspot.com
http://confessionsofaromancebookaddict.wordpress.com/
http://www.wrightysreads.blogspot.com
http://bookzombie.blogspot.com/
http://fictiontofruition.blogspot.com
http://wendisbookcorner.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/darbyscloset
http://thisbookforfree.com/
http://thetometraveller.blogspot.com/
http://www.grammasreads.blogspot.com
http://samsbookblog.blogspot.com
http://bookseriesreviews.blogspot.com/
http://www.booksbytjbaff.blogspot.com/

Be sure to see what some of them have to say as well.