Review: Kitty's House of Horrors

By Carrie Vaughn
Out now from Grand Central (Hachette)
Review copy provided by publisher
Read my reviews of the series



Once upon a time, when the dinosaurs (and my parents) roamed the earth, series weren't popular. Every once in awhile you'd get a trilogy, like The Lord of the Rings, but most titles were standalone. Now that everybody and their dog write series, certain qualities make authors stand out from the pack. I like Carrie Vaughn because she does things that I don't expect. But what I really respect her for after finishing KITTY'S HOUSE OF HORRORS is her pacing.

The fifth and sixth books of the series (KITTY AND THE DEAD MAN'S HAND, KITTY RAISES HELL) were the first too have a truly interweaving plot. Vaughn has been sowing the seeds of an overarching conspiracy, but first she takes the time for another standalone adventure that appeals to knew readers even as it rewards those who are caught up on Kitty's adventures.

Kitty is invited to participate in a reality show with various other paranormal celebrities. Then the participants begin to die. And boy howdy, does KITTY'S HOUSE OF HORRORS have a body count. Kitty Norville 7 is on level with HP7 for characters death. Some of the people at risk are new characters, and Vaughn does well making them sympathetic quickly. But many at risk are triumphantly returning secondary characters, including two of my favorites: Jeffrey from KITTY GOES TO WASHINGTON and Ariel from KITTY TAKES A HOLIDAY. It both ups the suspense and makes the deaths more meaningful.

In addition, being part of the show separates Kitty from Ben. It's nice to see her on her own again, though I think their relationship is wonderful. It's also a breather from the relationship antics that will be back in full force in Kitty Norvill 8, considering that Cormac is up for parole and he and Kitty have some sexual tension to work out.

KITTY'S HOUSE OF HORRORS was a good breather from the one-two punch of KITTY AND THE DEAD MAN'S HAND and KITTY RAISES HELL. Vaughn put new characters into play and removed some old ones permanently in an exciting, if sometimes heartbreaking, way. I'm eager for the next book, but I feel like KITTY'S HOUSE OF HORRORS was far better than most breather books. (I did miss the radio show. I always love the really weird calls.)

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.

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.