Review: 100. Kitty's Big Trouble by Carrie Vaughn...

I've been waiting and waiting and waiting (!) for more Kitty... And here she is!

Title: Kitty's Big Trouble (Kitty Norville #9)
Author: Carrie Vaughn
ISBN-13: 9780765365651
eBook: 194 pages
Publisher: Tor, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Purchased

drey's thoughts:
Kitty starts off this ninth installment of Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series trying to find out if General Sherman could've been a werewolf, and somehow ends it in San Francisco's Chinatown chasing ancient artifacts and meeting Chinese gods.

The basic plot is simple--stop Roman from getting the artifact, without getting killed in the process.

I enjoyed the Chinese gods' appearance in this book.  Then again, I like most anything that has even a whiff of Chinese mythology.  But I do wish there was a bit more character development.   That's what really got me into the Kitty books after all.  Here though, we have Ben still having trouble with his wolf, and Cormac's still possessed.  The three (four?) are trying to get to comfortable with working together and it shows.  But that's it.  The interactions between Ben and Kitty make them seem like an old married couple, and they're so not.  And Cormac's even more stoic (not sure if that's the word I want to use, but it's the only one stuck in my head for now) than ever.  Dealing with Kitty/Ben, as well as that thing in him can't be easy, yet we don't quite hear from Cormac as much as I'd expect to.  Too quiet... Where's the Cormac who first appeared?  The snarky caller stalking the werewolf DJ?  I want him back.

I still enjoyed Kitty's Big Trouble, but I'm hoping the next installment gives me back my sassy smart-alecky werewolf DJ--instead of this one who's so concerned-alpha that she sometimes forgets she kicks ass just using words.

drey's rating: Pick it up if you're a Kitty fan. If you're not, start with Kitty and the Midnight Hour!

Have you read Kitty's Big Trouble? What did you think?

75. Kitty Goes to War by Carrie Vaughn...

Title: Kitty Goes to War (Kitty Norville #8)
Author: Carrie Vaughn
ISBN-13: 9780765365613
eBook:
Publisher: Tor, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon

FTC Disclosure: My copy of Kitty Goes to War was bought because I slacked off on stalking Carrie Vaughn's release schedule. I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

drey's thoughts:
After the chaos that was Kitty's House of Horrors, you'd think that Kitty would get a break from getting attacked. But no. Oh, no. That would be way too calm and peaceful for our favorite DJ werewolf...
This time it's the government who comes a-calling. Apparently a werewolf soldier decided it would be a great idea to turn his team, while in Afghanistan. After all, wolves are natural predators, and they'd be strong, quiet, and have night vision--all of which help in tracking down the enemy. Unfortunately for his team, he goes and gets himself blown up, before they learn how to behave as a true pack, especially outside the arena of war. Now the military has the remnants of his team back stateside, and they need help figuring out if it's possible to re-condition the weres, or if they're too far gone to help.

And of course Kitty steps up. Because she wouldn't be Kitty otherwise. Kitty Goes to War is pretty tense throughout, as she and her pack try to help the soldiers. To add chaos, there's a weather-manipulator in town, and she also has to figure out what he's aiming to do, before it's too late--for her, for her pack, and for Denver. Running between the two problems, trying to figure out what's going on with Cormac (yay, Cormac's back!), and keeping her pack safe and out of the government's clutches, it's a wonder Kitty hasn't dropped from exhaustion. This is a must-read for all Kitty fans, and if you're not one yet, go pick up Kitty and the Midnight Hour, stat!

drey's rating: 4/5 Excellent

Challenges: 100+, Pub

2. Kitty's House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn...

FTC Disclosure: My ARC of Kitty's House of Horrors was provided by Hachette Book Group for this review (& I LOVE 'em for it!!). I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.


About the book:

REALITY BITES


Talk radio host and werewolf Kitty Norville has agreed to appear on TV's first all-supernatural reality show. She's expecting cheesy competitions and manufactured drama starring shapeshifters, vampires, and psychics. But what begins as a publicity stunt will turn into a fight for her life.


The cast members, including Kitty, arrive at the remote mountain lodge where the show is set. As soon as filming starts, violence erupts and Kitty suspects that the show is a cover for a nefarious plot. Then the cameras stop rolling, cast members start dying, and Kitty realizes she and her monster housemates are ironically the ultimate prize in a very different game. Stranded with no power, no phones, and no way to know who can be trusted, she must find a way to defeat the evil closing in ... before it kills them all.

drey's thoughts:
Oh, Kitty. The fame only grows, and with it, the notoriety. This time, it's reality TV calling... But how real is reality TV supposed to be? Especially when you're in the middle of nowhere, and people start dying. And then you find out that there's no way out. At all. So what's a trapped werewolf going to do?


Why, fight, of course. Because it's better than just sitting there like a duck on open water... Especially when the ducks are getting picked off one by one. And so it becomes a battle of wits, and retention. 


If you're a Kitty fan, you'll want to read this. Ben's only on at the beginning and at the end since Kitty's off in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, and spouses aren't invited. And Cormac gets early release for good behavior, but not till the end, so if you're a Cormac fan, you're waiting some more. The only thing I didn't feel satisfied by, is the why. Sure, the bad guys are trying to make a point, but it somehow didn't quite ring true for me. But hey, they eventually learned to not mess with my favorite werewolf DJ.


If you've never read Carrie Vaughn's Kitty books, give it a try. Start by coming back later today for a giveaway!


drey's rating: 4 Excellent (but I may be biased because I LOVE Kitty!!)


Title: Kitty's House of Horrors (Kitty Norville #7)
Author: Carrie Vaughn
ISBN-13: 9780446199551
ARC: 292 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon


Challenges: 100+, Pub

54. Kitty and the Silver Bullet by Carrie Vaughn - Review & GIVEAWAY!

This has to be my favorite Kitty book, if reading from the beginning and working your way through the series. THIS is where Kitty comes into her own. Yay, Kitty!!! (where's my cheerleader emoticon when I need it?)

Kitty returns to Denver because her mother is sick. Scared of the pack's reaction, she hides out at Ben's condo. When she's caught in the middle of a war between two vamp camps (ha ha, you don't know how hard it is to not type "vampy" right there), she wants to turn tail and run. She just wants to be left alone, so that she can be by her family.

Of course, what Kitty wants is not what Kitty gets. Par for the course, eh? So what does Kitty do? Why, grow some spine to go with the fur. She stands up for herself, for her right to be by those important to her, for the weaker werewolves in the Denver pack... And while she does have to use ass-kicking as a last resort, she tempers it with a liberal dose of caring and diplomacy.

Loved this. Go read it. Don't have it? Read on, or click on the cover to purchase your very own copy on Amazon.

Title: Kitty and the Silver Bullet
Author: Carrie Vaughn
ISBN-10: 0-446-61875-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-446-61875-5
Paperback: 326 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2008

Time for the giveaway! I have ONE (only one) copy of Kitty and the Silver Bullet, courtesy of Hachette Book Group, for one lucky winner. For one entry, tell me - vamps or shifters? Why? =) +1 for following, +2 for shouting & letting it all out. As usual, let me know.

US & Canada residents only, enter before 10:00pm on March 29th. Sorry, no P.O. Boxes - HBG rules. Winners will have 3 days to get me their snail-mail info, after which someone else will be thrust into the spotlight. I can follow up if I have an email address, if not you're on your own...

Good luck!! And come back next week for Carrie Vaughn's blog tour! I'm excited - I've got it all set up & ready to go! *happy hoppy dance*

48. Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn - Review & GIVEAWAY!

*** THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED ***

After getting caught turning wolf on national television, Kitty retreats to a mountain cabin to recover and write her memoirs. But this is Kitty, so trouble is never far behind, and instead of Walden Pond, she gets Evil Dead. First someone leaves grotesque animal sacrifices on her front porch to curse her, then werewolf hunter Cormac shows up with an injured Ben O'Farrell, Kitty's lawyer, slung over his shoulder. Two hotties and one Kitty in a single-room cabin - can the situation get more tense? When a wolf-like creature with glowing red eyes starts sniffing around the cabin, Kitty wonders if any of them will get out of these woods alive...

Kitty, Kitty, Kitty. After the debacle that was Washington, D.C., she runs off for some peace and quiet in a small mountain town. Where she finds that keeping her humanity in control of her wolf is a lot more difficult without other humans around.

Book 3 in the Kitty Norville series brings back Cormac and Ben. The character play between Ben & Kitty brings out Kitty's alpha instincts, and she realizes that a pack doesn't have to be just wolves, and she already has one. This story has curses (yes, multiple), malevolent skinwalkers, witch doctors, a new werewolf, and Cormac in trouble. If you've read Kitty #s 1 & 2, this is the one where Kitty discernably embarks on her alpha path. She has a pack to protect now.

Title: Kitty Takes a Holiday
Author: Carrie Vaughn
ISBN-10: 0-446-61874-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-446-61874-8
Paperback: 303 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2007

I've had a giveaway for Kitty and the Midnight Hour, and Kitty Goes to Washington. Now, it's time for Kitty Takes a Holiday! I have ONE (only one) copy courtesy of Hachette Book Group, for one lucky winner.

This giveaway will run till 10:00pm on March 22nd, and is open to US & Canada residents only. Sorry, no P.O. Boxes - HBG rules.

To enter, leave a comment about this post. Followers get an extra entry. Comment & let me know. Tell the world for two more entries, comment with the link...

Don't forget to come back & find out if you've won. Winners will have 3 days to get me their mailing info, after which I'll draw a replacement. If I have an email address, I can follow up if I don't hear from you, but if not...

Good luck!! And come back next week for Kitty and the Silver Bullet! =)

45. Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn - Review & GIVEAWAY!!

*** THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED ***
It's a month later (from Kitty and the Midnight Hour), and Kitty is still broadcasting. But not from Denver. Nope, she's a wandering werewolf now, doing her show from different cities, and living out of motels. And then she gets subpoenaed to testify before a Senate hearing regarding the Center for the Study of Paranatural Biology. So Kitty heads to the nation's capital, Washington D.C.

She's not there long at all when she gets intercepted by the local vampire and offered hospitality. And Kitty being Kitty, she bucks the rules. And meets other shifters. Apparently D.C. has quite a collection, and from all over the world, too. Including a were-jaguar. Who purrs. Yummy.

In addition to attending the Senate hearings, Kitty frees a bunch of vampires and werewolves ensnared by a fae, ends up locked behind silver bars on the night of the full moon, and does her first ever television broadcast. And she's outed. In full video.

Kitty Goes to Washington confirmed my belief in Kitty. She still has to work at keeping her human side in charge, if you will. After all, she's no animal. And the resulting notoriety is helping Kitty grow into her own.

Title: Kitty Goes to Washington
Author: Carrie Vaughn
ISBN-10: 0-446-61642-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-446-61642-3
Paperback: 321 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2006

Now, for the giveaway. For your enjoyment, I have ONE (only one) copy of Kitty Goes to Washington, courtesy of Hachette Book Group.

This giveaway will run till 10:00pm on March 15th, and is open to US & Canada residents only. Sorry, no P.O. Boxes - HBG rules.

To enter, leave a comment about this post. Simple, eh? Follow my blog for an additional entry. Existing followers count, too. Comment & let me know. Blog about this giveaway for two more entries. Comment with the link to your actual post.

And don't forget to come back & find out if you've won. Winners will have 3 days to get me their mailing info, after which I'll draw a replacement. If I have an email address, I can follow up if I don't hear from you, but if not...

Good luck!! And come back next week for Kitty Takes a Holiday! =)

42. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn - Review & GIVEAWAY!!

*** THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!! ***
Kitty Norville is a DJ with a secret - one that keeps her away from family events, and changes her work schedule. She's sick of taking requests for lame songs, and her "home" life is no picnic either. So she starts letting it out at work, kinda like I do - except that she has tons more ears listening to her woes and offering (advice) feedback...

All of this sharing opens her eyes to the things that are not alright with her pack, first and foremost with the pack's bullying leader. And the local vampires send someone to kill her when they decide that Kitty's radio show threatens to expose their existence. Which exposes Kitty's secret. The local cops show up asking questions when a naked, bloody, body is found outside her apartment - and asking more when more bloody, battered, bodies are found around town. Kitty is now bouncing between her show, her pack's disapproval, helping the cops track down a psychotic serial-killer werewolf, and looking for a caravan of people claiming to be able to "cure" vampirism... I got tired on her behalf, just reading the book!

Providing levity amidst all this seriousness is her interaction with the callers to The Midnight Hour. From a guilt-ridden (ex-)Catholic vampire to the dude looking for an orgy, the callers range from the hilarious and ridiculous, to the somber and sympathetic. Levity's good, though, because outside of the studio, Kitty's not having a good time at all.

Kitty and the Midnight Hour got me hooked on Kitty. She's not the kick-ass heroine yet, but the beginning of that Kitty is here. And after following her through this journey, I had to know how she fares. (& I'm very glad I did!)

Title: Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Author: Carrie Vaughn
ISBN-10: 0-446-61641-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-446-61641-6
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2005

And now, for those of you who missed out on the 6-set giveaway that recently ended, I have ONE (only one) copy of Kitty and the Midnight Hour for you.

This giveaway will run till 11:59pm on March 8th, and is open to US & Canada residents only. Sorry, no P.O. Boxes - HBG rules.

To enter, leave a comment about this post. =) Follow my blog for an additional entry. Existing followers count, too. Comment & let me know. Blog about this giveaway for two more entries. Comment with the link to your actual post.

And don't forget to come back & find out if you've won. Winners will have 3 days to get me their mailing info, after which I'll draw a replacement. If I have an email address, I can follow up if I don't hear from you, but if not...

Good luck!!

Check out more giveaways at the Book Giveaway Carnival, March 2nd to March 8th. And come back next week for Kitty Goes to Washington!

32. Kitty Raises Hell by Carrie Vaughn...

Title: Kitty Raises Hell
Author: Carrie Vaughn
ISBN-10: 0-446-19954-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-446-19954-4
Paperback: 282 pages (ARC)
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2009

Fresh from her adventure in Las Vegas in Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand, Kitty finds that something followed her back to Denver. And it's not playing nice. At all.

Finding out what is hunting Kitty and her pack before anyone (else) gets hurt, makes this a suspenseful addition to the Kitty chronicles. Helping her out are Ben, a team of paranormal investigators, Odysseus Grant (the magician from Las Vegas), and Rick - the master vampire in Denver. Offering help is another vampire, who wants free passage in Denver in exchange. She's running out of time, trying to figure out who to trust, how to keep her pack safe, identify what's causing the chaos, and how to eliminate the threat to her, her pack, and her city.

And to complicate things just a little - because this is Kitty after all - her friend TJ's brother shows up, trying to find TJ. And Kitty cannot tell Peter what happened to TJ, other than he's gone.

Kitty Raises Hell is well worth adding to your wish list, if you haven't already. Or, try your luck at winning one of the two full sets I'm giving away, starting on Monday, February 2nd.

31. Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand by Carrie Vaughn...

Title: Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand
Author: Carrie Vaughn
ISBN-10: 0-446-19953-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-446-19953-7
Paperback: 282 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2009

Kitty and Ben head to Las Vegas to get married, to escape the whole plan-a-wedding- "production". Her producer (ha ha!) arranges for her to do her show from Vegas, in front of a live TV audience. And books Kitty & Ben into a hotel hosting a gun show convention, where they run into acquaintances from Ben's (& Cormac's) past.

Kitty's knack for finding trouble follows her to the city that never sleeps, and she runs into vampires, a magician whose magic seems real, and an animal act with shifters, in addition to the hunters on her trail (gun show = crazies with a penchant for hunting Kitty & those like her). Her wolf does not like all the smells in the strange town. And gets more antsy when Ben disappears while he's playing in a poker tournament.

Kitty's quest to find Ben takes her to the vampires, magician, and animal act, where she finds something evil that explains the lack of werewolves in town. And with a little bit of help, she finds her mate, escapes from danger, and gets married. Whew.

Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand is a good continuation of the Kitty Norville series (so, is she Kitty O'Farrell now?). I started reading Kitty Raises Hell (#6), and wonder if #5 exists to introduce characters into Kitty's ever-evolving journey. Even so, it's a good, well-written read.