Customer Reviews

Kitty and the Silver Bullet (Kitty Norville)

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kitty Norville, werewolf and radio talk show hostess, seems to be doing very well. Her new book "Underneath the Skin" is just about to be released, her radio show "The Midnight Hour" is still a big success, and she's now got her own boyfriend--and built in pack in Ben.

Then she gets the call from her Dad. Her Mom's got breast cancer and is due for surgery. She and Ben drop everything and head back to Denver.

The old saying "you can never go home" is literally true for Kitty. Her old werewolf pack, led by Carl and Meg, is in Denver. If she returns, Carl will consider it an invasion of his territory and act accordingly.

Add to that, Kitty's approached by her friend Rick the Vampire. Rick's planning on taking over the city of Denver from the current Master Vampire, Arturo. Will she take sides with him in exchange for protection?

As usual, Carrie Vaughn has created a pageturner. "Kitty and the Silver Bullet" kept me up til 2:00 AM to finish.

In my opinion, Ms. Vaughn does some of the best world-building in urban fantasy today. She's taken very logical steps with cause and effect to generate some very plausible scenarios in how a post-paranormal world would develop. In "Kitty and the Midnight Hour," Kitty's radio show introduced the world to paranormals. Following in logical order, "Kitty Goes to Washington" has Kitty lobbying Congress to get vampirism and lycanthropy acknowledged as diseases to obtain research funds and help for sufferers. In this book, she carries that to its next logical step. Denver, CO is going to have a Paranormal Division in its Police Department and Detective Hardin is going to head it.

Her character development is also stellar. Kitty starts out as a beta wolf, abused by her pack leader, Carl. Now, she's a strong woman, capable of helping other victims and taking care of a pack of her own.

Plotting--well, let's just say you need to have the time to finish the books when you sit down to read them because they're hard to put down. Ms. Vaughn puts very likable characters into some serious situations and makes you want to know what's going to happen to them.

"Kitty and the Silver Bullet" is the 4th in the series. What I particularly like is each novel is stand alone in relation to a particular issue, but there are continuing life issues for Kitty and the other characters. Below is a list of the three previous Kitty books in order. They are all well worth the read.

Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Book 1)
Kitty Goes to Washington (Book 2)
Kitty Takes a Holiday (Book 3)

Kitty has been on the run after escaping a confrontation with her evil alpha in the first book, now her mother's illness draws Kitty home into a Denver on the verge of a vampire turf war with her old pack leader and his dirty tricks firmly supporting the status quo. While the apparent loss of control over the vampires of the city by current vamp leader is the reason for the attempted coup, it is the deterioration of Kitty's former pack that draws Kitty into the battle. The last time Kitty battled her alpha, she was firmly entrenched in her submissive role as low wolf in the pack and barely left with her life. Now her wolf has grown up and though her human half is still a little slow in catching up, when Kitty tries to aid an abused new wolf Jenny to escape from the pack, Kitty finally grows a spine and becomes the alpha her wolf knows she can be.

I loved this latest installment in Vaughn's Kitty Norville series and really all the books leading up to this one have served the purpose to develop Kitty's character and support group to bring her to this point prepared to take the final steps that complete her growth and strengthen Kitty's resolve. I loved how Kitty's transformation brings closure and clarity to so many areas of her life, including her relationships with Ben and Cormac, and now I can't wait to see where the new and improved Kitty goes from here. Vaughn does a great job of bringing this character and series to life. The books have such a 'reality' to them that it seems like I should be able to tune Kitty in at midnight and hear her give common sense advice to 'weres' and 'vamps'. I am glad Kitty finally took some of her own advice here.

If you haven't read the rest of the series don't start here, while the book stands alone pretty well, you'll want to witness Kitty's transformation and growth yourself, so go back to the beginning.

Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville Series, Book 1)
Kitty Goes to Washington (Kitty Norville Series, Book 2)
Kitty Takes a Holiday (Kitty Norville Series, Book 3)

And if you've already read these and are looking for another series, while no other series I can think of is quite like this one, if you like female shapeshifters and this kind of urban fantasy feel give Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson (werecoyote) a try:

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 1)
Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 2)
Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 3)

I started reading the "Kitty" series on a whim because I liked the concept of a late night radio show that focused on the supernatural. What an original idea. It's also very logical. If the supernatural did exist it could not stay secret in our information rich modern world. The first book also had an original ending (it's not your typical Hollywood ending) that kept me coming back for each book in the series. The latest book continues with logical storylines and character growth and behavior. While Kitty is the heroine she feels just as real as any of us. She gets scared and confused and uncertain. Things happen that are out of the characters' control and they can't plan for. Very well written and very real and believable and for a long time reader such as myself the ending is *very* satisfying.

Kitty Norville, werewolf and radio dj, was once a part of an abusive werwolf pack in the Denver area, whose alphas liked to keep the young woman/wolf in a low ranking victim role. In the first book of the series, Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville Series, Book 1), we learn how Kitty comes to leave the Denver area and pack.

In the two subsequent books, Kitty Goes to Washington (Kitty Norville Series, Book 2) and Kitty Takes a Holiday (Kitty Norville Series, Book 3), Kitty travels around the country, and grows quite a bit, both as a woman and a wolf.

Now, in the fourth book in the series, Kitty's mother has a medical crisis, bringing Kitty home to Denver. She only wants to spend time with her mother and keep out of sight, but there are some big problems going on in the Denver area supernatural community. There is a potential vampire war between two masters for control of the city - and there are problems in the local werewolf pack as well, as more members want to challenge the two abusive alphas. Despite her wishes and efforts, Kitty is going to be pulled into both very dangerous situtations.

Kitty has changed and grown in the year she had been away - but will it be enough for her and her loved ones to survive?

Well written book which brings in characters and plot points from all three previous Kitty novels. If you wish to read about Kitty, I would advise you to read the four books in order rather than starting here. If you have read the previous novels amd like them, I think you will probably like this one quite a bit as well.

I just finished the fourth book in the Kitty Norville series earlier today. The first two were a little slow for me, and I couldn't put down the last two! I was very interested in Kitty's growth from vulnerable follower to independent individual to strong leader, and this series has not let me down. As for the book... the homecoming, the family story, the paranatural war, and the relationships kept me entertained. Kitty's personal issue was unexpected, and it also added depth to the book.

There are a couple of things that took away from the good storytelling. Although I have a degree in English myself and understood the narrator's literary allusions, I still found them a bit pretentious for commercial fiction. Even if you understand the references, in my opinion, they disrupt the flow of the story and immersion in the world of the Kitty novels for the reader. I also noticed a few typos (which should have been caught in editing); this is minor, however, as many novels these days are unapologetically littered with them, so one or two typos is nothing at all.

While this can be either a positive or a negative quality, this novel was formulaic; for me, this was positive and made the novel more enjoyable. The Return Song is a popular story-pattern in oral-derived literature, consisting of an absence, devastation in the absence of the hero, the hero's return, retribution or restoration of order, and... well, I'll leave out the last one since it's a spoiler. :o) I was pleasantly surprised by its use when I finished the novel.

This series ranks as one of my top favorites in the Urban Fantasy genre. If you haven't read it already, do yourself a favor and read it!

Thank you, Ms. Vaughn, for the hours of entertainment you have provided me with, and I look forward to your next novel!

Book four for the werewolf named Kitty. Kitty and lawyer/boyfriend/new werewolf Ben return to Denver when Kitty's mother comes down with cancer. She's approached by recurring character vampire Rick about taking over dominion of Denver. This means Rick plans to dethrone master vampire Arturo while Kitty is expected to finally remove the cruel werewolf duo, Carl and Meg, and take command of the Denver pack. Meanwhile, Kitty runs here radio show as the first nationally exposed werewolf when in comes Mercedes Cook (oddly Mercedes is the name of Patricia Briggs' main character in the Mercy Thompson werewolf/vampire series) to come out of the closet as the first celebrity vampire. It's a shame the most interesting character, Cormac, is locked up in prison.

I like the Kitty books, and this one is a decent addition but timelines seem to be a bit off as evidently all four books take place in less than a year. Little slow to begin with but the last third of the book is worth it.

Kitty is back again! In this new novel Kitty finds herself dealing with problems from her past and fighting for her life and trying to keep her pack of two safe. But this time vampire politics are also involved. When Rick asks her to come help fight a "war" in Denver Kitty declines, but almost immediately goes to Denver anyway when her mother falls ill. Kitty hides herself as best as she can while in Denever but the people from her past already know she's there. Kitty doesn't know who she can trust. All the tension between Kitty and others, such as Ben, Rick, Arturo, Carl and Meg lead up to a big battle. Two really since there's one with the vamps and one with Carl and Meg. Kitty will have to do the one thing she'e never wanted to do before and that is kill. But she will have to kill or be killed when Ben and her friends are threatened.

This was a fabulous read and the Epilogue was extraordinary! We're talking of one fantastic ending!! Look for the next Kitty novel later this year where the surprise at the end continues!

Perfect for : Personal reading, anyone who likes vampire or werewolf stories

In a nutshell: In Kitty and the Silver Bullet (Book 4 of the series), Carrie Vaughn introduces politics of the supernatural kind into Kitty's life. Personal reasons compel Kitty and Ben to return to Denver, where Carl and Meg are still the alphas of the local pack, and will see their return as a challenge to their authority. Rick, the vampire who has always been seen at the edges of things with Arturo steps up to take over as the Vampire Master of Denver, but he needs the support of Kitty and the Denver pack in order to be successful. He promises to support Kitty and Ben in taking over the pack if they will be there when he makes his move. I simply love that Carrie Vaughn continues to add new (and interesting) twists and layers to her books. This book will keep you entertained!!

Extended Review: I absolutely loved the new level that Carrie Vaughn brought this story to. I never saw the vampire politics and The Long Game coming, and I must say it has made the overall story even more intriguing. The interaction between Kitty and Rick is great, and I can't help but think that Rick is going to be in the story for the long-haul, which makes me excited.

Characters: The story continues with a focus on Kitty, Cormac and Ben. In this book, Rick becomes another central character, while Carl and Meg ultimately receive a lesser role.

Story-Line: This is another well-developed and fast-paced book that is sure to keep the readers interest. I really like how Ms. Vaughn has added the political play involving both Kitty and Rick to the story, adding a larger overall plot to the series.

Readability: Fun, easy, entertaining, intriguing - I could go on here!

Overall: This is my favorite book so far. Carrie Vaughn has included enough information in each book so that they could stand alone, but I think that reading them in order adds so much to the story as an entirety.

After a Thoreau-like retreat into the wilderness and time spent away from Denver, Kitty Norville and her radio show, The Midnight Hour are back in the mile-high city. Domestic matters call when Kitty's mother falls ill, just in time for political upheaval within the vampire and werewolf communities. Returning home, especially having left running away from her former abusive Pack, is never easy, and Kitty and her fellow "Alpha", Ben, find themselves embedded in the struggle for new leadership of both supernatural factions.

The characters of Kitty's world just keep getting better and better, and nothing ever turns out like it seems it will. The supporting cast of previous books is always revisited and explored, and Vaughn is a master of keeping all her plot-threads in a row, waiting to be tied up in a later book. I adore her witty, first-person writing, and she always leaves the reader clamoring for the next book.

And, as an aside and as a resident of the Front Range, I'd also like to personally thank Ms. Vaughn for writing an outstanding series set in an underexplored setting for paranormal. These books are awesome; if you haven't read them, you're missing out on a real treat.

5/5

Kitty continues her quest to find an identity she can live with in this book. Ms. Vaughn does an excellent job bringing Kitty and the rest of her cast to life throughout the series, and she keeps it going in this latest installment. A sparse writer (a good thing!), Vaughn truly shows the reader the action and the characters, and the way she handles the narrative when the wolf comes out is surreal and yet makes perfect sense.

This series is deeper than one might assume with its easy style and readability. Vaughn has done her homework when it comes to wolf behavior and monster-lore, and she delves into the psyche of Kitty in a way that a quick first pass may not pick up. She has obviously studied archetypes and how they interact, as well as having a strong command of plot structure. In addition to all of that, the author slips literary nuances and references into the text of each book, making it look so natural that one hardly notices them without looking for them. She shifts between styles of writing without loosing the originality of her voice.

Quick reads, this series is one that I want to keep going back to in order to pick out the details Vaughn has painted into her world. I'd recommend this series for anyone over the age of fifteen, and anyone who likes urban fantasy. It will also be of interest to the furry community (which, I'm led to understand, is well aware of the series).

Nice job.

BW
5/5
21 July 08