Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Jaye Wells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

• A USA Today Bestseller!
  

In a world where being of mixed-blood is a major liability, Sabina Kane has the only profession fit for an outcast: assassin. But, her latest mission threatens the fragile peace between the vampire and mage races and Sabina must scramble to figure out which side she's on. She's never brought her work home with her---until now.

This time, it's personal.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fast paced and fun ..." --Charlaine Harris, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Sookie Stackhouse series

"Despite the blistering pace and darkness of the plot, [Wells] neatly balances things with a deft smattering of humor. 4.5 Stars!"  --Romantic Times Book Lovers Magazine

About the Author

Raised in Texas, USA Today bestseller Jaye Wells grew up reading everything she could get her hands on. Her penchant for daydreaming was often noted by frustrated teachers. She embarked on a series of random career paths, including stints working for a motivational speaker and at an art museum. Jaye eventually realized that while she loved writing, she found facts boring. So, she left all that behind to indulge her overactive imagination and make stuff up for a living. Besides writing, she enjoys travel, art, history, and researching weird and arcane subjects. She lives in Texas with her saintly husband and devilish son. Find out more about Jaye Wells at www.jayewells.com.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Orbit (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316037761
• ISBN-13: 978-0316037761
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (108 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,876 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After several years as a magazine editor and freelance writer, Jaye Wells finally decided to leave the facts behind and make up her own reality. Her overactive imagination and life-long fascination with the arcane and freakish blended nicely with this new career path. Her Sabina Kane urban fantasy series is a blend of dark themes, grave stakes and wicked humor. Jaye lives in Texas with her saintly husband and devilish son.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 62 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells March 31, 2009

By jjmachshev VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

3.5 stars. "Red-Headed Stepchild" is a debut fantasy novel from Jaye Wells with a good dose of sexual tension. As a debut novel there was quite a bit of world-building and scene setting, but the story still moved along at a rapid pace with not too much lag time. The heroine is a kick-butt assassin who becomes torn between her two worlds as the novel progresses.

Sabrina is the product of a forbidden union between a vamp and a mage. Her mother died not long after her birth and she was brought up by her Grandmother (note the captial G) who is the Head of the Dominae (vampires) and as cold as they come. Her Grandmother raised Sabrina in an almost-vacuum, while teaching her exactly what she wanted Sabrina to know--all other races are inferior, the Dominae is everything and as a halfbreed Sabrina owes her life and loyalty to those who raised her. And finally, she also raised Sabrina to be a stone-cold assassin who kills the 'targets' selected by the Dominae without question. Although Sabrina is frustrated by her inability to receive any kind of warm approval from her Grandmother, she still tries...until the day her target is her best friend and she's sent to become a spy in an enemy camp.

I admit to having some issues with Sabrina and her adamant refusal to open her eyes to the reality of what was going on around her. I understand WHY the author began the book the way she did...but that doesn't mean I have to like it. However, as the story unfolded I began to warm to Sabrina (in spite of her mulishness) and actually feel a bit sorry for her situation.

As first novels go, this one was pretty good. The action was fast-paced, the world is fairly complex without being confusing, and the heroine is certainly memorable. There were some weak spots where I felt the author was trying too hard to spell things out for me ad infinitum...but I'll still put the next book on my to buy list. If nothing else, I want to see where all that sexual tension goes!!

36 of 41 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars It was worth the purchase price for this paranormal junkie looking for a fix April 5, 2009

By Mrs. Baumann VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Plot Summary: Sabina Kane is the result of a Romeo-Juliet love affair between her vampire mother and mage father. As a half-blooded outcast, Sabina was raised by her vampire grandmother to be an assassin for their ruling body, the Dominae. Her loyalty is tested in a series of strange jobs that begin with killing a former friend, to infiltrating the enemy as a spy, and Sabina begins to question whether her grandmother loves her at all, or views her as just another pawn on the chessboard.

I now have another series to add to my "seriously-want-to-read-more" list. Since my appetite for all things paranormal knows no limit, I'm always pleased to find a new author who can feed my habit. Sabina satisfies all my favorite heroine criteria, which are probably becoming a tad clichéd with all the kick-butt heroine series floating around, but I can't help it. I love my heroines strong and sassy on the outside, and vulnerable on the inside.

As an assassin, Sabina has no problem being cold and objective until her grandmother orders her to kill one of her friends. Maybe `friend' is too strong a word, since Sabina is a consummate loner, but killing David creates the first crack in her blind devotion to the Dominae. Unfortunately, it takes her a long time to open her eyes, so by the time she realizes who her real friends are, she's already in danger of losing them.

The weakest link in this story is Adam Lazarus, a mage who intends to stalk Sabina until she agrees to his demands. Sabina and Adam don't share more than a make-out session and a couple of intense looks, but clearly this is going somewhere in the next book(s). Since we don't learn anything about him, it's hard to feel too excited about their potential romance. While I understand the importance of developing Sabina's character, I hope that Wells will rectify this issue in her sequel, and give us more on Adam beyond his blond hair and sexy smirk.

No clue right now when book two is coming. I'll add it to my Coming Soon page when I spot it.

Update 5/14/09: Since writing the above, I got an update on the second book (yeah, I emailed the author... I'm a total pest), and she kindly informed me that "Mage in Black" is coming out January 2010. Ms Wells also said that "there is a Sabina story coming out in the Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance, vol. 2 this fall. It's a prequel to Red-Headed Stepchild that sets up some backstory for Mage in Black." Don't cha just love it when authors are willing to talk to their fans? I sure do.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Wanted to like it, but... May 18, 2010

By Abstract Entity VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

It could have been a good book, but it just... sucked for so many reasons. It drives me crazy when characters refuse to get answers to important things. Authors write characters like that to add suspense because their story is too weak without it, but it makes the story hard to believe. I mean, if somebody knew about how your mother died and about your other family and a prophecy concerning you, you would definitely want to know every detail. The main character just brushed all of this off though. It also got on my nerves when she kept denying the obvious and was too weak to accept the reality about her grandmother. The "friendships" she made were too quick and unconvincing. She easily killed a friend she had had for years in the beginning of the book without giving him a chance to explain, but was somehow more attached to the people she met later on and had known for only a few weeks. It made no sense. She was a terrible assassin and lost most of the fights she was in. I won't even get started on the demon and how illogical that whole situation was. I got tired of the cliche and repetitive lines. For instance, people kept calling her a bitch, and she'd respond with, "I've been called worse." It was just so corny. I'm definitely not going to bother with the sequel.