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Review: Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn (Kitty Norville #1)

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Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn // VBC ReviewKitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville #1)
Carrie Vaughn
Published: Nov. 1, 2005 (Grand Central)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: purchased

Reviewed by: Jannelle

Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars

Kitty Norville is a radio DJ/werewolf working the midnight shift at a local Denver radio station. Literally overnight, Kitty accidentally turns her quiet radio show into a hotline for the troubled supernatural creatures lurking in her area. Needless to say, the show begins to bring unwanted attention to paranormals, causing some tension between Kitty and the ever-feared vampires, as well as her local werewolf pack.

Because of her success with the radio show, different factions attempt to silence Kitty for good. The story develops as she attempts to discover who is out to get her as well as on the development of her continued relationship with her pack after being bitten and turned.

While I think that werewolves in every series I have read so far (including this one) are strong, pack-driven creatures, Kitty—and the rest of her pack—are dramatically dependent on their alpha, Carl, and submissive to the extreme. In the world Vaughn has created, pack masters are allowed to sleep with pack members (even if they have a mate!) and basically any time that Carl comes around, Kitty allows him any royalties he feels he deserves… and likes it. This was the biggest problem I faced while reading the novel because Kitty is such a strong, independent, open-minded female that I didn’t understand her necessity to be with Carl in the way she found herself to be. I will also say, however, that while I didn’t appreciate the dramatically submissive nature of pack members to the alpha, it still worked with the overall storyline and made for an interesting and different read.

In an attempt to kill Kitty, one of the factions sends a hired werewolf hitman, Cormac, after Kitty and even after a near-death experience, a connection builds between the two of them. I definitely found myself looking forward to the scenes in which Kitty and Cormac were together. The tension thickens the second that connection reappears and doesn’t end until it severs. I am dying to see how this relationship develops in future installments of the series.

Even though I feel bad that poor Kitty has countless people working on her murder, it obviously made for a fast-paced storyline. There was constant action and simultaneously something else that you knew was coming to look forward to. I can honestly say that I never felt bored or left wondering why a conversation or scene was placed in the story; everything had a purpose and it all worked so well together.

Overall, Kitty and the Midnight Hour was a fantastic fast-paced read in a unique world I am dying to continue reading about. While the romance wasn’t here in this installment, I am sure there is more to come in future novels after the glimpses at potential relationships we saw in this one. If you love urban fantasy and like a good werewolf story, you need to pick up this book and start reading—now.

Sexual content: non-graphic sex

2 Responses to “Review: Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn (Kitty Norville #1)”

  1. I listened to this book earlier this year. I felt pretty much the same as you did about the submissiveness of Kitty. It didn’t feel right for her character. I did like that she finally stood up for what she wanted and showed her more dominate side. I hope to continue this series on audio, but I need to get caught up on some series first. I’m in the middle of too many back series. Great review.

  2. Kelsey C. says:

    This was a DNF for me because of the submissive/Carl thing. I always see good reveiws on the series and it makes me wonder if I need to give it another go.

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