Review: Kitty Saves the World by Carrie Vaughn (Kitty Norville #14)

Kitty Saves the World (Kitty Norville #14)
Carrie Vaughn
Published: Aug. 4, 2015 (Tor)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Margaret

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Note: While review will be spoiler free, it does make reference to previous books in the series.

For several books now, Kitty Norville and her friends have been trying to stop a two thousand year old vampire named Roman, also known as Dux Bellorum or the General, and his plot to destroy the world, which he calls the Long Game. They know that someone else is really pulling the strings, someone with demons at their command, since there must be a Caesar to his general, but have no clues about who that might be. And now it seems that Roman’s about to make the last play of the game. Based on Cormac’s discoveries in Low Midnight, the previous book in the series, they know what that play is going to be but not where.

Even though the information from Low Midnight is critical to the plot of Kitty Saves the World, everything is thoroughly explained so I don’t think you would have a problem if you haven’t read that book. (It’s from Cormac’s point of view and has a little different feel than the other Kitty books.) But I certainly wouldn’t recommend starting the entire series here.

Before she heads out to stop the apocalypse, Kitty has to do a radio show. I was so happy when this finale opened with her in the booth! It took me back to ‘happier times’ and reminded me why I loved Kitty from the very beginning. Then she and Ben go to their restaurant New Moon, sit in their booth with Cormac, and all felt right with the world. And that’s not even the end of the trip down memory lane. Many of Kitty’s friends, and some of my favorite characters like Odysseus Grant, also arrive to help.

I was a little disappointed to be right about “Caesar’s” identity. (But honestly, how many possibilities were there?) I also thought there were too many hints about who would ride to Kitty’s rescue at the last minute, but since I really wanted to see that character I couldn’t really complain. Vaughn and the mysterious new Men in Black did manage to surprise me in a few instances.

Overall, I’m happy with this ending to the Kitty’s story. Kitty Saves the World was a fun, fast read unlike the last two books, which have felt a little heavy to me. I liked the way that Vaughn reminded me of earlier moments in the series throughout the book, for example by referencing Ben’s first transformation or Kitty’s friend TJ, without distracting me from the crisis at hand. The ending feels like a new beginning and I’m good with that.

Sexual content: sex