Saturday 8 September 2012

Kitty Steals The Show Review


Kitty Steal The Show (Kitty Norville #10)
-       Carrie Vaughn

Publisher: UK - Gollancz
Kitty has been tapped as the keynote speaker for the First International Conference on Paranatural Studies, taking place in London. The conference brings together scientists, activists, protestors, and supernatural beings from all over the world—and Kitty, Ben, and Cormac are right in the middle of it. Master vampires from dozens of cities have also gathered in London for a conference of their own. With the help of the Master of London, Kitty gets more of a glimpse into the Long Game—a power struggle among vampires that has been going on for centuries—than she ever has before. In her search for answers, Kitty has the help of some old allies, and meets some new ones, such as Caleb, the alpha werewolf of the British Isles. The conference has also attracted some old enemies, who’ve set their sights on her and her friends. All the world’s a stage, and Kitty’s just stepped into the spotlight...

Kitty comes to London! I was very excited when I heard that one of my favourite werewolves was going to cross the pond and visit my home town. Even better she was bringing Cormac and Ben with her as she headed for an international conference on all thing supernatural. Unfortunately as well as some old and new friends, Kitty also runs into some enemies...

Kitty is a loud-mouth talker, not a fighter. She has changed so much since the start of this series but her first instinct is to try and talk her way out of trouble rather than fight, but that doesn’t mean she won’t get dirty on occasion. It’s quite refreshing having a heroine who isn’t a bad-ass fighter. While Kitty may have werewolf reflexes and rapid healing she doesn’t have the skill or the training to compete with fighters, but she still manages to punch above her weight when it comes to facing the bad guys and leading the good guys. I loved seeing her talking to the European werewolves and Vampires – putting them in their place and offering them choices. And for once she gets some answers...

I loved visiting different parts of London with characters I’ve known for so long – especially the non-touristy areas. The part of London where the conference is held is close to where my industry conference is each year so I felt like I could picture it perfectly – and most of the conferences do happen in similar style to what is described here. A couple of niggles – Ben doesn’t really do much apart from follow Kitty around and act like a safety blanket her Kitty and in the wider scheme the Roman plot doesn’t move forward in any major way but Kitty and co do manage to set the cat among the pigeons and discover some new allies. However, this is never less than entertaining and manages to set up some interesting situations for future instalments. A fun and engaging read.

Recommended for fans of Charlaine Harris and Jess Haines. 7.5 out of 10
 

3 comments:

  1. In some ways I liked that Ben followed her around. It really showed how much he does trust her to take the lead. I also think this was a good arc to that show down we all know is coming. I agree with you... this was a fun and engaging read. Perfectly put!

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  2. I still have book 1 to read ;)

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  3. I think this is one of the series on your UF Giveaway I've not got here or started. Sounds like another great one. :) Thanks!

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