Urban Fantasy
Paperback
June 28th, 2011
Tor
“Does she even get a vote?”
Kitty’s trouble finder is working great in here, much to her husband Ben’s despair. Kitty receives a call from San Fransisco vampire Anastasia asking for her help. Roman is still playing the long game and mobilizing an army while trying to locate a great object of power. Anastasia knows where the OOP is but needs Kitty’s help in retrieving it and keeping it safe. Kitty, Ben, and Cormac travel to San Fransisco and are soon embroiled in a supernatural war that has drawn the attention of the Gods.
Kitty’s Big Trouble is number nine in Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty Norville series. From a weak terrorized werewolf to becoming an alpha of her own pack and married-Kitty has come a long way in the last eight books. I really enjoyed the first books of the series. They maintained a serious undertone filled with action and suspense with well placed humorous snark. The last few books have, in my opinion, have stalled and become complacent. It’s like reading a Nancy Drew mystery. They find a mystery, solve it, then everyone goes home happy. I miss the edge of your seat tension where we weren’t sure what was going to happen to Kitty and her friends. We know Kitty and Ben are happily married and in love and Cormac will always have their back.
Kitty continues to try and learn more about the supernatural beings in her world; she has an interesting theory about General Sherman and Wyatt Erp, but her need for answers borders on rudeness. It’s as if her knowing is really all the matters and she can’t believe everyone isn’t lining up to spill it all to her. Grace says it best here:
“You expect me to be able to explain all the Chinese culture and mythology and folklore to you in a couple of hours? China isn’t a culture-it’s hundreds of cultures. I’m not the person who can explain all of this. I inherited some tricks and spells and a set of keys and a bunch of promises my ancestors made. I didn’t think I was ever going to have to use any of that, then it all shows up to bite me in the ass. What else do you want me to say?
Overall Rating: C-
Danielle says
“Safe” – YESSSSSSSS!!!!
That is precisely what I have felt for 4 books now. Safe. *shivers* – what an awful state to be in while reading urban fantasy.
There’s no zing or flavour to this series anymore. I remember reading first book, ‘Kitty and the Midnight Hour’ and being utterly upset when T.J. died – I thought Carrie Vaughn was a rather cut-throat and fantastic writer.
But since then this series has remained stagnate.You’re right – Cormac was the infinitely more interesting romantic option. But Vaughn chose Ben instead … the ‘safe’ option. Now readers are left to read his and Kitty’s happy and ‘safe’ little life.
tori says
I’m disappointed in the turn this series has taken.
BJ says
I thought “House of Horrors” was brilliant…but hard to follow! They all seem a little tame in comparison.
Good review, though, thanks! Will keep this one on the library list.
tori says
LOVE House of Horrors. Yes, it all went tame after that one. *sigh*
Jen at Red Hot Books says
What a great review, Tori. i agree with everything you said. Like BJ, I did enjoy Kitty’s House of Horrors, but other than that one, the series has been on a downward spiral for me. The early books had a feel that anything could happen. Now it feels like nothing will happen. Ben is a nice guy and all, but his relationship with Kitty is so boring. Fictional relationships need some kind of angst for me –some kind of tension.
I hate the Amelia/Cormac storyline. The backstory on that is in Kitty’s Greatest Hits, which I just read last week. Things are explained well enough, but it doesn’t make me like it any better.
Very disappointing.
tori says
Thanks Jen. I have her greatest hits-which I still need to read- so I’m glad to see the Cormac/Amelia thing is explained in there because they just confuse me.
I don’t mind that her and Ben are happy but like you said-there is nothing there. I could care less if they stay together or not and that saddens me.
aurian says
I still haven’t read this series, but I do inted to. Pity it doesn’t stay great, but I do want to find out for myself.
tori says
Definitely. For me, the first 4-5 were brilliant and worth reading.
Colette @ A Buckeye Girl Reads says
Cormac gets possessed?? I can’t wait to see how that happens! I just finished book 3 and am enjoying the series, but I can see how it could get old after awhile.
Kelly says
I agree the last few have been a little tame. I don’t mind that Kitty and Ben ended up together. What aggrevates me is the lack of reaction from Cormac. There should be more tension there, some addressing of the what could have been instead of all is peachy. I was hoping in Cormac’s back story in the Greatest Hits, we’d get to finally see how Cormac truely felt about the Ben/Kitty hook up, but nope. My only hope is that this tension doesn’t go wayside and gets explored in future books. It has potentional for an interesting story line.
tori says
I hope your right, but I don’t see it happening.
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