Series: Kitty Norville #9
Format Read: paperback
Source: my local library
Release Date: June 28, 2011
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Blurb from goodreads:
Kitty Norville is back and in more trouble than ever. Her recent run-in with werewolves traumatized by the horrors of war has made her start wondering how long the US government might have been covertly using werewolves in combat. Have any famous names in our own history might have actually been supernatural? She's got suspicions about William Tecumseh Sherman. Then an interview with the right vampire puts her on the trail of Wyatt Earp, vampire hunter.
But her investigations lead her to a clue about enigmatic vampire Roman and the mysterious Long Game played by vampires through the millennia. That, plus a call for help from a powerful vampire ally in San Francisco, suddenly puts Kitty and her friends on the supernatural chessboard, pieces in dangerously active play. And Kitty Norville is never content to be a pawn. . . .
Bea's Thoughts:
One of the things that I like about Kitty is how average she is. Yes, she's a werewolf but she doesn't have mega-powers nor is she a great beauty desired by all men. That's a good thing since she's a married woman. :D In her human life, she's alpha of a werewolf pack and a well-known radio talk show host. When the series started, we had werewolves and vampires, then Vaughn began adding in other supernatural beings, gods and goddesses, and a political strategy called the Long Game. I haven't loved this direction despite the fact that I usually love when books incorporate myths from around the world. It's not working for me so far though in this series. Despite that, I loved reading about the Chinese gods and goddesses that Vaughn introduced in this story, even though I didn't think they were actually needed.
In this book, Kitty has an obsession with figuring out which people in history may have been werewolves. While pursuing that passion she agrees to take a trip to San Francisco to help the vampire Anastasia in their mutual battle against the vampire Roman. The two stories, battling Roman and tracking down historical werewolves, overlap though the emphasis remains on battling Roman. I enjoyed the historical werewolves plot, not so much the Roman plot, and the politicking. Kitty, I think, is at her finest when dealing with smaller scale matters and helping werewolves. I hope there's a point to all the grand schemes Vaughn keeps dragging Kitty into. The majority of the action takes place in a just a few days yet despite the action, the pace dragged and at times felt endless. I was happy to have Cormac in the story and we learn a little more about Amelia. The introduction of Amelia a few books ago wasn't something I liked, it gave me some real WTF? moments but I'm getting acclimated to her. We meet Sun and Henry among others in this story, and I wouldn't mind seeing either of them again but overall "Kitty's Big Trouble" is meh. Odd pacing, too much politics, and an uneasy melding of gods and goddesses with vampires, and no forward motion on the Long Game subplot make for a lackluster book.
Nice sounds like we're going to get a dose of history. Its neat sometimes learning about different cultures gods and goddesses.
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't sound like something I'd like. You've saved me some time--thanks.
ReplyDeleteAnna from Shout with Emaginette
I think it's not for me either, thanks for the review :)
ReplyDeleteseems there is a lot going on in this series. great review.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my maybe I'll try it again some day series. I read book one a while back and had some probs with it but was hoping it was more of a book one kinda deal. Sorry to hear this one wasn't quite up to snuff. Stinks when that happens.
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