Reviewed by Berls on
4.5 stars
Well we're back on track - not that I ever stopped enjoying Kitty! - but the last couple hadn't been as great. But with Kitty Steals the Show some of the issues I've been having - Cormick! - waned and the sense of excitement and urgency stepped up a notch, or two! I should note that this is book 10 in the series, so there's definitely spoilers if you haven't read previous books.
My biggest problem with the last few books has been Cormick, something I never thought I'd say when this series started because I LOVED Cormick! I thought he and Kitty would end up together and that wasn't unreasonable to think. Kitty saw it as a possibility too - as she's been reminding us ever since Cormick got back from prison…. EXCEPT she didn't in Kitty Steals the Show!!! Yay! It's like Kitty has finally let go of that awkward possibility of something and Cormick has finally settled into her life as just another part of her family/pack (though he's not a werewolf). It's amazing what a difference it makes to have Kitty except that. Thinking back, though, I kinda think that Carrie Vaughn was right to have awkwardness there at first. Sure I wasn't a fan of it, but when you marry the cousin of the guy you had sparks with, while he's in prison for saving your life - even if he's genuinely okay with it and happy for y'all - I think some awkwardness is to be expected and it would take some time to create a new, not awkward relationship. So now that the awkwardess is over, I can see it more clearly for what it was :)
The other problem I've had with Cormick was Amelia - his resident ghost? Possession? - whatever Amelia is, it has taken me some time to get used to the way she's changed Cormick. But in Kitty Steals the Show we get to understand a bit more about Amelia and to see a bit more of her skills, so I'm getting more comfortable with her. Who knows, maybe another book or so and she'll feel normal to me!
I've also been talking about how the last couple books felt a lot like transitions. With Kitty Steals the Show we're definitely still building towards something, but it feels a lot less transitional and a lot more like things are happening. There's forward momentum - a LOT of it. I'm actually getting stupidly giddy over the momentum. I'm loving watching alliances get formed, alliances disintegrate, loyalties tested, and so on. What I love about it most is the role Kitty's playing in it all. Some of the vampires have started calling her Regina Luporum, which is Latin for Queen of the Wolves. Is she? Nah. But I can't help but think it's a little bit of foreshadowing for how things will develop as Roman's Long Game pushes forward and things heat up. Best part? She'd deserve that title - she's in this for all the right reasons. She wants to protect people and, as I loved seeing in Kitty Steals the Show, she's working hard to change vampire-werewolf relationships. That is, she's trying to stop werewolves from being cannon fodder/pets to vampires. Love it!
So yeah, this series continues to be fantastic and Marguerite Gavin continues to deliver wonderful performances. With Kitty Steals the Show I was particularly impressed with the range of British & other European accents she pulled out (we're in London for this book). I would love to know from someone that can distinguish the regional variations better if she nailed them or not. But for this unskilled listener, it was awesome!
I can't wait for more Kitty - especially after that speech she gave at the conference! - and thankfully I don't have to! Moving on immediately :) So fun to binge read!
*I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 29 July, 2015: Finished reading
- 29 July, 2015: Reviewed