Kitty Goes to Washington

Title: Kitty Goes to Washington
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Series: Kitty Norville, book 2
Genre: Urban fantasy
Published: 2006

Recommendation: Read it if you liked the first book in the series.
Rating: 7/10

Summary: Kitty is traveling around, putting on her radio show at different stations around the country until she is summoned to Washington to testify at a Senate hearing dealing with the existence of supernatural creatures. Washington has its own scene: vampires, weres, journalists, and politicians. Everyone has their own agenda for Kitty.

Reactions: I am writing this review almost a month after finishing the book. Fortunately this will constitute a timely catch-up since I didn't finish a book since. Still I find that this installment was actually more interesting than the first book in the series.

There was an expanded set of characters in this book and it was more colorful. I didn't like Kitty's love interest, he was too perfect and boring at the same time. I didn't get a feel for any sort of personality. But to make up for it, there was Alette, a master vampire with her ironically maternal influence and Leo her cruel consort. We get a whole lot more insight into Elijah Smith and his cult. There's also Jeffrey Miles the psychic and Roger Stockton the sensationalist reporter. Altogether they make for a lively crew.

The plot moves well, and Kitty acts thoroughly within her character and capability. Some of the twists are a bit hard to believe. The "bad guys" seem a little too tractable and agreeable when it comes to doing their "evil deeds". However, altogether the book comes together well and it was definitely a fun read. Plenty of twists, some good humour and an interesting investigation.

Altogether it's a pretty standard urban fantasy, but with a fairly likable heroine and an enjoyable plot. A great read as long as you are looking for some escapist fun.

Blue Diablo

Title: Blue Diablo
Author: Ann Aguirre
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published: 2009

Recommendation: Fun read, but nothing out of the ordinary for the genre.
Rating: 6.5/10

Summary: Corine Solomon has a special gift. She is able to touch items and know their history. She is hiding in Mexico when her ex-boyfriend Chance finds her and enlists her help in finding his kidnapped mother. The search will lead them to the underworld of dark magic, demons and sorcerers.

Reactions: I picked up this book for the flight during my vacation. I've read Grimspace before and had a good idea what to expect. And indeed Blue Diabolo is a quick, fun romp and was great for a long flight.

There is quite a bit of romance in this book, as Corine straightens out her relationship with Chance. Both characters are pretty likable -- Corine is not a pushover and Chance is a dashing alpha male. They make a fun couple to follow and the supporting cast are quite colorful.

Unfortunately, most aspects of the book are rather standard. The magic of the world has a couple small twists, but it's mostly unexplained and typical. The adventures are what you'd expect and the ending is not particularly surprising. But if you are looking for a book that's easy to read with fun character dialogue and a detective-like romp, this is the book for you.

August Recap

I expected much more reading to get done this month since I took a bit of a vacation. But Night Soldiers took quite some time to get through and I am a bit behind on reviews as well, so I end up the month with only a couple of books reviewed.

Reading
Books Read: 2

1. The Briar King by Greg Keyes
2. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst

Favorite book: Night Soldiers by Alan Furst

Authors
Male: 2
Female: 0

Blog
Posts: 4

P.S. So strange, it's the first of September but I don't need to go back to school. Perhaps I shall do more reading and posting this month in the spirit of the new school year.