Red Headed Stepchild is about a half mage, half vampire assassin called Sabina Kane. She's been sent into the enemy's base to infiltrate their secrets and perform an assasination that gets complicated, as she finds out more about the people and her own birth.

At the very start of the book, there was a part that revealed that every vampire is a red head. The ones with darker mahogany hair are older and more powerful, while the ones with lighter auburn hair are newborns. I found this reference to b More...

"Red-Headed Stepchild" is a debut fantasy novel from Jaye Wells with a good dose of sexual tension. As a debut novel there was quite a bit of world-building and scene setting, but the story still moved along at a rapid pace with not too much lag time. The heroine is a kick-butt assassin who becomes torn between her two worlds as the novel progresses.

Sabrina is the product of a forbidden union between a vamp and a mage. Her mother died not long after her birth and she was brought up by her Grand More...

'Red-Headed Stepchild' was such a fab read! It's the first in the 'Sabina Kane' series and what a fantastic start. I was pulled into Sabina's life from the get-go and I liked her immediately.

Sabina Kane is an assassin, which means she's one tough cookie. She fights hard and enjoys it, but to do this she has to sacrifice her personal life and do the bidding of her grandmother, the head of the Dominae, to the point that she will kill even her friends. She's also a 'half-blood' - half vampire and h More...

First off just let me say that I truly wanted to like this book. I really did! I was in love with the cover, the description of the summary, and even though I had seen many mixed reviews about the book, it sounded like a story that I could really enjoy.

Before I start ranting about all the aspects of the book that I didn't like, let me begin with what I did like.

I really enjoyed the author's take on vampires. Having already done some research of my own, I was already aware of the legend of Lilith More...

Sabina's a half-breed vamp with a little bit of the magixes in her! An assassin with a near impossible task and a secret history worthy of the best of Jerry Springer, Vamp edition! While it's not a comedy per se, there are tons of laugh out loud moments and Sabina's as engaging an urban fantasy heroine as I've read in years.

Ps. Loved me some Giguhl, Sabina's demon sidekick. I could read a whole spin-off of Mr. Giggles!

A wonderful debut novel to a promising new series. I really enjoyed the characters of Sabina, Adam, and Vinca. Throw a hairless demon cat into the mix and you're set for an exciting adventure. I look forward to reading more about Sabina as she uncovers the secrets of her identity.

Review from ZombieHazard

Digging graves is hell on a manicure

How can’t you love a book that starts like this?

Red-Headed Stepchild is one hell of a book. It’s fast-paced (I’m a sucked for fast-paced books), the heroine is wicked cool and the story freakin’ awesome! Since this was a group read and I was the only one who loved it this much I guess my review will be totally subjective. My mood was perfect for it so I got lucky, I guess.

First of all I shall pick on the cover! Cool lady, love the hai More...

Really a 3.5, but definately not a 4. It has all of the right urban fantasy elements, almost a checklist. Tough chick, tough decisions, wacky friends, hot guy she starts out hating but starts to fall for, betrayal, etc. But I jus didn't have the zip or energy it needs to be a 4. I like Sabina and the story, I am looking forward to the next book, but... I do like her different take on vamps, mages, elves and demons. She uses the tried and true Lilith myth, but in a new way. The supporting charact More...

Half vampire, half mage Sabina Kane is an assassin working for the Dominae vampire council. Her latest job is to infiltrate the renegade group of vampires led by Clovis Trakiya who is recruiting vampires and other paranormal beings to ultimately overthrow the Dominae.

Raised by her grandmother, a powerful leader in the Dominae council, Sabina has always been required to suppress the mage side of her abilities. In the midst of infiltrating Clovis' group she's approached by a mage who has some int More...

The very first scene starts out with killing a trusted friend. Seriously? This does not bode well. Blind loyalty to the Vampire Council, Dominae, is something Sabina follows to the T. It is quickly revealed Sabina's grandmother runs the council with three other elder vampire. This makes sense as to why Sabina follows so blindly without question. Sabina is a mixed blood - 1/2 vampire and 1/2 mage.

From the very beginning, Sabina's grandmother comes across as loathsome. She's filled with hatred. Th More...

Recommended for: people who enjoyed reading the Sookie Stackhouse novels and the Parasol Protectorate series.

I have been looking for a while to find a good vampire series to read. Well, guys, this is it! The search is over.

This is a book that I purchased for $ 0.99 for my Nook when they were doing a deal on it. From the first sentence, I was hooked, "Digging graves is hell on a manicure." Now how funny is that?

The story/plot revolves around a red-headed half-vampire half-mage tough assassin chic More...

Sabina Kane is a half vampire, half mage and an assassin for her evil grandmother who is the alpha/leader of the vampires. Sabina's grandmother, Lavinia instructs her too infiltrate a cult in order to kill the leader - Clovis, who is plotting to take over as leader/alpha of the vampires. Sabina eager to please her grandmother sets about to destroy Clovis.
Sabina is cold, bitchy and a loner.. she is loyal to her grandmother and despises humans, mages and anyone who isn't a vampire. Her thinking i More...

So we have a half-vampire, half mage assassin named Sabina who is trying to gain acceptance from her vampire grandmother who shows no love or adoration to Sabina. Sabina gets herself in some shit and finds out more about herself in the process from hunky and sexy mage named Adam who looked ultimately delicious in nothing but a towel. And now she has to choose sides, the Mages or the Vampires. No one said life was easy.

Sabina was one tough cookie. I don't think she really stood out like other of More...

This book was so well written! Being that I'm in the middle of a rage against everything Vampires, I was almost turned off reading the book, but Jaye Wells did something totally different with the genre which made it not only bareable, but incredibly addictive - I can't wait to read more about the awesomness that is Sabina Kane...

Well, it started quite promising, but then something happened and until the last fifty pages or so I was annoyed. Demon turned into the cuddly ugly cat... Give me a break!
Plot is interesting, Sabina is badass and I like mythology behind the vamps and mages.
But it was the red hair that got me! When I was thirteen, I wanted to dye my hair - take the wild guess - red, but my mom didn't want to hear about it. So, in the my not so smart rebelious moment, I dyed it with color shampoo. There's no need More...

3.75*
It was an ok book... I didn't like it much at the start, though I loved the first sentence :D
I loved V and I am so sad that JW killed her. I like Adam and the G-demon, they're funny and cool.
Sabina is annoying, she is impulsive and it seems to me that she does things without thinking. I mean, come on, how idiot can you be to change allegiance and go to NYC to piss of your grandma? IMO she needs to grow up a lot.
In the end, I think that I would have liked the book more if I didn't compare More...

I might go as high as a 3.5 on this, but not a full 4. It was fun and fast-paced, the heroine has promise, and the potential love interest is totally hot, but there was a lot of silliness that was a little hard to swallow. So, vamps are the children of Lilith and Cain, are born, not made, and all have red hair that deepens shade as they age. Cool, works for me. But apples in all their forms are lethal? Say whozit whatzit? Ok, I get that this is supposed to be an Eden reference, and applewood sta More...

Sabina Kane is half vampire and half mage and the two species have long been enemies. So even though she comes from royal blood and her grandmother is head of the Dominae (vampires), she's constantly put down for her parents' sin. She works as an assassin for the Dominae and loyalty to them was drilled in by her grandmother at an early age.

But her world starts to unravel when she's ordered to kill a friend from assassin school for treason against the Dominae; then told to go undercover to learn More...

Let me start by saying I got this book at RT after the author had read from the most recent one in a panel and I was intrigued, and I could not wait to et my hands on this series. How did I miss this author, she is right u my alley and I have no idea how I missed this, or why no one has recommended me the book!!

This book was awesome. It started out slow for me, so I will not lie and say I was sucked right in right away. It took me a few chapters and then it finally got interesting and got me hoo More...

This book started out great, but a third of the way, it stopped making any sense.

First off, how can she be so cool about someone who summoned a demon to "test" her by killing her? I mean how do you get over that so fast? Just because he's hot doesn't necessarily means he's trustworthy! What if his hunch was wrong that applewood won't kill her? She could so easily been dead, but she trusts him that easily?? How did that happen?

Then there's his easy capture by the cults' guards. He's supposed to More...

Having just finished reading a Casandra Clare book in the sci-fi/fantasy genre, I won't lie. This book was a bit tricky to get into at first. My expectations were not the same. I picked up the book series on a recommendation, and had high expectations. However, I must say that the book series and subsequent characters grow on you over time - not the same way as a richer and more developed character and sub-plot scheme like an E.E. Knight or Casandra Clare.

Towards the end of the book, I really s More...

*** POSSIBLE SPOILERS ***

I'm not a huge devourer of urban fantasy/paranormal books, but the title and the cover art of this one drew me in.

"Red-Headed Stepchild" opens well, dropping the reader straight into the action. There's intrigue, sass and assassination, all within the first few pages. Jaye Wells metes out her characters' stories at a nice pace and with a dash of smart-mouthed confidence. The character of Giguhl, especially, gave the author plenty of material to work with.

But this book ju More...

Plot: 3.5 Stars
I really liked the idea of a half-vampire, half-mage character, with the vampire and mage communities being enemies. I wish more of the vampire-mage history had been explained. The twists and turns, lots of fighting, a tiny glimmer of romance, and even some humor. But it just felt like there was something missing.

Pace: 3.5 Stars
The beginning was fast paced and reeled me in quick, but by around chapter fifteen, the pace definitely slowed down. Although I never lost interest in the More...

Every time I picked up this book, it sounded as though it could be a good read. However, for some reason or the other, I ended up putting in back on the shelf. And, let me tell you, I am happy I finally convinced myself to buy it with my Christmas money!

The story follows Sabina Kane, half vampire/half vampire assassin working for one of the largest vampire groups around. However, even though she is good at her job and her grandmother is 1/3 of the ruling body, she still feels the pinch of being More...

Sabina Kane is half vampire and half mage, in a world that looks down upon mixed blood beings. Her vampire half is readily obvious, because like her mother and her grandmother, she has red hair. It's obvious to those that see her that she is still very young, and in fact a scant 53 years old by the fact that hair isn't very dark yet. Sabina is an assassin, having been declined other roles due to her mixed heritage. Sabina was raised by her grandmother (because both of her parents are dead) to di More...

I'm only a few chapters into this book, and I can aleady say I don't like it. There is a lot to be desired as far as dialogue goes. It feels childish--seriously like jr. high kids are conversing instead of adults. And as for the characters--I sincerely dislike them all. That, in itself, wouldn't be a "broke the camel's back" issue if I at least liked the main character. But being unable to respect her makes that an unlikelihood. For a century-old assasin, she is about the dumbest person I've eve More...

The first time I heard about Jaye Wells’ Sabina Kane series was in a what-would-you-buy-if-you-won giveaway comment. And it kept popping up, so I had to pick it up…

drey’s thoughts:

If you:

1. like urban fantasy
2. prefer your heroines smart-mouthed and sassy and able to open a can of whoop-ass with her pinky finger
3. want some plot amidst the action

then you’re going to love Sabina Kane in Jaye Wells’ Red-Headed Stepchild. How do I know? If you have to ask, you must be new ’round here…

Sabina is a m More...

This book was so much fun. I'm delighted by the fact that the heroine is a assassin and drinks from humans, sometimes to the point of death [she hates drinking synthetic blood]... True she does go for drug dealers and would-be rapists ala Dexter, but it's still a ton better then most of the other "blood is yuck" and "kiss don't kill" otherworldly heroines many publishers are trying to sell to me. If I'm looking at a book about vampires, cults and assassins I know that I'm going to read about mur More...

Interesting but frustrating urban fantasy about a half vampire/half mage assassin, Sabina, who has been brainwashed and lied to all her life by her powerful vampire Grandmother, the leader of the Dominae. Sabina is sent by the Dominae to infiltrate a rebel group but along the way Sabina realises the truth and starts to switch her allegiance.

The problem I had with this story was Sabina's assassination of her life-long friend David in the first chapter. It was a morally reprehensible act and it wa More...