Kitty and the Silver Bullet

Kitty Norville #4

by Carrie Vaughn

Kitty's radio show is as popular as ever and she has a boyfriend who actually seems to understand her. Can she finally settle down to a normal life? Not if this is just the calm before the storm. When her mother falls ill, Kitty rushes back to Denver--and right back to the abusive pack of werewolves she escaped a year ago. To make matters worse, a war is brewing between the city's two oldest vampires, threatening the whole supernatural community. Though she wants to stay neutral, Kitty is again drawn into a world of politics and violence. To protect her family, her lover, and herself, she'll have to choose sides. And maybe become what she hates--a killer.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Werewolves, Romance, Fiction

326 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 2008

About the author

Carrie Vaughn is the author more than twenty novels and over a hundred short stories. She's best known for her New York Times bestselling series of novels about a werewolf named Kitty who hosts a talk radio advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged. In 2018, she won the Philip K. Dick Award for Bannerless, a post-apocalyptic murder mystery. She's published over 20 novels and 100 short stories, two of which have been finalists for the Hugo Award. She's a contributor to the Wild Cards series of shared world superhero books edited by George R. R. Martin and a graduate of the Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop.

An Air Force brat, she survived her nomadic childhood and managed to put down roots in Boulder, Colorado, where she collects hobbies.

Visit her at www.carrievaughn.com

For writing advice and essays, check out her Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/carrievaughn

Reviews

[Carmel (Rabid Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads.

Kitty has to head back to her hometown of Denver to tend to a family emergency, and in doing so ends up having to face the very thing that got her and I off on the wrong foot since the first installment of this series. I was happy that Carrie Vaughn made her heroine confront her demons at this point in the story arc because I don’t think that I could have dealt with Norville in her submissive state for much longer. The vampire and police detective threads also picked up where they left off, and the romance took an unexpected turn which left me feeling pretty satisfied with this volume.

When push came to shove, Kitty made the right decision when the time came to face her fears for her mother’s sake, and I was relieved to see her get back on the horse so to speak. Her return wasn’t without its hitches, and she did have a couple of weak moments, but all in all Norville finally found her inner strength. I enjoyed her interactions with her human pack, and the various supes that she’s picked up along the way. My hope is that the winds of change continue gusting well past KITTY AND THE SILVER BULLET because now that I’ve gotten a taste of alpha Kitty, I can’t go back to the omega version.

Vampire politics usually make for interesting plot lines, and this one was no different. The author revealed just enough of their machinations to make me feel like I learned something important about their inner workings while keeping the rest in the dark, and me speculating in-between titles. The romance has taken a completely different direction than what I’d originally anticipated, and although I’m slightly bummed by that, especially after one particularly poignant scene, it shows promise. Albeit, I suspect that something (or someone) might happen that’ll rock the current pairing’s boat.

The Midnight Hour is back in business after a brief hiatus which is fantastic news because Marguerite Gavin has a real knack for the protagonist’s on air voice. There was also a fair number of characters in this audiobook what with the vampire/werewolf war, and the narrator made sure to give each of them their own unique tone and pitch; some I recognized immediately from the first novel while as others were brand new. Gavin infused the touching scenes between Norville and her mom with just the right level of emotion as well as the lovey dovey one towards the end.

KITTY AND THE SILVER BULLET was an installment that I could really sink my teeth in to!

[Schnaucl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning: This review contains spoilers. I talk about the end of the book. Continue reading at your peril.










I liked this book, but not as much as others in the series. I liked how it opened. It was good to see that Cormac hasn't been forgotten and he's still a part of their lives.

The actual plot was fine, I suppose Kitty had to deal with unresolved issues. It's the end of the book I'm not sure about. I liked Kitty alone and then with a small pack. I'm sure she'll make an excellent alpha, I'm just not convinced that I want to read about it.

Same thing with Ben. He's always struck me as pretty bland and more of a Beta male than an Alpha. I'd hoped Cormac would get out of jail early and the three of them would form a unit (hopefully with Kitty/Cormac) but this time there wasn't nearly as much of a sense that Cormac was missing from their lives. They have a pack now, they don't really need him the same way. And now that Kitty and Ben are getting married I just don't see him being as involved in their lives.

I also didn't buy that the human halves fell in love. They spent most of the book fighting and trying to decide if they were only together because they were a pack of two. I was never really convinced that there was any other reason for it. As I recall, Kitty wasn't particularly interested in Ben before he became a werewolf. Yes, he's a nice guy, but we didn't actually see much of that in this book aside from his driving her to see her mother. What am I missing? Where and why did the human halves fall in love?

I'm not ready to abandon the series or anything, but I'm wary of the new direction. On the plus side, I seem to recall that there will be two books in the series released within about a month of each other in 2009.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

When her mother contracts breast cancer, Kitty who has been living in exile is forced to return to Denver to be with family. But the alpha werewolf she fled just a year earlier sees in her a threat to his leadership and is determined to have her killed.

Adding to her headaches, a war is brewing in the world of vampires and werewolves and she is being pressured to choose a side.


Kitty and the Silver Bullet is a tightly woven and well written story, probably the best in the series to date. A lot of fun for fans of werewolves and vampires.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The description sounded like a war, a nasty guerrilla war where both sides occupied the same territory with no clear lines of engagement existed. Attacks came at any moment, treachery was the norm, and both sides fought with their own sense of righteousness.

Kitty and the Silver Bullet feels like a redo of Kitty and the Midnight Hour in many ways.

Kitty is compelled to come back to Denver when her mother falls ill, and we’re reintroduced to her old pack and old haunts with a Kitty that is more settled (her show is thriving, her book is coming out, and her relationship with Ben is solid) but not quite assured in her place in the world.

Since she was banished from the territory by her old alpha at the end of the first book, Kitty and Ben try to lay low while awaiting her mother’s test results. Kitty and Ben’s relationship hits a few snags early on: first, Kitty learns she’s had a miscarriage and that due to her lycanthropy, she’ll never be able to carry a child to term. Kitty is obviously devastated by the news but it also puts her relationship with Ben into stark contrast.

Their romantic relationship is a direct consequence of Ben turning into a werewolf; when he was human, their relationship was warm and friendly, but without romantic overtures. Whether, at this point, their relationship is just because they're “pack” is where most of the tension between them lies. It’s good relationship drama that’s made messier than it needs to be when Kitty runs off to talk to Cormac and they share another wholly unnecessary “what-if” exchange.

Of course, laying low doesn’t last terribly long and Kitty is quickly made a player in a turf war involving both the vampires and werewolves.

I was worried about how Vaughn would choose to portray Carl, but something clearly clicked. She’s finally calling him a rapist, a murderer, a monster, and not hiding behind lycanthropy or a poorly implemented Lady Macbeth-ing situation with Meg. The entire subplot with Jenny is heartbreaking, but Carl’s comeuppance — in very dictator fashion, mauled by his own people — was the perfect end to a despicable character.

The vampire antics aren’t half as gratifying, mainly because Kitty is too much of an interloper. What’s frustrating about this is all it would have taken is to cement her friendship with Rick to make the stakes here feel like more than just a pretentious play of musical chairs. And Kitty’s confusion at what The Long Game could be in relation to vampires gave me a good laugh.

Kitty and the Silver Bullet is a fun, action-heavy (for this series), gratifying read. My one nagging issue was with how cavalier Kitty is about the safety of her family. Her actions during the turf war opened her family up to retaliatory attacks, and its a miracle none of them were even hurt.

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review has also been posted on my Happy Indulgence blog. Check it out for more reviews!

After vacationing and working on The Midnight Hour out of town, Kitty finally returns home in this installment, finally able to face what she has left behind. Carl and Meg are alerted to her presence and partner with age-old vampire Arturo to expel her out of town, but Kitty's backed by a police and opposing vampire Rick.

Caught between some territorial wars between vampires and werewolves, and facing a very personal battle against Carl and Meg, how does Kitty fare in Kitty and the Silver Bullet?

As always, the world of Kitty Norville is a refreshing and light read. Kitty's always enjoyable to read about because she's just so real, even though she's a werewolf. She's got a life and family to care about, and with the new addition of her co-alpha Ben, she's got a lot to live for.

That's why she stands up to Carl and Meg, her previous pack leaders where she was the most submissive in the pack. For those who cringed seeing Kitty being used and abused in the first book, you'll get your vengeance here.

This book was much more action packed than the previous ones, and there are a LOT of characters that you'll come across here. I found it a little more difficult to follow than previous installments, but still enjoyed it a lot. Kitty really grows and stands tall in this book and it's refreshing to see such a turn around since the last time she was here.

[Pam Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Kitty and the Silver Bullet Stars

Oh, Kitty, how I love her journey. This book has some heart to it and that heart is going to break yours. Only Kitty is a strong ass wolf and she kicks some serious ASS!

This book has a lot of vampire politics and somehow Kitty gets smacked dab in the middle of it all.

Ben surprised me in this book, he is become more manly and thank god for that. I thought he was too soft for our Kitty in the books before it. But he is growing up and I am enjoying where the story is going.

Again I love the narration and can’t wait to see what is going to happen with Kitty next.

*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*

[Mike Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitty becomes an Alpha

"Kitty And The Silver Bullet" was fun from the first page to the last. Carrie Vaughn's writing is deceptively easy to read: I found myself sliding right into the story, like returning to a favourite reading chair, yet what Carrie Vaughn writes is not light-weight. It works because she loads her books with serious, difficult issues and drives Kitty's development by her responses to them. Carrie Vaughn is never heavy-handedly didactic but her characters are always made to choose between right and wrong and to take the consequences of their actions.

Kitty, now the Alpha of a two werewolf pack, is forced by family circumstances to return home, even though the Alphas of her previous pack has banished her on pain of death.

This means that Kitty finally has to confront the abuse she received from the Alpha of her first pack and the scars that it left.  The confrontation becomes wrapped up in the Byzantine complexities of Vampire politics: a hierarchy enforced by violence and changed only by challenge but which turns out not to be entirely in the hands of the local Vampires.

Kitty befriends a young pack member who occupies the bottom-of-the-heap, abuse-toy for the Alpha role that Kitty held. This meeting, together with the reaction of some of her former pack-mates, makes Kitty realise that the experiences of the past year have changed her from a defenseless follower into a strong leader.

I enjoyed Kitty's reluctance to become an Alpha and her struggles to try and avoid violent conflict. Perhaps it's true that power should only be given to those who don't desire it and the force is a last resort.

I was also fascinated to see Kitty trying to sort out whether she becomes more as werewolf by embracing the human or the wolf. Her reactions to abuse and murder are decidedly human. Her need to protect her pack and her pack's expectations of her are mainly wolf.  Until this novel, Kitty has tended to see herself as a human who has contracted a disease that turns her into a wolf on the full moon. In this novel she accepts that that is not the whole truth. She is no longer who she was and she has now to decide who she will become.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one sorts out some things from the previous book, and it nicely resolves a major issue that's been hanging over Kitty's head for a while.
I have to give Vaughn credit for bringing realistic elements into the story that most of the urban fantasy I've seen so far tends to avoid. The realistic plot touches such as an ailing mother, a tricky relationship, the impossibility of having children--wow, they kind of hit me in the gut.
She also has a more balanced view of supernatural creatures than some--there are good and bad lycanthropes and bad and good vampires.
But this one did end on a few high notes. (Good-bye, Carl, you SOB!)

[Jamie Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. There was the occasional flash of what I liked about the earlier books, but I nearly didn't get through this one. The heroine has always alternated between cowering and bravado but she also acted like an idiot for most of this book. And these are the lamest bunch of werewolves and vampires I've ever encountered in this genre. Read Patricia Briggs instead.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitty and the Silver Bullet
4 Stars

When Kitty's mother becomes ill, she and her werewolf mate, Ben O'Farrell, return home to Denver only to find themselves caught up in a Vampire turf war. To make matters worse, the local werewolf Alpha with whom Kitty has an antagonistic past is out for her blood. Will Kitty be able to keep those she cares about safe from the fallout?

This is a definite improvement over the previous installment on all fronts. Kitty is finally coming into her own and stands up for herself although she is still in dire need of some self-defense classes as she still finds herself worse off in physical altercations.

Moreover, the chemistry between Kitty and Ben that was sorely lacking finally puts in an appearance and the developments in their relationship as they work together as a team and love and support one another make the romance a lot more believable.

Vampire and werewolf politics are the focus of the plot with some intriguing revelations and hints at additional twists to come. I look forward to seeing where Vaughn takes her characters in the aftermath of the events in this book.

[Jessica Reads It · Rating 4 out of 5]

I relished the fact that Kitty is pushed out of her comfort zone in Kitty and the Silver Bullet. In this installment, she cannot continue with her tail between her legs but must face the demons in her past. As she returns to Denver to care for her ailing mother she is approached by Rick, a vampire who wants to overthrow the current rule by staging a coup. Kitty is faced with the tough decision of joining in on a potential turf war or sitting on the sidelines.

Kitty honestly surprised me in this book, she was no longer a pushover and good riddance to that scaredy-cat (pun intended) because we finally see her asserting her dominance and being the bad bi*ch I always knew she could always be. Carl and Meg were on my stink list for being total alphaholes so I was glad to see someone stand up to them.

Kitty has progressed so much from the victim of the first book to a vivacious and sassy woman. I enjoy reading her because I always feel a sense of realism as if she could actually be living in Denver and I am following along on her adventures.

The most jaw-dropping thing aside from this was definitely the "romance". I was left utterly shook by the turn of events and hope a certain character will make an appearance again.

I listened to this via audiobook and must commend Ms. Marguerite Gavin for her sensational voice range. My favorite has to be "Radio Kitty's" voice which is the perfect balance of sexy and sensual but also upbeat and fun. Marguerite voiced each character perfectly and was able to switch from Kitty to Ben to Rick to every other character smoothly and convincingly. She also can infuse just the right amount of emotions in her voice to portray utter excitement, heartbreak, worry, and sadness.

I was on the fence about Kitty before but now I am pretty excited to listen on to her adventures!

[Kathy Davie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourth in the Kitty Norville urban fantasy series about a radio talk show host-cum-werewolf based in Denver, Colorado.


My Take
Whoa...talk about full circle! After spending so much time avoiding Denver, circumstances bring 'em right on back.

I do like how Vaughn has Kitty skittish about the relationship between Ben and herself. Just events that have caused them to bond. Form their little pack of two. A mated pair against their will. Sorta. I suspect it's Kitty's conversation with Drs. Luce and Schumacher that starts to make Kitty wonder about the true usefulness of Carl and Meg.

Ben definitely has his work cut out for him. Seems he really does like Kitty and wants a more normal relationship with her.

WHY is Kitty being so bloody deferential?? None of the vampires nor Carl or Meg have any authority over her. And she knows how horrible both Carl and Meg are. Ignorant, such a lack of self-esteem that they can't allow anyone else to succeed at anything. Carl is a rapist. Meg is a betraying bitch, in every sense of the word. How can she not want to take 'em down? Just what kind of ditz is Cheryl? She knows her sister is a werewolf and she can't be that ignorant of the violence that can revolve around the paranatural… To be honest, I thought that Vaughn was creating this situation just to create dramatic tension. It's too lame to be anything else.

Then there's the ending...never, ever saw that one coming.


The Story
Seems to be some question in Denver as to who should be ruling and Rick wants to know whose side Kitty will support. *nudge, nudge, wink, wink* But Kitty's too terrified of Carl and Meg, the leaders of her old pack and she refuses to ally with anyone. After all, she need never return to Denver.

At least not until that frantic phone call from her dad with the news about her mom. Well, it's not how Ben hoped to meet Kitty's family...actually, he was hoping to put it off for a much longer time. Then Kitty lands the interview with a Broadway legend who wants to expose herself, well, Kitty can't hide away from Denver residents anymore. And let's just say that it's something of a riot with pending coups. Including getting Rick on her talk show!

Cook's duplicity, the up-close reality of the woman calling in about her friend who's in danger, sisterly expectations, the need to protect, threats to her family, and war. Luckily for Kitty, Cormac has experience with strategy and Ben has experience in battle.


The Characters
Kitty Norville is our intrepid werewolf radio talk show host who is slipping into Denver, hiding from her old pack. After events in Kitty Takes a Holiday , she and her lawyer, Ben O'Farrell, are together, forming a pack of two while Cormac is serving time in Cañon City. Her mom and dad, Gail and Jim Norville, accept her condition. Her big sister Cheryl is married to Mark and they have two kids, Nicky and Jeffy. Matt from KNOB still handles the engineering albeit at a distance while Ozzie, KNOB's manager, takes care of the legal end.

Dr. Luce is Kitty's doctor with news that has its grim side. Dr. Elizabeth Schumacher is the new head of the Center for the Study of Paranatural Biology, taking Dr. Flemming's position. The new head of the Paranatural Unit in Denver PD, Detective Jesse Hardin keeps in touch with Kitty as her go-to expert on the supernatural. Officer Sawyer is a bit quick off the trigger.

Rick is a somewhat independent and powerful vampire in Denver where Arturo rules as Master. He's rather friendly with Kitty. Dack is an African wild dog shifter and an old friend of Rick's. Violet and Charlie are a vampire pair channeling Bonnie and Clyde. Mercedes Cook is a legend on Broadway and she wants to come out on Kitty's radio show.

Carl is the alpha of her old pack; Meg is his mate. In Kitty and the Midnight Hour , they murdered T.J. and banished Kitty with the understanding that if she ever showed up in their territory, she was dead meat. Becky is a member of their pack and concerned about Jenny. The new "Kitty" of the pack. Other pack members include Shaun who tends bar in Lodo and Mick, one of the tougher wolves.

Alette is the Mistress of Washington D.C.; Tom is one of her grandsons and takes care of her daytime needs. Ahmed is a friendly shifter who owns a Moroccan restaurant that seems to operate as a general headquarters for all shifters. A good city to send a terrified werewolf.


The Cover
The cover is a blues and yellows background with its misty night in the woods with a full moon. Blonde Kitty dressed in black makes a good contrast with the white snarling wolf.

The title says it all as Kitty and the Silver Bullet do meet up in this tale.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of Kitty’s arc is not making sense development-wise, nor holding my attention, so the next book may determine whether I drop this series.

[BabyLunLun · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHAT AN EPIC FIGHT!! And are you telling me this is only the fourth book?? Can it get more epic than this??

My heart is in my throat the whole time because how is Kitty gonna take on the whole vampire and werewolf pack? Its crazy but she did it.

I am not a fan of Ben and finally Cormick admit his feelings for Kitty but sucks because it looks like Ben is here to stay

[AH · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

When I choose a book to read, I have several series that are my “go-to” books. They aren’t fantastic literature but when I am in the mood for entertainment, I really don’t care. The Kitty books are perfect for this. It’s a series that I can just sit back and enjoy.

In Kitty and the Silver Bullet, Kitty and Ben return to Denver for a few reasons, but mostly because Kitty’s mom has been diagnosed with cancer and must undergo treatment. Kitty is still “officially” banned from Denver by Carl and the Denver pack, so she and Ben must “sneak” in.

Kitty endures several events in this book that further develop her character. She continues to realize the implications of being a werewolf. She can’t have children, not that she even thought of being a mother, but because the decision had been taken away from her because of her lycanthropy. Kitty worries about the security of her family and the health of her mother. She even offers to “infect” her mother to “cure” her from the cancer.

Kitty’s freedom of movement is affected by Carl and Meg. I did find it odd that while Kitty did sneak into Denver, she went about her business in the open, going as far as to air her radio program in Denver and Carl did not react. Carl and Meg’s abusive hold on the Denver pack is a sore point for Kitty and Kitty decides to make a stand. Kitty even agrees to work with the local police detective.

The vampire politics and deceptions in this book were incredible. The posturing for position and authority created some interesting, if not bloody, situations.

Kitty’s radio show was still the highlight for me. I loved her interview with Mercedes Cook, who chose to “come out” as a vampire on the air.

Throughout the book Kitty questions her relationship with Ben. Their relationship is strained at times and Kitty wonders if they would be together. This book marks a turning point in this relationship.

All in all, another solid book in the series. I’ll keep reading these books. They are a fun read.

[Kazen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came back to this series after an inadvertent three year break because Silver Bullet was sitting on my physical shelves, and why not?

It's been a while since I read straight urban fantasy and while it took me a minute to remember the characters it's fun to be back. My favorite scenes of this and every Kitty Norville book are her discussions with people calling in to her late night radio show. The world focuses down to two people having an often deep conversation, and Vaughn writes them with a humanity and humor that I love.

Around a third of the way in I felt unmoored, especially as Kitty's mom is diagnosed with breast cancer in real time, but soon after the true conflict makes itself known and it's off to the races.

The plot is the kind of thing you'd expect and does just what it should - topple a big bad, resolve a long-standing problem, and introduce a few wrinkles - but it's the bare minimum. No extra points here.

As a whole I'm ambivalent about the book because I have mixed feelings about the characters. Kitty is great and a worthy first person POV, but Ben has lost the banter and sparkle he had in earlier books. Cormac is super interesting, but he's literally locked up and only features in a couple of scenes. I don't remember Hardin from the previous books but she grows on me here. And Kitty's family? Zzzzzz~

Three stars, straight down the line. I may immediately start the next book to see where I stand with this series, and if it'll be worth continuing on.


Content notes: miscarriage, cancer of a family member (news of diagnosis and treatment on page), medicalized environments, emotional and physical abuse, discussion of leaving an abuser, gunfights, blood, death

[Tamora Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay--I think I missed the boat on the earlier two books (GOES TO WASHINGTON and TAKES A HOLIDAY). It occured to me while reading this book that in a way Kitty has been working out what would be in an adult human a childhood's worth of abuse since leaving Carl and Meg, the alphas of her pack in Denver. As a new werewolf, Kitty was vulnerable to seeing her alphas as god-like--they were the first she knew; she was very young in her new life, and they wielded power with arrogance and cruelty.

Now, in SILVER BULLET, Kitty is back in Denver, caught up in a power play between werewolves and vampires, with her human family and Ben, her mate and pack member, as hostages to fortune when Carl and Meg learn she has returned. Facing Carl and Meg again, Kitty has to fight the immediate submission her wolf-self demands to offer them. She can also see the harm that will come to the others if she not only gives Carl and Meg that submission, but refuses to take their alpha position. Manipulated by vampires continuing a centuries-old game, making it up as she goes, fighting her wolf instincts, Kitty has to learn to be an alpha by reason of her intellect, not her brawn. If she loses, hers won't be the only death. She has her parents, her sister, her brother-in-law, and her niece and nephew at risk in addition to Ben.

[Diana Stormblessed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This should be 2.5 stars but I'm being uncharacteristically charitable today. Kitty, while a horrible, guilty pleasure of mine, is not a series which deals in great plots.

Kitty started the series as an abused, timid omega wolf. And in 1 short year has become a scary alpha wolf? She has no combat training, no political knowledge, nothing at all that would be scary or would lead me to believe she can protect anyone from any big bads, but here she is, fighting vampire/werewolf wars and ensuring protection for her new pack. I just don't buy it. Additionally, all of the characters are weak idiots, especially the bad guys. If this were a Dresden Files or Mercy Thompson book, Kitty would be dead on page 1. And her relationship with Ben still feels like a forced relationship. You just know the author is try to drag it out so that late in the series she can kill of Ben and Kitty can fall into Cormac's arms for comforting (this is speculation on my part as I haven't yet read past book 4).

I started this series thinking it was a cool idea to see the big bad wolf from the place of someone weak, and not the super hero we're used to seeing in our heros/heroins. But now Vaughn is trying to make Kitty a super hero, and I'm just not buying it.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe this is the best of the Kitty Norville books that I've read so far. I've been reading them very much out of sequence, but that hasn't dampened my appreciation of them. There's a whole lot of plot as well as character development packed into this one, despite Cormac being incarcerated while everything develops. Kitty returns to the city due to her mother's health, and we are shown a lot about the werewolf/vampire political situation. Rick proves his worth, Kitty becomes the alpha of the pack, and we learn about The Long Game for the first time. It's the best-plotted book in the series, developing seeds that were dropped in earlier books and laying the foundation for events that don't pay off until the series' end. Kitty was one of the real high points of urban fantasy a decade or so ago.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book snuck up on me, it was good then just got better the more I read.

Those following the series know that Kitty has had some problems that led to at least a 3 book road trip. All those problems come to a head in this book as Rick the Vampire decides to stage a coup and also involves the Werewolves.

Meanwhile Cormac is still in Prison and Detective Hardin has been made head of the Paranormal Police Unit.

This book has HEA coming out the wazoo, and who doesn't like that?

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. It was good, and Kitty certainly has her share of character growth.

There were a lot of changes in this book. I'm curious to see how it effects the story going forward.

[Zen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still feel like the relationship between Kitty and Ben feels more like one of convenience. Her visit to Cormac in prison seemed to reinforce that. I like all three of them, however, and am glad that Kitty has finally been able to return home.

[Desi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was hard to finish but overall a solid entry.

[Alice4170 🌙 · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️
I’m exited for the next one!!

[mlady_rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those series which definitely built up and met it's stride over the course of a few books. This one had me fighting dawn and drooping eyelids to keep reading just one more chapter. That certainly sounds like a 5 star book, to me.

On the urban fantasy/ paranormal romance argument, I think this book settled the series into the same category as Eileen Wilks "World of the Lupi" or even Kelley Armstrong's "Women of the Otherworld". Urban fantasy, but with a single monogamous couple being established somewhere along the line.

I also love the transition (across books) of Kitty moving between being a lone wolf to having her own pack. There was a particular sweetness to the pack of 2, then 3, then 4. And Kitty's realization that being a leader made her into a control freak. (Now who does that sound like? *g*)

Kitty's relationship with her mother and sister really hit close to home for me. I'm certainly the odd daughter who didn't follow the normal path with marriage and children. Mom's illness had me sobbing.

The vamps were back in this volume. Kitty trying to pin down their ages amused me. Not too fond of the "going to dust" choice on vamps being staked, but that might just be me. I still like the greater science/ less magic side of preternaturals. On the greater science side, the wolves (and other lycanthropes) are bigger than their natural cousins - conservation of mass, and all. That I like.

Not sure what else to say about this book (or series) other than the fact that the next book is sitting on the top of my to-read pile. I think this series might just survive marathon reading. Always a good sign.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"For those of you who have not met Kitty and the other characters before, this is a great time to drop in on them. You may need to read the previous three books to get caught up on all the nuances, but you will find yourself hooked and waiting for the next one as much as I am. This is a series that is tremendously addicting. I was lucky enough to read this one before its release and all I can say is, "I want more, Ms. Vaughn, I want more." A Howling 5 Enchantments."

check out the rest of the review at: http://www.enchantingreviews.com/Dee_...

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth novel in the series maintains the pace of previous books and continues to impress. The author is not content to settle into writing some sort of routine novel, just to get another book out. Rather, her characters and themes continue to grow while at the same time new and interesting concepts are introduced. A lot happens in these books and each one, so far, has had huge ramifications for all of the characters. I’m glad to see there are no “filler episodes”.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitty Norville books are such quick reads, I almost feel guilty giving them such high marks. However they're a lot of fun and leave me wanting more. I never want to throw one against the wall. Ergo, 4 stars.

[Lynn Dubinsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giving this 5 stars because there's a shit ton of action and Kitty is so kickass in this book. And I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this. ;)

This series just gets better and better! Bring on book 5!

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good book. Same theme of equality for werewolves & vampires who are just people with a disease - then she goes & shows us just how weird & creepy the disease can be. Fun & a quick read.