Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Jan 15, 2012 Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson rated it liked it

Shelves: paranormal, reviewed, female-lead, 3-stars, not-manga, witch-or-wizard, title-r, 2013, vampires, why-do-i-do-this-to-myself

3.5 stars. I just can't make myself give it any more.
Let's just say that I wasn't happy while I read this. I was waiting and waiting for something to jump out at me.

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For the characters I was severely disappointed. The one character that saved this book was the cat.
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Sep 23, 2009 Literary Ames rated it really liked it

Shelves: library-books, hunters-warriors-assassins, read-in-2009, 1st-in-series, dtb, urban-fantasy, vampires, magic-users

For a first novel Red-Headed Stepchild impressed me. The mythology of the creation of vampires was inspired as was the appearance of a demon cat! I sympathised with Sabina's situation and was pleased with the way her world was explained. I look forward to reading how Sabina handles meeting her sister and dealing with her mage heritage in The Mage in Black.
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Sep 30, 2010 Crissa rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011

So, I kinda wrinkled my nose up at this book at first...but it grew on me, once Lazerus showed up! I really enjoyed the plot and I thought Gighul was hilarious. Hairless cat...hehehe. On to book 2.

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Feb 28, 2010 Nairabell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, 5-star, favorites, read-in-2012

Sabina Kane is an outcast in a world where bloodlines rule. Her mixed vampire/mage blood mean she is stuck as an assassin for the vampire council, the Dominae, led by Sabina's grandmother Lavina. So when the Dominae give her the opportunity to gain their favour by taking out Clovis Trakiya a mixed blood cult leader threatening their power base, she grabs the chance and goes undercover. But when Sabina is forced to work with mage Adam Lazarus she soon discovers her past is full of secrets and lie Sabina Kane is an outcast in a world where bloodlines rule. Her mixed vampire/mage blood mean she is stuck as an assassin for the vampire council, the Dominae, led by Sabina's grandmother Lavina. So when the Dominae give her the opportunity to gain their favour by taking out Clovis Trakiya a mixed blood cult leader threatening their power base, she grabs the chance and goes undercover. But when Sabina is forced to work with mage Adam Lazarus she soon discovers her past is full of secrets and lies that threaten her very existence...

This is the first book in the now complete Sabina Kane series and is a great urban fantasy with perfect mix of light and funny with dark and gritty. The whole series has a really unique premise where all vampires are descended from Cain and Lilith (yup the ones from the Bible), whilst mages come from the goddess Hekate. They aren't the only two races here though as there are also demons and fairies each with their own unique varieties. Despite the depth to the world building there is no info-dumping and the only sign of this being the first in a series is the sense of opportunity in the ending.

The storyline is tightly plotted with good pacing, a rare factor in undercover books. The book starts with a bang, moving from action packed scene to action packed scene before the main plotline kicks in when the pacing stays pretty solid interspersed with intense scenes. There are a host of unexpected twists and turns and the underlying manipulation adds a high level of tension, especially as Sabina is never sure who is actually manipulating her at any given time. The book has a very low romance level and is more about Sabina discovering the truth about herself and her life.

Sabina is a great lead character and although she seems unlikeable to start, it soon becomes clear that she is a product of her upbringing. This means that the distance from her grandmother and the rest of the Dominae-led vampires leads Sabina to discover a lot more about herself and it's great to have this revealed to the reader as she goes. Adam is the ideal hunky friend/foe and, as a mage, someone Sabina resists her attraction to from day one. Clovis on the other hand is seriously creepy and disturbing with a weird cult-leader-buying-into-his-own-hype vibe making him the ideal villain.

My favourite character though has to be Giguhl who is a mischief demon who accidentally ends up bound to Sabina, and then through a series of mishaps gets turned into a hairless cat. He has some absolutely hilarious lines and quickly becomes Sabina's best friend/protector/foil. I also have a soft spot for Vinca who is an irrepressible fairy Sabina rooms with while undercover. She's girly but with a core of steel and I can see why Sabina finds herself becoming friends with her despite her best intentions.

One really unique thing I love about these books are Sabina's "Things to do:" checklists that look paperclipped to the back covers. This installment has:
1. Infiltrate rival vampire cult and assassinate leader
2. Get rid of demon houseguest
3. Ditch the hot mage stalker
4. Betray family

All in all, this was a great read and I'm looking forward to The Mage in Black.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 48/50 ...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Marsha rated it really liked it

Sabina Kane has been lied to, manipulated, and treated as an outcast all her life. Struggling to finally receive approval from her oh so powerful grandmother (who just happens to be the head of the Dominae), Sabina follows orders no matter how much they rub her the wrong way. Only to discover that her life isn't what she believed. Her struggle to discover the truth and to find a way to deal with her own feelings lead her to question every belief she's ever had. Action packed and full of interest ...more

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Jan 27, 2012 Caroline rated it really liked it

Sabina - half mage half vampire is an assassin for the Dominae (Vampires) her mixed blood stops her from fully fitting in and leaves her feeling very much a second class citizen, but things are about to change.
Sabina learns more about her heritage, makes some new and interesting friends.
The book was slow to start, but soon picked up pace. We're introduced to some fun characters....look out for the hairless cat :o) Sabina is scarky and tough although I would hope she'd be a bit more mature.
I almo ...more

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Apr 16, 2010 Deidre rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy-contemporary, series, fantasy-paranormal

Light-weight but a quick fun read, loved her side-kick

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Mar 09, 2012 Angi rated it really liked it

What a great read! Great world building and I loved that I already got my heart broken reading this. When this happens, I know I'm invested :-) Loved Sabina- she was a tough, take-no-crap kind of girl and Adam is definitely swoon-worthy. I'm adding the follow-up book, "Mage in Black" to my TBR pile ASAP! ...more

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May 24, 2009 Steph rated it it was amazing

Shelves: author-웃, series-ended, series-book1, year-read-2009, favorites-2009, favorites-all-years

I really enjoyed this book. Jaye Wells' writing reminds me of Patricia Briggs a little. I couldn't put this one down. The story moved quickly and kept you wanting more. I am looking forward to this series and can't wait for "The Mage in Black" in 2010. ...more

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