Jul252011

Kitty Norville Month – BOOK REVIEW: ‘Kitty Goes to War’ by Carrie Vaughn

by Carolyn • Posted in 3.5 Star Reviews, Authors U-Z, Book Reviews, Carrie Vaughn, Gollancz, Kitty Norville Month, Reviews by Carolyn, Tor US, Urban Fantasy

Title: Kitty Goes to War (Kitty Norville #8)

Author: Carrie Vaughn

Publisher: Gollancz (UK) | Tor (US)

Publication Date: Jan 2011 (UK) | June 2010 (US)

Paperback: 334 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Source: Review copy from publisher

Reviewed by: Carolyn

RATING: 7/10 – very good

SUMMARY:

Kitty Norville, werewolf radio call-in show host, gets a call from an old friend at the NIH’s Center for the Study of Paranatural Biology, a friend with a problem, who doesn’t know where else to turn. Three Army soldiers who have recently returned from the war in Afghanistan are in custody at Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs. They’re also werewolves suffering from post traumatic stress, unable to control their shape-shifting, unable to interact with people. Kitty agrees to see them, curious and wanting to help.

Meanwhile, Kitty gets sued for slander after featuring Speedy Mart—a chain of 24-hour convenience stores with a reputation for attracting the supernatural—on her show, and an old friend-and-adversary has just been released from jail.

REVIEW:

**Warning – possible spoilers – read at your own risk!**

“Kitty Goes to War” is the 8th book in the Kitty series. Kitty, Ben and Cormac are back together, the “pack of three”, and it’s fun reading. I can’t tell you how glad I am to see Cormac out of jail!

There are two main plots running through this novel. Firstly there’s something going on with Speedy Mart stores across the country and Kitty as usual is in the thick of it trying to find out what is going on. Of course, because of this she nearly gets herself killed along with Ben and Cormac.

The second plot is that Kitty has been asked by the military to help three werewolf soldiers back from the war in Afghanistan who are finding it difficult to stay human. The military wants to know if these men can be rehabilitated or if there is just no hope for them. This was my favourite part of the book. As always the action flows and the pages fly by due to the easy nature of Vaughn’s writing style.

Kitty has grown a lot throughout the series and I definitely felt she was making more of the decisions herself in this instalment rather than relying on others as she had done previously. Her compassion and understanding of the soldiers was really good.

Cormac is back but he’s a bit different. I’m not sure I like what’s happened to his character but I’m certainly intrigued. I also don’t really know if the feelings between Kitty and Cormac are well and truly in the past as there are a few hints that they both still have feelings for one another, but nothing is said. I wish this would resolve as it’s really not fair on Ben, even if I do want him OUT and Cormac IN!

VERDICT:

“Kitty Goes To War” is not as good as the previous book, ‘Kitty’s House of Horrors‘, which is my favourite in the series, but it’s definitely another great instalment for Kitty fans!