Kitty Takes a Holiday (Kitty Norville)

In the third novel featuring Kitty Norville, radio personality and werewolf, Kitty takes a break from her job to write her memoirs (and possibly hide out from the world for a while). She rents a small cabin out in the woods in CO, where she expects to find some peace and quiet, but her tranquility is soon shattered. Someone starts leaving gruesome gifts on her property, hoping to drive "the werewolf" out of town. Also, in a surprising little plot twist, a friend appears on her doorstep, seeking Kitty's expert assistance. This book is more low-key than the first two in the series. No one's been hired to kill Kitty or kidnap her this time around, and she's not battling her pack or facing a trial before Congress. The novel isn't devoid of action, though. There are evil spells to be dealt with, a rogue werewolf on the loose, plus the public and personal fallout from each. For the most part, though, the novel has a more introspective feel to it than the previous two. Kitty, on leave from work and thrust into the role of caregiver, takes stock of herself and her life. At times, the novel almost felt like a 3-person play, and it contained some emotionally-charged and revealing conversations. I liked this book a lot. The author presents the reader with several realistic consequences to `playing with the monsters,' which is a refreshing change from the norm (where the hero generally rushes in, saves the day without much collateral damage, and keeps the local law enforcement completely in the dark). I like Kitty as a heroine because she's atypical, too. She's not always strong - her wolf isn't exactly an alpha one - but she doesn't overcompensate by pretending to be tough, nor does she pretend to have all of the answers. I like the fact that she's honest with herself. She falters from time to time, but she's ultimately a survivor, and, little by little, she's learning to be strong. My one quibble with the series would be the lack of well-developed, recurring secondary characters (probably a consequence of Kitty's nomadic lifestyle). After this book, however, that might be changing a bit. And hopefully, some day, Kitty will find a home. If you're a fan of the paranormal adventure/mystery, urban fantasy/horror (with a dollop of romance) genre mix, you should give these books a try. They're a fun ride. (4.5 Stars)

Let me start off by prefacing that in an airport, where one is the required two hours early for departure and inherits an additional rascally three-hour delay in said departure, one desperately needs an escape. Five hours literally flew by when I cracked the pages of this book. That, in a nutshell, made it a spectacular read. Engrossing, witty and packed with characters a reader can sink their literary teeth into is the slightly longer version, but gives one an even better idea of all this book has to offer. Kitty Norville needs a break. Going national about her furry side isn't the only reason. She's got a writing gig now too and a secluded mountain cabin seems the ideal retreat. Having a severe case of writer's block though, Kitty is distracted to say the least...especially when dead animals keep showing up to decorate her front porch. The locals are nice enough, though not particularly keen to have the nation's first werewolf at their doorsteps. Naturally, it seems someone wants her gone. When Cormac, werewolf hunter extraordinaire, shows up with an injured Ben (her lawyer) in tow, it's all Kitty can do to hold down the fort, much less write about it. Witchcraft and evil skin walkers compound the situation and Kitty begins to wonder if any of them will get out of this alive, much less walk the right side of the law. Having never read the series before, I was prepared to be a little lost. Surprisingly, and pleasantly enough, I was glad to read a book that made sense from its own perspective while still gleaning enough information about the past two books (Kitty and the Midnight hour first, then Kitty Goes to Washington) to want to double back. Kitty is an interesting character, and her special twist, that of the first werewolf to exit the closet, puts a whole new perspective on the werewolf story. Being that the story takes place mainly at the cabin, I was also prepared for the story to get a little stale, but not so. There's plenty of action to keep readers turning the pages. There's a slight romantic edge, and I suspect a carryover from past books with one of the characters, though it's not the main focus of this primarily fantasy minded novel. I'm glad I had this book with me during my stay at the airport. Not only did it save my sanity, but it made me laugh, made me chew my lips in suspense and made me an all out fan of Vaughn's first person writing. Looking forward to the others in the series now.

Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville novels are like crack. I would consider them my guilty of guiltiest reading pleasures because on the surface, the Kitty novels are werewolf stories and who wants to be caught reading a werewolf novel in public? Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville novels are not my guilty of guiltiest reading pleasures because they are simply too damn good. I would happily be caught reading Carrie Vaughn in public. Kitty Norville is a werewolf. A lycanthrope. She is also the host of her own midnight radio show where she takes calls about the supernatural. Kitty and the Midnight Hour was our introduction to Kitty and her world. Kitty Goes to Washington revealed the existence of werewolves and the supernatural to America when Kitty was called to testify in front of Congress. She's had threats to her life from her own kind, from vampires, and just from those who fear what she is and what she signifies to these people. Frankly, Kitty is tired. She needs to get away. So, in Kitty Takes a Holiday, Kitty does exactly that. She heads to a remote cabin in the Colorado back country and expects to write her memoirs. Her life so far. No radio show, no outside world. Just quiet and reflection. Trouble follows Kitty, however, and trouble begins with dead animals being left on her porch as some sort of sacrifice. A sick joke? Then, Cormac, the mysterious werewolf hunter and possibly friend of Kitty, shows up carrying her wounded lawyer, Ben. Trouble? To say the least. Carrie Vaughn takes a big risk with Kitty Takes a Holiday because she removes one essential aspect of Kitty's character: the radio show. One incident of this and it isn't a big deal. More than this and Vaughn risks alienating some of her readers who want Kitty to remain the same. In Carrie Vaughn's sure hands, however, there is no danger. Her Kitty Norville is such an interesting character and Vaughn gets across Kitty's doubts about herself and why she could feel such burnout. What Carrie Vaughn succeeds so well with in this novel is introducing new, interesting, and credible threats, advancing what we know (or think we know) about Kitty, Ben, and Cormac, and move Kitty along in life so that Kitty will be in a place where Vaughn can do something very different in the next Kitty novel and still have it feel authentic. Carrie Vaughn succeeds. Kitty Takes a Holiday is a fast paced, exciting novel where the protagonist happens to be a werewolf and the story happens to deal with werewolves, but even with this focus on the supernatural it feels like Carrie Vaughn is doing something fresh with this sub-genre and constantly doing something fresh with her characters. The Kitty novels are consistently compelling and as Vaughn introduces new situations where Kitty must grow as a character the Kitty novels continue to improve. Kitty Takes a Holiday is quite possibly the strongest of the three Kitty novels and shows Carrie Vaughn's growth as a novelist. The most important thing about Carrie Vaugh

"Kitty Takes a Holiday" is the third book about werewolf Kitty Norville by Carrie Vaughn (The first being Kitty and the Midnight Hour followed by Kitty Goes to Washington). After the events in Washington, Kitty decides to take a break from her radio show, and write a book. Of course, that isn't as easy as it seems. One problem is that somebody has ripped off her idea, and there is a new supernatural radio show playing. Of course that pales in comparison to when Cormac shows up with an injured Ben. Add in the fact that somebody in town is doing their best to drive Kitty out, and we've got trouble! This book is just as good as its predecessors. I love how trouble follows Kitty around. (And most of the time, she isn't asking for it!) Cormac and Ben, both play a large part in this story. In fact, one of them becomes romantically involved with Kitty, which creates a whole new set of problems. We also learn more about their pasts, and how they got to where they are today. I'm definitely looking forward to Carrie Vaughn's next story. Kitty and the Silver Bullet should be out Winter 2007/08.

One of the best things about the Kitty books is how realisticly they are written. I know, I know, it sounds weird when talking about a werewolf book. But here's the thing...bad things happen, and this author doesn't whip out a magical answer that somehow fixes everything and makes it all better. She makes the characters work through it, and not everything goes their way. I like that. The third book is no exception. Even in the middle of nowhere, trouble finds the heroine Kitty. There are dead animals and old friends showing up at her door. And while she's able to work through the issues and ends up in a better place mentally, unfortunate things happen, and there are consequences. Can't say more without giving spoilers. Kitty Takes a Holiday is a great 3rd installment to a wonderful series. Can't wait for the next one!