Sabina Kane is considered the red headed stepchild because
of being born to a vampire mother and a mage father. She
was raised by her grandmother and identifies with being a
vampire rather than a mage. Sabina works as an assassin for
her grandmother, Lavinia, who is the head of a vampire
group called the Dominae.
Normally after being born into a family in the Dominae, a
person would have a bigger part in the organization; but
because of being a half breed, Sabina is left with the only
position available to her kind, an assassin.
Lavinia has never let Sabina feel like she was truly part
of her family. Instead she has lived her entire life as an
outcast. As head of the Dominae, Lavinia, is the person to
give orders and is constantly putting Sabina's life in
danger. After asking Sabina to kill her own friend, now she
wants her to assassinate the leader of a rival vampire
organization by first joining them as a spy. If the vampire
finds out about her plans to assassinate him or that she is
still working for the Dominae, she will be killed on the
spot.
After meeting a demon, mage, and a faery, Sabina realizes
there's more to life then just the closed off world her
grandmother has kept her in. Sabina has always thought
that her father's mage family resented her and wanted
nothing to do with her, but after finding out the truth
from a mage, she is in for a world of surprises.
Could everything that Sabina has grown up believing be a
lie? Will Sabina side with her grandmother - the only
family she has ever known, the rival vampire clan, or a
mage that holds all of the answers to Sabina's life?
RED-HEADED STEPCHILDis the first book in an urban fantasy
trilogy by debut author Jaye Wells. Sabina is an assassin,
but that doesn't mean she's fearless and wants to be
killed. The character is fully developed and all aspects
of her life are explored as she discovers the truth about
herself and her past.
There are plenty of laugh out loud scenes as well as dark
moments. Sabina makes several friendships while on her
assignment and together a demon turned hairless cat, a
feisty, hyper faery, and a sexy mage with a mysterious
agenda all assist her with her road to discovery. I loved
everything about RED-HEADED STEPCHILD and look forward to
the next book in the trilogy, Mage in Black due out January
2010.
In a world where being of mixed-blood is a major liability,
Sabina has the only profession fit for an outcast:
assassin. However, she's never brought her work home with
her---until now.
This time, it's personal.
Her latest mission threatens the fragile peace between the
vampire and mage races. As Sabina scrambles to figure out
which side she's on, she uncovers secrets that will change
the course of her life forever.