Confession time, when I first read the blurb about the next
Kitty book, I spluttered and I stuttered. A reality show?
Really? In Kitty's House of Horrors, Vaughn's lead
character, midnight DJ and pop culture celebrity, Kitty
Norville agrees to appear on TV's first all-supernatural
reality show. She's expecting cheesy competitions and
manufactured drama starring shape shifters, vampires and
psychics. However, her publicity stunt soon turns into a
fight for life.
I have never been a fan of reality television, yet I found
myself reading the 'staged' sequences of the book with an
eagerness that bordered on voyeurism. Vaughn gathers some
of the more interesting characters that Kitty's encountered
in previous novels including stage magician Odysseus Grant
and ghost hunter Tina while adding a few more to the mix.
Kitty's nascent skepticism and snark keeps the commentary
amusing even as the unease and worry grows.
What I found fascinating is even though Vaughn tells you via
Kitty that this reality show is going to turn into a horror
show, the horror of it is a cold, dark insidious thing that
strips away the complex characters to their cores --
revealing basic, raw emotion that is painful and engaging at
the same time. Without revealing what happens, I will say
that the author surprised me more than once and I love how
she keeps adding new dimensions to the relationships between
the readers and Kitty.
If you enjoy urban fantasy with quality humor, a touch of
romance and just the right amount of horror, this is the
series for you. High marks for Kitty's House of
Horrors. If you haven't jumped on the Carrie Vaughn
train, pick up The Midnight Hour and get started, you
have a wonderful journey in front of you.
REALITY BITES Talk radio host and werewolf Kitty Norville
has agreed to appear on TV's first all-supernatural reality
show. She's expecting cheesy competitions and manufactured
drama starring shapeshifters, vampires, and psychics. But
what begins as a publicity stunt will turn into a fight for
her life.
The cast members, including Kitty, arrive at the remote
mountain lodge where the show is set. As soon as filming
starts, violence erupts and Kitty suspects that the show is
a cover for a nefarious plot. Then the cameras stop rolling,
cast members start dying, and Kitty realizes she and her
monster housemates are ironically the ultimate prize in a
very different game.
Stranded with no power, no phones, and no way to know who
can be trusted, she must find a way to defeat the evil
closing in . . . before it kills them all.
I have read and thoroughly enjoyed all of Kitty's stories, however, this was the best one yet. It was an engrossing read with a mile a minute action. I can't wait for more. Kitty is as real as they come and is easy to like and root for. (Katherine Ingram 4:00pm January 24, 2010)
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