Vaughn, Carrie: Kitty Takes a Holiday
Kitty Takes a Holiday
Writer: Carrie Vaughn
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 318
After trudging through The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction, I decided I needed to read something fun. Something I'd enjoy, love, and not worry about whether or not the author would deliver a good story. Kitty Takes a Holiday seemed to fit the bill.
And boy did it ever. I sped through this sucker in a single day. Can't say I'm surprised, just happy and relieved that Vaughn can pull me out of my brain and plant me in her world, and where I can simply enjoy her characters and follow their leads.
It's so hard to reviews books I like. I mean really, really hard. I have gushing, cause I don't want to delve into spoilers, but what more can I say than simple one word praises of "Yay!"?
Okay, let's summarize:
The third book in the Kitty series finds Kitty retired into the mountains, in a cabin, trying to write her memoir while she tries to cope with the events of books one and two. She's struggling to find something human to hold on to, and the call of the wild is getting too tempting. It doesn't take long for misfortune and adventure to find her, between the ritualistic sacrifices left on her doorstep to Cormac coming to her for help with their lawyer, Ben.
This book started out a wee bit slow for me, because most writers will tell you that reading about another writer's block is about as painful as pulling teeth. And since Kitty was blocked, I was a bit worried about where this novel would lead. Thankfully, Vaughn doesn't take time pulling the punches: the mystery behind the sacrifices on Kitty's doorstep may have been easy enough for my subconscious to figure out, but the story between Kitty, Cormac, and Ben totally knocked me off my feet. I never saw it coming, nor would I have ever THOUGHT about the possibility of "it" coming. Fantastic plot, I must say, because it provided plenty of character building and drama, while adding yet another layer of magic and supernatural to Vaughn's world.
I have to give credit where credit is due: Kitty, as a character, grows and changes with each novel. The Kitty in this book isn't the same one I read in Kitty and the Midnight Hour and Kitty Goes to Washington. In fact, I found myself wanting to visit the first two novels once more, just so I could experience that growth all over again, because if there's one thing that Vaughn excels at, it's creating believable characters who bleed (physically and emotionally) all over the page.
This book punched me in the gut. It also broke my heart. Its bittersweet end took me by surprise, and now I can't wait for book four to see how these characters carry on. I fear the worst for Ben for various reasons, but Cormac is the real mystery. And of course, I look forward to seeing what new layers will be revealed in Kitty, because I know one day, Vaughn's going to take us back to where it all began, and Kitty will have to face her fears, her old pack, and finally reclaim what she gave up when she left home.
At least, she better. ;)
Oh, and one last thing: Tony is MADE of awesome. I really hope we get to see more of him in the future.
Another must-read from Carrie Vaughn. As with all her books, I recommend new readers starting with the beginning, Kitty and the Midnight Hour, and reading the series chronologically, because Vaughn doesn't coddle her readers. She may remind readers of immediate, necessary details that relate to the current story, but like with the second book, don't go looking for Kitty's werewolf origins in these pages. Vaughn doesn't repeat unnecessary info, and I find that refreshing for a series writer. So go read and be merry. I'm going to whimper a bit since the book is over and wish book four was coming out sooner.
Next up: Gradisil by Adam Roberts