Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
Narrator: Marguerite Gavin
Series: Kitty Norville #1
Published by Tantor Media
Published on: August 3, 2009
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Werewolves
Length: 7 hrs & 1 min
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Amazon | Book Depo | Kobo | B&N | GoodReads
Kitty Norville is a midnight-shift DJ for a Denver radio station---and a werewolf in the closet. Sick of lame song requests, she accidentally starts "The Midnight Hour," a late-night advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged.
After desperate vampires, werewolves, and witches across the country begin calling in to share their woes, her new show is a raging success. But it's Kitty who can use some help. With one sexy werewolf hunter and a few homicidal undead on her tail, Kitty may have bitten off more than she can chew.
 |
 |
 |
KITTY NORVILLE and I first met back in 2010 when I started my blog; at the time I found the heroine rather spineless, and I didn’t particularly care for Carrie Vaughn’s werewolves. I forged on to book 2, didn’t see much improvement, and decided to call it quits. Now, five years later, the series has concluded, and I’ve decided to give it another chance in audio. Marguerite Gavin’s narration caused me to bump my original rating up by a star, and my second impression kinda left me scratching my head as to why I was so harsh to begin with.
KITTY AND THE MIDNIGHT HOUR still didn’t bowl me over with its mild level of Urban Fantasy badass-ery, although I did find myself enjoying the story and the characters more than expected given my initial assessment. The off-scene rape bits are probably what tipped me over the edge originally, and I’ve since encountered far worse over the course of my fictional wanderings *cough* Anne Bishop’s THE BLACK JEWELS trilogy *cough* that I barely batted an eye at them. Also, now that Norville is out from underneath Carl’s wing it seems unlikely that there will be a repeat.
The inclusion of a werewolf POV is borderline mandatory in a series with a fury protagonist IMO, and Vaughn’s spin was to my liking. The possibilities for future plot threads are practically endless as well given Kitty’s outstanding issues with the pack, the barely explored vampire angle, and the potential for her to become a police consultant, not to mention all of the cray-cray her callers could throw at her on any given night. In addition, it helps to know that there are only fourteen installments because it shows that the author has a plan of attack.
Marguerite Gavin is a new-to-me narrator, and given the impact that she had on my overall opinion of this title, I’d say that she just significantly increased the odds of me staying the course. The subtle adjustments of her tone and pitch with regards to Kitty’s “radio” voice and that of her wolf’s were well executed, especially her three-way on air dialogues. I enjoyed Gavin’s European accents, although they did seem slightly out of context, but that was in part due to some holes in the secondaries’ backstories which she can’t be held accountable for.
KITTY AND THE MIDNIGHT HOUR needed a few years to ferment, at least for this listener.
|
Kitty Norville Series
|
||||
  |
  |
  |
  |
  |
  |
  |
  |
  |
  |
  |
  |
  |
  |
|
Was this review helpful? If so, please vote for it on Amazon or like it on GoodReads!
Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!
I really need to try this series again. My mom loves it but for some reason (probably mood) I just couldn’t. I do have the first few in audio though 🙂
Another series that I really want to start but haven’t yet! UGH. 🙂
I want to hear those accents now
I love what I’ve read of this series so, so hard. I fangirl flailed at Carrie when I met her at RT. Keep at it, things get really intense as you read on. I need to get back to this series and finish it.
<3,
-J
Jess Haines recently posted…Happy Holidays! (Yes, I’m Alive. Yes, There Are More Books Coming.)
Interesting to learn how your opinion was more favorable this go around. I have had that happen. Just as I’ve tossed a book aside in frustration only to give it another go and do fine.
Sounds like the narrator is one for my list to try along with this series.
Enjoyed your review.
It’s nice that this book improved the second time around. Sometimes you are just in a different place as a reader/listener that really impacts which books you enjoy.
I listened to this one, but haven’t finished the series. I still need to do that. I love Marguerite Gavin. She does The Hollows by Kim Harrison. It will probably be the next series I will start begging you to listen to. I just loved it. Jenks and Al are wonderful it Gavin narrates it. 🙂
Melanie recently posted…Review: Love at First Roar by Celia Kyle (@mlsimmons, @celiakyle)
You MUST try Gavin in Kim Harrison’s Hollows series. Of course, after you’ve finished Kitty and put a few books in between the series. She made the Hollows series for me. I think that’s why I keep holding off on Kitty. I want to get Rachel out of my head.
Jennifer recently posted…Alone in the Dark by Karen Rose
Now here’s one that I’ve read and liked. I really like Kitty and I like the characters in these books.
Mary Kirkland recently posted…Favorite video of the week
Oh wow. The number of books in this series seems endless. I’m glad you would still give this a chance after all these years. 😀
I haven’t read this series before, but even though it wasn’t a good read for you to begin with, I’m glad that you are giving it another go. Great review Carmel!!
Naomi recently posted…Waiting On Wednesday # 178 – Legend / Reign of Shadows
Well, it’s rather a pleasant surprise when you give a book and series a second chance and you end up loving it more than originally did!
Pili recently posted…Banished by Kimberley Griffiths Little Release Blitz!!
I’m so glad you gave the series another try. It’s one of my favorites. We’re doing a Kitty read along over at onebooktwo.com right now, and I’m listening to the audios. I love Gavin as well. We’re reading book 6 right now, and our review of 5 will publish this coming Friday. Jump on into the discussion if you’d like!