Book Log #47: Night Life, by Caitlin Kittredge

[annathepiper]

You can't swing a stick in urban fantasy without hitting a book with werewolves in it, all of whom will snarl at you and pitch you out the window along with said stick before you can say "fetch". That said, at least so far as I've been able to tell, books where the heroine is a were are still fairly few and far between. I must admit that to date, my experience with these books has been less than positive.

However, many kudos to blackaire for an urban fantasy where the heroine is not only a were, she's also suitably badassed and doesn't angst overmuch about the traumatic situation that made her a were in the first place. I mean, I'm pretty lenient with my fantasy novel tropes in general, but few things will put me off faster than a whiny werewolf. ;)

So yeah. Nifty badassed heroine, who at the same time doesn't go overboard with the attitude either. And! She's got a love interest who's also a were, and in fact about on par with the heroine in general badassitude. This was extremely refreshing. Luna and Dmitri felt like equals in a way I've gotten very seldom out of a lot of urban fantasy these days, and I really appreciated that. I equally appreciated that neither the sex nor the violence were over the top; all of the scenes involving either had a purpose and flowed naturally along as part of the plot. (Note: the one sex scene between Luna and Dmitri? That, ladies and gentlemen, is how a sex scene involving weres is done. Whuff.)

Plot-wise, we got your basic series of ritual murders in a fictional city. Heroine Luna is a cop, facing prejudice on the force not only because she's a woman, but also because she's prone to turn furry and pissed off every so often. That one of the victims is a were leads Luna to initially suspect Dmitri--but soon enough they're having to team up against bad guys far more hardcore than either of them were prepared for. Very fun all around.

And also: bonus points for a Ukrainian werewolf hero named Dmitri. Because whuff. Four stars.

Comments

[casirafics.livejournal.com]

I've been meaning to ask... since you obviously have several authors' LJs friended, could you give me a shortlist of ones I should be reading? :)

[annathepiper]

Well, some authors are actively on my Friends list and others, I'm just reading their journals via Google reader. :) If you want a very short list, though, I'd say aim for blue_succubus, mdhenry, mevennen, desperance, lmarley, and John Scalzi, who isn't actually on LJ, but whose blog is highly entertaining nonetheless. :)

blue_succubus and mdhenry are both local authors, part of a posse they've nicknamed Team Seattle. blackaire and Kat Richardson (not on LJ) are in that posse as well, so yay for reading and supporting local authors. ^_^

[rosepurr.livejournal.com]

I read Confessions of a Werewolf Supermodel. Utter crap.

Wow, really?

[zeekar.livejournal.com]

With a title like that, how did it go wrong? :)

Re: Wow, really?

[rosepurr.livejournal.com]

In my defense, I bought it at on vacation for teh cheap. I was hoping for cheesy, amusing crap as opposed to utter crap.

The ending did have a nice twist though.

[annathepiper]

Aw man, that's a shame. 'Cause that IS an awesome title.

[rosepurr.livejournal.com]

She's kinda whiny, and her fur sprouts when she's PMS. She waxes it off- which is kind of a funny scene.

[annathepiper]

*snork* But apparently it just did not bring enough Funny? Shame. 'Cause that does sound like it'd be hysterical in the right hands. :)

[rosepurr.livejournal.com]

The angstiness outweighed the funniness. You might find it an amusing quick read, if you don't expect too much from it. I also think it might be a set-up to a series, and, if so, it can forgiven for the too-high level of exposition. If not, meh.

[annathepiper]

Meh, I'm not hearing too much here to make me go out of my way to find it, so I think I'll pass! Too many really good things clamoring for my attention. :)