Kitty’s House of Horrors

Kitty’s House of Horrors (2010) Carrie Vaughn

A TV producer shows up at the studio to ask Kitty to join a reality TV show starring the supernatural. Although she is wary of the idea, discovering that her friend is already signed up convinces Kitty to go ahead–after all, what could it hurt?

I find one of the characters–Conrad–very interesting. He denies the existence of the supernatural, and claims that all the evidence has been made up using tricks and film. As with previous books, I like how Carrie Vaughn addresses how the world at large deals with the evidence of the supernatural. Considering all the other things humans are capable of denying, that they would deny the existence of werewolves and vampires is unsurprising. People are very good at seeing only what they want to see.

Another strength of the book is how the actions taken by various characters continue to have consequences in the long term. Sometimes in books, things happen, but the consequences of those events drift off never to be heard from again. I like how the past often remains present in this series–even as Kitty continues to grow and move forward.

SPOILER (rot13)
Nabgure guvat V yvxr vf gung Pneevr Inhtua unf ab pbzchapgvba nobhg xvyyvat bss punenpgref. Gurer ner n ybg bs qrnguf va guvf obbx, ohg gur qrnguf ner gb or rkcrpgrq pbafvqrevat gur pvephzfgnaprf. Jr xabj Xvggl vf tbvat gb pbzr bhg nyvir, ohg lbh’ir arire dhvgr fher nobhg gur erfg bs gur punenpgref.

V jnf nyfb vagevthrq ol ure cynpvat vagbyrenapr naq ungerq sebag naq pragre va guvf obbx. Creuncf V’z ernqvat zber vagb gur fgbel guna vf gurer, ohg va znal jnlf vg srryf yvxr gur vagbyrenapr fhssrerq ol gur fhcreangheny punenpgref va znal bs gurfr obbxf, ersyrpgf gur vagbyrenapr gung fgvyy rkvfgf va bhe fbpvrgl. Vg vf fb rnfl sbe uhznaf gb pynffvsl pregnva tebhcf nf bgure, naq guhf yrff qrfreivat bs evtugf.

Jurgure fur vf checbfrshyyl ersyrpgvat gur vagbyrenapr sbhaq va fbpvrgl va ure punenpgref V qba’g xabj. Ohg V qb rawbl vg.
(END SPOILER)

I really like this series, and continue to recommend it. Could you start here? Yes. But as always, I think there is an advantage to going back in a series and starting from the beginning.
Rating: 8/10

published by Grand Central Publishing

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