Kitty Norville Books In Order

Publication Order of Kitty Norville Books

Publication Order of Kitty Norville Short Story Collections

Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty Norville series opens with a jolt. Her young heroine, Kitty, is blond, wide-eyed and sexually naive; hapless prey for a pack of werewolves. After the attack, Kitty is reborn as the lowest member in her pack, with dark desires and sexually submissive to her masochistic pack leader Carl.

Kitty Norville could be your little sister, or even the girl you grew up with next door. She has a sweet small town feel to her at sharp odds with a life under the werewolf curse. Her name is a running joke: whoever heard of a werewolf named Kitty? Her relationship with her mother feels familiar; long-suffering and endearing. TJ, a gay werewolf and a close ally in her pack, is another reflection of the dichotomy in Kitty’s own soul and a running theme through the series.

The men in Kitty’s life are complex as she is, and sexual tensions run high. Perhaps because of the abuse she endures, the more dangerous a man is the more she seems to respond to him physically. In a subtle wrinkle it seems that Kitty’s true abuser and enemy may in fact be the female alpha of her pack. For protection, Kitty turns to Carl, and the cycle of abuse continues.

The strength in Kitty is first seen when she breaks with tradition and begins to speak of the supernatural world on her late-night radio show ‘the Midnight Hour’. With her identity as a werewolf a thinly veiled secret, Kitty connects to other victims of the supernatural. Some are deluded, others are eerily convincing, and the release of secrets acts as a balm to Kitty’s soul. Despite Carl’s demands, Kitty continues to DJ the Midnight Hour, where her personality grows and transforms. On air, Kitty is smart, quick-tongued and sassy.

As the popularity of Kitty’s show rises so does the danger. Despite her terror Kitty refuses to let go of the show, although it’s hard to know if she fully understands her own need for it. True to her victim mentality, Kitty runs from one protector to another only to have potential champions stripped bloodily away. Interestingly enough, it’s only while she is actually on air and broadcasting live that she first takes a stand for herself.

Her on-air persona is fascinating and addictive. Kitty Norville unpacks supernatural secrets with the touch of a lover unwrapping a box of chocolates. Each detail is intimate and complex and leaves us craving more. You can’t help but cheer her on as she connects with her listeners and reveals the dark struggles of the supernatural community. As the books continue, readers are rewarded by watching Kitty grow from submissive to supernaturally ‘worldly-wise’ and full of sass.

The success of Kitty’s show also comes at a price. The hidden world of werewolves, vampires and fae is exposed, and Kitty is left standing in the uncomfortably bright spotlight. Despite bucking her former pack, Kitty finds her new celebrity status a different kind of burden. She feels exposed on her own and desperately misses the pack life. She also is unsure if her transformation is a gift or a curse: both her human and werewolf sides are now outcast from their respective societies.

For better or worse, Kitty’s show exposes her to new wonders, experiences, suspicion and ridicule. Kitty’s knack for connecting brings her to know the tentative friendship of vampires and the exotic sexuality of Louis, a Brazilian were-jaguar. In contrast to these new relationships, stands the menacing promises of a “faith healer” claiming to have found the cure to vampirism and lycanthropy. Kitty is suspicious, and wise enough to know that such a fantastic claim cannot come without a price.

Popularity also subjects Kitty to human hatred, fear of what it isn’t yet understood. There are interesting religious overtones, and Kitty’s celebrity status exposes her far more personally than she could ever have imagined. The turmoil and controversy that churns around Kitty with the revelation that supernatural creatures do in fact exist feels real, with just the right touch of fanaticism and disbelief.

Kitty responds like a wounded animal, retreating to isolation, questioning her place in the world and relationship to it. But she can’t escape who she is, nor the supernatural creatures and horrors that follow her wherever she goes. Like an addict returning to a drug, Kitty can’t help but reengage on air, yet still struggles to embrace who she really is: a wild and free creature of the night.

When a close friend is bitten and falls under the werewolf curse, Kitty is forced to care for him. As she teaches her friend to find meaning in existing as a werewolf, she finds the value of her own words and at last claims the strength that she always had inside of her. Friends become lovers and Kitty’s satin voice returns to the air with new confidence. Where the books once smouldered with passion, they now ignite.

It’s with glee that the reader can now embrace Kitty in her triumph. Rather than be defined by the world she was forced into one horrific night long ago, Kitty makes her own reality. Her claws are sharp and her wit is keen, both are needed as the books progress, bringing it’s readers deeper into a world populated by fantastic creatures with very human follies. Reuniting with old friends and enemies, Kitty no longer battles just for herself but to protect those around her. Her strength for connection is refined. Through her show, and now in person, Kitty is able to attract allies and to fight for those that need protecting.

It can be hard to read the abuse initially suffered by this “little sister” character. And yet it is refreshing at the same time to get to know a literary female character that is not a battle-hardened stereotype and to watch her grow into a fierce protector and pack leader. Happily, Kitty manages to hang on to the gentle charm she begins with, brightened by a confident and fierce sexuality. She is quick and funny and from one book to the next, and never fails to disappoint.

One Response to “Kitty Norville”

1. Anthony: 5 years ago

   I read a lot at nights before going to sleep after finding this series I am hooked hope carrie Vaughn will continue this series

   Reply