Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane, book 1) by Jaye Wells
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Edition Reviewed: Paperback
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
Goodreads: Red-Headed Stepchild
In a world where being of mixed-blood is a major liability, Sabina Kane has the only profession fit for an outcast: assassin. But, her latest mission threatens the fragile peace between the vampire and mage races and Sabina must scramble to figure out which side she's on. She's never brought her work home with her---until now.
This time, it's personal.
Review:
Red-Headed Stepchild is basic Urban Fantasy fodder. Nothing truly stands out in the story, plot, or characters. There's no guessing or pondering if Wells is suddenly going to spring a shocker on readers—not with this installment. That doesn't end up taking away from the sass and fun of Red-Headed Stepchild at all. To be honest it was fun not having to play guessing games and just sit back and enjoy the fun. This was a great “beach read” of the Urban Fantasy verity.
Sabina makes for a fun and mouthy standard in the strong females that make up UF. The mythology was a bit silly about how vampires have red hair, and the older they are the darker or richer it is, the lighter the younger. Because Sabina is half vampire and half Mage her hair is red with black streaks. My mind immediately goes to how hard that hair had to be back in not too recent times when hair like that would get looks. In general I liked the idea behind the vampire mythology, where Lilith and Caine lay together and their child was the first vampire. Despite how much I liked Sabina I had real doubts about how she could be a 50 year old assassin. Sabina spends more of her time running into situations without thinking, doing things that aren't exactly smart, denial over what is plainly put in front of her, and being brainwashed. Yes, she was brainwashed. But I believe that a trained assassin who survived that many years doing that kind of work would have some skills, and would be able to think things through.
That being said I still liked Sabina and many of the other characters found here. Adam is the Mage candy that is thrown into the mix to not only make Sabina's mouth water, but readers. Adam does a beautiful job of it and I enjoyed that he wasn't some dark brooding figure. He's clever, funny, and can go head to head with Sabina. The fairies are a really fun aspect and I look forward to more on them. My favorite character was Gighul—a demon—who is sent to kill Sabina, but ends up being her bald house cat! Gighul and Sabina's interactions are sooooo hilarious. If anything I want to read on just for their interactions.
To be honest there were somethings about the mythology of the world and characters that were unbelievable or underdeveloped. Giving funky nicknames that are given to each race took a while to get used to and I actually had a moment where I thought “what the crap is she talking about?” Though, they are clever. For an assassin read I can see why readers leaned towards the Elemental Assassin books. Red-Headed Stepchild is like a lighter fluffier version. Sometimes that's just what a reader needs, and I know I'll be visiting the Sabina Kane universe again!
Sexual Content: Sexual humor, making out, and nothing overly explicate.
3/5- Adored it, just a few minor details held it back.
| Previous book(s) in series: | ||
| Reviewed on BW: | Amazon: | Goodreads: |
| Red-Headed Stepchild (1) The Mage in Black (2) Violet Tendencies (2.5) Green-Eyed Demon (3) Silver-Tongued Devil (4) Blue-Blooded Vamp (5) Rusted Veins (5.5) | Red-Headed Stepchild (1)The Mage in Black (2) | Red-Headed Stepchild (1)The Mage in Black (2) Violet Tendencies (2.5) Green-Eyed Demon (3) Silver-Tongued Devil (4) Blue-Blooded Vamp (5) Rusted Veins (5.5) |
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