Sabina Kane Book 1: Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells

by shewolf0316 on April 27th, 2009, 11:40am Login or Register to post comments

Hachette Book Group/Orbit Books
Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback and eBook
Rating: 4.5

A CK2S Recommended Read!

Sabina Kane has just assassinated her best friend. She is the result of a forbidden affair between vampire and mage, resulting in her not quite fitting in anywhere. Rejected by her mage family, she is raised by her detached grandmother, vampiress and leader of the Dominae. Sabina has been trained as an assassin who kills any target ordered her by the Dominae.

Now Sabina’s grandmother has a new mission for her… infiltrate a rival vampire cult and destroy the leader. However, this mission has mixed results for Sabina. Being separated from the Dominae, she begins to question the life she has led to this point and starts wondering if the Dominae really have the best interests of the entire population at heart. As she delves deeper into the cult, she begins to test the previously unexplored side of her nature and finds herself in the unenviable position of having to make a huge life-altering decision as the Red-Headed Stepchild.

Wow! Red-Headed Stepchild is a kick-ass debut book! I want book two now! Jaye Wells has come roaring onto the urban fantasy scene and if this book is any indication, she’s got the talent and the imagination to leap to the forefront of the genre. We find unending excitement, severe danger, sexual tension hot enough to make your blood boil, dark humor, family legacies, old prophecies, and life-altering secrets. This world is populated by vampires, mages, faeries, and even a demon or two.

Sabina is a complicated young woman, and not just because of her dual nature, as notably evidenced in the color of her hair. All she has ever wanted is to belong somewhere and to win the approval and love of her cold-hearted grandmother. This has led to Sabina following orders blindly until the day she is ordered to kill her dearest friend. I loved Sabina, in spite of her prickly personality, because it becomes apparent very quickly that her attitude is a shield to protect her from being hurt. She really starts to open up when her “pet” demon Giguhl, her new faery roommate Vinca, and sexy mage Adam enter her life one by one. It is through the progression of these three relationships that we really see Sabina’s growth as a person. There are some very powerful scenes showcasing the interaction between Sabina and company that grab our hearts.

Jaye Wells has put a lot of time and effort into developing Sabina’s world in Red-Headed Stepchild. I was blown away by the sheer immensity of this world and its people. World building is one of my favorite aspects of the urban fantasy genre since it take a lot of talent to create a world unique from the thousands of other genre books out there. I loved the unique spin on the variety of magical beings we find here. I especially loved the mythology behind the vampire community and the mage community, both of which are incredibly fascinating.

Run out and buy Red-Headed Stepchild today and be prepared for a late night because you will not want to put this one down! Jaye Wells may be a debut author, but her star is already shining bright. I don’t know how I will be able to wait for the second book in the Sabina Kane series.