Low Midnight by Carrie Vaughn

FINALLY!  Low Midnight gives readers a peak into the mind of the stoic and mysterious Cormac and his passenger and partner, Amelia.

Title:  Low Midnight
Author:  Carrie Vaughn
Series: Kitty Norville Book 13
Publish Date: December 30, 2014
Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchased

Publisher’s Description: Low Midnight spins out of the series on the wave of popularity surrounding Kitty’s most popular supporting character, Cormac Bennett, a two-minded assassin of the paranormal who specializes in killing lycanthropes.

In his first solo adventure, Cormac, struggling with a foreign consciousness trapped inside him, investigates a century-old crime in a Colorado mining town which could be the key to translating a mysterious coded diary… a tome with secrets that could shatter Kitty’s world and all who inhabit it.

With a framing sequence that features Kitty Norville herself, Low Midnight not only pushes the Kitty saga forward, but also illuminates Cormac’s past and lays the groundwork for Kitty’s future.

Possible spoilers beyond this point.

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Kat Mandu says…

In this exciting novel that takes place inside Kitty Norville’s world but is narrated by Cormac Bennett, we get inside the bounty hunter’s head. But of course, we’re not the only ones inhabiting the space. Now, he and Amelia have to solve a hundred-year old mystery in return for answers – answers that may or may not destroy the evil vampire Roman forever.

At first I was sad because I expected the story to be told in first-person point of view, like all the other Kitty books. Especially since Cormac is rumored to have his own series of books publishing soon, now that Kitty is technically finished. But as I read on, I realized that the third person view was kind of nice, giving both Cormac and Amelia the chance to share their thoughts.

We discover a lot more about both of them, maybe even see a softer side to Cormac, though he’s probably loathe to admit it. The story behind Amelia and the crime she supposedly committed is also revealed as the characters navigate their way to Manitou Springs, the town full of restless spirits and ancient magic.

Here, Cormac makes a deal with a magician woman. If he solves the mysteries of the ancient duel between two epic magicians, she’ll decode the book of shadows her niece left behind. It could hold the answers to stopping Roman. But Cormac doesn’t know if she’ll reveal said answers, or if there are any answers at all, which sets the whole thing up to be fishy.

I enjoyed this one and its exploration of ancient magics. There are a lot of good vibes revolving spirits on this, as we encounter the untold history of both “wizards” and Amelia’s past. I give it a five.

Invested Ivana says…

I find it very interesting that, in a story told first-person, the author has to keep track of what all the other characters are doing and thinking, even though those details don’t come out in the story in a clear, straight-forward way. Vaughn has to know what Cormac is thinking and feeling throughout the whole Kitty series so that his actions and reactions are consistent and believable. But since the story is told from Kitty’s point of view, neither Kitty nor the reader gets to see inside Cormac’s head.

Cormac is such a great character, though — all brooding and stoic, loyal and maybe still a tad in love with Kitty. And when he agrees to let the spirit of a Victorian witch, Amelia, ride sidecar in his brain, he gets even more interesting. What do they talk about? How do they negotiate their separate interests and needs? Just how does that relationship work? Carrie Vaughn knew her readers were all dying to know more about Cormac and Amelia; so, she let us into Cormac’s head for one book.

And it’s a great book! Using various plot devices, Vaughn shows us more about Cormac’s past, his time in prison, and his feelings about Kitty, Ben, and the crazy life all three of them lead. We also learn about Amelia’s past, her love affair with magic, and how she and Cormac interact and communicate with each other. While doing all that, Vaughn ALSO advances the plot of the Kitty series, since this is the penultimate installment and the big resolution is fast approaching.

I also want to mention that I’m SO glad Marguerite Gavin narrated Low Midnight.  I wondered if a male narrator might be tapped for this novel; it certainly could have been interesting.  But consistency of narrators is SO important in audio books!  Gavin’s interpretation of Cormac’s voice *IS* the voice of Cormac in my head, along with the voices of Kitty, Ben, and others.  Kudos to whoever made the decision to stay with Gavin for this novel.

I am very impressed with all Vaughn was able to accomplish in Low Midnight, and I enjoyed it immensely. It is definitely one of my favorite books in the series.

Our reviews in this series…

• Kitty and the Midnight Hour
• Kitty Goes to Washington 
• Kitty Takes a Holiday
• Kitty and the Silver Bullet
• Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand
• Kitty Raises Hell
• Kitty’s House of Horrors
• Kitty Goes to War
• Kitty’s Big Trouble
• Kitty Steals the Show
• Kitty Rocks the House
• Kitty in the Underworld

Other reviews…

• All Things Urban Fantasy
• The Book Breeze
• Vampire Book Club

If you like this book…

…you might try Patricia Brigg’s Mercy Thompson series, Rachel Vincent’s Shifter series, or Eileen Wilks’s World of the Lupi series.