Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn

This was an interesting read that takes a different path for the urban fantasy heroine. Kitty is not the usual kickbutt heroine who can handle whatever life throws at her. She's a regular girl, who happens to be a werewolf. I found that intensely refreshing. Kitty is the wolf of lowest status in her pack and complete submissive when the story starts. She has to come into her own and into the realization that she can make it on her own, and that she doesn't need the pack so much that she can deny her sense of self. The description of werewolf pack dynamics kept my attention. I didn't care much for the way the pack controlled Kitty's life. I tend to be a loner because I don't like doing things because they are expected of me by others, and not because I want to. That's why I could really identify with Kitty's situation. Kitty is still trying to deal with her dual selves, as a werewolf, and as a human. She became a werewolf under some pretty awful circumstances, and has lingering trauma over that. When the book starts, her parents don't even know she's a werewolf. She avoids going to family get-togethers because of fear that the wolf would emerge. The one thing is hers and makes sense is her radio dj gig that becomes a show about preternatural creatures, and as it grows, helps Kitty to find her sense of self and meaning in life. This story has plenty of action, but it is also a story about a woman coming into herself and dealing with her identity. That is one of the reasons I really like this story, because of the introspective aspects teamed with a good, action-oriented urban fantasy tale. Cormac is a hunter of vamps and weres who his hired to kill Kitty, but is convinced to call off the contract at the last minute by Kitty herself. Cormac certainly caught my interest, and I'd like to see more of him. When this story ends, very few of the external conflicts are wrapped up. You know that Kitty has troubles ahead to face. But you know that she can handle it, because she is a wolf in control of her own destiny.