Review: Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells

Title: Red-Headed Stepchild
Author: Jaye Wells
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published: 04/01/09
Summary:

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.

Plot: 3.5 Stars
I really liked the idea of a half-vampire, half-mage character, with the vampire and mage communities being enemies. I wish more of the vampire-mage history had been explained. The twists and turns, lots of fighting, a tiny glimmer of romance, and even some humor. But it just felt like there was something missing.

Pace: 3.5 Stars
The beginning was fast paced and reeled me in quick, but by around chapter fifteen, the pace definitely slowed down. Although I never lost interest in the plot or the characters, the slower pace made it a bit hard for me to get through some parts. Luckily it picked up again near the end.

Characters: 4 Stars
While Sabina was a strong female character and often bested the men that saw her as weak, I didn't like how she did whatever her grandmother wanted. It took a little longer than I would've liked for her to realize that her grandmother wasn't the perfect leader she appeared to be. My favorite character was Giguhl, the demon that hung around for a while. He brought a lot of humor with his late night infommercial shopping.

Cover: 3.5 Stars
I love the font choice for the title and the brightness of the cover model's hair. But the rest really fell flat for me. But other than that, the cover is a little too dark and monotone.

Overall: 3.5 Stars

The next book in the series, The Mage in Black, is set to release 04/01/10.


Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment.