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    Red-Headed Stepchild
    Red-Headed Stepchild
    Red-Headed Stepchild
    Audiobook8 hours

    Red-Headed Stepchild

    Written by Jaye Wells

    Narrated by Cynthia Holloway

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    In a world where being of mixed blood is a major liability, Sabina Kane doesn't really fit in. And being an assassin-the only profession fit for an outcast-doesn't help matters. But she's never brought her work home. Until now.

    Sabina's latest mission is uncomfortably complex and threatens the fragile peace between the vampire and mage races. As she scrambles to figure out which side she's on, she uncovers a tangled political web, some nasty facts about her family, and some unexpected new talents. Any of these things could be worryingly life changing, but together they could be lethal.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateAug 31, 2010
    ISBN9781400189021
    Red-Headed Stepchild
    Author

    Jaye Wells

    USA TODAY bestselling author Jaye Wells writes urban fantasy novels with grave stakes and wicked humor. Raised in bookstores, she loved reading from a very young age. That gateway drug eventually led to a full-blown writing addiction. When she’s not chasing the word dragon, she loves to travel, drink good bourbon, and do things that scare her so she can put them in her books. Jaye lives in Texas with her husband and son. 

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    Reviews for Red-Headed Stepchild

    3.5/5

    364 ratings43 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 2/5
      So, I picked up this book because I adored Jaye Wells' Dirty Magic and Meridian Six. Both had awesome world building and interesting characters, but...

      I don't know if it was just the reader of the audiobook or that Jaye Wells' awesome style just didn't shine through on this one, but wow, Sabina just sounds like a snotty witch. I got tired of listening to her attitude after a couple of hours and quit.

      Somebody tell me if it's worth finishing this, because at this point there's little to redeem this book for me. :/ Which I honestly think is sad, because it's an extended series by an author I have reliably enjoyed. :/
    • 4/5
      Red-headed Stepchild is the first in an urban fantasy trilogy featuring Sabina Kane, who is half mage and half vampire. The child of a forbidden love affair, Kane is an outcast of sorts. While she can never be a full member of the Dominae, the vampires’ governing council, she is their trained assassin. Her grandmother, the Alpha of the Dominae, raised her as a vampire and to hate all of the other dark species (mage, fairy and demon), all descendants of Lilith.Kane’s life changes when she is ordered to infiltrate a rival cult run by Clovis Trakiya, who is half demon and half vampire. Kane makes discoveries that destroy everything she was raised to believe. She cannot trust anyone. She also makes some friends – a hot mage stalker, a sarcastic demon cat, and a peppy nymph roommate.For most of the book, Kane is one-dimensional and a cliché. She rarely feels anything other than anger, lashes out instantly, and cannot understand the consequences of events that surround her. She is a trained assassin but had to be saved by others on more than a few occasions. She develops some vulnerability towards the end of the book when all the secrets are revealed.The climatic battle was a bit contrived and was reminiscent of the old Bond films with the monologues and failing to kill your enemy quickly.However, Wells engages the reader with the oddity and humor of the supporting characters, the sexual tension, and her elaborate world and mythology. In this aspect, Wells is very creative and rises above the repetition that can plague the genre.
    • 4/5
      Digging graves is hell on a manicure. With one of the best first lines I've seen in a long time, so begins an excellent new series featuring Sabina Kane, a mixed blood assassin. The result of a forbidden union between a vampire princess and a high-born mage, Sabina has never really fit in anywhere. Raised to serve the vampire council as an assassin, the only profession fit for an outcast, Sabina excels at her job in order to win her grandmother's approval. Used as a pawn by the vampires, Sabina is thrust into the role of undercover spy. Sent to infiltrate the cult of Clovis Trakiya, she makes some startling discoveries and is not really sure who or what to believe. Sabina finds some unexpected allies in a mysterious mage, a demon cat, and a nymph roommate. For the first time in her life, Sabina has friends. And she's not really sure if that's a good thing.... I really enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to more adventures with Sabina, Adam, and Giguhl! Should be interesting watching Sabina explore her mage past, as well as her future with or without the vampires. And Mr Giggles deserves a book of his own!
    • 5/5
      Half-vampire, half-mage Sabina Kane is an assain for the Dominae, the three women who rule over vampires. The result of a forbidden love affair, Sabina always tries to impress her grandmother Lavinia, the Alpha of the Dominae, who constantly reminds her of the circumstances of her birth. When the Dominae set Sabina the assignment of infiltrating into a cult trying to reunite all the dark races - vampires, mages, and fae - spy on the leader, and eventually kill them, Sabina gets a lot more than she bargained for. She's stalked by a mage, ends up with a demon for a room mate, and finds out some family secrets. The more involved she gets, the more dangerous things get, and she has to decide just who's side she's on.This book is absolutely amazing! I loved every second of it. The inner struggle Sabina goes through to try and impress her grandmother, yet meeting disapproval at every turn for something she has no control over is difficult to read. It's awful that someone would be on the end of such prejudice from a member of their own family, and I kept willing Sabina to stand up to her grandmother, but as Alpha of the Dominae, she treats her with the respect that comes with her position.The story has twists and turns you don't expect, and various love interests, unsure of who she should trust and go for. You're kept guessing about the "cult" right until the last minute, trying to work out whether it's legit or not. The characters are just fantastic. Sabina is strong and vulnerable all at the same time, and her interaction with the other characters are so entertaining. You've got to love Vinca, the nymph, with her overly friendly and enthusiastic little girl nature, and Adam, the mysterious mage who always turns up, challenging all Sabina knows. And then there's Giguhl, the demon sent to kill her, who ends up being an unwanted pet. He is just hilarious! Seriously, he might just be my favourite character throughout the whole book! And I just have to share some of the funny moments with you:Page 42"Is that all you bought?"His eyes shot to the left. "Um."I clenched my teeth. "What else?""A Super Mega Juicer, he said quickly. "But, Sabina, seriously that juicer is a miracle machine.""I'm a vampire, Giguhl. The only liquids I drink are blood or alcohol. I don't do juice.""You might want to consider a little roughage in your diet. According to the commercial, an increase in fiber will help you be more regular."Red-Headed Stepchild is really an awesome book, and I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to the next book, The Mage in Black.
    • 3/5
      Sabina Kane is used as an assassin by her vampire grandmother but not respected by most vampires due to her mixed mage/vampire bloodline. After a job where she is told to take out a friend of hers, she returns home to find a demon sent to kill her. The demon was sent from a mage that is also trying to find out more about the cult leader that is Sabina’s next hit. She takes care of the demon in a way that is a bit unexpected and then goes off to San Francisco. Adam and Sabina team up and it turns out that he has information on her mage father that contradicts everything she was ever told about her mom and the circumstances of her birth. The audio was entertaining, and I do want to find out more about Sabina as she realizes she is more than just a half vampire and to stop hiding from the other side of her heritage.
    • 4/5
      Really fun book!

      Sabina is half vampire/half mage (witch). But the two communities are on the verge of war, and being half and half is very unusual, not to mention against the law. Oh and she's a vampire assassin (because of course she is!), she has a nymph roommate and a demon cat minion/familiar.

      This book was really funny and a laughed all the way through. Looking forward to reading more of this series.

    • 3/5
      In the end I liked it but at first I was a little disappointed with the story: it takes a while to really get going and, from the premise, I was expecting a fastest pace but maybe it's due to the author's intention to gives more background in Sabina's past in light of more action-centered future realeses (this book is part of a trilogy). However, as I said before, after the first 10 chapters (31 in total) I really started to appreciate the story and in the latest ones I forgot pretty much every complains I had about the book: the plot takes some very interesting turns and the sneak peek of the next book (The Mage in Black) it's very catchy!

      ***SPOILER ALERT***
      I think the average mark I assigned to the book it's in great part caused by my frustration toward Sabina's blind loyalty to the Dominae...i really don't get how she could have been so stubborn in her position when many thinghs should have made her (at least) question her grandmother's motives. Many times she comes close to the truth only to keep pretending nothing ever happened putting a black cloth in front of her eyes...for a such strong character it was quite insulting!!
    • 3/5
      Sabina is a half-breed. Half-vampire and half-mage she was raised by her Grandmother, the vampire leader, and trained to be an assassin. This Grandmother isn't a loving, cookie-baking Gramma, she's an evil, abusive Gramma. But Sabina is desperate for her love and approval and will do anything to get it.

      Don't think this is a Very Serious book, however. When the demon Gighul is sent after her things to wrong and weird and he ends up trapped in the body of a cat she then names Mr. Giggles.

      I'm not sure about this book. I liked it well-enough but it was lacking something.
    • 2/5
      This is the first book in the Sabina Kane series; there are five books in this series. This was okay, it was a pretty typical vampire urban fantasy. The dialogue was kind of awkward throughout and there wasn’t a lot of description throughout the book. I didn’t really engage with any of the characters either. Previous to reading this book I had read Wells’ “Dirty Magic” and didn’t really enjoy that book either.I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was okay but not great. The narrator was pretty stiff sounding and didn’t do a very good job conveying excitement and emotion. She did the different character voices fine, but her stiffness made it hard to engage in the story.I found a lot of the actions the characters took and the plot elements to be silly and contrived. I didn’t really enjoy the world or the characters presented here. The writing was a bit stiff and awkward, although I think the narration contributed to that some as well. Considering I didn’t like the first book in Wells’ other series either “Dirty Magic”, I just don’t seem to like her writing style.The plot is a fairly typical blend of vampires, mages, and fae. There really wasn’t anything all that creative or interesting here.Overall this was an okay book but not great. It’s a pretty typical UF read and makes for a quick read. I think there’s much better UF out there and won’t be continuing the series.
    • 3/5
      It's worth persisting with this book. Wasn't really into it for the first third, then couldn't stay away! Fun retake on vampire fiction. Similar to other sff out there, with just enough of a twist to make it new. Some great comedy in, and lots of death and destruction. Mayhem, in a word.

      Rather nice not to have a drop-dead-gorgeous-skinny lead female character, too - less of a focus on her looks than most books.
    • 4/5
      The acknowledgments and the extras at the end of books are starting to be a major pain in the backside, for me. It leads me into believing that there is more chapters to the story. Throughout 'Red-Headed Stepchild' I kept wishing that I was either beside Sabina to help her out or that I was her. All I've got to do now is to wait for the bookstores to open later this morning (which will be in about 10 hours).
    • 4/5
      I have had this book sitting on my shelf for years. I never intended for this to happen as I was really looking forward to reading this book but time went on. Looking for something to read, I grabbed this book. After reading this book I want more of Sabrina. I plan to check out the next book.Sabrina really can kick butt. Even though she is still learning about herself, I like that she did not just sit back and wait for others to teach her. In fact, she is one of those types of people who like to teach themselves new things. Although, Sabrina does not want to read the instruction manual but just wants the cliff note version. Which was evident from her mishap with Giguhl. Poor Giguhl. Speaking of Giguhl. So glad that there was someone like Giguhl in this book. He brought the comedic relief. The world that the author has built for this series is great. I look forward to learning more about Sabrina and her mage side. Her vampire side is blood thirsty. Once, Sabrina fully learns all of her skills as a mage, she will be a force to be reckoned with.
    • 2/5
      I tried, but just couldn't get into it.
    • 5/5
      Love it.. Great strong characters and action filled. One funny demon !!! This book was a style like Kim Harrison's novels, a favorite. I can't wait till the next book in this series.
      Even better the second time I read it. I love the humor and the timing is perfect in this book.
    • 4/5
      Good but nothing special. The world created by the author is much like in the other books like that. I like Sabina and Adam as a couple. I’ll read the next book in this series.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this series. I think the characters where great. I can't wait to see how the story moves forward.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this vampire/mage assassin saga in the same vein (no pun intended) as Rachel Morgan, Mercedes Thompson......Always makes me happy to find a new series.
    • 3/5
      Fun read. Good action and humor. Typical vampire main character with a bit of a twist, but still really likable. I am now starting the second book in the series. .
    • 4/5
      Sabina Kane is half vampire and half mage and the two species have long been enemies. So even though she comes from royal blood and her grandmother is head of the Dominae (vampires), she's constantly put down for her parents' sin. She works as an assassin for the Dominae and loyalty to them was drilled in by her grandmother at an early age.But her world starts to unravel when she's ordered to kill a friend from assassin school for treason against the Dominae; then told to go undercover to learn the plans of, and assassinate the half vampire half demon leader of a united group of vampires, mages and faeries. Only it becomes difficult to know who to trust as she learns everything she'd been led to believe isn't true.The story contains a lot of action as Sabina is a kick-butt heroine, emotion (she's never really had a close friend before), humor in the form of a demon cat-shifter, some sexual tension and political machinations. And of course Sabina isn't quite what she thought she was; nor is she infallible. If outnumbered and without a weapon, well, she's in trouble.I enjoyed how Sabina thinks and shares with us her reasoning before saying or doing something. There is plenty of world-building and I'm guessing a great deal more as the series goes on. Sabina has only limited knowledge and had no interaction with mages, faeries or demons before, so we're learning as she does. And each species follows their own religion, worshipping the "deity" that started them. For the vampires, it's Lilith.There is plenty of room for character growth, which is a good thing because she's got a lot of growing to do. While mostly confident in her abilities, she has a difficult time letting go of loyalty to the Dominae, even when presented with some truths. In that aspect she's a little wishy-washy. But I expect that to change.After reading this first book I realize the series had already concluded after 5 books and a novella. Well, at least I can read them back-to-back and not have to wait for a book to be released.
    • 3/5
      I really wanted to love this book. I've been looking for a good urban fantasy to love as much as Mercy Thompson or Kate Daniels unfortunately this isn't it. I liked the characters and the romance,but the story just didn't grab me like I wanted it to.
    • 5/5
      Sabina Kane is an assassin for the vampire Dominae. Her grandmother is the alpha Domina, but Sabina doesn't get special treatment. No, she brings nothing but shame to her family name being half-vampire and half-mage. She is constantly trying to find her place in vampire society, forget her mage half, and finally gain acceptance from her grandmother. She is being sent on the ultimate mission and her hopes are that she will finally be accepted. This mission will have her questioning her beliefs, her lack of morals, and ultimately who and what she is. Urban fantasy is one of my favorite genres, but one so often hard to find the perfect book in. Jaye Wells has written an amazing beginning to a series that is sure to become one of my favorites. Sabina is one of those characters that I love to read about. She is smart, sexy, strong, deadly, and is somewhat lacking in the moral department. It's hard to find a heroine like that. One of the best things about her is that from the beginning to the end of the book Sabina displays a great deal of growth. Helping Sabina on her journey is Gighoul. Despite how much I love Sabina, Gighoul is definitely the star of the show for me. He had me constantly laughing and wishing I had a hairless demon cat! Last, but not least, is Lavenia the Domina and Sabina's grandmother. This woman is pure evil! Get ready to be introduced to a woman you will love to hate. She rules the vampires with a wicked iron fist and has hammered into Sabina's mind that she is a disgrace because of her mixed heritage. Add into that other evil deeds we learn about throughout the book and you have the makings of one heinous villainess. When talking about Red-Headed Stepchild you can't skip over the world building that Jaye Wells has done. She has managed to bring a fresh new take on the vampire/mage/faerie story. One of the most interesting and intriguing aspects is how these creatures are tied into the Bible. I really enjoyed the lore behind this world. Another aspect of the book is that Ms. Wells stayed true to the story being an urban fantasy and didn't make it about romance. I'm not saying there isn't any, if fact there is the perfect amount, but I was pleasantly surprised that this book didn't turn into a romance novel like so many books do. There isn't that much I would change about Red-Headed Stepchild. The only thing is that at first I was a smidge lost, because I didn't know what some of the terms like Domina, Dominae, mansy/cy, and the religious aspect, but I was soon clued in. Lastly, this is an audiobook review and the narrator must be talked about. Cynthia Holloway is without a doubt my favorite narrator. She lends the perfect sarcasm and strength to the character of Sabina. As for the rest of the voices, which range from: a faerie, to demon, to mages are individual and develop their own personalities with the help of her voice. I give this book a 4 1/2 STAR rating.
    • 4/5
      I received the forth book in this series to review, and I was more than interested in reading it. However, I don't know about all of you out there, but I absolutely hate walking into a series without having read all the books first. So what was my solution? I bought the three books in the series to read first, so the author still got some of my money even though I got one book for free to review. But that's okay I love authors, and we should all support them by buying their books as often as possible. So this is a pretty cool concept. Without even really looking at the story line, which I promise I will get to, but just on the world building alone it's cool. You have all of the major supernatural races out there, and they all seem to reproduce naturally. What I mean by that is vampire's get pregnant, vampires can have babies with mages, so you have all these races and it would seem everyone can reproduce with anyone. While this is not accepted or even allowed, it's possible, which is cool. Which brings us to our main character, Sabrina. She's an assassin, and she's every bit the assassin you would expect her to be on the surface. Except underneath she has some series baggage. Her heritage leaves her with a lot of issues. Her mother is a noble of the vampire race, and her father is a mage, a big no no. So she lives with a lot of prejudice which personally I think makes her an even better assassin because she has has to learn to put her feelings in a box her entire life. However, clearly at the beginning of the book you realize something more is going on within the supernatural races, full of deception and political maneuvering. And guess what, Sabrina is right in the middle of it. Throughout the course of the book, the reader learns along with Sabrina more and more about her past and her creation. And all of that brings her into having to make probably the biggest decision of her life. The characters in the story are very different from one another, which makes things much more interesting in my opinion. You have everything from a demon, to mage, to vampires, and fae. And they all have such personality. You can totally see how any reader could find someone in the book to enjoy and relate to. There is action and adventure, investigation and learning. There are so many moments in the book where you are heartbroken right along with the characters or full of adrenaline just like they are. There are some interesting little unique elements like the mythology behind the races and vampires having a seriesly bad reaction to apples. My one complaint with the book is that it didn't get started all that quick. It wasn't until about half way in that I was fully invested. Not that the beginning was bad or too slow, it's just it took longer than I would have liked for it to for me to get really invested in the characters. But by the end, I was seriously invested and wanted to know what happened next. So long story short, I think this book is a great start to what I hope is going to be a fantastic series. It offers so much for anyone who likes urban fantasy, and I think anyone who enjoys urban fantasy even a little bit will enjoy this book, so you should all check it out.
    • 3/5
      I found this book to be moderately enjoyable, although it seemed like just another story with a supernatural cast of characters. The most entertaining part for me was the cranky-demon-turned-hairless-cat, and beyond that it was rather a slog. Not bad, just not noteworthy.
    • 4/5
      Sabina is a half-vampire half-mage assassin who does what she can and tries to fit in, however the politics are going to get her killed. She has to try to stay alive and keep the peace. She's a strong interesting character and I enjoyed it. Yes, it's occasionally clunky but I would like to read more by this author.
    • 5/5
      I don't like vampires. That disgust goes back way before Twilight. I read a lot of good reviews of this book when it came out, but I never sought it out because of the vampire issue.Reads like this are a good reason to set aside my biases every once and a while. Red Headed Stepchild is a solid book with just the right balance of action, moral quandaries, and humor. The heroine, Sabina, does actions right from the start that could make her a thoroughly repulsive character. As a credit to Well's writing, that never happens. Sabina is a half-mage, half-vampire assassin who comes across as complicated and quite human. She's the granddaughter of the leader of the Domina, but as a half-breed has never been accepted. However, as she comes across a sordid plot against the Domina, she questions her loyalties. The supporting cast, including a mage and a hilarious demon cat, create much strife and fun.I definitely will seek out the rest of the series.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book in Jaye Well's Sabina Kane series. When I first picked up this book I was a little unsure about it because there are so many vampire novels out and thought this was just another carbon copy. I was totally wrong! It turn out to be better than I expected. I love all the characters, especially Sabina and her new demon sidekick. Definitely recommended for UF fans.
    • 5/5
      It took the longest time for me to get Sabina's adventure. I have a signed copy and I have this thing with my signed copies...kind of like when you live somewhere and know that you can visit the tourist areas any time since you live there and the places will always be...well..there! My signed copies aren't leaving the shelf. They are mine to read at any time, which leaves them on the shelf for longer than unsigned ones...Anywho...I won't let that happen next time, especially the Sabina Kane series. LOVED this book! My favorite character has to be Giguhl, the demon come to take out Sabina and has a hard time of it. He is just so funny! "Must not kill the demon cat. Must not kill the demon cat." (read the book and you'll know)....Five will definitely not let the next one languish on the shelf beans....
    • 4/5
      Sabina, a half-vampire half-mage assassin is meeting her long time friend and mentor David at the grave of her latest snack. David doesn't know but he is Sabina's next job. To eliminate him for the Dominae, as they told her he has turned to a growing and potential dangerous group to the vampire community. To prevent this community from growing and potentially killing vampires Sabina finds her next mission is to become cast out by the Dominae and be taken in by Clovis, half vampire and half demon leader. Sabina finds now herself a spy, which she feels she is no good at. While Sabina is fighting for the vampire community that raised her, she learns many things about herself and the different races that open her eyes to different thoughts. Will she remove the threat or create a bigger one in its place...I enjoyed the world created by Jaye Wells here. Half-vampires, -mage, -demon, or anything is not accepted in this magical world. Particularly between of these three races. They all are against each other, but have a truce to not bother each other as well. But this truce is stretched with the political games played. There is a separation of the races and cultures here. You get to see the boundaries of them and what happens if they start to blur. This story tells the main story at hand and leaves you with questions in the back of your mind yet to be answered on Sabina and a few other small pieces. This is nicely done as you don't have to read further in the series, but you want to, to see what those pieces will lead to.Part of what I enjoyed in the book where the characters. Sabina is a wonderful main vampire character. Even though you get the feel from her she was not completely accepted by the Vampire community, and more so her grandmother - the leader of the Dominae, she is strong. She grows up independent and ars kicking strong. Sabina is one to be put on a path and she sticks to it. Sabina is sassy and determined. You know she'll have a sarcastic remark for just about anything and look forward to it. The dry sarcastic humor made me smile and really gave me a great feel for Sabina's character. But the secondary characters help complement Sabina as they are very different from her. And a potential love interest will catch your heart too.The mystery of the mission is a great journey to go on with Sabina. I enjoyed this book very much and would suggest to many Urban Fantasy readers to give it a try. But, you have to love strong, bold, sassy and sarcastic characters.
    • 4/5
      The writing is clunky in places and the heroine is pretty much morally vacant through much of the book, but the pace is fast and it's unexpectedly funny. Overall, it's interesting enough and has enough potential (for character development and storyline) that I'll read the next in the series.
    • 4/5
      I did not know what to expect when I picked up this book. I had never heard of Jaye Wells but the topic of Mages (Mancies), Vampires, and Faeries were something I like to read about. Jaye does a wonderful job of introducing Sabina from the get-go with an action sequence that shows you this girl is all business. From there, you are thrown into a world (our world) where other creatures exist but we don't know it. On top of that, these beings are barely on speaking terms with each other. There are political tug of wars, lying, backstabbing, and a little brainwashing going on that keeps you on your toes for the whole ride. It was a fun read and at times you just weren't sure who you wanted to "win". In the end you were left wanting more (hey there is a 2nd book) but you also felt like the first chapter in the journey had come to an end. I recommend this book if you are a PNR lover.