Red-Headed Stepchild

Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells

Sabina Kane #1

In a world where being of mixed-blood is a major liability, Sabina 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.

Her latest mission is uncomfortably complex, and threatens the fragile peace between the vampire and mage races. As Sabina 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 fatal …

This time, it’s personal.

Sabina is an assassin, the only career she was allowed to have because of her mixed heritage.  The entire vampire race, looks down upon her as if she were contaminated. It has been forbidden for Mages and Vampires to mate. Since Sabina is the result of such a couple, she is continually "punished" for her parent's sins. She has been trying to make her grandmother, the leader of the vampires, proud of her all her life. But no matter how hard Sabina tries, her stone cold grandmother only has disdain for her because of her mixed blood. She has always taken assassination jobs without question, but her latest assignment and meeting the mysterious mage Adam, makes her start to question her loyalties.

I really enjoyed Sabina's character. She's sassy and strong, as well as an accomplished assassin, but she isn't overly tough. Some female characters are so "tough" they hardly seem to have a feminine side, but this isn't the case with Sabina, she definitely has a softer side. She is very loyal despite her rather tough upbringing, She may be a little bullheaded about that loyalty, and refuses to think ill of her grandmother, but ultimately does not stop her from seeing the truth. I love how she realizes the difference between loyalty and blindly following something.

My main complaint about this book would be the lack of romance, or at least a real possibility of romance in the future. I don't mind a lack of romance in a book as long as future books seem to be leading towards a real potential between two characters. There was a slight sexual tension between Sabina and Adam, but it just wasn't enough to get me sucked into the idea of the two of them together. Adam's very mysterious, and I think I would need to know more about him to really feel a true attraction between the two.

The book was very good and ended well. There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me sucked into the book from beginning to end. I look forward to seeing where Sabina chooses to place her alliances in the next book.

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Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane)