Novella Review: Hidden

Hidden (Otherworld #10.5)

Kelley Armstrong

Kindle Book

Hiking through the snow, holiday baking and playing board games by the fire – what’s not to love about an old-fashioned family Christmas?
Werewolves Elena Michaels and Clayton Danvers want to give their four-year-old twins, Kate and Logan, something their parents never had: a nice, normal holiday. No Pack responsibilities, no homicidal half-demons or power-hungry sorcerers to deal with – just the four of them, alone, at a chalet outside Ontario’s Algonquin Park. Then a strange werewolf shows up at their door…while the town is buzzing about a young man, back from college, found half-eaten in the woods. And there’s the missing little girl …
With all the signs pointing to a rogue mutt with a taste for human flesh, Elena and Clay have no choice but to investigate. But are they the hunters – or the hunted?

It’s no secret that I adore Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld series – they were the first Urban Fantasy books I read and really introduced into the type of books I didn’t even know I had been wanting to read for ages. Hidden is a novella which follows Elena and Clay as they take their twins away for a family Christmas only to find some Strays in the area...

While the investigation into the local strays is interesting, the real joy are the discussions between Elena and Clay on how to raise their children. This was a wonderful story – really in keeping with Elena’s character as she balances her Alpha in waiting duties with her new parental responsibilities. It’s a fantastic insight into a character who I’ve been following for the last ten years and seeing her grow from the angry woman she was at the beginning. Clay is much softer now as a father but still able to wield that ‘grrr’ factor for want of a better description! I loved the little insight into Noah and Reese, the two new members of the pack – they really round out the pack and bring some young blood in now that Elena, Clay and Nick are growing up.

The writing is as fabulous as ever, while all the Christmas preparation from hot chocolate by the fire to gingerbread baking really gets you into a festive mood. While this isn't a full length novel, it is long enough to really feel involved (approx 193 pages) and getting to know the characters. Christmas with werewolves can’t get any better! J

Recommended for fans of Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews. 9 out of 10

Darkest Powers Bonus Pack Review

Darkest Powers Bonus Pack

-          Kelley Armstrong

Kindle Books

This is actually three short reads set during the Darkest Powers trilogy, Kelley Armstrong’s first YA books.

Dangerous is set shortly before The Summoning and tells of how Derek and Simon ended up in Lyle Home from Derek’s point of view. It is good to get inside Derek’s head to see how he thinks – and even before his first change he was thinking in terms of pack and non-pack. I really enjoyed seeing how Simon and Derek fitted into ‘normal’  school life and what they were like before they lost their Dad – it was a perfect side trip into some characters we didn’t get to see much together before. 9 out of 10.

Divided is set between The Summoning and The Awakening and follows Derek and Simon while waiting for Chloe. While it was nice to see what they got up to, it didn’t really add much to the story or either character other than see how Derek felt about Chloe. 6 out of 10

Disenchanted is set at the same time as part of The Awakening and follows Simon and Tori while they separate from Derek and Chloe. Not a lot happens but it is very amusing to see Simon, Chloe and Derek from Tori’s point of view, complete with sarcastic comments. Tori also has some self-realizations during the short story and she starts to make little steps towards caring for others – even if she still has a long way to go. 7 out of 10.

Recommended for fans of the Darkest Powers series and Mythos Academy. 7.5 out of 10.

Counterfeit Magic Review

Counterfeit Magic

-       Kelley Armstrong

Kindle Book

The first rule of a supernatural fight club? Don't kill your opponent.
When the fighters come with lethal spells, werewolf strength and half-demon powers, that can be a lot tougher than it sounds. It's hard to attract talent if they know they might not leave the ring alive. So when fighters at a California club start dying -- it's bad for business. Witch detectives Paige Winterbourne and Savannah Levine take the case. Going undercover in the power-heavy arena of the fight club is a welcome change of pace for Paige, relegated to the role of The Wife as her husband struggles to find his place in his family's Cabal--the corporate Mafia of the supernatural world. As Paige is drawn deeper into new and dangerous corners of her world, she quickly discovers the greatest threat isn't the killer in her sights. It's something much, much closer to home. And this is one fight she can't afford to lose. 

Any regular followers know that I am a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong. Bitten was the first ever Urban Fantasy book I ever read and still one of my favourites. So I get very excited whenever a new Otherworld book is released – and disappointed when I can’t get my hands on them straight away. Counterfeit Magic isn’t a full novel, but a novella that was originally a limited edition release complete with beautiful art work. I wasn’t able to get my hands on a copy, but a couple of years later and the magic of e-books means I can finally read this story, set shortly before Waking The Witch with the focus on Paige and Savannah – two of my favourite characters!

While we spend the most time with Paige and Savannah, this equally has both Lucas and Adam in starring male roles. I’ve always liked Lucas and the emotional core of this story is how Paige and Lucas are adapting to his unique role in the supernatural world – heir to one of the most powerful sorcerer cabels – but would prefer to be fighting for the underdog. Together they have always been a favourite couple of mine because I could always relate to them. And this time their marriage is struggling to cope with real life.

While the initial investigation was interesting, it was soon dropped in favour of the relationship exploration and afterwards solved off-screen which was a little disappointing. I would really like a full length novel based on one of Paige and Lucas’s investigations! In general though this was a great taster of one of my favourite series and has only made my more desperate to pick up the latest book!

As a side note - the kindle versions does include some of the original artwork and can I say even in black and white they are beautiful. So gorgeous. I love them so much.

Recommended for fans of Patricia Briggs and Rachel Vincent. 7.5 out of 10.

Go Team Witch!

Same Book, Different Cover

This is an occasional feature I'm introducing comparing different covers of the same book...what I'm particularly interested in are re-issued covers for the same book.

First up is a favourite story of mine - Bitten by Kelley Armstrong -



Original UK Bitten Cover



Latest UK Bitten Cover



Original US Bitten Cover



Latest US Bitten Cover



So what do you think? Which do you prefer?

Personally I have a soft spot for the original UK cover - but that's probably because it's the book I first read! I also think it's a little different from most covers on the market and stands out. However, if I was browsing the book shelves today, I would probably pick up  the latest US cover though - the red colouring and the beautiful wolf in the background are right up my street and cinch it for me!

Which is your favourite?



Books Remembered #6: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

This is a semi-regular feature I had last year where I reminisce about books or even series that I read over and over again. Or even a book read once that changed the way I looked at life. I wanted to re-introduce it as I wanted to highlight some books that have been out for a while and maybe don't get as much attention as the new releases. It’s not a review of the book(s) but merely remembering the impact it had on me and how it’s shaped my reading habits and likes –what made that book(s) memorable. So this month, I'm remembering Bitten by Kelley Armstong...

I’m a bit of a book genre flirt and switch between different types of books fairly frequently. I get fed up of reading too many books from the same area in a row so I like variety and spice. A number of years ago I got hooked on a new genre which is still one of my favourites – Urban Fantasy. Well, that’s what it is called now, but back then there wasn’t the choice of books on the market. In my search for something different I came across a book about werewolves in my local book store. At that time I was mostly a vampire girl having read my way through all the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles, but I fancied a change so I bought Bitten by Kelly Armstrong. One of the best reading decisions I’ve ever made!

Bitten was fantastically written exploring the impact of being turned into a werewolf by the one you trust. It was tense, emotional, with character conflicts, action and heart. I loved Elena’s struggle to be comfortable with herself and her on-off relationship with Clay. I loved that she could hold her own against the men. I wanted more. So I went out and picked up Stolen. And here the world opened up to include witches, vampires (very different from the New Orleans based Lestat crowd), half demons and humans with other agendas. It was a world I wanted to be part off. Unfortunately at that time those were the only two books Kelley had written so I expanded my search to other books and discovered the growing genre of Urban Fantasy.  And now Urban fantasy, dark romance, paranormal romance, speculative fiction whatever you want to call it is one of my mainstream reading areas. I still read in a variety of other genres but given a choice in the book store my first stop is in the Urban Fantasy corner – and thankfully there’s now a wide range of different styles of books in that genre.

 I still adore Kelley Armstrong’s world and every one of her books in paperback and some in hardback. Bitten was the first book I ever felt the need to write a review on – it’s still there on Amazon UK!  It’s still one of my favourite reads and have to re-read it regularly. So if you haven’t read it – do! J

If you liked this feature, check out previous entries:
Books Remembered #1: Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles

Books Remembered #2: The Magic Faraway Tree

Books Remembered #3: Christopher Pike's Sati

Books Remembered #4: Scott O'Dell's The Island of Blue Dolphins

Books Remembered #5: Strange Orbit by Margaret Simpson

Angelic Review

Angelic

-       Kelley Armstrong

Kindle Book

As a half-demon master of the dark arts, Eve Levine isn’t what anyone would call angelic. That’s exactly why the Fates chose her for the job. She’s their secret weapon against the forces of evil. However after five years, Eve is tired of being the designated rebel of the angel corps, expected to break the rules, then penalized for it. When the leaderless djinn stage an uprising, Eve sees the perfect chance to get herself fired. As she plunges deeper into the demon world, though, she realizes she’s in danger of losing a lot more than her job.

This is basically a short story set in Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld series. The focus is the half demon, black witch who also spends half the year on Angel duty. It was original released in limited edition print copy with beautiful illustrations (as you can see from the cover!) but has now been transformed into electronic version for those readers interested in the story. There are still a couple of pictures included in the electronic version – and while in black and white, they are gorgeous – I’d love to see what the colour ones look like, but alas I doubt ever will as hardcopies are selling for huge prices.

I enjoyed meeting up with Eve and Kristof again. Due to their ghostly status neither really gets a lot of time in the main series (the notable exception being Haunted which is Eve’s adventures in the afterlife), but Eve is one of my favourites Otherworld characters and I’d love for Kelley Armstrong to revisit her for a full book at some point (Paige too!). This is really just a taster of series and really covers how Eve is coping with her new responsibilities – ironic as in life she avoided them as much as possible. There’s action, some soul searching and cameos by other favourites Jamie and Jeremy. It’s light, easy to read and doesn’t add anything to the series but a bit of colour and depth so some old friends. I managed to read the whole thing in less than an hour.

Recommended for Kelley Armstrong’s fans for a complete collection. 6 out of 10

Made To Be Broken Review

Made To Be Broken (Nadia Stafford - Book 2)
- Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: UK - Sphere

Why I picked it up: A long time Kelley Armstrong fan, this non-otherworld book was just waiting to be read.

Back Blurb: To the outside world Nadia Stafford is a smart, good-looking, law-abiding citizen. Well, two out of three's not bad...An ex-cop with a legal code all her own, Nadia has a secret life as a world-class assassin. She works only for one New York crime family, who pay her handsomely to bump off traitors. But when a troubled teenager and her baby vanish in the woods near her home, Nadia's old detective instincts - and the memory of a past loss - compel her to investigate. With her enigmatic mentor Jack to support her, Nadia unearths sinister clues that point to an increasingly dark and deadly mystery. As her obsession over the case deepens, Nadia realises that the only way she can right the wrongs of the present is to face her own painful ghosts - or die trying. And so she sets off on the trail of a young woman no one else cares about - and a killer who is bound to strike again...

What I thought: I wasn’t overly impressed with the first Nadia Stafford book. Perhpas I had been expecting something different even though I knew it wasn’t an Otherworld book, but I struggled to relate to the main character. A cop turned vigilante hit woman doesn’t make for a sympathetic heroine – even written in first person. However, I glad to say this second book in the series is much better. The story line is more simplistic and much more compelling. It also allows Nadia and her motivations to come to the fore. The book is in essence a two handed between Nadia and her mentor – Jack, with cameos by potential love interest Quinn thrown in. This allows both characters to shine as differences and similarities are contrasted and I honestly felt as conflicted as Nadia at times between her choices. The storyline about a missing employee of Nadia’s and her baby, while not the earth- shattering event that a lot of authors focus on – had personal reference for Nadia and was engaging enough. The real joy though was the character interaction and I really enjoyed taking a few hours to peer into the professional hit woman’s life.

Recommended for: Thriller readers with a little mystery thrown in

Rating: 7 out of 10

Men of the Otherworld Review

Men of the Otherworld (Otherworld Series – Book 10)
- Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: UK - Orbit

Why I picked it up: I loved Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld series. They were the book s that first got me into the ‘Urban Fantasy’ style books. She writes a different twist on the traditional werewolves/witches/demons/vampire world that is accessible and lots of action. This is the first Otherworld book narrated entirely by the men of that world (hence the title) and for follower of her website (www.kelleyarmsrong.com ) some of these stories are familiar. They used to be free on the site but now published in book format with proceeds going to Kelley’s favourite charity (World Literacy of Canada). Not being a fan of reading on-line (it hurts my eyes and there’s nothing like the feel of book in your hands!) I’d only browsed the stories in the past so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book. Plus one of the four stories is brand new for the book.

Back Blurb: I don't remember the first time I changed into a wolf. One night I passed out, and awoke to find my body covered in yellow fur. My brain was beyond reacting. It took this in its stride, as it had everything else in my new life. I got to my feet and went in search of food.
As a curious and independent six-year-old, Clayton didn't resist the bite - he asked for it. But as a lone child werewolf his life is under constant threat. So when enigmatic Pack member Jeremy Danvers saves him, Clayton is determined to protect his adoptive father, no matter what the cost. So begins this gripping collection of four tales chronicling the bloody feuds of the American Pack, and the coming of age of Clay Danvers, a very powerful - and very singular - werewolf.

What I thought: Being a fan I loved getting some back ground into the werewolf pack and Clay’s upbringing. What Kelley always seems to do with her stories is remind you that this story you’re reading is just an episode of those characters lives – they have a past (that doesn’t necessarily impact on the present unlike some characters), plans for the future – they have a life. This book covers some of that past only mentioned in passing before in other books concentrating especially on the life of Jeremy Danvers & his adopted son, Clayton. It’s written in 4 stories covering Jeremy’s conception written in third person but focusing on his father Malcolm, Jeremy’s discovery and ‘taming’ of Clay from Clay’s point of view and leading into the third,, Jeremy’s rise to Alpha of the pack. The final story (and the new one for the book) focuses on a weekend with Jeremy and his girlfriend in New York, which just shows that eh past never stays buried. I liked all the stories especially the Clay ones not because he’s one of my favourite characters but it answers a lot of question on how a pack of American werewolves is run and the moral dilemmas between wolf and human.

Recommended for: Fans of the otherworld and urban fantasy series. If you’re new to the world you could do worse than start here but I’d recommend you start at the beginning with Bitten

Rating: 9 out of 10