Men of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong

Title:  Men of the Otherworld
Author:  Kelley Armstrong
Publisher:  Bantam Books
Publication Date:  February 23, 2010
Format:  Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages
Age Group:  Adult
Series:  related to the Women of the Otherworld Series, might be the first book in a Tales of the Otherworld series

When Kelley Armstrong started her website, she asked her readers what they would like to see her write about in an online novella.  The readers wanted to know about the guys who are characters in the Women of the Otherworld books.  This started an annual tradition of Armstrong allowing her readers to vote for which topic she would write about next. Armstrong said she would only consider publishing these stories if she was able to donate her proceeds to charity.  Her publisher agreed and the result, Men of the Otherworld, is the first time that some of the online stories have been available in a book.  Proceeds go to World Literacy of Canada, a non-profit volunteer organization.

Men of the Otherworld focuses on the male werewolves:  Malcolm, Jeremy, and Clayton Danvers.  I had not read these stories when they were available on Armstrong's website so it was a great way to get their background stories.  While it is definitely not necessary to know this information when reading the books of Women of the Otherworld, knowing so many more details about the men does add a new dimension to those books.  Now we understand why Jeremy is different from the other werewolves and how Clayton came to be so damaged.  Although the book contains two short stories and two novellas, Armstrong's focus on the werewolves and movement through time make it easy to forget that this isn't just a single novel.

I am eagerly anticipating the April release of Tales of the Otherworld which will contain more of Armstrong's online fiction as well as a new story.  Men of the Otherworld was a great book and I'm sure Tales of the Otherworld will be also.  Although Armstrong is no longer writing online novellas relating to the Otherworld, she does have some of the other stories still available at her website - www.kelleyarmstrong.com

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Living With the Dead by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Living with the Dead

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher:  Bantam Books
Publication Date:  August 25, 2009
Format:  Mass Market Paperback, 540 pages
Age Group:  Adult
Series:  Women of the Otherworld (Book 9)

Hope's friend, Robyn, stumbles upon the murder of her celebrity client and finds herself on the run as the prime suspect.  Hope and her boyfriend, Karl, try to keep Robyn safe while pursuing the real killer, who has an unnatural ability to find Robyn anywhere.  As the mystery deepens, the body count continues to grow.  Will Hope and Karl be able to save Robyn now that she in in the middle of a supernatural situation she knows nothing about?

I am a big fan of Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series.  Armstrong generally writes of strong women with supernatural abilities who must hide their secrets to keep family and friends safe.  Living with the Dead (Women of the Otherworld, Book 9) continues this theme but with a few important differences.  Robyn, a main character, is not a supernatural and knows nothing about the supernatural world.  Finn, the detective assigned to the murder cases, actually is a supernatural but doesn't know there is a community for those like him.  Hope, a half-demon, and Karl, a werewolf, must try to save Robyn from the supernatural murderer without letting her in on what is really happening.

While I enjoyed Living with the Dead (Women of the Otherworld, Book 9) it was not my favorite of this series by far.  It was good but not fantastic.  Armstrong uses very short chapters to focus the action on different characters at different times, which is a great technique for keeping the reader a bit off balance and feeling the chaos that both Robyn and Hope are experiencing.  However, it can also make for a bit of a choppy read at times.  I did actually like Hope's character more in this story than I did in the last book which featured her, Personal Demon (Women of the Otherworld, Book 8).

I also don't feel that the title or the tag line "For a woman on the run from a supernatural killer, it's the one thing even more dangerous than dying... Living With The Dead" fit the story very well.  It is actually the detective who sees and talks to ghosts and, after the first couple bodies, Robyn actually copes very well with the fact that people are dying as the killer tries to reach her.

I'm excited to return to the story of Elana, the female werewolf, in book 10, Frostbitten, and I can't wait to read Savannah's story, Waking the Witch (Women of the Otherworld, Book 11) in 2010.

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

Title: The Awakening
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: April 28, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: Darkest Powers (Book 2)

Spoiler Alert: The Awakening is the second book in the Darkest Powers trilogy and events follow immediately after the ending of The Summoning. If you have not read The Summoning, please do not read this review as it would reveal significant events in that book and it probably won't even make sense. I posted a review of The Summoning in February.

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Chloe Saunders and three other teens are on the run. They escaped from Lyle House only to be brought back to a different building and kept under lock down by the Edison Group. There Chloe learns that they are all genetically modified supernaturals and are part of an experiment which was supposed to help young supernaturals transition into their powers while remaining integrated into normal society. As 'failed' experiments, it is very possible that Chloe and the others will be terminated, meeting the same fate as their friend Liz. Now the teens are on the run again, trying to determine who they can trust, and trying not to turn on each other in an effort to survive. Not to mention learning how to deal with their growing powers that at least Chloe and Derek are having difficulty learning to control.

Kelly Armstrong ended The Summoning with a major cliff-hanger, leaving me wanting more immediately. Unfortunately, even when The Awakening was released I was placed on a wait list at my library and was unable to read it until now. Armstrong definitely did not disappoint with the second book in the Darkest Powers trilogy. The Awakening has a great blend of action and information discovery. The emotions of the characters run high throughout the book and I think Armstrong did a great job capturing the voices of the teens as they face fear, confusion, and loss. While there is a slight bit of relief or a glimmer of hope at the end of this book, Armstrong still leaves many unanswered questions and leads in to the possibility of a great confrontation in the third and final book. I can barely wait to read The Reckoning which is expected to be released in May 2010.

2009 Reading Challenges

2009 Support Your Local Library Challenge

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Title: The Summoning
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: July 2008
Format: Hardcover, 390 pages
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: Darkest Powers (Book 1)

Chloe Saunders sees dead people. After a terrifying encounter with a dead janitor at her school, Cloe is sent to a group home for troubled teens. She soon finds out that things at the home aren't exactly what they seem. As she learns more about the other residents, Chloe realizes that they each have unique abilities and begins to believe that it is no coincidence that they all were sent to the same place.

Many of my favorite authors of adult novels are trying their hand at writing young adult novels lately. I was very interested in seeing how The Summoning compared to Kelley Armstrong's adult fiction. Overall, I think Armstrong did a fantastic job transitioning into the world of young adult fiction. The voice used in this book is very different from the voice used in her adult novels and is extremely well-suited to her young adult audience. This is also noteworthy because Chloe's universe is the same one that Armstrong uses in her Otherworld novels.

Chloe feels alone and scared as she tries to understand what is happening to her and why. While there are times when Chloe wants to pretend that none of what is happening is real, she chooses to investigate her circumstances and to take action based on her findings. Unfortunately, Chloe doesn't know who she can really trust. Armstrong writes Chloe with strong emotions that the reader can relate to.

I was excited to find that I liked Armstrong's young adult novel as much, if not more than, her adult novels. I can't wait for the second book in the series, The Awakening, to come out in May. For more info on Chloe Saunders and the Darkest Powers trilogy check out http://www.chloesaunders.com/

2009 Reading Challenges

1st in a Series Challenge
2009 Support Your Local Library Challenge

Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Personal Demon
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Spectra
Publication Date: September 30, 2008
Format: Mass market paperback, 544 pages
Age Group: Adult
Series: Women of the Otherworld (Book 8)

I am a big fan of Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series so I was really looking forward to reading Personal Demon. I'm happy to say I was not disappointed.

For anyone unfamiliar with the series, each book is narrated by a female character who is some sort of supernatural. So far there has been a werewolf, a witch, a ghost witch, a necromancer, and now a half-demon. Each story is independent, although the characters do crossover and the books definitely follow a time line. Armstrong also produces online novellas and her characters appear in various short story anthologies.

Personal Demon is narrated by Hope Adams, a half-demon. She takes on an undercover assignment that forces her to face who she is and what she is capable of.

This book had two main differences from the previous books in the series. The first is that Hope is not the only narrator. Some of the chapters a narrated by Lucas, a sorcerer from a very powerful family and the husband of a witch. This is the first time one of the men has actually narrated portions of the novel. Armstrong makes it very clear who is narrating which portions with her chapter headings and I did not find it confusing at all.

The second difference in this book is the amount of sex. It is not an excessive amount by any means but previous books had little to no sex in them at all. I am anticipating that the sex is connected to Hope and not going to be a regular addition for all the characters.

Personal Demon was a great read and really kept me guessing up until the end. The clues were all there but it definitely took a while to put them all together. I liked it that I didn't feel that I was ahead of the characters in figuring out the situation (making them appear dumb) or way behind them in understanding (making me feel dumb). Armstrong also does a great job with wrapping up the story while leaving enough open ends to continue the overall conflict in future books.