[COMING SOON TO THE SMALL SCREEN] Bitten by Kelley Armstrong (Women of the Otherworld)

If you didn't know, Kelley Armstrong is one of FAVourite authors (and she's Canadian! Added plus) My favourite series by her is definitely the Women of the Otherworld. I practically live off those books and adore the story so much, in fact I remember doing a school project on her. It was definitely fun to analyze her writing.

Anyway back to the post, I just realized that the Women of the Otherworld series is coming to the small screen. Yes fans out there who are squealing and jumping up and down like me, that means we're getting a television show!!! SAY WUT??? That's right, a television show. The first season will premiere early 2014 and will consist of 13 episodes. The overall series is called "Bitten" but I'm sure that's an overall name, say like "The Vampire Diaries" or "Pretty Little Liars", because although Bitten is amazing, there isn't enough information to last it 13 episodes.

It's a show under SPACE (which I'm not sure which channel that is so...can't help you there.)

The IMDB link with the cast and plot synopsis: click here


It looks like the majority of the cast is Canadian so this seems to be an all Canadian production, which I completely support! We need more good shows in Canada.

Also I was looking through the casting and noticed some names there that seems strange, mainly a character named "Joey" which I recall made an appearance in the 10th novel Frostbitten (which is one of my favs in the series) so either they're going to do some flashback episodes of their childhood lives or they're mixing up the whole series together. Or it may just focus on the werewolf aspect of the story and the other stories are sub plots. Regardless, it'll be fun to watch!

[REVIEW] The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

Published: April 2012
Publisher: Doubleday Canada,
divison of Random House Canada
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: Darkest Powers #5
Darkness Rising #3

Maya and her friends--all of whom have supernatural powers--have been kidnapped after fleeing from a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set, and after a terrifying helicopter crash they find themselves pursued by evildoers in the Vancouver Island wilderness. (From  Goodreads)

It's come to my attention that perhaps the Darkness Rising trilogy and the one before it, the Darkest Powers trilogy, and the one after this is all one BIG conspiracy theory. Each book is similar and loosely connected to each other, which is similar to her adult urban fantasy series, the women of the otherworld, but I just feel that, being a reader who has ONLY read the Darkness Rising trilogy, I'm missing out on a lot of insider information that could help to explain some questions in this trilogy if I had read the trilogy before it.  Well, I'll be honest, I hate Kelley Armstrong's teen fiction. It's not that it's bad writing because Kelley Armstrong is one of my favourite writers, just that I find this series, in comparison to her adult series, lacks the essence that made it so memorable for me.  It's understandable that in teen literature, the author needs to dull it down or add more teenage drama to it to appeal to the demographic and it might be because of these added elements and the elimination of more mature parts that I find her young adult series somewhat lacking. I love action, and the hot romantic scenes between Clay and Elena and that isn't present in these books.

The Calling was an inbetween novel (hence why it's book 2 of a trilogy) and in all inbetween novel fashion, this book only served to explain what is happening to set the story up for the climatic end in the third one. Well I think this one was done splendidly.  It really answered a lot of loose holes and shed some light on some characters.  It starts off right where the last one left off at and by the end of this novel you'll be quite surprised at some of the revelations that occur.  Actually revelations start in the first couple of chapters. 

I know Kelley Armstrong is an author who hates describing things and that's also evident in this novel.  She prefers quick action and there is that, in the brief page or two of action and than it's back to explaining. Kelley Armstrong also left the typical supernatural creatures, i.e. werewolves and vampires, and decided to explore more native legends and less known creatures which I think is very interesting and rarely done. Kudos Kelley Armstrong, Well done.

I think the star of this book was Sam. Well of course Maya is the main character so it's obvious that she would be one of the main focuses of the series but Sam was also very important in this book. I have a feeling that she was used as the person to bring information to them (which she did!) and; thus, had a larger role in this book. She also became more developed.  No longer was she just the girl that moved to town after everyone and the mayor's niece but now as the girl with an extinct supernatural legend inside of her and having come from a troubled past.  Some other characters are also devloped more, Corey, Nicole and Daniel. 

There really isn't much to say about this book. There usually isn't much to say when the majority of the book is information.  I can say thought that although the beginning of the book was action packed and very climactical, it took me awhile to get attached to this book.  I think when more was explained, I could actually start to understand what was happening and appreciate the story more.

I won't say don't read this because I know many people love her Darkest Powers trilogy just that I don't think this is her best writing.

MEH

[REVIEW] Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

Published: September 2004
Publisher: Plume
Age Group: Adult
Series: Women of the Otherworld #2

It was in Bitten, Kelley Armstrong’s debut novel, that thirty-year-old Elena Michaels came to terms with her feral appetites and claimed the proud identity of a beautiful, successful woman —and the only living female werewolf.

In Stolen, on a mission for her own elite pack, she is lured into the net of ruthless Internet billionaire Tyrone Winsloe, who has funded a bogus scientific investigation of the “other races” and their supernatural powers. Kidnapped and studied in his underground lab deep in the Maine woods, these paranormals—witches, vampires, shamans, werewolves—are then released and hunted to the death in a real-world video game. But when Winsloe captures Elena, he finally meets his match. (From Goodreads)

Stolen is the second book in the Women of the Otherworld series.

In Stolen, paranormals are being kidnapped by a tycoon seeking to build his own collection. Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf and the pack representive, goes to Pittsburgh where she is unexpectadly tricked by a young women who lures her into a trap by pretending to require assistance. Now Elena is kidnapped and imprisoned underground where she is kept for scientific research and the worst part about it is that there seems to be some spell that is blocking her ability to contact with her pack members and call for help. Now Elena has to find a way to escape, on her own, all the while trying to survive from the perverted tycoon who seems to enjoy torturing his prisoners and a lady who wants a more exciting life, and Elena might be the answer to it.

This is probably my fourth time reading this book. 

I love the women of the otherworld series, it's much better then Armstrong's teen series' which I find dull and not very exciting. 

Stolen has everything the first book, Bitten, has. It has action, excitement and hot romantic scenes. 

If I had to say anything bad about this book, it was that the introduction was slow but I understand that they had to set everything up and explain what was happening.

The majority of the book is focused on Elena's entrapment. She does get out, don't worry about that. There had to be some way of continuing the story but what she has to go through...well, it's not pretty. 

What I love about this series is that Armstrong finds a way to weave the different main characters in to each story. Stolen focuses on Elena but the next book in the series I believe focuses on the witches, who are introduced in this book. 

I also really like the covers. Although they're more symbolic then anything, the all black background and the one symbol is very strong and makes a large impact, at least for me. Think the covers of Twilight but more intense. 

So if you love reading abuot paranormals, give this book a try especially if you're starting to find that teen paranormal series' are getting a bit boring because this series is anything but boring.

Enjoy!

5/5!
BUY

[REVIEW] Broken by Kelley Armstrong

Published: April 2006
Publisher: Bantam
Age Group: Adult
Series: Women of the Otherworld #6

In this thrilling new novel from the author of Industrial Magic, a pregnant werewolf may have unwittingly unleashed Jack the Ripper on the twenty-first century — and become his next target…

Ever since she discovered she’s pregnant, Elena Michaels has been on edge. After all, she’s never heard of another living female werewolf, let alone one who’s given birth. But thankfully, her expertise is needed to retrieve a stolen letter allegedly written by Jack the Ripper. As a distraction, the job seems simple enough — only the letter contains a portal to Victorian London’s underworld, which Elena inadvertently triggers — unleashing a vicious killer and a pair of zombie thugs.

Now Elena must find a way to seal the portal before the unwelcome visitors get what they’re looking for — which, for some unknown reason, is Elena… (From Goodreads)

Broken is the sixth book in the Women of the Otherworld series and has Elena as the narrator.

In Broken, Elena is called for an favor that she owes the half demon Xavier, who had helped her escape from the research facility when she was captured. The favor is simple, steal the letter sent by Jack the Ripper that went missing back in the twenties. The job seems simple enough until Elena accidentally unlocks the spell on the letter releasing a dimensional portal. To make matters worse, Elena is pregnant and now there are zombies coming out of the portal and attacking her. Now Elena has to find a way to seal the portal in time, all the while trying to stay alive.

Broken had some parts that were confusing for me. Not because the story line was badly written but because I hadn't read book three, four and five. There were some events and people mentioned that I had no idea about but overall, the story was well written and I wasn't completely lost that I couldn't understand what was happening. 

As always, Elena and Clay's relationship is going strong and the plot in this book is different but still similar to the other books. 

I really would have liked it if they had touched on Jack the Ripper some more but I guess the main point of the book isn't about Jack the Ripper but about Elena's survival in this troubled time. 

Like my previous review, I can find no, or very little, faults with Kelley Armstrong's writing and her series. 

The cover is amazing and the story is very well written. 

If you love fantasy but not much of a Twilight fan, I would suggest you give this a try!

Enjoy!

5/5!
BUY

[REVIEW] The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Published: April 2011
Publisher:HarperCollins New York
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: Darkness Rising #1

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.

In The Gathering, New York Times best-selling author Kelley Armstrong brings all the supernatural thrills from her wildly successful Darkest Powers series to Darkness Rising, her scorching hot new trilogy. (From Goodreads)

The Gathering takes place in a small town on Vancouver Island with a population of about 200. There, the St.Cloud company filled the town with employees that were promised the best care for their children. All employees that were hired have young children and the St. Cloud company thought that the best way to attract the parents is to promise the best for the children. In this town, the main character, Maya lives with her parents. Maya was adopted at the age of five and has a paw print shaped birthmark above her waist. Her best friend's called Daniel and her other best friend, Serena, drowned in a lake. The incident was deemed an accident but both Maya and Daniel have different opinions. Besides that, the new guy, Rafe, is constantly following Maya, wanting her to be his girlfriend. Mix that was a bunch of cougar appearences, a shady women by the name of Mina Lee that wants any information the towns children can tell her, and the unnatural events that are occuring and you have a very complicated life. So what does Maya do when she figures out who she really is and uncovers a huge conspiracy happening in her own town?

I love Kelley Armstrong books. More like i really like her adult books (The Women of the Otherworld series). Her teen books (The Darkest Powers Series) wasn't too good in my opinon so i was quite hesitant to read this book but i gave it a shot and well, it's definitely Kelley Armstrong.

There aren't as many, shall we say, romantic scenes as one expects from the Women of the Otherworld but this book has it's fair share. For once though, i'm happy to say that the plot of this book was not driven by the romantic relationships the main character has. In fact, the entire plot of the book is introduced ever so slowly. The reader does really know what it is until the main character realizes.

Basically the lie gets bigger and bigger and more secrets are revealed as the protagonist realizes that her small and quiet town might have more secrets then it seems to have. 

Of course, this book has to have some reference to the supernatural but Armstrong took a different route this time. The supernatural part of this book was more connected to First Nations and their tales as oppose to our perceptions of vampires, werewolves, etc. 

What i also really liked about this book was that Kelley Armstrong wrote it so ingeniously that you don't even realize that at the beginning, she's already revealed what the big secret is, but you don't know about that because you don't know clearly what's happening to the main character and what you're reading about. In fact, all i though about when reading the first couple of chapters is that the main character was getting visions and possibly she had some sixth sense. 

Well i was sort of right. The fact is, when the secret is revealed, the facts sort lining up, and you have a EUREKA moment when you realize that the signs were all there, you just didn't know what you were looking for. 

I found the characters to be also very intriguing. Maya is a very stubbern girl who often thinks too much in to events and people. Daniel is the overprotective best friend who has his own problems to deal with. The romance in this book was also not what i wanted. I always seem to be rooting for the overprotective, caring boy; not the bad-guy who the girl is obviously attracted to. 

Lastly, the ending of this book is a major cliff hanger. I'm probably going to read the second book just to see what's going to happen to them. Leave it to Kelley Armstrong to keep me hooked. 

So if you're a fan of fantasy, action, dark secrets, and Kelley Armstrong of course, read this book!

4/5
MEH