7
Mar212011
BOOK REVIEW: ‘Tales of the Otherworld’ by Kelley Armstrong
by Carolyn • Posted in 3.5 Star Reviews, Authors A-D, Book Reviews, Kelley Armstrong, Orbit, Reviews by Laura, Urban Fantasy
Title: Tales of the Otherworld
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Orbit (UK) | Random House Publishing Group (US)
Publication Date: March 2010
Paperback: 547 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Review copy
Reviewed by: Laura
RATING: 7/10 – Very good, would definitely recommend
GOODREADS SUMMARY:
Have you ever wondered how lone wolf Clayton Danvers finally got bitten by the last thing he ever expected: love? Or how the hot-blooded bad-girl witch Eve Levine managed to ensnare the cold, ruthless corporate sorcerer, Kristof Nast in one of the Otherworld’s most unlikely pairings? Would you like to be a fly on the wall at the wedding of Lucas Cortez and Paige Winterbourne, as their eminently practical plans are gradually upended by their well-meaning friends? Or tag along with Lucas and Paige as they investigate a rather gruesome case that looks to be the result of a rogue vampire?
REVIEW:
This is a compilation of short stories originally written by Kelley Armstrong as a thank you to fans on her website, which has now been put together as a book with all proceeds going to charity.
It contains eight short stories that complement her ‘Women of the Otherworld’ series. I actually really enjoyed this as it picked up on stories with some of my favourite characters, namely Elena and Clay, Eve and Kristoff and Paige and Lucas.
The first story Rebirth is the shortest of them all and tells us how Aaron became a vampire and met Cassandra. There’s not much to say other than it gives a quick insight into the decisions vampires need to make in order survive.
Bewitched introduces us to a young and somewhat naive Eve Levine, a black witch who wants to make a place for herself and trying futilely to keep out of trouble. Then she meets sorcerer and heir to the Cabal, black magic empire Kristoff Nast. As natural enemies their love story is believable and made me want to go back and read Eve’s book ‘Haunted’.
Logan was abandoned by his mutt father and has no idea of his werwolf heritage, until he gets a letter with nothing more than a name and address on it. In Birthright he discovers that his future is not going to be what he expected it to be. Logan is a fun character and it’s great to see the dynamics between him and Clay who has to work at accepting him into the pack.
Beginnings has to be favourite story of the book. Perhaps because ‘Bitten’ and ‘Stolen’ are my favourite books, but I adored finding out how Elena and Clay first met and fell in love. It was so endearing to watch the surly, human hating Clay and the young and a lot more vulnerable than we’re used to seeing her Elena. I didn’t want to put the book down during this story.
The next couple of stories are only a few pages long. Expectations is quick and fun and shows us how Eve & Lucas first met, and Ghosts takes place after the novel ‘Bitten’ and is written from pack Alpha Jeremy’s point of view, with his feelings on Clay and Elena’s relationship.
If like me, you felt like you missed out when you heard that Paige and Lucas had got married and wanted to read the story then Wedding Bell Hell will put a smile on your face. There are lots of fun and games avoiding the manipulations of Lucas’s father Benicio. And it’s great to see the warm relationship between Paige and Lucas grow.
The final story The Case of El Chupacabra is the story of a case that Lucas and Paige take on. However, the person that stole the show in this was Savannah’s half brother and Cabal heir Sean. There are some revelations about Sean’s personal life that make you feel for him. I know that the series is ‘Women of the Otherworld’, but I really, really hope that Sean gets his own book.
All in all I enjoyed this book. Rebirth was probably the weakest of the eight and Beginnings undoubtedly my favourite. The only thing I did find strange, was that in some of the stories the chapters alternated between narrators, which in itself is fine, but in some cases some characters were in first person and others were in third, which disrupted the flow of the narrative.
VERDICT:
This anthology is a nice complement if you’re a fan of Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld series and despite my usual reticence read short stories, I really enjoyed the sneaky additional insight into some of my favourite characters.
This could also be picked up by readers who have not yet read any of Armstrong’s books and want to get a flavour of what the books are about. However, if you do wish to read this as an introduction, my advice to you would be to avoid the stories ‘Ghosts’ and ‘The Case of El Chupacabra’ as they contain spoilers for the books.
Books In Series Order:
1. Bitten
2. Stolen
3. Dime Store Magic
4. Industrial Magic
5. Haunted
6. Broken
7. No Humans Involved
8. Personal Demon
9. Living with the Dead
10. Frostbitten
11. Waking the Witch
12. Spellbound
This book counts towards the following BCC Reading Challenges:
Book #6 100+ Books In A Year 2011
7 Comments
I loooove Kelley Armstrong's Women of The Otherworld series!! Thank you so much for posting the review! I am looking forward to reading this one!
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I love the women of the Otherworld series but I haven't gotten as far as reading this one yet. Definitely one to look out for!
x
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Thanks ladies!
I love Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series too, one of my favs
I hope you both enjoy reading it.
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I tend to stick with mysteries, but the cover is amazing.
Ann
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Bitten is one of my favorite books. I'm on #3 of this series and am loving it. I love when authors do short stories from their series.
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I am sooooooooo going to have to read this series, huh?
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@Cozy in Texas if you read 'Bitten' the first in the series, it does have a bit of a mystery element, with murders to be solved
@Tiah Bitten is my fav of the entire series too!
@Felicia the Geeky Blogger this series is great, definitely recommend
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