Kelley Armstrong

1968-

Reviewed by
John H. and Stephen

Kelley Armstrong writes dark urban fantasy. Read excerpts of her novels at Kelley Armstrong's website. Read about her urban fantasy series for teens (Darkest Powers) at the Cloe Saunders website.
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Women of the Otherworld — (2001-2010) Publisher: An addictive, deeply enjoyable thrill ride on the frontier of the feral and feminine... a debut novel of astonishing imaginative power from the future queen of suspense. Elena Michaels slips out of bed, careful not to wake her boyfriend. He hates it when she disappears in the middle of the night, and can’t understand why any normal woman would crave the small hours of the morning, the dark unsafe downtown streets. But Elena’s skin is tingling, the pent-up energy feels like it’s about to blow her muscles apart — she can’t put it off any longer. She loves to run at the edge of the city, but she doesn’t have time to get there. She has to slink into an alley, take off her clothes and hide them carefully, and make the Change. Elena’s trying hard to be normal. She hates her strength, and her wildness, and her hunger for food, for sex, for running in the night, for the chase and the kill. She wants a husband, children... even a mother-in-law. Or at least that’s what she tells herself. And then the inevitable happens. The Pack needs her. The Pack she loves and hates is under siege from a bunch of disreputable and ruthless mutts who are threatening to expose them all, breaking all the rules that have kept them safe. The loyalty of her nature calls her home, and into the fight, which tests just who Elena is: the wild woman or the wistful would-be human.

Kelley Armstrong Women of the Otherworld review 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

Forthcoming: Spellbound

Available for download at Audible.com.

fantasy book reviews Kelley Armstrong Women of the Otherworld Bitten Bitten

Kelley Armstrong is a very competent writer and her command of the urban fantasy genre is also really good. She knows how to manage dialogue and keep pace with both action and character development. So, Bitten, the first book of the Women of the Otherworld series, should be a great book, right?

Ok, I despised Bitten because the main character, Elena Michaels, is such a ridiculous brat that I simply couldn't stand her. Armstrong has created such a completely unbelievable character that I was happy when the book was over and the totally predictable ending brought my suffering to a close. Elena just didn't seem to fit an urban fantasy novel, but felt like the sort of paranormal romance characters that normally repel me. I just can't stand the strong-willed, independent, defiant females who turn into a puddle of mush for the ultra-handsome maverick male who they've been hurt by in the past and still can never stop loving. BARF!

So, Kelley Armstrong is a really good writer, but her main character, the focal point of the Women of the Otherworld series, is so repellant to me that I won't read anything else associated with it.
—John H. Comments

Waking the Witch

Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong is a fine addition to the Women of the Otherworld series. It relays the adventures of Savannah Levine, whom we met as a precocious orphan in earlier novels and who is now a grown woman. The mystery is strong, compelling, and reasonably twisted; the plot is well paced and packed with action; and the characters and their stories are, as always, strong. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel.

What’s not to like? Well, to be brutally honest, while I enjoy reading the novels of Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series, the world setting has always struck me as a bit contrived. For instance, when female witches have children with male sorcerers (protagonist Savannah is unique as the only such offspring we know of), their offspring clearly have a huge power advantage over witch-only or sorcerer-only babies. And yet witches and sorcerers do not procreate, supposedly because of a history of enmity and war. And this is true despite the fact that sorcerers (always male) are cruel and powerful enough to force themselves on the less powerful witches. Too, I don’t really buy into Armstrong’s explanation of why there is only one female werewolf in this world.

If these types of small issues with world setting distract you as a reader, then this may not be the series for you. But if you enjoy good stories about memorable characters, then I would recommend this series and this book. Waking the Witch is self contained enough that you can enjoy it even if it is your first introduction to Armstrong’s Otherworld. —Stephen Comments

Darkest Powers — (2008-2010) Urban fantasy for young adults. Publisher: My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again. All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don't even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost — and the ghost saw me. Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a "special home" for troubled teens. Yet the home isn't what it seems. Don't tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It's up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House... before its skeletons come back to haunt me.

book review Kelley Armstrong Darkest Powers: 1. The Summoning 2. The Awakening 3. The Reckoning

Available for download at Audible.com

The Reckoning

While Kelley Armstrong is best known for her Women of the Otherworld series, which I have read and mostly enjoyed, I personally prefer her YA-geared Darkest Powers series. The Darkest Powers novels, which begin with The Summoning and The Awakening, detail the stories of Chloe Sanders, a girl raised in a wealthy yet non-magical home who, upon hitting puberty, discovers that she can see ghosts.

A misinterpreted incident at school leads to a diagnosis of mental illness and soon lands her in a halfway house for disturbed teens with serious psychological problems, or so she is told. She and the others at the halfway house soon realize that the home is a front for a dangerous group of magic users who have been conducting genetic experiments designed to breed stronger necromancers, witches, sorcerers, and werewolves.

In The Reckoning, Chloe and her three friends are on the run from the Edison Group, searching for the father of the two boys. Aided by a secret group of adults who are allegedly opposed to the Edison group, they end up hiding in a home that is haunted by a violent poltergeist and dark secrets of its own. They discover that one or more of the adults has betrayed them and that the Edison group is still controlling and closely monitoring their activities.

The plot and premise of the novel are strong as are the characters, who are all distinct individuals and painted in shades of gray. Even the villains and traitors have redeeming traits and believable motives. I particularly enjoy the protagonist, Chloe Saunders. While she is a powerful necromancer, she is also refreshingly vulnerable, realistically insecure, and just plain nice. Overall, this third novel in Armstrong’s Darkest Powers series is filled with suspense, intrigue, and danger and relies less on high school drama and sexual references than other popular YA-geared urban fantasy series, though there is a nicely done romantic subplot. I have been actively encouraging my own daughter to read this series.
—Stephen Comments

Novels, novellas, anthologies, collections:

Men of the Otherworld — (2009) Available for download at Audible.com. This anthology contains: Infusion, Savage, Ascension and a new story narrated by Jeremy. All of Ms. Armstrong's proceeds go to World Literacy of Canada. Publisher: As a curious child, Clayton didn’t resist the bite — he asked for it. But surviving as a lone child werewolf was more than he could manage — until Jeremy came along and taught him how to straddle the human-werewolf worlds, gave him a home…and introduced him to the Pack. So begins this volume, featuring three of the most intriguing members of the American Pack — a hierarchical founding family where bloodlines mean everything, and each day presents a new, thrilling, and often deadly challenge. For as Clayton grows from a wild child to a clever teen who tests his beloved mentor at every turn, he must learn not only to control his animal instincts, but to navigate Pack politics — including showing his brutal arch nemesis, Malcolm, who the real Alpha is...

Angelic — (2009) Novella. Publisher: 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.

Tales of the Otherworld — (2010) Anthology contains: Birthright, Beginnings, Ghosts, Expectations, Wedding Bell Hell, The Case of El Chupacabra and a new story narrated by Eve. All of Ms. Armstrong's proceeds from this anthology go to World Literacy of Canada. Publisher: 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? Now, Otherworld reader can share these moments with some of their favorite characters — as well as catching welcome glimpses into the minds of some of the lesser-known players. But even readers new to the Otherworld universe will find much to love in these seven tales of friendship, adventure, and enduring romance.

Conterfeit Magic — (2010) Publisher: Return to the world of Kelley Armstrong's best-selling novels Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic for a long original novella. 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.

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