Each month beginning March 1st, 2012, challenge members will read or re-read the title for that month. In addition, challenge members will either post a review, their reading experience, character castings or anything else related to that title. You have freedom to have fun with your monthly post so be creative! Seeing as this series is 13 novels long, this challenge will last 13 months.

This is the post that brings me up to date with the challenge. Yay!

Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong (UK cover)

Spell Bound (Women of the Otherworld #12)
by Kelley Armstrong

Published: 4th August 2011

Savannah Levine is in danger. That’s not usually a problem. But, caught in the grip of a disturbing and violent murder case, Savannah swore to give up her unique gifts if it would save an innocent young girl. Little did she know that someone – or something – was listening . . . Now she has no idea how to restore her powers, just when she needs them the most.

In this compelling, fast-paced new thriller, Savannah has to face a host of deadly enemies bent on destroying not only her, but the very fabric of the supernatural world.

As dark forces gather, Savannah isn’t just fighting for her life, but for everything and everyone she loves . . .

You can read my 4 out of 5 star review of Spell Bound here.

It’s kind of scary to think that Spell Bound is the penultimate book in the Women of the Otherworld series. In fact, I think it’s scary that a series that has been so much part of my life as a reader for a number of years is now over. Whilst on the one hand I’m glad Kelley Armstrong chose not to continue the series indefinitely, I’m sad that I have had to say goodbye to some of the characters that really cemented my love of both the urban fantasy and the paranormal romance genres. As I’ve already got up a review on this blog for Spell Bound this challenge entry is going to be a little different. Instead of talking about Spell Bound or the Women of the Otherworld series I am going to talk about the two young adult spin-off series that Armstrong has written: Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising.

None of the main characters from the Women of the Otherworld series make an appearance (to date) in either trilogy, but it is very obviously set in the same world. The Darkest Powers trilogy focuses on Chloe Sanders, a girl who can see ghosts. Chloe finds herself sent to Lyle House, a place full of secrets. I really enjoyed reading the Darkest Powers trilogy, and looking into a world that was both familiar and not. I thought Chloe was an interesting character, in part due to the fact that she has no idea what she is. I also thought the friends she makes at Lyle House were really interesting, and that Armstrong handled the mystery element of the trilogy in a really interesting way. The Darkness Rising trilogy (only two books have been published to date) tells the story of Maya Delaney, a sixteen year-old of Native American decent who lives in a tiny medical research community. I thought Maya was a really interesting character and I enjoyed watching her journey. Watching the plot unfold through the first two books in the trilogy has been really interesting, and I am looking forward to reading the third and final (?) book.

So, although I am sad to say goodbye to the Women of the Otherworld and the wonderful characters in the series. I am enjoying exploring the world through different eyes in her two spin-off series aimed at a young adult audience.

Each month beginning March 1st, 2012, challenge members will read or re-read the title for that month. In addition, challenge members will either post a review, their reading experience, character castings or anything else related to that title. You have freedom to have fun with your monthly post so be creative! Seeing as this series is 13 novels long, this challenge will last 13 months.

As this challenge started in March 2012 and it is already February 2013, you can tell that I am a little behind…

Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong (UK cover)

Waking the Witch (Women of the Otherworld #11)
by Kelley Armstrong

Published: 27th July 2010

Columbus is a small, fading town, untouched by the twenty-first century. But when three young women are found dead – victims of what appear to be ritual murders – things start to get very dark, and very dangerous . . .

Private investigator Savannah Levine can handle ‘dark and dangerous’. As the daughter of a black witch, she has a lot of power running through her veins, and she’s not afraid to use it. But her arrival in Columbus has not gone unnoticed. Savannah may think she’s tracking down a murderer, but could she be the killer’s next target?

Of course she could always ask her old friend (and half-demon) Adam Vasic for back-up. But Savannah has her own – very personal – reasons for keeping Adam well away from Columbus. And in any case, she can rely on her own powers. Can’t she . . . ?

As with previous Women of the Otherworld Challenge posts this is not going to be a “normal” review.

This book contains many firsts. It is the first book narrated by Savannah, who we first meet in Stolen. Savannah is the first (and only?) character we see in the series grow from a teen into an adult. The story is also about Savannah’s first solo case. In a lot of ways this book is kinda scary, especially when you think that there are just six years between the publication of Stolen and Waking the Witch!

This book was something of a surprise for me. To be honest, when I first got it I wasn’t too sure what I thought of Savannah being the narrator. I was happy with her being a secondary character, and I wanted to see more of the main characters I had come to love. However, I found myself really enjoying the story and having Savannah as the narrator. I also enjoyed the appearance of Adam as a main character.

Waking the Witch is, in many ways, the beginning of the final arc of the series. The plot of the book is surprisingly complex, and a lot of the fallout that comes from this book is reflected in the next book in the series Spell Bound. It was fun watching Savannah solve the case, even if the consequences are less than ideal. Armstrong ends the book with an evil little twist.

Each month beginning March 1st, 2012, challenge members will read or re-read the title for that month. In addition, challenge members will either post a review, their reading experience, character castings or anything else related to that title. You have freedom to have fun with your monthly post so be creative! Seeing as this series is 13 novels long, this challenge will last 13 months.

As this challenge started in March 2012 and it is already February 2013, you can tell that I am a little behind…

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong (UK cover)

Frostbitten (Women of the Otherworld #10)
by Kelley Armstrong

Published: 1st October 2009

The Alaskan wilderness if a harsh landscape in the best of conditions, but with a pack of rogue werewolves on the loose it’s downright deadly.

Elena Michaels, the American Werewolf Pack’s chief enforcer, knows all too well the havoc ‘mutts’ can wreak. When the Pack learns of a series of gruesome maulings and murders outside of Anchorage, Elena and her partner Clay travel to Alaska in the dead of winter expecting to hunt down a pack of dangerous werewolves. But, trapped in a savage, frozen realm, it is their own untamed nature – and their werewolf heritage – they have to confront. . .

As with previous Women of the Otherworld Challenge posts this is not going to be a “normal” review.

In Frostbitten Armstrong returns to my favourite characters in the Women of the Otherworld series – The Pack. In a lot of ways Frostbitten shows how far both Elena and The Pack have come since the events in Bitten. The Pack at the end of Frostbitten are embracing the future and moving forward, and becoming more like the packs of old.

One of the things that I most enjoy about Frostbitten is the fact that Elena and Clay and The Pack get stage time without having to deal with any of the other characters in the Women of the Otherworld series (though Jamie and Hope do make an appearance, for obvious reasons).

I really enjoyed the fact that this book is set in Alaska. Armstrong did a great job at conveying the scenery, and how bleak a place it can be in the middle of winter – and how dangerous, and wild it is too. Frostbitten really showed me how far Elena has come as a character.

The plot of the book was in many ways what I expect from a Women of the Otherworld book, though there were some interesting twists and turns along the way. Until this book I wasn’t sure if The Pack was THE Pack, or The American Pack. By clarifying that, Armstrong has opened up the world within Women of the Otherworld for me.

Each month beginning March 1st, 2012, challenge members will read or re-read the title for that month. In addition, challenge members will either post a review, their reading experience, character castings or anything else related to that title. You have freedom to have fun with your monthly post so be creative! Seeing as this series is 13 novels long, this challenge will last 13 months.

As this challenge started in March 2012 and it is already February 2013, you can tell that I am a little behind…

Living with the Dead by Kelley Armstrong (UK cover)

Living with the Dead (Women of the Otherworld #9)
by Kelley Armstrong

Published: 6th November 2008

Robyn Peltier has never done anything out of the ordinary and she never makes snap decisions. But when her new boss is murdered and she is named prime suspect, she finds herself way out of her depth. As the bodies pile up, only her best friend Hope Adams, and Hope’s somewhat spooky boyfriend Karl, are on her side.

What Robyn doesn’t realise is that Hope has a few secrets of her own. Namely that she is a half-demon, and her ‘spooky’ boyfriend is actually a werewolf. Robyn has accidentally stumbled into a bloody supernatural turf war, and the only way Hope can keep her friend alive is by letting her enter a world she’s safer knowing nothing about. A world where homicide cops talk to ghosts, defence lawyers are sorcerers and nothing is quite what it seems . . .

As with previous Women of the Otherworld Challenge posts this is not going to be a “normal” review.

Living with the Dead is actually a really interesting addition to the Women of the Otherworld collection because Robyn is the first and only (I think) human who is a major character in one of the books. She is linked to the supernatural through her friendship with Hope, but as she has no direct connection I think she’s an interesting choice by Armstrong. Because of this, Living Dead has multiple narrators – one is, in fact Robyn herself. I really enjoyed the way the supernatural and the mundane crossed in this book.

The plot of Living with the Dead is an interesting and complex one. It is the first one where we start to see Armstrong build up towards the endgame of the series, though at this point there are only little hints: Hope’s thoughts at the end of the book are especially interesting. I really enjoyed the way that Armstrong wove the different narrators and the threads that involved them together to make a cohesive whole.

Each month beginning March 1st, 2012, challenge members will read or re-read the title for that month. In addition, challenge members will either post a review, their reading experience, character castings or anything else related to that title. You have freedom to have fun with your monthly post so be creative! Seeing as this series is 13 novels long, this challenge will last 13 months.

As this challenge started in March 2012 and it is already February 2013, you can tell that I am a little behind…

Personal Demon by Kelley Armstong (UK cover)

Personal Demon (Women of the Otherworld #8)
by Kelley Armstrong

Published: 25th March 2008

Hope Adams, tabloid journalist and half-demon, inherited her Bollywood-princess looks from her mother. From her demon father, she inherited a hunger for chaos, and a talent for finding it. Like full demons,she gets an almost sexual rush from danger – in fact, she thrives on it. But she is determined to use her gifts for good.

When the head of the powerful Cortez Cabal asks her to infiltrate a gang of bored, rich, troublemaking supernaturals in Miami, Hope can’t resist the excitement. But trouble for Hope is intoxicating, and soon she’s in way too deep.

With a killer stalking the mysterious hot spots of Miami, Hope finds herself dangerously entangled, and has no choice but to turn to her crooked werewolf ex-boyfriend for help. What started as a simple investigation has spiralled into chaos. And Hope finds chaos irresistible . . .

For a woman who didn’t know what she was getting into, there’s only one way out: it’s time for Hope to unleash her most potent primal instincts and open herself, mind and body, to everything she most fears – and desires.

As with previous Women of the Otherworld Challenge posts this is not going to be a “normal” review.

The concept of the half-demons that inhabit the Otherworld has intrigued me for a while, which is partly why I enjoy reading Personal Demon so much – it is the first time we really get a glimpse into that world, though there have been hints at it through Eve, Savannah, and Adam. Hope is a really interesting character. She is not what I thought a chaos loving half-demon would be like at all.

One of the things that I most enjoyed about Personal Demon was the fact that the narrative is split between Hope Adams and Lucas Cortez. This is the first time this has happened in the series so far, and I think it adds an extra dimension to the story. I liked the fact that I knew things that neither Hope or Lucas did at the time. Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the interaction between Hope and Karl. In fact, I think I just love the fact that Karl gets some serious stage time in this book.

Armstrong does a good job of using the two different narratives to wind two different plot threads through the book, and still keep them linked together. Hope’s plot thread was an intense ride, fraught with chaos – which I guess you would expect from a chaos lover. Lucas’s thread was very taut and full of intrigue. Both plots have interesting implications for future books, I think.