Friday, May 14, 2010

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong - HBIC Review

Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, Book 1)
Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
Review copy purchased.

PJVs QUICKIE POV: What can I say? Kelley Armstrong is one of the reasons I am addicted to Urban Fantasy. Armstrong bridged the gap from Horror to Urban Fantasy, for me, thereby refining my literary tastes and setting me on the path that is -- well my Paranormal Junkeeness. Elena and Clay were my first couple loves and they still to this day have an effect on me. I usually reread Bitten every 2 years and then move on to the rest of the series. I'm actually bummed that I will not have the time to move on to Stolen after this.

REVIEW: Elena is the only female werewolf in existence.  She did not come to be this way by her own machinations and because of this she is on a mission, a mission to avoid her other "self" at all costs.  She is avoiding the Pack, she avoiding her past and trying to live as human of a lifestyle as she possibly can.

When her other life intrudes rudely into her human life, Elena must go back to the Pack, if is only to push herself further away. She'll just do this last task and then she can wash her hands on the other wolves and rejoin the humans that she wants to embrace as her own.  The problem is, Elena isn't human any more. Higher metabolism, strength, senses and a penchant for nighttime disappearances tend to be noticed the closer you get to someone and to live in the human world, you have to let the humans get close.

Going back to the Pack isn't an option for Elena, but as she gets sucked back into the fold she might just have to realize that neither is going back into the human world, especially when Clay, the man she once loved sets his mind on keeping her close.

I think I've said it all on this one. Fans of UF and PNR, this is a must read. It is also a great break-in for readers that want to be introduced to the genre. The characters are larger than life, the world is exquisitely crafted, the emotional turmoil that Elena goes through is exactly what I would believe would happen to a female werewolf.  Kelley Armstrong is a veritable titan in the Urban Fantasy genre, don't miss out.

RECOMMENDATIONS: For mature audiences, there is violence and sexual encounters.

BWB Rating 4/4







 Discussion Questions for BWB:


  1. Let's talk relationships.  What did you think of Elena's relationship with Philip? Were her feelings for him genuine? Why or why not?
    Personally I viewed Philip as a non-entitiy. Probably because I am so infatuated with Clay. When I first read Bitten, Clay was a little too much in the beginning for me - one word - feral. But then he gets under your skin and by that time I was like "Go Away Phillip!" I think her feelings for Philip were her talking herself into it. You know, that guy that is supposed to be perfect for you. Your mom likes him, your dad likes him, he has a good job, no kids, perfect - right? But you just can't get over some hump in the relationship, that last little spark that goes from really like to love. I think Elena really liked Phillip and talked herself in thinking she loved him and as soon as Clay stormed in she realized that really liking someone is nothing compared to really loving someone.
  2. Keeping secrets from someone you love, is it being true to yourself?  Elena was hiding out in Toronto and away from the Pack. Did this make Elena a stronger character or whiny?
    I really don't think either. Elena was in denial mode, much like a diabetic that is completely in denial and keeps on snacking on those chocolates - bad analogy I know - but it is similar. I don't think it makes her strong, because to be strong we face our problems head on instead of running from them. Whiny, I wouldn't take it that far, I think she was just scared, scared to let go of a part of herself that she didn't want to let go of.
  3. Kelley Armstrong's werewolves lean more towards the traditional side of the wolf legend. What "were" type are you? Do you enjoy the pain riddled, desiring human flesh werewolves like the Wolfman or the intensely scary wolves like in the movie Silver Bullet or do you prefer painless shifters that keep a majority of human emotions...ie..Twilight and other light PNR novels?
    I really liked these wolves and find myself comparing them to others in the genre. I believe Armstrong painted a very realistic picture on what could be, if they actually were to be.
  4. Could you forgive the man you loved if he were to BITE you like what occurred with Elena?
    That was a serious breach of trust and I think it would be hard to overcome, but when you break it down to the basic reason for his actions, it was love motivated, how can you not forgive that. Now you can be seriously mad at him for awhile.


The books in the series (reading order):
Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, Book 1)
 Stolen (Women of the Otherworld, Book 2)
 Dime Store Magic (Women of the Otherworld 3)
Industrial Magic (Women of the Otherworld, Book 4)



Haunted (Women of the Otherworld, Book 5)
 Broken (Women of the Otherworld, Book 6)
 No Humans Involved (Women of the Otherworld, Book 7)
Personal Demon (Women of the Otherworld, Book 8)

Living with the Dead (Women of the Otherworld, Book 9)
Frostbitten (Women of the Otherworld, Book 10)

Tales of the Otherworld
Men of the Otherworld: A Collection of Otherworld Tales



Coming Soon!

2 comments:

Julie@My5monkeys said...

great review--I read Industrial Magic and didn't like paige but loved elena. I understood why clay bit her over the stable phillip.

ParaJunkee said...

I didn't like Paige at first, but after my second reread before the later books came out, I really did begin to like her. I actually gave up the series after getting halfway through Industrial Magic. I don't know it wasn't the right time. But my second reread of Bitten and I went through the entire series and now I like Paige and Lucas better.

I am a fan of Eve though, and I need to read Frostbitten in time for Waking the Witch to come out, cause I can't wait to read about Savannah. Even though kinda unsure about the Adam thing.