Women of the Otherworld Challenge: Month Thirteen

Hello fellow Kelley Armstrong - Women of the Otherworld Series Lovers!!!!

Today marks the beginning of Month THIRTEEN in the Women Of The Otherworld Series Challenge!!

THAT'S RIGHT EVERYONE, 
WE'RE AT THE HOME STRETCH! 
 ISN'T THIS AWSOME!?!

CHALLENGE: MONTH THIRTEEN

13
BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

A war is brewing—the first battle has been waged and Savannah Levine is left standing, albeit battered and bruised. She has rescued her half brother from supernatural medical testing, but he’s fighting to stay alive. The Supernatural Liberation Movement took him hostage, and they have a plan to expose the supernatural world to the unknowing.

Savannah has called upon her inner energy to summon spells with frightening strength, a strength she never knew she had, as she fights to keep her world from shattering. But it’s more than a matter of supernaturals against one another—both heaven and hell have entered the war; hellhounds, genetically modified werewolves, and all forces of good and evil have joined the fray.

Uniting Savannah with Adam, Paige, Lucas, Jaime, Hope, and other lost-but-notforgotten characters in one epic battle, for a grand series finale.

MARCH 2^nd – MARCH 31^st, 2013

 For this FINAL month, our goal will be to read/re-read and post a review the FINAL INSTALLMENT in the Women Of The Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong, 13.

Challenge members can either post a review, create your personal character casting for any novel in the series, or anything else related to this title within the Woman Of The Otherworld series.
Be creative and have fun with your post!

THIS MONTH'S PRIZE:

ONE participant will be selected to win any book of their choice up to a $15 limit on The Book Depository. The winner will be selected through Random.org. **For every 10 participants, there will be an additional winner!**

To qualify for this month's giveaway:

You all have until MARCH 31 to link to your reviews or posts to be included for this month’s prize.

The giveaway winners’ names will be drawn on APRIL 6th, 2013

 (Winners for this month's reading challenge will be announced with the grand prize winners and final mini challenge winners).
 

**If you missed the last 12 month's challenges, please feel free to post your review for prior books in the series this month. You can also leave more than one link during this final month of the challenge (example: if you review more that one book at a time), however, you will only receive one entry for this month's prize. Don't worry! All your posts will not go to waste and will ALL be counted towards the Grand Prize at the very end of the entire challenge, so put as many new review/woto related links as you want!**

** Most importantly: You did NOT have to commit to the entire 13 month challenge; feel free to join even if you only wanted to participate for this last month only.**

LAST MINI-CHALLENGE:

Seeing as this is the last mini-challenge for the Women of the Otherworld Reading Challenge, I thought it would be nice for participants to create a post, for an overall summary of their experience during the reading challenge (whether you participated once or all thirteen times)! Include all of your links since March 1, 2012 into your post, mention your love/hate for the series coming to an end, was re-reading the series just as awesome as the first time? and include anything else you like :). I figured, this would be a good chance to publicly say goodbye to the series, and thank Kelley Armstrong for pouring her soul into writing such an amazing series.
 

** Most importantly: Since this last challenge involves being done after our final reading challenge is complete, I figured I'd give a few extra days after this month's challenge, to complete the mini-challenge. This way everyone would have enough time to do both :). The Mini-Challenge ends on April 5th!**

GRAND PRIZES:

I'm excited to announce that there will be TWO GRAND PRIZES to be won!!

GRAND PRIZE #1 (Sponsored by Random House):
- 1 copy of Tales of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong
- 1 copy of Men of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong
- 1 copy of 13 by Kelley Armstrong - Book Swag

GRAND PRIZE #2 

(For those who already own Grand Prize 1 items):

- Any book(s) of winner's choice, up to $25 from The Book Depository

** Most importantly: The winners will be selected and announced here on the blog on April 6th, along with this month's reading challenge winners, and mini-challenge winners!! ALL POSTS SINCE MARCH 1, 2012 COUNT TOWARD GRAND PRIZE ENTRIES**

2 DIFFERENT Linkies Below:

There are two separate linkies below, one for this month's reading challenge (reviews for any WOTO books or book-related post) which closes on March 31st, and another for the very last mini-challenge (comment on your reading challenge experience and/or how you feel about the series ending, overall personal results) which closes on April 5th. Please make sure not to include the same link twice! I do understand that accidents happen, so let me know if it does and I'll make the correction :)!

Don't forget to link your posts here!

Challenge Review: Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong

CHALLENGE: MONTH TWELVE
  SPELL BOUND BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

 

Title: Spell Bound
Series: Women of the Otherworld #12
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Urban Fantasy Fiction, Supernatural Fiction
Elements: Witches, Demons, Necromancers, Sorcerers, Ghosts, Shamans, Zombies, Vampires
Setting Location: Columbus, Washington // Los Angeles, California // Miami, Florida
Publisher: Dutton Books, Penguin Group
Format: Hardcover, 325 Pages
ISBN: 9780525952206
Release Date: July 26, 2011
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 5/5

Purchase Here: Kindle // Hardcover

Tagline(s): ~NONE~ 

Summary: Savannah Levine has grown up to become a paranormal-investigating knockout. As a witch endowed with an array of spells, she is a force to be reckoned with. But, in her last case, innocent lives were lost and a family was torn apart. To put right the mess she helped create, she swears she would give anything...even her powers. Little does she know that someone or something has taken her up on that.

Defenseless and on the run from the witch-hunting assassins who are following her every move, Savannah soon stumbles upon a gathering storm that may tear her entire world apart. The danger is real. The whole Otherworld will have to come together to fight the dark force that threatens its very existence.

Savannah has no idea how to restore her powers just when she needs them the most, facing 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....

Review:

In Waking the Witch, Savannah lost her powers due to a poison that inhibits spell power, but she got them back after taking an antidote. In her grief and guilt over what happened to Paula and Kayla, she made a wish that she would gladly give up her powers if everything was put right again. Well, someone or something heard her, granted that wish, and Savannah is left without her powers once again. And it couldn't be a worse time to be powerless. Being hunted by a witch-hunter and trying to stop a supernatural rebellion are not easy when you can barely defend yourself. But Savannah needs to learn how...and fast.

Without her powers, Savannah feels useless and out of her element. This keeps her from doing what she actually can do, like when Clay came to help her and ended up having to fight a demon. She just stood there and watched! This upset Clay and Savannah knew she lost any respect he may have had for her. Clay gives her this advice: Grow up. She needs to grow up and be respectful and considerate to those she claims to care about. Because behavior that was okay at 16 is not okay at 21.

This is especially important where Adam is concerned. Everyone knows that Savannah has been in love with Adam since she was twelve years old, except Adam himself. Her lack of respect and consideration for Adam, according to Clay, is going to keep him from ever seeing her as anything more than a friend. I have to agree. The way she treated Adam in L.A. was horrible and it's understandable that he would want some space and take a step back. I'm glad that they were able to work out their differences, and I absolutely loved their little moment at the end of the book.

Savannah's power loss has drawn the attention of both the celestial and demonic. The Fates have Eve investigating who took Savannah's powers. Adam's father, Asmondai, and Savannah's grandfather, Balaam, are on opposing sides on the reveal issue of Savannah's missing powers. What she does learn is that powerful forces are behind what's happening and Savannah is a target. A powerful ally, a tool to be used. And immortality is only a part of a much bigger plan.

"If you want to find your spells, dig deeper. Too much power has made you lazy. Complacent. Dig deeper. Work harder. Fight smarter. A war is coming. Wars need champions."

There are many who believe that the events of the past 10 years are sign and portents of the Phalegian Prophecy coming true. Kate and Logan, Hope and her unborn baby, Jaz and Larsen (Adele's son), Savannah and another witch-sorcerer just coming into her powers (who I believe is Tori from the Darkest Powers) are the signs of something big coming. And the Supernatural Liberation Movement is trying to gather them all together.

Savannah has a lot of growing up to do in a very short amount of time. Will she be able to find her powers in time? With the build up over the past two books, Waking the Witch and Spell Bound, I sure hope she does, because what's coming isn't going to wait for her to be ready. The "end" is coming and it's bound to be explosive. I can't wait to read Thirteen, the conclusion of the Women of the Otherworld series, and see how it all ends.

About this Author:

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

Challenge Review: Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong

CHALLENGE: MONTH ELEVEN
WAKING THE WITCH BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

Title: Waking the Witch

Series: Women of the Otherworld #11

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Genre: Urban Fantasy Fiction, Supernatural Fiction

Elements: Demons, Witches, Angels, Ghosts, Necromancers

Publisher: Dutton Books, Penguin Group

Format: Hardcover, 309 Pages

ISBN: 9780525951780

Release Date: August 2010

Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 5/5

Purchase Here: Kindle

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: At twenty-one, Savannah Levine-orphaned daughter of a notorious dark witch and an equally notorious cutthroat sorcerer-considers herself a full-fledged member of the otherworld. The once rebellious teen has grown into a six-foot-tall, motorcycle-riding jaw-dropper, with a full arsenal of spells that she's not afraid to use when she gets caught in a bind. There's only one small problem--her adoptive parents, Paige and Lucas, don't always trust her. Of course, she's given them plenty of reasons...but those are in the past. People can change, right?

When Paige and Lucas take off on a romantic vacation alone, leaving her in charge of their detective agency, Savannah is presented with a case that she can't turn down, and one she can finally call her own. Recruited by another supernatural detective, she travels to Columbus, Washington--a small, almost shell of a town. Two troubled young women have been found in an abandoned warehouse, murdered. Now a third woman is dead, and darker forces seem to be at play.

Savannah feels certain she can handle the case, but with supernatural activity appearing at every turn, things quickly become more serious--and far more dangerous--than she realizes. Caught up in a web of lust, false identities, and lies, Savannah must summon strength from her depths and fight like she's never fought before.

Review:

Our favorite pre-teen sorcerer-witch is now a powerful 21-year-old knockout. Savannah Levine has grown into a gorgeous, kick butt member of the Otherworld, and it's finally her turn to take center stage. In Waking the Witch, Savannah is brought a case that she can't turn down. Determined to prove that she can handle a case solo, she travels to Columbus, Washington where three young women have been found murdered. But what should have been a simple case soon becomes deadly when an old enemy returns. Savannah will need to find the strength to overcome a potentially deadly poison inhibiting her spell power if she wants to make it out alive.

Before Waking the Witch, we only got to see small moments of Savannah growing up in the 10 years since she became Paige's ward. We knew her as a young girl who did what she wanted whenever she wanted, no matter how much trouble she caused. Now Savannah has grown into a clever and cunning investigator. She's still sassy and sarcastic, but it's more tempered now. As we find while reading Waking the Witch, the deaths of her parents, Eve and Kristoff, have left their mark.

When Savannah meets Kayla Thompson, the daughter of one of the murdered women, she feels an instant connection with the young girl. Savannah can understand what Kayla is going through and how important it is for her to have her grandmother, Paula, in her life, just as Savannah has Paige and Lucas. As the case progresses and Savannah gets to know Kayla better, she begins to feels obligated and responsible for her, so when something happens to tear Kayla's family apart, Savannah feels at fault. And Savannah will do anything, give up anything, to fix what happened.

As Savannah is investigating, she meets Michael Kennedy, a Dallas detective who came to Columbus to investigate his sister, Claire's, death. Though Savannah has, and probably always will, feelings for Adam Vasic, she takes a chance on Michael. I feel that Michael will have a lasting effect on Savannah. Their short and tragic beginning is really heartbreaking, and he is someone Savannah will likely never forget.

Savannah's magic seems to be failing just when she needs it the most. With Adam's help, she learns that a witch-hunter may be after her. The Benandanti started as demon-hunters, hunting down anything evil, but were wiped out by a group of priestesses claiming they were the very evil they hunted. These priestesses then took the Benandanti's place and switched their focus to hunting witches. No one believes these witch-hunters to still exist, but there is one in Columbus, and she's after Savannah. This is a storyline that continues in Spell Bound. And it's not as simple as this young woman being a witch-hunter. It's much, much more dangerous. This is definitely something to look out for in the next book.

The small town of Columbus, Washington started out with three deaths upon Savannah's arrival. Upon her departure, Columbus is left with five additional deaths, bringing the total to eight people dead. This town has seen a lot of tragedy that could have been avoided had Savannah never gone there, because with her arrival she lead an old enemy with a dangerous and obsessive connection to her into the lives of the people of Columbus. People who would have otherwise lived, ended up dead at the hand of this enemy. But the blame can't be put totally, if at all, on Savannah's shoulders, because the appearance of this person was only the beginning of an even more dangerous plan.

The ending of Waking the Witch will continue right off in the beginning of Spell Bound. If you thought Savannah had it tough in Waking the Witch, her trials don't even compare to what she'll face in Spell Bound. This is the beginning of the exciting conclusion to the Women of the Otherworld series.

About this Author:

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

Women of the Otherworld Challenge: Month Twelve

Today marks the beginning of Month TWELVE in the Women Of The Otherworld Series Challenge! If you haven’t signed up and would like to participate, just click image above to be taken to the challenge sign-up post! It is also a great reference for the details concerning this reading challenge!

WE'RE JUST ONE MONTH AWAY FROM THE FINAL BOOK IN THE SERIES CHALLENGE, 13!  

CHALLENGE: MONTH TWELVE

SPELL BOUND
BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

Savannah Levine is in terrible danger, and for once she’s powerless to help herself. At the conclusion of Waking the Witch, Savannah swore that she would give up her powers if it would help a young girl. Little did she know that someone would take her up on that promise.

And now, witch hunting assassins, necromancers, half-demons, and rogue witches all seem to be after her. The threat is not just for Savannah; every member of the Otherworld might be at risk. While most of her fellow supernaturals are circling the wagons at a gathering of the council in Miami, Savannah is caught on the road, isolated from those who can protect her and unable to use her vast spell casting talent, the thing she counts on most. In a story that will change the shape of the Otherworld forever, Spell Bound gathers Elena, Clay, Paige, Lucas, Jaime, Hope, and others, who soon learn that the greatest threat to supernaturals just may come from within.

FEBRUARY 1^th – FEBRUARY 28^th, 2013

 

For this month, our goal will be to read/re-read and post a review the TWELFTH book in the Women Of The Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong, SPELL BOUND.

Challenge members can either post a review, share your reading experience, create your personal character casting for any novel in the series, or anything else related to this title within the Woman Of The Otherworld series.

Be creative and have fun with your post!

THIS MONTH'S PRIZE:

ONE participant will be selected to win any book of their choice up to a $15 limit on The Book Depository. The winner will be selected through Random.org. **For every 10 participants, there will be an additional winner!**

To qualify for this month's giveaway:

You all have until FEBRUARY 28 to link to your reviews or posts to be included for this month’s prize.

The giveaway winners’ names will be drawn on MARCH 1^st, 2013

 (the start of month THIRTEEN of the reading challenge). 

**If you missed the last four month's challenges or are not able to read SPELL BOUND this month, you can post your review next month or any month throughout the entire challenge for that month's prize. You can also leave more than one link during each month of the challenge (example: if you review more that one book at a time), however, you will only have receive one entry for the monthly prize. Don't worry! All your posts will not go to waste and will ALL be counted towards the Grand Prize at the very end of the entire challenge!**

** Most importantly: You do NOT have to commit to the entire 13 month challenge; feel free to join even if you only want to participate for a few months.**

Don't forget to link to your posts here!

Women of the Otherworld Challenge: Month Eleven

Today marks the beginning of Month ELEVEN in the Women Of The Otherworld Series Challenge! If you haven’t signed up and would like to participate, just click image above to be taken to the challenge sign-up post! It is also a great reference for the details concerning this reading challenge!

 WE'RE JUST TWO MORE BOOKS AWAY FROM THE FINAL BOOK IN THE SERIES CHALLENGE,13!

CHALLENGE: MONTH ELEVEN

WAKING THE WITCH
BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

The orphaned daughter of a sorcerer and a half-demon, Savannah is a terrifyingly powerful young witch who has never been able to resist the chance to throw her magical weight around. But at 21 she knows she needs to grow up and prove to her guardians, Paige and Lucas, that she can be a responsible member of their supernatural detective agency. So she jumps at the chance to fly solo, investigating the mysterious deaths of three young women in a nearby factory town as a favour to one of the agency’s associates. At first glance, the murders look garden-variety human, but on closer inspection signs point to otherworldly stakes.

Soon Savannah is in over her head. She’s run off the road and nearly killed, haunted by a mystery stalker, and freaked out when the brother of one of the dead women is murdered when he tries to investigate the crime. To complicate things, something weird is happening to her powers. Pitted against shamans, demons, a voodoo-inflected cult and garden-variety goons, Savannah has to fight to ensure her first case isn’t her last. And she also has to ask for help, perhaps the hardest lesson she’s ever had to learn.

  JANUARY 4^th – JANUARY 31^st, 2013

 

For this month, our goal will be to read/re-read and post a review the ELEVENTH book in the Women Of The Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong, WAKING THE WITCH.

 

Challenge members can either post a review, share your reading experience, create your personal character casting for any novel in the series, or anything else related to this title within the Woman Of The Otherworld series.

Be creative and have fun with your post! 
 

THIS MONTH'S PRIZE:

ONE participant will be selected to win any book of their choice up to a $15 limit on The Book Depository. The winner will be selected through Random.org. **For every 10 participants, there will be an additional winner!**

To qualify for this month's giveaway:

You all have until JANUARY 31 to link to your reviews or posts to be included for this month’s prize.

The giveaway winners’ names will be drawn on FEBRYARY 1^st, 2013

 (the start of month TWELVE of the reading challenge).
 

**If you missed the last four month's challenges or are not able to read WAKING THE WITCH this month, you can post your review next month or any month throughout the entire challenge for that month's prize. You can also leave more than one link during each month of the challenge (example: if you review more that one book at a time), however, you will only have receive one entry for the monthly prize. Don't worry! All your posts will not go to waste and will ALL be counted towards the Grand Prize at the very end of the entire challenge!**

** Most importantly: You do NOT have to commit to the entire 13 month challenge; feel free to join even if you only want to participate for a few months.**

**Mini-Challenge**

The mini-challenges will not occur each month but they usually occur mid-month. Please stay tuned for your next mini-challenge!

Don't forget to link to your posts here!

Challenge Review: Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong

FROSTBITTEN
BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

Title: Frostbitten
Series: Women of the Otherworld #10
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Urban Fantasy Fiction, Supernatural Fiction
Elements: Werewolves, Demons, Shapeshifters, Necromancers
Publisher: Bantam Books, Random House Inc.
Format: Hardcover, 339 Pages
ISBN: 9780553806625
Release Date: September 2009
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 5/5

Purchase Here: Kindle // Paperback

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: Being the world’s only female werewolf has its advantages, such as having her pick of the Otherworld’s most desirable males. And Elena Michaels couldn’t have picked a more dangerously sexy and undyingly loyal mate than Clayton Danvers. Now their bond will be put to the ultimate test as they follow a bloody trail of gruesome slayings deep into Alaska’s frozen wilderness.

There’s nothing the werewolf community dislikes more than calling attention to itself. So when a pair of rogue man-eaters begins hunting humans, it’s up to Elena and Clayton to track down the predators. But any illusions their task would be simple are quickly dispelled. For even in werewolf terms, there’s something very disturbing taking place in the dark Alaskan forests. A werewolf more wolf than human and more unnatural than supernatural is on the hunt—a creature whose origins seem to spring from ancient legends of the shape-shifting Wendigo.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, Clayton and Elena find themselves confronting painful ghosts from their pasts — and an issue neither of them is eager to discuss. For one of them has been chosen to become the new Pack leader, and as every wolf knows, there can be only one Alpha. They’ve always been equals in everything. Now, when their survival depends more than ever on perfect teamwork, will instinct allow one of them to lead...and the other to follow?

Review:

Elena Michaels is tracking a young werewolf who ran with two known man-eaters, Liam Malloy and Ramon Santos. She only wants to speak to Reese Williams and warn him about Liam and Ramon's backstabbing tendencies. But with a reputation like hers, Reese isn't going to stop for a chat, so he takes off for Alaska.

Coincidentally, Alaska is where a number of possible wolf kills has taken place, and Jeremy sends Elena and Clay to investigate. With strange wolf behavior, missing friends, mythical shapeshifters, and a pack causing all sorts of trouble, Elena has a lot to handle and she gets a taste of what Alphahood will be like.

The first thing I realized when I read the names Liam and Ramon was that these are the two werewolves that attack Derek and Chloe in the Darkest Powers series. It seems that when they couldn't pin their kills on Reese, they went after a young, not necessarily naive, werewolf.

Being from Minnesota, I was able to really appreciate Elena's remark about the Minneapolis Airport and the Mall of America being traps for the directionally challenged. I've never been in the MSP Airport, but the MOA really is a trap for those who don't know where they are going. I can't even find my own way in that place.

I thought it interesting that Elena may or may not have a familial connection with the Russian Pack. Elena's mother was an Antonov, and there are a few Antonovs in the Russian Pack. It's an old werewolf family in Russia, apparently. Roman Novikov, the Alpha of the Russian Pack, invited Elena, Clay, and Jeremy to Russia to see if there is indeed a connection. I'm really curious about this myself, I would love to know if Elena has family in the Russian Pack. That could possibly help her in the long run when she becomes Alpha of the North American Pack.

One of my favorite moments was when Elena visited Lynn Nygard and saw a painting of herself as a wolf on Lynn's wall. That is way too coincidental that Lynn had a print of one of Jeremy's paintings.

We know Elena's history with her foster fathers and brothers, how they sexually abused her, some even raped her, and that was all brought to the forefront of her memory when she received a letter from one of her foster fathers, asking for forgiveness as part of his therapy. So when she met Travis Tesler for the first time and he tried to rape her (and the numerous times after that first meeting) she was brought back to that little girl who just tried to hide from it all. But Elena, being who she is now, was finally able to fight back. Elena is probably my favorite character in this series, and the strength she showed in Frostbitten just reinforced that.

Then there is the Stillwell family. They were former members of the Pack, but left and moved to Alaska when the Alpha ascension was taking place. Dennis still kept in contact with Jeremy, though, but hasn't made contact when he said he would. This is another thing Jeremy asked Elena and Clay to check out. I don't want to say too much about them, because they play a big part in the Tesler takeover, but in the end the Pack gains a new member from this family. Plus two more possible members if Reese Williams decides to stay, and if Morgan Walsh decides to head south after his experiment in Alaska.

With a mythological shapeshifter race (which one it is, I won't tell) and a rogue werewolf pack close to waging war in the Alaskan Wilderness, Elena must act as mediator and take matters into her own hands before more innocent humans are killed. This is all definitely a great way to get Elena ready to be Alpha.

"So, what do you think of your pack?"

About this Author:

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

Challenge Review: Living with the Dead by Kelley Armstrong

LIVING WITH THE DEAD
BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

Title: Living with the Dead
Series: Women of the Otherworld #9
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Urban Fantasy Fiction, Supernatural Fiction
Elements: Psychic Abilities, Demons, Werewolves, Necromancers, Witches, Sorcerers, Ghosts, Angels
Publisher: Bantam Books, Randoms House Inc.
Format: Hardcover, 372 Pages
ISBN: 9780553806649
Release Date: November 2008
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 4/5

Purchase Here: Kindle // Paperback 

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: Robyn Peltier moved to Los Angeles after her young husband's sudden death, trying to put some distance between herself and her memories. Though she's still grieving, the challenges of her new life as the PR consultant to Portia Kane--the world's most famous celebutante wannabe--can sometimes be amusing, even distracting. But when her client is gunned down in the back room of a nightclub, Robyn is suddenly on the run as the prime suspect in the murder. And as more bodies pile up around her, it seems like only Hope Adams, Robyn's best friends, and Hope's somewhat spooky boyfriend Karl are on Robyn's side.

Hope Adams follows the kinds of stories whose headlines scream from supermarket checkout lines. But the difference is that Hope's stories are even weirder--and they're all true. Though determined to help Robyn, Hope knows it's only a matter of time before her best friend is caught. But it's not the police Hope is worried about. For Robyn has gotten herself  in the middle of a turf war between two powerful Otherworld cabals who'll spill any amount of blood--human and inhuman--to protect what they consider theirs for all eternity. And the only way Hope can keep her friend alive is by letting her enter a world she's safer knowing nothing about.

Review:

Robyn Peltier took a PR job representing Portia Kane in an attempt to leave the painful memories of her husband's untimely death behind. With help from her best friend, Hope Adams, Robyn is slowly getting back to herself. But when a clairvoyant paparazzo kills Portia for a photo she took on her cell phone, Robyn is accused of the murder and ends up on the run from the police--and the killer.

Adele Morrissey is a clairvoyant and a member of the Kumpania. The Kumpania strongly dissuades interaction with the Cabals, so when Adele discovers that Portia Kane has a photo with Adele meeting with Irving Nast in the background, she'll do anything to get that photo before anyone in the Kumpania can see it. Adele is ruthless--she kills anyone who gets in her way, and she uses and sabotages anyone to get what she wants. I didn't like Adele at all. I think she may be one of the worst villians in the Woman of the Otherworld series so far.

It was pretty funny how everyone thought that Robyn was a supernatural, just because she's friends with Hope. They're all asking, What kind of supernatural is she? Like, is it so inconceivable for a human and supernatural to be friends?

Just like in Haunted with the reference to Eliot Ness and the Untouchables, Living with the Dead has a reference to the policeman in The Fugitive who would not give up trying to capture Richard Kimble. That's who Damon compares Finn to, because of his relentless pursuit of Robyn.

Detective Finn is a necromancer who didn't know he was a "necromancer." Though he's a supernatural, he didn't know anything about that world until this case. Finn has help from Robyn's dead husband, Damon, with the case. He even gets a visit from Eve at one point. Finn was one of my favorite characters in Living with the Dead. I hope we get to see more of him in future books.

Hope and Karl appear in Living with the Dead. Aside from trying to help clear Robyn's name, we get to see how their relationship has developed. With Karl's birthday and their first anniversary approaching, Hope still fears that Karl will leave her, and she also fears how dependent she has become of him. When Hope receives a business proposal from Rhys, a clairvoyant mercenary, she knows she has a tough decision to make--and she has to make it herself. I really liked Karl's show of commitment. The infinity symbol charm for Hope's bracelet, with the engraving "No matter what" was so sweet. I love seeing that side of Karl. What I really want to know is if they ever made it to that cabin in the woods, LOL!

About this Author:

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

Women of the Otherworld Challenge: Month Ten

 

Today marks the beginning of Month TEN in the Women Of The Otherworld Series Challenge! If you haven’t signed up and would like to participate, just click image above to be taken to the challenge sign-up post! It is also a great reference for the details concerning this reading challenge!

 

WE'RE JUST A FEW MORE BOOKS AWAY FROM THE FINAL RELEASE IN THE SERIES,13!  

 

 

CHALLENGE: MONTH TEN

FROSTBITTEN
BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

The Alaskan wilderness is 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 Pack’s chief enforcer, knows all too well the havoc “mutts” can wreak.

When word comes of a series of humans apparently killed by wolves near Anchorage, Elena and Clay are sent to check things out. But they find more than they bargained for among the snow and trees of the savage Alaskan wilderness.

December 1^st – December 31^st, 2012

For this month, our goal will be to read/re-read and post a review the TEN book in the Women Of The Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong, FROSTBITTEN.

Challenge members can either post a review, share your reading experience, create your personal character casting for any novel in the series, or anything else related to this title within the Woman Of The Otherworld series.

Be creative and have fun with your post! 

 

THIS MONTH'S PRIZE:

ONE participant will be selected to win any book of their choice up to a $15 limit on The Book Depository. The winner will be selected through Random.org. **For every 10 participants, there will be an additional winner!**

To qualify for this month's giveaway:

You all have until DECEMBER 31 to link to your reviews or posts to be included for this month’s prize.

The giveaway winners’ names will be drawn on JANUARY 1^st, 2013

 (the start of month ELEVEN of the reading challenge).
 

**If you missed the last four month's challenges or are not able to read FROSTBITTEN this month, you can post your review next month or any month throughout the entire challenge for that month's prize. You can also leave more than one link during each month of the challenge (example: if you review more that one book at a time), however, you will only have receive one entry for the monthly prize. Don't worry! All your posts will not go to waste and will ALL be counted towards the Grand Prize at the very end of the entire challenge!**

** Most importantly: You do NOT have to commit to the entire 13 month challenge; feel free to join even if you only want to participate for a few months.**

 

**Mini-Challenge**

The mini-challenges will not occur each month but they usually occur mid-month. Please stay tuned for your next mini-challenge!

Don't forget to link to your posts here!

Challenge Review: Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong

CHALLENGE: MONTH EIGHT

  PERSONAL DEMON BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

Title: Personal Demon

Series: Women of the Otherworld #8 
Author: Kelley Armstrong 
Genre: Urban Fantasy Fiction, Supernatural Fiction 
Elements: Demons, Sorcerers, Witches, Werewolves 
Publisher: Bantam Books, Random House Inc. 
Format: mass Market Paperback, 523 Pages 
ISBN: 978-0-553-58820-0 
Release Date: October 2008 
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library 
Rating: 4/5

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: Tabloid reporter Hope Adams appears to live the life of an ordinary working girl. But in addition to possessing the beauty of a Bollywood princess, Hope has other unique traits. For she is a half-demon--a human fathered by a demon. And she's inherited a hunger for chaos. Naturally, when she's chosen by a very dangerous group for a very dangerous mission that will take her through Miami's hot spots, she jumps at the chance. But Hope is a little too good at this job. And soon she's in a little too deep. To save herself, she'll have to unleash her most primal instincts--and open herself, mind and body, to everything she most fears...and desires.

Review: 

Being an Expisco half-demon, Hope Adams feels a pull toward chaos. She usually works for the Council to get her fix, but when Benicio Cortez presents her with an undercover job, she can't turn it down. The Cortez Cabal has been having trouble with a local gang of supernaturals and it's Hope's job to infiltrate and gather information on their plans.

When Karl Marsten learns that Hope is in Miami, he pays Lucas Cortez a visit, inquiring about what she's doing there. He had a deal with Benicio that he would call Karl first if he was calling in their debt, and Benicio never contacted him, using the fact that Hope and Karl are fighting to get Hope to do the job alone. So Karl travels to Miami to get Hope out before things get out of control.

But when two gang members are kidnapped, events quickly go down hill, and the Cabal is the number one suspect. But there is more to the kidnapping than anyone ever thought possible.

I loved reading Hope's story. We get deeper insight into her need (?), addiction (?) to chaos. We see her complicated relationship with werewolf jewel thief, Karl Marsten. And her struggle to be more than what her demon makes her.

To be honest, when we met Hope in No Humans Involved, I didn't really like her. She seemed too eager and tag-along-puppy-like, although by the end, a puppy with a potentially vicious side. But when I read Personal Demon, that behavior made more sense to me and I really grew to like Hope very much.

The same went for Karl. We met Karl in the very first book in this series, Bitten, as a member of the rogue group trying to take down the Pack. I didn't like how Karl just stood by and watched as Clay was being beaten. He was too self-absorbed and selfish then, but we see a very different side of him in Personal Demon.

Karl feels no attachment to anyone but Hope, not even the Pack, which he is now a member of. I never thought I'd see Karl Marsten unsure of himself, but when it comes to Hope he feels things he once laughed at others for feeling. The fact the he's feeling the mating instinct doesn't help matters.

Aside from his feelings for Hope, we also see how Karl felt about the Pack as he was growing up. Karl had actually wanted to be a part of the Pack, but his father forbade it. It also turns out that his father was killed by Jeremy's father, Malcolm. So he has mixed feelings about now being a part of the Pack.

Personal Demon actually has two POVs--one is Hope and the other is Lucas Cortez. Because Hope works for the Council and is doing a job for Benicio, Paige and Lucas were brought in as well. This gives insight into the Cortez family and the inner workings of the Cabal.

A family tragedy causes Lucas to be put in charge of the Cabal and the investigation--and, boy, is he good at it. Paige can sense that a change is going to come and I really loved how she reassured Lucas that she wasn't going to leave: "Whatever happens, whatever you decide, now, later...I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me, Cortez."

And finally there is the gang Hope investigates. They are totally anti-Cabal and basically do anything and everything to undermine its authority. I can't say much about the gang without giving something away, but I will say that I really liked the members of the gang. As Hope became attached to them, so did I. I was shocked by the cause of the gang's downfall. It was totally unexpected.

The next book, Living with the Dead, is from the POV of Robyn Peltier, a human, and Hope's BFF. So we'll get to see more of Hope and Karl, and meet a new character in the Women of the Otherworld series.

Book Trailer: 

About this Author:

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

Women of the Otherworld Challenge: Month Nine

 

Today marks the beginning of Month NINE in the Women Of The Otherworld Series Challenge! If you haven’t signed up and would like to participate, just click image above to be taken to the challenge sign-up post! It is also a great reference for the details concerning this reading challenge!

WE'RE JUST A FEW MORE BOOKS AWAY FROM THE FINAL RELEASE IN THE SERIES,13! 

CHALLENGE: MONTH NINE

LIVING WITH THE DEAD
BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

 

When Robyn Peltier–a very human PR rep–is framed for murder, the two people most determined to clear her name are half-demon tabloid reporter Hope Adams, and necromancer homicide detective John Findlay. And suddenly Robyn finds herself in the heart of a world she never knew existed–and which she is safer knowing nothing about….

November 1^st – November 30, 2012

 For this month, our goal will be to read/re-read and post a review the NINE book in the Women Of The Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong, LIVING WITH THE DEAD.

Challenge members can either post a review, share your reading experience, create your personal character casting for any novel in the series, or anything else related to this title within the Woman Of The Otherworld series.

Be creative and have fun with your post! 

THIS MONTH'S PRIZE:

ONE participant will be selected to win any book of their choice up to a $15 limit on The Book Depository. The winner will be selected through Random.org. **UPDATE: For every 10 participants, there will be an additional winner!**

To qualify for this month's giveaway:

 You all have until NOVEMBER 30 to link to your reviews or posts to be included for this month’s prize.

The giveaway winners’ names will be drawn on DECEMBER 1^st, 2012 

 (the start of month TEN of the reading challenge).
 

**If you missed the last four month's challenges or are not able to read LIVING WITH THE DEAD this month, you can post your review next month or any month throughout the entire challenge for that month's prize. You can also leave more than one link during each month of the challenge (example: if you review more that one book at a time), however, you will only have receive one entry for the monthly prize. Don't worry! All your posts will not go to waste and will ALL be counted towards the Grand Prize at the very end of the entire challenge!**

** Most importantly: You do NOT have to commit to the entire 13 month challenge; feel free to join even if you only want to participate for a few months.**

**Mini-Challenge**

The mini-challenges will not occur each month but they usually occur mid-month. Please stay tuned for your next mini-challenge!

Don't forget to link to your posts here!

Women of the Otherworld Challenge: Month Eight

 

Today marks the beginning of Month EIGHT in the Women Of The Otherworld Series Challenge! If you haven’t signed up and would like to participate, just click image above to be taken to the challenge sign-up post! It is also a great reference for the details concerning this reading challenge!

 

WE'VE JUST PASSED THE HALF-WAY MARK!

 

 

CHALLENGE: MONTH EIGHT

PERSONAL DEMON
BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

Half-demon tabloid reporter Hope Adams has a secret. Like full demons, she loves chaos. She thrives on it. She needs it.

Most of the time, Hope feeds the hunger by helping the interracial council. But it’s never enough. So when Benicio Cortez offers her a job infiltrating a gang of young supernaturals, she thinks she’s found the perfect solution. Instead, she finds a tinderbox of greed, desire and ambition. And when it ignites, a world is going to explode.

Narrators: Hope Adam & Lucas Cortez

  October 1^st – October 31^st, 2012

For this month, our goal will be to read/re-read and post a review the EIGHT book in the Women Of The Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong, PERSONAL DEMON.

Challenge members can either post a review, share your reading experience, create your personal character casting for any novel in the series, or anything else related to this title within the Woman Of The Otherworld series.

Be creative and have fun with your post! 

 

 

THIS MONTH'S PRIZE:

ONE participant will be selected to win any book of their choice up to a $15 limit on The Book Depository. The winner will be selected through Random.org. **UPDATE: For every 10 participants, there will be an additional winner!**

To qualify for this month's giveaway:

You all have until OCTOBER 31^st to link to your reviews or posts to be included for this month’s prize.

The giveaway winners’ names will be drawn on NOVEMBER 1^st, 2012 

 (the start of month NINE of the reading challenge).
 

**If you missed the last four month's challenges or are not able to read PERSONAL DEMON this month, you can post your review next month or any month throughout the entire challenge for that month's prize. You can also leave more than one link during each month of the challenge (example: if you review more that one book at a time), however, you will only have receive one entry for the monthly prize. Don't worry! All your posts will not go to waste and will ALL be counted towards the Grand Prize at the very end of the entire challenge!**

** Most importantly: You do NOT have to commit to the entire 13 month challenge; feel free to join even if you only want to participate for a few months.**

 

**Mini-Challenge**
**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!**:

The mini-challenges will not occur each month but they usually occur mid-month. Please stay tuned for your next mini-challenge!

 

Don't forget to link to your posts here!

Challenge Review: No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong

CHALLENGE: MONTH SEVEN

  NO HUMANS INVOLVED BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

Title: No Humans Involved
Series: Women of the Otherworld #7
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Supernatural Fiction, Urban Fantasy Fiction
Elements: Necromancers, Werewolves, Ghosts, Witches, Demons, Sorcerers, Angels
Publisher: Bantam Books, Random House Inc.
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 505 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-553-58837-8
Release Date: February 26, 2008
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 5/5

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: It's the most anticipated reality television event of the season: three spiritualists gathered together in one house to raise the ghost of Marilyn Monroe. For celebrity medium Jaime Vegas, it's her best shot at the celebrity holy grail: a TV show of her own. Because, unlike her colleagues, who are more style than substance, Jaime is the real thing.

Yet reluctant to upstage her fellow spiritualists, Jaime supresses her talents, as she has always done. But something is lurking in the gardens behind the house: trapped spirits without a voice. And for the first time, Jaime understands what it means to be haunted. When events culminate in a psychic showdown, she must use her darkest power to defeat a shocking enemy--one whose force comes from the last realm she expected....

Review:

Jaime Vegas is a necromancer with power over the dead. Life from death, she can raise the dead and control them as she wishes. The darkest power any supernatural can wield. But the legacy of necromancy is madness, and Jaime has seen this madness in other necromancers first hand.

No Humans Involved begins with a young man named Brendon, who left home to make it as an actor in L.A. Walking the streets at night, Brendon is picked up by a couple who seem to want to give him food and a warm place for the night. But while in their home, he overhears them talking about texts, rituals, and the amount of suffering needed. When Brendan tells them that he wants to leave, the woman drugs him and the group proceeds to set him on fire.

This is the first of many glimpses we have into this group and their atrocious rituals. This group first came to Jaime's attention when a ghost made physical contact with her on the set of a reality TV show she's taking part in. These ghosts have damaged souls that are trapped between dimensions, unable to step into ours or cross over into the other. It doesn't take Jaime long to realize by the ghosts actions that these are the ghosts of children.

Jaime's search for this group overshadows the whole reality show things, as we only really see anything from the set in between the events of Jaime's investigation. She has help from Jeremy Danvers, alpha of the werewolf Pack; Eve Levine and Kristof Nast; eudemon Aratron; and half-demon Hope Adams. Everyone (well, not Aratron) on this team is outraged that this group would kill innocent children for its rituals and in such horrible ways, and this makes them the perfect people to bring this group down.

Aside from Jaime's investigation, we are shown pieces of her past and Jeremy's as well. We learn of Jaime's relationship (or lack thereof) with her mother and the pressures she put on Jaime to make it on TV. Aratron brings up the deal she made with a demon in the past to become famous. Jeremy's past with his father is brought up, how Jeremy had to clean up his father's kills, and how his father tried to mold Clay into the son he always wanted the Jeremy wasn't. There was definitely no love lost between them. There is also the interesting little tidbit about the runes that pop into his head, as well as the visions and sensing no normal werewolf has--Jaime believes these came from his mother. Though we are given these little snippets into their respective pasts, there is still enough mystery surrounding Jaime ans Jeremy to keep it interesting.

If you've read the previous books in the Women of the Otherworld series, you know that Jaime's got it bad for Jeremy. It's been 4 years since they first met and Jeremy is finally showing interest. But Jaime isn't going to give him what he wants without having a little fun first. Jaime has waited 4 years for Jeremy to take notice, so she makes him wait for it and performs a little tease to get him all wound up. Jaime ans Jeremy totally work as a couple and it was great to finally see them together. Jaime can be a firecracker when she wants to be ans Jeremy's reserve off-sets that perfectly. They aren't together for very long in No Humans Involved, but I'm definitely left wanting to see more between them.

Like with Haunted, Eve's story, it was great reading Jaime's story in No Humans Involved and getting better insight into her character. The next book in the series is Hope's story. What little we learn of her in this book has left me curious to learn more about her in Personal Demon.

Book Trailer:


About this Author:

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.