The Calling – Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Random House Canada
Released: April 10th, 2012
Genre: YA paranormal
Review copy from publisher

Maya Delaney’s paw-print birthmark is the mark of what she truly is–a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly everyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.

Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they’re kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home.

From Random House Canada website.

So, it’s no secret that I am a bit obsessed with Kelley Armstrong’s writing. She is, by far, my favorite young adult and adult author. But that doesn’t mean that I approach her books with rose-colored glasses, no. Just because I adore her and her writing doesn’t mean that I am going to fall head over heels in love with all her books. Cuz while I really, REALLY enjoyed The Calling, I wasn’t all crazy for it.

I’m not even sure it’s anything that I can put into words. There’s a lot of action in The Calling, and I think I was craving more character development and such. I also felt that some of the information doled out was chunky, almost like an information dump. But I loved the mystery of the story and also trying to figure out who was on whose side. The whole group dynamic of the teens fascinated me.

As always the writing was awesome (except for the aforementioned issue I had) and I was drawn into the story from the open line. Kelley just has a way of plopping the reader right into the middle of things. The book was face-paced and made for a quick read. So while I wasn’t all drooly over it, I really enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next book.

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Random House Canada
Released: April 5, 2011
Genre: YA paranormal/urban fantasy
For review from publisher.

Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can’t find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and her school has only sixty-eight students — for every grade from kindergarten to twelve. Now, strange things are happening in this claustrophobic town, and Maya’s determined to get to the bottom of them. First, the captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. A year later, mountain lions start appearing around Maya’s home, and they won’t go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts getting negative vibes from certain people and things. It doesn’t help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret — and he’s interested in one special part of Maya’s anatomy: Her paw-print birthmark.

From Random House Canada website.

 

Oh Kelley, how could you? How could you introduce me to an amazing character like Maya, create such a great story complete with mystery, danger and wildlife, give me a taste and then hang me over a cliff? What’s next? Are you going to give me the world’s best chocolate cheesecake, let me lick the fork and tell me that I have to wait A FREAKING YEAR before I can have more?

Here’s a reenactment of me finishing The Gathering:

“What? That’s the end? No, it CAN’T be. Maybe this ARC is faulty.”

Gets up and checks other ARCS that are for the giveaway.

“AAAAAAARGH!!!!! That IS the ending. I have to wait a year to find out what happens?”

Arms raised to the sky.

“Damn you, Kelley Armstrong! Damn you!”

Face plant flop on the bed where I stay for an hour.

Kelley’s my favorite author. Never once have I read one of her books and thought, “Meh, that was kinda ok.” I’ve loved everything she’s ever written and The Gathering is no different as you can tell from my above spazz out.

I do animal rehab in my offline life, so I  instantly felt a bond with Maya who takes care of all sorts of animals in The Gathering. I actually ended up reading some of the animal rehab related passages to the hubs, since he has yet to read a book by Kelley. (This will change soon: divorce has been threatened.)

I’m such a dork that anytime there was a reference to Kelley’s Darkest Power Trilogy or her Women of the Otherworld series, I couldn’t help but stab at the page with my finger and giggle like a twit. At the same time I love that this could be the first Armstrong that you pick up and you wouldn’t be lost.

I’m not really sure what else to say about The Gathering without just gushing some more. As always the writing was tight and solid and the storyline was amazing. In true Kelley fashion there were more questions than answers. But,I’m sure that those questions will be answered in the next two books.  Now to patiently wait out the year until the next one is released.

I said it before and I’ll say it again: damn you, Kelley Armstrong, damn you.

And the winner is……

I’m a bit late posting the winners for the two giveaways I was hosting. Everyone has been contacts and everyone’s emailed me back.

Finished copy of Arranged by Catherine McKenzie
Jodi(blommingwriter)

International ARC of The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong (courtesy of Kelley herself!)
Cem

Canadian ARC of The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Diane
Mel (He Followed Me Home)

Congrats everyone!

My best giveaway EVER

*Important*

Okay, OMG Kelley and her assistant, Alison, ROCK.  After I retweeted the change to the contest, Kelley tweeted me that she could fix my international problem.  I just got an email from Alison and I once again have an international ARC of The Gathering to giveaway. So, that’s two Canadian ARCs and one International ARC. Awesome, right? I love authors who go that extra distance.

So in my excitement about this giveaway I forgot that it was supposed to ONLY be for Canadians. I know, I know, I suck. International peeps feel free to throw virtual eggs and rotten tomatoes at me.  Unfortunately both ARCs will have to go to Canadians.

But, I want to do something for you international folks so here goes: whoever wins internationally, wherever you are, I’ll buy you a copy of The Gathering when it’s published in your area. I know it’s not the same as receiving an ARC, but it’s the best I can do. AND it is still a free book. If I’m feeling generous (or even more guilty) I may throw another book the winner’s way.

OMG you guys, so I literally just opened the package and wanted to get this giveaway under way ASAP, because I know there are a lot of you out there (like me) who are chomping at the bit to read this one.  And I am beyond excited that I have two -yes TWO – copies to give away.

So, who would like to get their grubby little mitts on an Advanced Reading Copy of Kelley Armstrong’s The Gathering? If you have no idea what book I’m talking about, please move on. Just kidding.  Here’s the summary from Random House Canada’s website:

Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can’t find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and her school has only sixty-eight students — for every grade from kindergarten to twelve. Now, strange things are happening in this claustrophobic town, and Maya’s determined to get to the bottom of them. First, the captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. A year later, mountain lions start appearing around Maya’s home, and they won’t go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts getting negative vibes from certain people and things. It doesn’t help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret — and he’s interested in one special part of Maya’s anatomy: Her paw-print birthmark.

Juicy, juicy, JUICY! This is gonna be sooo frigging GOOD!  I worship the ground Kelley writes on and can’t believe that I get to read this 4 months before it comes out! So COOL. (Forgive me the overuse of caps and exclamation marks. If this was a vlog I’d be yelling in my excitement.)

So, the contest. As I said Random House Canada was generous enough to send me TWO ARCs of The Gathering to give away.One will be for Canadians only and the other will be opened internationally. I suck, see above note. To enter all you have to do is comment below, let me know if you are Canadian or international and tell me of one upcoming book that has you using all caps and exclamation points galore anytime you blog, Facebook or Tweet about it. No need to be a follower, tweet the contest or me up or post the contest on your blog – but feel free to do so if you want.

The contest will run until the 25th of January.

SO excited about this! YAAAAY!!!!!!!!

Review: Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Random House Canada
Release year: 2010
Genre:Adult, urban fantasy
One sentence summary: Kick-ass heroine,kick-ass plot, kicked ass writing all rolled into one kick-ass book.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review copy from publisher

The new novel in Kelley Armstrong’s bestselling Women of the Otherworld series showcases the fascinating Savannah Levine, a powerful young witch with a rebellious past and a troublesome heritage.

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 twenty-one 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.

From Random House website.

CHARACTERS: If I use kick-ass again, it’ll be a bit too much, won’t it? Okay, thinking up another word to describe Savannah. Thinking, thinking……nope, it looks like it’s gonna have to be kick-ass. I love all of Kelley’s female leads. She always writes strong women who are also vulnerable and very, very realistic, and Savannah is in no way different.  Savannah is the youngest female lead in the series right now (although I am crossing my fingers that this series goes on long enough that we get a book about Elena and Clay’s twins. Hint, hint Kelley.) As I read Waking the Witch and learned more about her, Savannah fast became one of my favorite characters in the series.

PLOT : I am a huge fan of books surrounding a character coming into their own. With Savannah taking front and center in Waking the Witch, taking on a case by herself, we see her make the step from child to woman. And the twists and turns in Waking the Witch were dizzy-making. There is one serious WTF moment that had me shaking my head, laughing and applauding Kelley all at the same time. And the ending! OMG the ending. I won’t give anything away, but kudos Kelley, kudos.

WRITING: Seriously, what can I say? Kelley is one of my all-time favorite writers and she never disappoints. Since this book is from Savannah’s point of view and written in first person, the writing was a bit different than the other books in the series. It was looser, fresher, younger and a bit “dirtier”. (Not sex dirtier, thank God. Like gritty dirtier, if that makes any sense.)There was more slang, more cursing and the writing seemed faster paced. It was perfect and I really feel like I got to know Savannah. I’ve read all of Kelley’s books, and I think that Waking the Witch is my favorite so far, beside Stolen.

WHO I WOULD RECOMMEND WAKING THE WITCH TO: It goes without saying anyone who even remotely enjoyed any of the other Women of the Otherworld books will love Waking the Witch. As will anyone who is a fan of urban fantasy.

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

This fun weekly book meme was created by  J.Kaye’s Book Blog, but  Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of  Books has taken over hosting duties. It’s a great way to not only keep track of what you are reading and have read, but to let others know of any great books coming up.

Read last week:
Girl Parts by John M. Cusick – LOVED this one. So different and quirky.

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard – Cute. Very cute.

Currently reading:
Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong – Really digging Savannah’s voice. I can tell 30 pages in I’m gonna love it.

Truly, Madly, Deadly by Becca Wilcott – Very cool book.

To read:
Hrm, I kinda have something planned this week and will be yakking about it in another post this afternoon. It has to do with what I want to read, so mum’s the word until then.

Review: Tales of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong

Random House Canada, 2010

Tales of the Otherworld explores the lives of some of Armstrong’s most popular characters, giving readers glimpses into how Clay and Elena met, how Eve and Kristof first hooked up (a brand new novella), and how Lucas and Paige got married.

From Random House Canada website

Okay, let the gushing begin.

Kelley is one of my top 3 favorite authors of forever and ever, so it’s no big surprise that I adored Tales of the Otherworld. The writing and storylines were stellar and it was great to get some backstory on fave characters.

You know when your favorite TV show does one of those “way back in the beginning” episodes where you get a glimpse into the lives of the characters before the show started? Well, that’s exactly what Tales of the Otherworld was for me.  It was bittersweet to read about Clay and Elena’s first encounter since most readers know what happens after. Same goes for Eve and Kristof. When reading their stories it was wonderful to see how far they have come, especially Elena.

To offset the seriousness of some of the short stories, Kelley included the telling of Paige and Lucas’ wedding, which offered up a bit of comic relief.  We also get to witness a brief encountered between Lucas and Eve, which was interesting just in the fact of how their lives end up intertwining years later.

Kelley’s writing style, plots and character development always draw me in and keep me engage, and Tales of the Otherworld was no different. Fans of the Women of the Otherworld series will love these short stories and new fans will most likely become addicted to Kelley’s writing and world.

Browse inside Tales of the Otherworld.

A big howl of thanks to Random House Canada for the review copy.

Review: The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

Random House, 2010

Only two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw my first ghost. Now along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and Simon, I’m on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered us as part of their sinister experiment. We’re hiding in a safe house that might not be as safe as it seems. We’ll be gone soon anyway, back to rescue those we’d left behind and take out the Edison Group . . . or so we hope.

From Random House Canada website

 

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors, plain and simple. I’ve read everything she has published and never once have I been disappointed. That goes for the final installment of her YA trilogy, The Reckoning, as well.  I loved it.

This was another one day read for me, as all of Kelley’s books tend to be. Once I got into it, I simply didn’t want to put it down.  The plot, the writing, the characters – it was all perfect.

I love Chloe as a main character and I was sad that the trilogy had ended. But at the same time that’s the great thing about Kelley and her approach to her series:  she writes what the series needs, not necessarily what her audience wants. She’s taken flack for this in the past, but I think it’s great. And also one of the reasons her writing and her series never get stale.

Okay, the book. What can I say? There’s a lot of personal growth for the characters in The Reckoning and it was nice to see the four come together and work as a group. Chloe also learns more about her powers and how to use them.  Dereck, who was my least favorite character in the first two books, emerged as my favorite character.  We get a better understanding for him and some of the actions he takes.

There’s a bit of romance, but just a smidgen, which is perfect for my tastes.  The romantic stuff is very secondary to the plot, so it never felt like this was a romance disguised as a paranormal book. 

Kelley’s writing style is descriptive, yet quick and the action flows at a break neck speed.  And the scenes where Chloe does some of her necromancer stuff? Goosebumpy fun! I also loved the nods to her Women of the Otherworld series. Every time a Cabal was mentioned, or the werewolf pack, I giggled just a bit.

Browse inside The Reckoning.

Thanks muchly to Random House Canada for the review copy.

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong

Random House, 2009

In the latest installment of her Women of the Otherworld series, Kelley Armstrong returns to one of her most beloved characters, female werewolf Elena Michaels.

This time around Elena and her mate Clay are off to Alaska in pursuit of a mutt (a werewolf without pack affiliation), while also checking in on two werewolves who left the pack but remained friends. There are also some suspicious deaths in the area that their pack leader, Jeremy, wants them to look into.

While there was a lot going on in Frostbitten, Armstrong once again hits a literary home run, giving her readers what they want and expect: excellent storytelling, character growth, elements of the supernatural and a touch of romance.

The plots were tightly woven and as usual the characters were not only believable, but our understanding of their past, especially Elana’s, deepened, allowing the reader to get a better grasp on who she is.

Some new characters were introduced and while they may have been minor characters, I have a feeling that we will be seeing a few of them again in future books.

I have yet to read anything by Armstrong that I haven’t loved, and Frostbitten wasn’t an exception.

Browse inside Frostbitten.