REVIEW: Women of the Otherworld (Kelley Armstrong)
Time to gush about a series I adore: the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong.
Books: (in order)
1. Bitten
2. Stolen
3. Dime Store Magic
4. Industrial Magic
5. Haunted
6. Broken
7. No Humans Involved
8. Personal Demon
9. Living with the Dead
10. Frostbitten
11. Waking the Witch
12. Spell Bound
13. 13
2. Stolen
3. Dime Store Magic
4. Industrial Magic
5. Haunted
6. Broken
7. No Humans Involved
8. Personal Demon
9. Living with the Dead
10. Frostbitten
11. Waking the Witch
12. Spell Bound
13. 13
Overview:
The Women of the Otherworld series explores the supernatural world through different female characters. We start off with Elena, who's the only female werewolf, but soon we meet witches, necromancers, half demons, ghosts, vampires.....I could go on! Each book reads like a thriller/crime novel, just set in a supernatural world.
Review:
What I like is that, while it is a series (and a long one at that!), pretty much all the books can be read as standalones. The only exceptions are the last 3 books, which need to be read in order. As someone who isn't as keen on series nowadays, its nice to have one that I can dip in and out of.
The world building is just amazing! There's loads of supernatural creatures, each with their own way of doing things. I like how the species interact as well. There's some animosities, but also a vast network of friendships. This network is built upon through each new character we meet and I love seeing the different character perspectives.
Each protagonist is strong in her own way: Elena isn't afraid of a fight, Paige is loyal and protective, Eve is a badass, Jamie is confident and knows her worth, Savannah is sassy and fiery. I read these books as a teen and I loved having these amazing female characters doing cool things and being badass. As an adult, I still enjoy these books - they've become a real comfort read for me.
Further Reading:
There are two spin-off YA series: Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising trilogies. There's also a number of novellas and anthologies. On her website, Kelley Armstrong has a list of all the books and novellas in chronological order, including where each of the novellas can be found (e.g. which anthology it's in). I'd recommend reading the main series first before the novellas.