Rating: Summary: What great reading Review: With great imagination and sensitivity, Kelley Armstrong gives us a picture of a werewolf pack that is new and fresh. I loved this book, and I recommend it highly.
Rating: Summary: RAVISHING Review: I COULDN'T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. ELENA MICHEALS IS A WEREWOLF. THE ONLY FEMALE WEREWOLF IN EXISTENCE. SHE LEFT THE PACK AROUND A YEAR AGO AND HAS NEVER LOOKED BACK, BUT NOW SHE RECIEVED A PHONE CALL SAYING THEY NEED HER HELP, AND SHE KNOWS SHE NEEDS TO GO BACK. SHE HAS MADE A GOOD LIFE FOR HERSELF HERE IN THE CITY, SHE WENT TO COLLEGE, HAS A GOOD JOB AND A BOYFRIEND PHILIP, WHO SHE HAS BEEN LIVING WITH. (WHO DOESEN'T KNOW WHAT SHE IS) MUTTS HAVE BEEN KILLING PEOPLE IN HER PACK AND HUMANS ALIKE. ONLY TO LEAVE THEM ON THE PACKS PROPERTY. THE MUTTS HAVE BEEN MAKING "NEW" MUTTS WHO HAVE NO CONTROL OF THEMSELVES YET. WHEN SHE GETS BACK TO THE PACK IT FEELS LIKE HOME AGAIN, BUT SHE DOESEN'T WANT TO FACE IT....YET.
Rating: Summary: Emotionally charged Review: Normally you cannot tell a book by its cover, however the publishers of this particular novel were very clever with this jacket and it suits the novel perfectly. Red, being blood and passion, are what this story is about. Elena as a main character is an amusing and interesting character, and the other characters Ms. Armstrong surrounds her with are absorbing and so very unique. I really enjoyed the writing style, considering this is the first book written by the author, and the plot was interesting, not overpowering, and didn't have a quick supernatural and easy solution to it which was appreciated. I comment that it was not overpowering because this story is not about events, it is an in-depth, personal, and hairy look at a woman/werewolf trying to find herself. She's had a trauma-ridden childhood, and when she found Clay she found what appeared to be the perfect man for her. Until he bit her. The story focuses on Elena's and Clay's relationship mainly, as Elena stumbles her way to self-discovery, and trying to find happiness. I came away from the story very uplifted, as the ending was joyful. It had reality involved in it (no one is perfect, not even the main characters), it had bittersweet sadness, and it also had some sex (a warning to the squemish). I very much enjoyed the book, especially since there are so few out there with a Canadian tint to them, and supernatural romance as well. Overall I really enjoyed reading this novel. It was not all-consuming like some books can be, but it was very emotionally charged and I loved it.
Rating: Summary: Two thumbs, and paws, up for Kelly Armstrong's first book Review: "Bitten" is a wonderful re-telling of the old werewolf tale. Kelly Armstrong brings Elena (who is telling the story) to life, as well as the other characters. Elena is one of the only female werewolves out there, bitten by her intended -Clayton- and turned. Elena, however, doesn't like being a werewolf so she leaves The Pack and moves to Canada, where she finds a normal life and a normal boyfriend. However, when The Pack's leader, Jermey, calls on Elena to return home, Elena knows she has no choice. However, Elena tries not to fall back into the life she once knew, of The Pack, and tries to resist Clay's attempts to woo back her love. However, when Clay is taken captive by a rouge band of Mutts (werewolves outside The Pack), Elena must make her choice. Kelly Armstrong is a GREAT writer and creates characters you actually care about. It's a "howling" (bad werewolf humor) good read.
Rating: Summary: Two Paws Up Review: Bitten is a wonderful, fast-paced novel with a unique spin on the werewolf tale. Not a horror novel at all, it can best be described as a romance-action-adventure-mystery-fantasy.The story is a first-person narrative of Elena Michaels, an attractive, perceptive and intelligent young woman who desires only a normal, loving conventional life after a difficult and abusive childhood. While visiting her fiance's home in upstate New York, she is bitten by what she believes is the large family dog. The dog turns out to be her fiance in his wolf form, and the bite causes Elena to become sick as she becomes a werewolf herself. Her recovery is difficult as she resists becoming something she did not choose along with the fact that no female has ever successfully recovered from being bitten. Eventually she comes to accept her new life as a member of the Pack. After living apart from them for a year, she is recalled by the Pack Alpha to help resolve an attack by other werewolves seeking to destroy them. The Pack dictates a code of behavior for themselves and non-Pack werewolves, or mutts as they are called, so as to preserve their ability to exist in the human world with anonymity. Mutts who violate this code are dealt with brutally by the Pack. The author makes the story fascinating not just by utilizing her considerable skills as a novelist but also by making the characters believable and highly interesting. When Elena or the others "Change" into wolves, they do not become repulsive monsters as depicted in horror movies but completely natural and beautiful animals. The depiction of wolf behavior and society is so accurate that it is obvious that the author studied the works of wolf biologists such as Dr. L. David Mech. Life within the Pack is strictly hierarchical but is also filled with love, respect, safety and fun for it's members. Elena and Clayton are polar opposites. She is female, he is male. She is Canadian, he is from the Deep South. She is subtle and tactful, he is coarse. But we see throughout the novel that they are really mirror images and are truly each other's mate. Just as in Huckleberry Finn, Elena as Becky Thatcher has a "civilahzin" effect on Clayton. The Pack estate of Stonehaven is a place of complete safety and peace similar to Twain's Mississippi River. Readers will finish this novel quickly as it is pleasant and engrossing with a very satisfying conclusion. I could see this being made into an interesting and enjoyable movie but for now I will be content if the author would give us a sequel to this delightful tale soon.
Rating: Summary: Wishy-washy... Review: This book was thoroughly enjoyable when it focused on Elena as a tough-as-nails hunter, seeking justice and defending her clan. It was HORRIBLE when this "Strong" woman gave up on a perfectly stable relationship for a fling with a mildly abusive, highly misogynistic chauvinistic pig of a man. (And I'm a MAN for God's sake, and not too big on feminism). I rooted for Elena to complete her missions. I wanted to smack her when she found herself unable to choose between a pushy jerk and a normal (read: dull) man. I suppose if Armstrong would have given us a reason to dislike her "normal" lover, the ending would be more tolerable, but instead, we're subjected to the horrific "I can't date you anymore because you're like a brother to me" routine. Philip was no major catch himself, a little too much of a pushover. Maybe it's just the bitter rejected nice guy in me talking, but please don't expect me to feel sympathy for a character who sets herself up for defeat. I wanted to see Elena walk away from both men and become a strong independent woman. Instead, we're forced to watch her give her heart away to the guy "who's a jerk, but I love him anyway".
Rating: Summary: Good Book Review: I thought this was a great book to read.The only part i didn't like was that two of the members of the pack got killed.But other then that it was a great book to read.Plus i love the way clay and gang act as a family sometimes then they act like a wolf pack.This is the first book that really writes about the animal side of being a werewolf.
Rating: Summary: Best Find of 2001 Review: This novel was, definitely the best find of 2001. It follows the story of Elena Michaels, a journalist as she struggles with her personal life, and her secret life as a 'werewolf.' Characterization is Armstrong's strong point. Elena, Jeremy, Nick and Clay are believable characters. They are werewolves without being 'super human.' I particularly like the relationship between Elena and the pack, and how Clay does not patronize her because she is female, (sigh) which occurs in so many other novels. I listened to the audio-version, and the reader is dead on with the voices and characters. Way to go! I can barely wait for the sequel.
Rating: Summary: Unforgetable Review: Life hasn't turned out the way Elena planed. In this fast paced novel by Kelley Armstrong, Elena believed she just wanted a simple, normal life. As we all know, nothing is ever that simple. Her live-in boyfriend and his family are giving her the normal life she craves, but they don't know she is a werewolf. Then an urgent call sends Elena hurrying back to the pack she has tried to seperate herself from and the love of her life.The danger, action and romance will draw you quickly into this preternatural reality. Bitten will keep you reading through the night. Buy this book.
Rating: Summary: Amazing Debut! Review: Bitten is one of the best first novels I have read in a long time. Kelley Armstrong proves that you can still take an old, tired and overused storyline and make it great and entertaining. Her book is sexy, intelligently written and highly entertaining. Elena is a young woman who was once bitten by a werewolf, which inevitably turned her into one as well. Only problem is that in Armstrong's world, only males are allowed to be werwolves as the curse is passed down through the male line. But she survives the change and The Pack, an organized group of werwolves, decide to keep her alive. She does not like her life as much as she ought to and so she escapes to Toronto, only to be brought back to her New York dwellings (the home of The Pack) when strange murders start occuring. She is quickly thrown into a plot involving a group of Mutts (werewolves who are not part of The Pack and who only want to cause trouble for the organization) who only wants to see The Pack disappear. Violent, dark and often wittingly funny, Bitten is a very original novel that takes the werewolf legend and plays with it amazingly well. The book reminded me of the early efforts from Anne Rice; Armstrong, just like Rice did with vampires, rejuvinates the legend on her own, putting a much-needed life back into the genre. Any fans of the genre should be pleased with this book. And non-horror fans will also find something to like here; Armstrong's prose is very beautiful, straight to the point and extremely colorful. This one is not to be missed!
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