Bitten

Rating:
Summary: I've been 'Bitten'
Review: I absolutely loved this book. It was a real hoot to read. Hopefully it will do for werewolves what Anne Rice's books did for vampires. All the characters are inviting to read ,nd the action never stops. Half way through I started looking into getting more books by the same author only to realize this was her first novel. On that level the debut is doubly impressive. I've recommended it to friends and family and am not adding my .02 cents here. It's a good strong read.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong is my find of the year for 2001! I knew after the first chapter that this was a gifted author and the rest of the book did not disappoint. The first person POV was done very well, it was fascinating to see everything through the heroine's eyes. To experience what was happening to her and learn about the character's based on her experience with the pack was riviting. There are several wonderful male characters that are fleshed out perfectly and Ms. Armstrong managed to bring them in with a strong focus despite the fact that we meet them through Elena's eyes. I've read a lot of stories revolving around lycanthropes and this one stands out as one of the best.

I'd love to see a sequel and step into Jeremy's point of view!

Rating:
Summary: Great Idea; not such great writing.
Review: I found the narrative boring. We spend most of our time in the protagonist, Elena's, head listening to her tell us about werewolves. Elena thinks most of the story at us. I never really felt that I was in Elena's world, just in her head.

Elena tells us how she feels, what she thinks, and then, in case we don't get it, she tells us what it means. The plot lacks mystery since Elena tells us everything that's going on. She even tells us what other characters are thinking and feeling which is exceedingly odd for a story written in first person point of view.

When characters do interact through dialogue, the words don't sound authentic or natural. They sound like more narrative in quotation marks.

Some aspects of Armstrong's vision are refreshing. Her werewolves don't seem to need a full moon to "change", for example. Yet some of it is inconsistent. Elena tells us early on that werewolves are not natural killers. Nevertheless, the plot seems to revolve around violence committed by werewolves. Even the protagonist has killed and it didn't seem to bother her all that much.

To be honest, I think Kelley Armstong had a great idea in writing this novel. I just found nothing to make me want to turn the pages.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Werewolf Tale!
Review: Elena Michaels was once bitten by what she thought was a large dog.It turns out it was a werewolf,and because of that,she becomes the only female werewolf in existence.She lives in Toronto,trying to live a normal,human life,apart from the regular night-time walks,when she has to Change into her other self,a werewolf.One day,she gets a phone call from the Pack,a group of werewolves who took her in,and helped her to learn to live with her curse.There's big trouble,and she goes to find out what is happening.Someone,another werewolf ,is making their own "Pack",by changing a group of very dangerous criminals into werewolves,and by doing so,wants to eliminate the Pack in which Elena belongs to.There are many twists in this involving,original novel.I loved it,I just couldn't stop reading until the end!

Rating:
Summary: Terrific debut novel!
Review: Bitten is a terrific debut novel, and a great werewolf tale that sucks you in and keeps your attention. I'm a fan of Laurell K Hamilton, but Bitten gave me a new appreciation for the limitations of the lycanthrope portrayals in the Anita Blake series. Perhaps it's to be expected, since so many creatures and monsters exist in Anita's world, no one group can be fully developed and explored. One of my difficulties with Anita's tales is that it's hard to focus sometimes. She careens from one problem to the next so quickly you barely have time to assimilate the differences between the monstrous groups she's dealing with.

That problem doesn't exist in Bitten. To the contrary, Bitten is so focused on the werewolves, and on one small group of them in particular, you are able to get much more involved with them, their lives, their struggles. One of the things I really enjoyed about Bitten was Ms. Armstrong's attention to detail, including emotional detail. All of the characters rang true to me in their reactions and dealings with each other.

Elena is a wonderful character. She's not always likable, but she's real. She is a reluctant werewolf who just longs to be human, and her uncertainty and anger at her situation are palpable. It's a miracle she functions as well as she does in the human world, though we actually see her less there than you realize at first. Despite her longing to be human, she revels in her wolf characteristics and is continually troubled by the duality of her nature. She tries to delude herself, but she's rarely successful and I respected that even when I didn't particularly like her actions at times.

I appreciated the nature of the relationship between her and Clayton, the werewolf who bit her and still wants her, despite Elena's continued resentment toward him. Their bond is fascinating and multi-faceted -- in many ways they are reflections of each other. I was happy with the initial resolution of their conflict and hope to see more of them. Likewise, the relationships between Elena and Jeremy, and Clayton and Jeremy are well-drawn and fully realized. Antonio and Nick suffer a bit by comparison, but their roles are lesser, so it's not a fatal flaw. Philip was weak too, but I suppose he had to be.

I was very pleasantly surprised by Bitten and hope that it is the first of a series which will expand on the well-crafted themes and give us new insights into the absorbing characters. Great job, Ms. Armstrong!

Rating:
Summary: A novel with a bite...
Review: Not really a romance, not really a horror story, BITTEN is a funny and hip take on werewolf lore.
Elena Michaels is a young journalist in Toronto. Orphaned at an early age, she was shuffled from one abusive foster home to another. All Elena ever wanted was a bit of normalcy, and she thinks she has it with her boyfriend Phillip...except Elena Michaels is a werewolf; the only only female werewolf in the world, bitten by her ex-finance while in his werewolf form.
In her debut novel, Kelley Armstrong provides a fresh twist on the werewolf theme. Amstrong handles Elena's inner conflicts and vulnerabilities well in a totally believable tale.
With its deft blend of wit, humor and sensuality, BITTEN is an engaging read.

Rating:
Summary: excellent read!!
Review: I have never written a review and have never felt the need to, but this book is just too good to not let others know about it. Kelley Armstrong is a superb author and this book was entertaining to the last page. Her characters are extremely interesting and the plot captivating. In fact, this is the best werewolf book I've ever read! For me, Armstrong is a sure rival to my favorite author, Laurell K. Hamilton, for having the ability of keeping me captivated throughout the entire book and wishing for more! If you're searching for a fresh new werewolf story then this is it. You wont be disappointed!

Rating:
Summary: Original take on the werewolf theme.
Review: Original spin on the werewolf theme. I don't normally read books of this genre, but the book was original, contemporary and well written for a first novel. I liked the protoganist Elena because she struggles with being a single woman trying to establish a career and a relationship with normal "humans". The only criticism I have with the book is that Elena's job and live-in relationship seemed a bit contrived (I wish I had a job where I could disappear for weeks on end with no detailed explanations needed!). In spite of these shortcomings, it was a good first novel.

Rating:
Summary: W O W !
Review: I work at a bookstore, and for awhile I had been eyeing this book because it just *looked* interesting. Oh I know, don't judge a book by it's cover... but sometimes you can't help but do it. Admit it.

The thought of reading a werewolf book kind of irked me at first, as this was not usually the type of book that I would normally read. But as I kept reading... I couldn't put the book down! It's fantastic and I'm anxiously waiting for the sequel.

Rating:
Summary: Best werewolf romance I've ever read!!
Review: I can honestly say that this is the best werewolf romance I've ever read (and I've been reading just about everything for over 20+ years), with a style similar to Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake -- though better (if that's possible) ... with just as tough a character but with more softness and sensitivity.

The lead character had grown up with her share of hard knocks to meet and fall in love and become engaged (unknowingly)to a werewolf, only to be bitten by him in an attempt to deepen the bond and I'm assuming to increase her longevity and their years together (werewolves age at a much slower rate).

She's still working out her feelings of betrayal, has left the pack and is in another relationship that she's trying desperately to have work (though it's difficult when she has to make those midnight runs among other things without his knowledge) when she gets an urgent summons from her pack alpha to return home to help hunt down a group of rogue werewolves and ends up reunited with her ex-love, who is determined to reunite with her.

Great suspense and adventure, along with a sensitive and moving romance. I'd class it definitely a romance fantasy, rather than horror.

I bought the unabridged audio and loved it so much that I went out and purchased the HB edition for my keeper collection.

I couldn't believe that this was a first book -- it being so well constructed, paced ... and having such a depth to character. I'd highly recommend it!!