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Summary: Avid Reader & Reviewer
Review: Elena Michaels is women going places. She has a great job as a journalist, a nice apartment in Toronto, a very attentive boyfriend, and a serious problem. She is a werewolf. The only female werewolf in existence.So starts Bitten, Kelley Armstrong's first book in the Women of the Otherworld series. Elena is summoned by her old pack's alpha, Jeremy to return to Stonehaven, his estate. With much trepidation, Elena embarks on a journey that will alter her life once again. The pack represents all that Elena resents - male domination and treating women like dirt. In addition, there is Clay - who longs to posses Elena completely once again. Kelley Armstrong's werewolves are feral and strong. They hunt and run at will. These beasts are wild - but still retain a trace of humanity. There are only two ways to become a werewolf - by bite or heredity. Only males can inherit the werewolf tradition. The werewolves spend a good amount of time procreating with only interest in their male progeny. Nipping at the heals of the pack are the mutts - usually lone werewolves who challenge the stability of the pack. Mutts have been known to indulge themselves in killing humans and the pack does its best to guard against this. This indiscriminate killing has the potential of exposing werewolves to the world. Elena finds herself drawn into the pack once again and as she struggles to accept her nature. Bitten is a wonderful, fresh look at werewolves. The pack is like a close knit family unit with all different types. Elena is written as a strong woman and werewolf. Yet Elena has many emotional barriers that do not allow her to evolve. She is unable to truly let others care for her. She fights her feral instincts and tries to conquer them. Throughout the book, Elena is in constant struggle with Clay. This relationship is very complex and wonderful to read about. While reading the book, you find yourself wanting Elena to give into Clay - at other times you want Elena to cause bodily harm to him. This seesaw of emotions is laced with love, bitterness, lust, loneliness, and so much more. Upon finishing this book, all you want to do is read the next installment, Stolen. Kelley Armstrong has published three books; Bitten, Stolen, and Dime Store Magic. A fourth in the Women of the Otherworld series, Industrial Magic is to be published late in 2004. She has an extensive website at http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/ On her website are two novellas from the Women of the Otherworld series.
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Summary: BITTEN and entranced by this book!!
Review: I cannot say enough good things about this book. It's intelligent, witty and very hard to put down. Once I started this book I devoured it(no pun intended). Kelley Armstrong is a strong writer with a good thing going here. Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf, is a strong and idependent woman who wishes to be free of her 'Pack', who is drawn back in, is well written. I just recieved Stolen in the mail today and cannot wait to seen what is in store for Miss Elena Michaels. Go out and buy this book, it is worth the money and your time.
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Summary: Great story
Review: Okay I am a huge vampire/lycanthorpe fan, and to any fan of those "other worldly beings" I would highly recommend this novel. I enjoyed the story line. You truly felt for the main character Elena. You understood all of her motives throughout the book. You understood her dreams and especially her reactions to the loss of her dreams. I truly enjoyed all of the various characters with all of their flaws. I would recommend this book to all!
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Summary: Enjoyable
Review: It starts slow. This is just a warning, not really a criticism. Some books suck you immeadiately into their world - this sort of eases you in. The book begins in Toronto with Elena's "normal" life which is going alright. Not wonderful. She is eventually forced back to NY - somewhat by a sense of obligation to acting normal for her human lover and thru concern for her pack (though the concern is more likely the true reason). Once she returns the book really begins. Clay and Elena's relationship was great. Loved both personalities and there are times you see both sides of their arguements. There isn't much in the way of a mystery, but I'm not sure the author was going for that. There are feelings for these characters and their defeats and wins. Jeremy is a wonderful father figure and Nick and Antonio are great additions as friends and fellow pack members.
The premise is a little shaky - she is the only female werewolf (I believe someone else mentioned that in their review). I don't even think it was necessary for the book. But it was explained and it doesn't really hurt the story. All in all, it was a fun read and I will definitely be buying the next books in the series.
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Summary: Bitten is a deliciously hot book!!
Review: It is imaginative, romantic, sexy, electrifying and suspenseful. Bitten tells the story of Elena, a female werewolf, who lives her daily life among normal people. She has kept her real existence a secret and is put in a predicament when her werewolf pack calls her to them when they run into some trouble. She leaves on a temporary basis to assist the pack, but finds the situation to be much bigger and more dangerous than expected. It takes her more time than anticipated to help clean up the trouble that is confronting the pack, and in the process she is dealing with the emotional reunion of the pack and her feelings for her previous werewolf lover/boyfriend. She also has to deal with her human boyfriend who is back at home waiting patiently for her return. I won't give away the entire story by telling you more, but you will treasure this book. Two of my friends had read it before me and they loved it also. I finished this book and immediately picked up Stolen, Kelly Armstrong's follow up book about Elena.
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Summary: can't be missed
Review: Great! Innovative! Can't put down! Fresh spin on the werewolf theme!
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Summary: Awesome! LOVED IT!
Review: I have read this book at least 20 times already. The second I finished it I ordered Stolen the second novel from Canada. I couldn't wait for the US release. I am also a frequent visitor to Armstong's website were she features a prequel novella. This book is so entertaining. It draws you in. It has a little of everything, mystery and danger, romance and some personal insights. It is told from the point of view of Elena, the only female werewolf. The problem is Elena doesn't want to be a werewolf she wants to be human. Her "pack" though calls her back home to help deal with a problem. There Elena encounters all the things she hates and loves about being a werewolf. Elena is a strong female character but she is not perfect. She is selfish, scared, brave and lonely. Although her problems are centered around being a werewolf they are the same things that any human would face. She has doubts and insecurities about where she belongs and how those she loves feel about her. At the end of the novel after all the action, romance, and intrigue, Elena figures out where she belongs, but it isn't the happily ever after perfect ending. She knows that it will be tough but it will be worth it now that she has embraced her wolfy side and found where she belongs. It is a great first novel, and can be enjoyed by those who are into supernatural fiction.
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Summary: Sink Your Teeth Into This!
Review: Sorry for the corny title, but this book is absolutely delicious! :) I just finished reading Bitten last night, and this book has become one of my favorites ever. There has been a lot of contemporary monster lore novels out there, some better than others, and Bitten ranks among the best. If anyone has ever read Blood and Chocolate, which I loved, this book is very similar to it. Both feature strong, sexy women who just want to lead normal lives... as werewolves. That premise may sound all-too-familiar, and, as I was, you'd feel inclined to pass by this book on account of that. Don't! This book is truly a hidden gem, since Armstrong is a new author. Her writing is descriptive, clear, and concise. No part of the story is extraneous, and yet, she has a full novel written- meaning, page-turning action the whole time! For the queasy reader, beware- Armstrong has tried to make this novel acceptable as realistic contemporary. As such, there is some pretty graphic violence, sex, and language. For some people, this adds to the excitement. The only thing in this book that struck a wrong chord for me was: why didn't Elena leave Philip at the get-go? He was obviously no comparison to Clayton. Also, it's true that the idea of Elena being the only female werewolf in existence sounds pretty contrived, but in relation to the plotline, it's fine. Oh, and if you appreciate sexy men, you've got it made in Bitten. Happy reading!
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Summary: Excellent.
Review: I have to admit that I was skeptical when I first picked this book up, having had it up to the gills with the likes of Anne Rice and Laurell K Hamilton. But it proved itself to be something new - a brilliant alternate reality style novel, that doesn't rely on magic and mystical smoke screens to give it a storyline. I couldn't put it down. Elena is a werewolf. Not hereditary, but bitten and turned against her will. Shunning the pack that adopted her, she leads an almost normal human life - until a vicious struggle between her werewolf family and a growing pack of mutts threatens to tear her world apart once again. With loyalties divided, and a debt to pay, she must make choices that will change the course of her life irrevocably. This book is vividly well-written and doesn't slow down for a moment. The personalities and human behaviours are very real. There is also an interesting veiw into the psyche of a woman, damaged in childhood, who uses her own nature to deny what she is. This book is a study in coming to terms with self, and understand that we make who we are - we are not made. I give this five stars. It's very rare that I find a book like this one, and I am eagerly awaiting the moment I get my hands on the second in the series.
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Summary: Little saving grace
Review: *sighs* Bitten lacks the punch that is necessary to back a powerful premise such as "I am the only female werewolf in existence". It was delivered like an aside, a mere afterthought, and then quickly became irrelevant in the course of the book. For not presenting a strong enough conflict over this very important premise, the book loses two stars. The third star is lost because, I hope someone noticed, the book seemed to be one, long, whiny, inner monologue of the main character. Of course, these kinds of books seem to be popular amongst a particular audience. Finally, Elena felt like a character designed to be a self-insert - beautiful, intelligent, athletic, angst-y and, of course, the "only female werewolf in existence" that has all the men chasing after her. I thought these types of characters were only the domain of 12 year-old girls writing fan fiction. The plot of Bitten and the "culture" of the werewolves was nothing novel. Kelley Armstrong's treatment of Elena's "unique" status among werewolves was weak and the rest of the book did nothing to redeem that. It was the literary equivalent to watching The Bachelor - an interesting premise, a dull and insipid follow-through.
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