Betrayals by Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong never ceases to amaze me. She has written yet another novel that is intelligent, mysterious and fascinating. Betrayals has answered so many questions about the Cainesville world yet there's still so much we don't know.

Olivia was living a pretty normal life up until a few months ago. Ever since learning she was adopted and that her birth parents are in jail for murder, life hasn't been the same. Now she's living a life full of supernatural intrigue and visions. Working as a private investigator for lawyer and friend Gabriel Walsh, trouble seems to follow her around. Through one of her visions, she finds out that two girls were murdered and she makes it her duty to investigate. Because these girls are a type of fae, their bodies disappear soon after their death so Olivia is really their only hope for justice. Solving the mystery is even more important since someone is trying to pin an associated murder and disappearance on Ricky, Olivia's lover and the future leader of a biker gang.

I don't even know where to start when it comes to describing Cainsville. It's not a secret town but you can only find it if it wants to be found. It's a town built by Welsh fae, for the Welsh fae and their progeny. Almost like a safe haven in disguise. Olivia was drawn to the town for a reason, because the elders of the town believe she is a sort of reincarnation of Matilda, a maiden from one of their myths. It is said that Arawn and Gwynn, the princes of the Hunt and the Welsh fae, respectively, were both attracted to Matilda. Their story ended badly, but in our modern world, according to the town elders, Arawn is Ricky and Gwynn is Gabriel. Apparently Olivia must choose a side and the winning side would get the ultimate power to survive in the modern world.

Olivia, Gabriel and Ricky have decided to live out their lives as normally as possible, ignoring the "prophecy." However, Olivia is torn between Ricky and Gabriel. She is definitely attracted to Ricky and their physical relationship isn't suffering despite Olivia being stabbed and almost drowning. However, Olivia's strong feelings for Gabriel is unavoidable. Their calm and unassuming friendship isn't enough for Gabriel, and despite his jealousy of Ricky, he doesn't let it show. He does, however, try to win Olivia in his own way. Most of the time, I'm not a big fan of love triangles, but in this case, it's a drama you don't want to miss.

In my mind, Kelley Armstrong can do no wrong. This series is very different from her previous books but it's so original it makes me crave more. Betrayals is my favourite book of the series so far because of the drama unfolding between Olivia, Gabriel and Ricky. It has also answered many questions yet left us in the dark about so many other things. I can't wait to see how the series unfolds. I feel like the end is near yet I don't want this series to be over.

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Posted by Tynga at 04:08

 Cainsville, fae, Fairy Tales amp; Folklore, gargoyles, greek fae, Kelley Armstrong, Purchased, Random House Publishing Group, Review, signs, visions, welsh fae  Leave your mark

Omens by Kelley Armstrong

To tell you the truth, I was kind off afraid to read OMENS, this first book of Kelley Armstrong's new series. At first, when I got it on release day, I was going to jump right in but something made me hesitate. I don't know. Maybe it was a sign that I should read the book leisurely instead of rushing into it? One thing's for sure. As a fan of Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, I really wanted to love Omens. And you know what? I actually ended up really liking it.

Fans of hers were probably as weary as I was of this series. After ending such an amazing series last year, I just didn't want this new Armstrong book to fail. So what I did is read it with an open mind. I made sure not to compare OMENS to Armstrong's other books, like so many people compared J.K. Rowling's Casual Vacancy with the Harry potter series. (I'm not trying to compare J.K. Rowling and Kelley Armstrong. I'm just using Rowling as an example.) What you have to understand, though, is even if OMENS doesn't contain werewolves and witches, it does still contain a lot of supernatural elements. They might be more subtle but I think that's what makes the book so interesting. You need to keep reading to find out what it's really about (or you can cheat and use the Easter eggs Armstrong embedded in the text as a cheat code, if you're too impatient). What's more, unlike J.K. Rowling, the audience is the same and you're not shifting from a MG/YA book to an adult book. I think what Armstrong did, is simply take a genre that she both loves and appreciates, changed the general themes, and expanded a little by adding suspense/thriller motifs.

It's a suspense/thriller under the guise of a paranormal book. Or vice versa. I'm not exactly sure how to describe the genre. If you're not a fan of either genre however, obviously you won't be compelled to read it, but if you're remotely interested in either, you're in for a treat. Personally, the mish-mash if genres works well for me because I'm a fan or both and to say the least, it makes quite an original novel that might just defy categorization. I think Armstrong is holding back and isn't revealing much at this point, but as the series progresses, I believe more paranormal elements will surface.

Cainsville is a mystery onto itself. As a small town, about an hour's drive away from Chicago, it's home to some peculiar characters. While most of the book is spent away from Cainsville, everything seems to gravitate back to it. There's obviously still a lot to learn about the small town and I can't wait to find out more in the sequel. I think it's the air of mystery that surrounds the town that makes it so attractive.

I wasn't too crazy about the main character, Olivia, at first because her reaction when she learns that she's adopted was little over the top. I'm not exactly sure how I would react if I learnt that my biological parents are actually serial killers, but I know I wouldn't necessarily run away from my life, like Olivia did. In the end, I think moving to Cainsville is actually the best thing she ever did because it allowed to find herself and to stay clear of the Chicago press that might want to take advantage of her. Olivia's true strengths are her intelligence and her ability to conform to different situations. She isn't afraid of the new and that came in handy quite often during the book, especially as she was investigating the murders her parents allegedly committed 22 years before.

My favorite character of the book is probably Gabriel. The no-nonsense lawyer that forces his way into Olivia's investigation becomes an important asset in her quest to find the truth. As a native of Cainsville, he's a mysterious character himself, but as the story progresses, we realize that even if he's just looking out for his best interest, I think he really learns to care for Olivia. The two of them form a strange working relationship, but it works. And the scenes with them together are always more enjoyable.

After the book, you're left with many mysteries and Armstrong is probably holding back on purpose. I can't wait to find out more about Cainsville and what's next in Olivia's quest to clear her biological parent's names from the gruesome killings. I'm also anxious to see if Olivia will always be the main character of the books, or if the narration will switch from book to book like in her Women of the Otherworld series. Although I really enjoyed OMENS, I suspect it's not a book for everyone.

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Posted by Tynga at 02:30

 Adult, Cainsville, Celtic, Fey/Faeries, Kelley Armstrong, omens, Paranormal, Purchased, Random House, Random House Canada, Review, signs, Welsh  4 People left their mark