Tag Archives: Dark Fantasy

The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
The Body Snatcher

Title: The Body Snatcher
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
In: Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and Other Strange Tales (Robert Louis Stevenson) & Gothic Short Stories (David Blair)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Dark fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Kingsford Editions
Year: 1884
5th sentence, 74th page: Few lads could have been more insensible to the impressions of a life thus passed among the ensigns of mortality.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

A young man studying medicine in Edinburgh is asked by his professor to be responsible for receiving the cadavers to be dissected by the school’s students. Though he knows many are stolen from graves, he keeps his silence. Then one night he recognizes one of the cadavers as the victim of murder. Instead of turning in the culprit, he allows himself to be drawn deeper into the gruesome intrigue. But justice has the last laugh when the evidence of the man’s crimes – evidence he thought long since dissected and disposed of – mysteriously resurfaces to his everlasting horror.

Thoughts

This was a surprisingly dark story. It started with a slightly waffling cadence, with a sitting room and four men sitting there on a frequent basis. One of whom has an air of drunken mystery about him. As the story unfolds the reason for his drunkenness and his history are slowly revealed. And as his tale is told, the goose bumps on my arms raised higher and higher.

I’ve never been to medical school, but the idea of working on cadavers and understanding that they come from somewhere, with people to miss and want them has always made me question whether I could complete that kind of study. This story made me kind of glad that it wasn’t a field that I went into, after all, these bodies are not coming from legal or sanctioned locations….

 <- Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Strange Tales ReviewThe Bottle Imp Review ->
Image source: Amazon UK

Sorry… the Hardest Word by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
otherworld-chills

Title: Sorry… The Hardest Word
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #10.8
In: Otherworld Chills (Kelley Armstrong)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: She would have gotten help – she’s not a monster – but she wouldn’t have rescued me herself.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Cassandra du Charme travels to Toronto to make amends with resident vampire Zoe. It seems like this might be the greatest challenge of Cassandra’s long life.

Thoughts

I suppose that if you live for hundreds of years, you are likely to know a heck of a lot of people. Yet, somehow, it still surprised me that Cassandra and Zoe knew each other in the past. The fact that they had a history was a surprise. The fact that Zoe had been wronged… not so much.

Cassandra is a character that I have very mixed feelings about – she’s kind of a bitch, especially in Stolen, but as the series progresses and she appears in a number of short stories and novellas, you can understand the apathy that she feels towards the world. After all, she’s nearing the end of a very long life and has watched numerous people come and go. Which is why she is sent to apologise to Zoe. And, although she’s still a bitch, and Zoe is still annoyed, Zoe’s acceptance that this will give her peace is admirable.

Although it is a battle to get Cassandra to eventually apologise, as usual, Zoe’s manipulations and manoeuvring finally get her the result that she desires. It gives the story a beautiful, happy ending and is a great way to leave a smile on your lips when you turn the last page of the story.

<- Amityville HorribleWaking the Witch ->

Image source: Goodreads

Amityville Horrible by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Amityville Horrible

Title: Amityville Horrible
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #10.7
In: Otherworld Chills (Kelley Armstrong)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: It was dark.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Jaime Vegas—spiritualist, entertainer and, unbeknownst to her audience, real-life necromancer—swore she’d never do another reality ghost show after the last fiasco. But when she’s railroaded into a charity gig, she finds herself back on the set, this time with a cast of photogenic college kids, an up-and-coming Russian spiritualist, and a tale of missing girls and murder in New England. It’s cheesy, but that’s show business. With her werewolf Alpha lover, Jeremy Danvers, along to keep her nights interesting, it’s not so bad really. Until the bloody ghosts show up. Jaime has never faced spirits like these, and no matter how hard she tries, they won’t be ignored.

Thoughts

Yet again Jaimie is pulled into the world of fake reality and TV shows. And, once again, she finds a way to shine and do a trashy public event without sacrificing her own identity and self-worth. And, she solves a mystery, has an incredibly passionate romp with Jeremy and fills her time with foiling the evil (or at least incredibly morally bankrupt) director of the show.

I don’t know much about horror and ghost stories in my local area, let alone around the world. But, I’m assuming because the name Amityville has a ring to it that there is a place in America that has a horrible history filled with ghost stories. At least, the way that Armstrong wrote about it made me think that it does, in fact, exist. And the way in which she yet again intertwines the worlds of fact and fiction so seamlessly that helps me to fall even further in love with the characters which inhabit her world.

For a character and story that I couldn’t put down and seriously enjoyed, I’m actually finding it hard to find the words to describe it. It’s a fantastic story that made me smile and laugh, and although it centres of Jaimie and her finding of the truth, there are also the sweet and understanding moments between herself and Jeremy. It’s these moments of love and acceptance that I’ve come to expect from Armstrong and I’m always a little disappointed when these secondary plots don’t rear their head.

<- V PlatesSorry… the Hardest Word ->

Image source: Goodreads

V Plates by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Blood Lite III

Title: V Plates
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #10.6
In: Blood Lite III (Kevin J. Anderson)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: I want your body.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Losing your virginity is a serious thing for some, but it’s even more serious when you’re a werewolf in a zombie brothel.

Thoughts

I love when a non-Australian author writes about Australians and uses slang that we actually say. I’ve never heard someone say chuck a few shrimps on the barbie. For starters, we don’t call them shrimps, they’re PRAWNS! But, I have, and do use the term v plates to talk about virginity, and even told my friends that I’d lost my v plates when the time came. So just the title and the very beginning of this story worked well. Like I said, Armstrong actually managed to use Australian slang and characterisation in a way that was actually recognisable. And didn’t make us look like extremely backwards and uncultured swines.

Losing your virginity is a big moment in anyone’s life – for some it’s a passage into adulthood, others it’s an indication of your love, religion, something. In the case of Noah, it’s about not getting ribbed by his classmates anymore. The added issues caused by his slowed development and the fact that he’s a werewolf just make the moment and losing of his v plates a whole lot more difficult and serious. Hence Reese attempts to help him out. Which doesn’t actually work out all that well – after all, it wouldn’t be a great Women of the Otherworld story if there wasn’t chaos, mayhem and confusion left in their wake.

V Plates might be about Noah turning into a “man”, but it is also another great look into how much Nick has changed throughout the series. Instead of running from the problems with which they are faced and hand-balling it off to Elena and Clay, he holds his ground and tries to find a solution to their problems. He too has grown up, and I can’t wait to see what he does with this new maturity in the next series of stories.

<- Off Duty AngelAmityville Horrible ->

Image source: Goodreads

Off-Duty Angel by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
otherworld-chills

Title: Off-Duty Angel
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #10.5
In: Otherworld Chills (Kelley Armstrong)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: He continued questioning them, and it didn’t take long to realize that they weren’t just trying to prolong the game.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Even when she’s off duty, Eve Levine manages to find something to entertain her. And all too often, get herself into trouble. Kris understands this and tries to find he something to do while she’s off duty. Only to have it blow up in all of their faces.

Thoughts

Eve has such a beautiful penchant for getting into trouble. No matter where the demon / witch / angel seems to find herself, she has one epic adventure. The fact that Kris tries to send her on a journey to kill boredom just helps Eve’s ability to get into trouble along.

Although Off-Duty Angel doesn’t seem to be a major part of the overarching Women of the Otherworld plotline, it is a nice insight into Eve and Kris’ afterlife. After nine years as ghosts, they still manage to have fun and put a little spice into their lives. This short story is just a great reminder of the many ways in which they do this.

I love the insights that Armstrong gives us into her version of the afterlife in this short story. It not only helps to add an extra layer to the world that she has so carefully and lovingly constructed, but also creates a way in which death isn’t necessarily the end.

<- Counterfeit MagicV Plates ->

Image source: Goodreads

Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Counterfeit Magic

Title: Counterfeit Magic
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #10.4
In: Otherworld Secrets (Kelley Armstrong)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Not Lucas.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

The first rule of a supernatural fight club? Don’t kill your opponent.

When the fighters come with lethal spells, werewolf strength and half-demon powers, that can be a lot tougher than it sounds. It’s hard to attract talent if they know they might not leave the ring alive. So when fighters at a California club start dying — it’s bad for business.

Witch detectives Paige Winterbourne and Savannah Levine take the case. Going undercover in the power-heavy arena of the fight club is a welcome change of pace for Paige, relegated to the role of The Wife as her husband struggles to find his place in his family’s Cabal–the corporate Mafia of the supernatural world.

As Paige is drawn deeper into new and dangerous corners of her world, she quickly discovers the greatest threat isn’t the killer in her sights. It’s something much, much closer to home. And this is one fight she can’t afford to lose.

Thoughts

Paige and Lucas have been a solid and sweet couple since they first got together in Dime Store Magic. Of all of the couples throughout the series, they’re the one that I most want to be – supportive of each other, yet independent of one another and able to pursue their own interests. Yet, things become a little bit more rocky now that they’re both taking a more active role in the Cabal. The very independence that makes them such a wonderful couple makes it hard for Paige when she isn’t treated with the respect and individuality that she is used to.

Although Paige and Lucas continue to try and keep ‘business as usual’, they find that slowly a wedge is being driven between them. The fact that there are external influences and a case to help this along doesn’t occur to them until the very end of this novella. These treacherous undertones lead to big trouble, and actually made me cry towards the end. After all, they’re the most similar couple to myself and my partner, and the fact that there are cracks in their relationship made me concerned about my own.

Counterfeit Magic may be mostly about Paige and Lucas’ relationship, but it also puts Savannah back into the spotlight. She is now 21, and although her school girl crush has been outgrown, her friendship with Adam has blossomed. To the point that this is a great precursor for their eventual get together. Or so I predict anyway.

<- ForbiddenOff-Duty Angel ->

Image source: Subterranean Press

Forbidden by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Forbidden

Title: Forbidden
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #10.3
In: Otherworld Secrets (Kelley Armstrong)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: It still wasn’t easy.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

The team-spirit sign by the side of the highway seems a good omen to loner Morgan Walsh, as he drives to what could be the most important visit of his life — a chance to join the North American Pack. Then he wakes naked in the woods, surrounded by wolf tracks and a ring of suspicious cops. The situation only gets worse when he’s bailed out by Alpha-elect Elena Michaels and Clayton Danvers, her terrifying enforcer and mate.

Disappointed that such a promising young werewolf risked exposing them, Elena isn’t expecting anything from the pesky retrieval job except some much-needed alone time with Clay. Instead, she finds a different kind of evil stalking the streets and forests of Westwood, New York. Trapped in town by a snowstorm and sabotage, Elena, Clay and Morgan must find the mysterious threat before it sets its sights on them.

Thoughts

Morgan’s introduction to the Pack was certainly an interesting one – after all, he’s the first known werewolf to choose to spend all of his time as a wolf. But, now he’s decided to join the human world again and in doing so, is considering joining the Pack. But, as with everything in Kelley Armstrong’s world, nothing happens easily and nothing is as it seems.

Elena and Clay’s attempt to escape cabin fever and their over enthusiastic toddlers leads to their intersection with Morgan and a serial killer. Life in a small town just got a lot more dangerous. Although, eventually, it can be seen that the small town mentality is probably what caused the spate of ritualistic, weird, weird, weird killings.

Ultimately, this is a great test for Morgan’s ability to join the Pack. He is forced to accept Clay and Elena’s dominance and work in a team. Both things which he just isn’t used to doing. The fact that Clay is grouchy and unable to gentle him into the role just makes it all the more entertaining to watch their relationships evolve and unfold.

<- HiddenCounterfeit Magic ->

Image source: Goodreads

Hidden by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Hidden

Title: Hidden
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #10.2
In: Otherworld Nights (Kelley Armstrong)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: Who am I?

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Hiking through the snow, holiday baking and playing board games by the fire – what’s not to love about an old-fashioned family Christmas?

Werewolves Elena Michaels and Clayton Danvers want to give their four-year-old twins, Kate and Logan, something their parents never had: a nice, normal holiday. No Pack responsibilities, no homicidal half-demons or power-hungry sorcerers to deal with – just the four of them, alone, at a chalet outside Ontario’s Algonquin Park.

Then a strange werewolf shows up at their door…while the town is buzzing about a young man, back from college, found half-eaten in the woods. And there’s the missing little girl …

With all the signs pointing to a rogue mutt with a taste for human flesh, Elena and Clay have no choice but to investigate. But are they the hunters – or the hunted?

Thoughts

I love those nights that I stay up late to finish a story. Whether it is short, long, or somewhere in between (like this one), those impossible-to-put-down tales always linger in my mind long after I’ve turned the last page. And Hidden did this for me.

Hidden is not only a great new story about Elena, Clay and their twins, but also a beautiful Christmas story. Trying to get away and just be a normal family for the holiday season doesn’t work out as planned. Although, nothing ever seems to for Elena and Clay. But, this time instead of being faced down with the dangers of a man-killer, they are forced to face up to something much, much worse.

The twins are now four years old in this series. They are everything you’d expect from such unique parents and more. So one of the biggest challenges that is faced in this novella (other than the rogue mutt) is when to tell them how special they are. It’s hard enough to grow up different, but I can’t imagine growing up knowing that I was that different. It takes a lot of internal and external torment for Elena to finally decide when the right time will be.

<- The ListForbidden ->

Image source: Goodreads

The List by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Evolve II

Title: The List
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #10.1
In: Evolve II (Nancy Kilpatrick)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: And I don’t plan to pay for this one either.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Zoe Tanaka and her vampire-hunter turned sidekick Brittany find a man who claims to know who the vampires of Toronto are. The list gets him in all kinds of trouble until they rescue him.

Thoughts

Although Zoe has only appeared in one of the Women of the Otherworld novels (so far), this is her second short story, and I loved her as much this time as I did the first and second. She is cute, sweet and dangerous. But this is so well hidden, that unless you had read Learning Curve, you wouldn’t pick up on all of the subtle nuances that Armstrong uses to construct her persona.

Zoe’s new protegee also makes an appearance as they both track down the man who claims to have found all of the vampires in Toronto. And then they proceed to save him.

I love this look into the ways in which media and subcultures can impact on peoples’ views. The dangers of upsetting people are always real, but when you’re dealing with the supernatural. Well, let’s just say that it’s lucky that Zoe was there to save the day.

<- FrostbittenHidden ->

Image source: Amazon

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Frostbitten

Title: Frostbitten
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #10
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: I motioned to the phone.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Gripping, intense and deeply satisfying, Frostbitten is a brilliant novel of suspense with a supernatural twist.

After years of struggle, Elena Michaels has finally accepted her life as a werewolf, and learned how to control her wild side.

At least, that’s what she believes when she sets off to investigate a series of gruesome murders outside Anchorage. The truth, however, is more complicated. Trapped in a frozen, unforgiving terrain, Elena is forced to confront a deadly secret, and her own, untamed nature…

Thoughts

I always love revisiting Elena and Clay in the Women of the Otherworld series. Although I have so far loved every couple and character throughout this series, there is something especially precious about Elena and Clay. Maybe because they are the couple that first started everything. Which is why Frostbitten was another Women of the Otherworld book that I read in a very short space of time.

Frostbitten also reintroduced a character from Chivalrous, which was a novella that I loved, but I couldn’t quite fit into the series. Reese’s catalytic appearance into the story and the instigator of the events of Frostbitten helped to fit this into the timeline, and (which led me to my happy place) bought the first Australian into the tale.

One of the things that I loved about this tale is that it not only takes our characters to Alaska, a place that seems both beautiful and terrifying, but it also introduced Native American folklore as well. The seamless integration of another supernatural into Armstrong’s world helped to up the stakes on the battle that Elena and Clay are forced to fight, but also expanded the idea that we don’t truly know what is out there. Elena might have access to a much larger world than we do, but she is still completely unaware of some of the mysteries that surround her.

Elena is also forced to face up to some of her past in this story. The horrors of what happened to her as a child threaten to repeat themselves as she chases down a mutt and justice. It actually gave me goosebumps and I had to put the book down once or twice to shake the feeling of horror that kept on creeping up my skin. Yet, ultimately, it doesn’t really seem to matter. What matters is that she has a fantastic mate and loyal family to fall back on. Something that we all truly need.

<- RecruitThe List ->

Image source: Amazon