Title: Expectations
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #0.11
In: Tales of the Otherworld (Kelley Armstrong)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: I hid my jacket, helmet, and boots, and changed into flat shoes, then walked to the nearby strip mall, from which I purchased an oversized floral arrangement and affixed a large card with Congrats! scrawled across the front.

A very short story around Lucas Cortez and Eve Levine.

It is impossible to imagine Lucas Cortez going up against Eve Levine when it is first mentioned in Dime Store Magic. He is such a sweet, geeky boy with a sense of justice. Eve on the other hand is tough, independent and not scared to make some tough choices when it comes to her own protection. The fact that Savannah is now an aspect of her life… she is an incredibly terrifying adversary for an untried young sorcerer.

Although this short story is primarily about Lucas and Eve’s first (and only) meeting, it was more so an insight into the drivers of Lucas’ removal from the Cortez Cabal. His motivations and drive to find justice lead to a constant war in his head – one which his father’s voice tends to intrude upon often. Even his act of breaking and entering was instigated by a wish to protect Eve from the rest of the Cabal – although even he has a moment of temptation throughout this episode.

Eve’s willingness to harm Lucas, yet, not kill him is yet another reminder that although she has an incredibly dark and terrifying reputation, she does have a moral system. Yes, it is amoral in some ways, but it still is a reminder that no character within the Women of the Otherworld universe is either good or bad.

Image source: Ofearna

Title: Beginnings
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #0.8
In: Tales of the Otherworld (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: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Any holiday that revolved around family saw me sitting in my dorm room alone, keenly aware of the empty halls, afraid to even turn on the television, knowing I’d be confronted with images of the holiday, even the commercials leaping out to remind me that normal people were home with their families.

It’s the story of how Clay and Elena met and the start of their relationship.

Elena and Clay’s romance is definitely not what I would call a typical literary romance. Clayton has some of the hallmarks which we are all warned against in a budding relationship (possessiveness, jealousy, inability to accept your significant others’ friends…). Yet, maybe because Armstrong is able to show his genuine care for Elena, it doesn’t seem like an unhealthy relationship. Just a very, very odd one. But it still begs the question – how do two such people find each other, meet, and eventually, fall in love? Beginnings finally answers those questions. It also helps to explain Clay’s rash selfishness in turning Elena into a werewolf and all of the subsequent drama and pain which followed. For both of them.

Reading about Clay and Elena’s slowly blossoming relationship, the loss of both of their virginities and the confusion that they both feel at the depth of their emotions was a sweet journey. Yet, it was also kind of frustrating, Clay is so incredibly stubborn and naïve to the intricacies of relationships. Constantly he puts his foot in it and finds a way to leave not only Elena, but the rest of the Pack isolated. Elena on the other hand, is so insecure about herself and her worth that it is only the inklings of her stubborn, sassy self that we first meet in Bitten which can be seen throughout the tale. Her willingness to go along with Clay’s many moods and attempts to make him happy are sweet, if not misguided. At least for me, who absolutely loved her constant pushing back when he becomes overbearing.

Logan’s demise in Bitten didn’t truly impact me when I read the story. After all, he was barely a presence within the story. Yet, after reading Beginnings (and even Birthright), his presence and downfall are so much more depressing. His friendship with Elena is the most genuine and caring relationship that she seems to have had in a long time. Yes, Clay loves her more than anything else in the world, but Logan tries to protect her from the very first moment. He stops and thinks about what she wants and needs, something that Clay may try to do, but is never quite fully capable of.

Image source: Goodreads

Title: Birthright
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #0.7
In: Tales of the Otherworld (Kelley Armstrong)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘But Clayton-‘

How Logan ends up in Stonehaven.

Logan’s induction into the werewolf Pack was difficult, his acceptance of who he is was a big part of why he and Elena were so quickly bonded. Yet, I didn’t truly understand the difficulties of his birth into this world until I read Birthright. Reading this not only helped me to understand his relationship to the others, but also the idea of suddenly discovering a more sinister aspect to one’s heritage. Logan’s outlook and surprise at his father’s genetic lineage is a great parallel to taboo diseases such as AIDS – it is impossible to talk about, affects the rest of your life and is shrouded in a specific set of stereotypes which prevent education and acceptance in many circumstances.

This short story also helped to highlight the antagonism between Clay and Logan. From the very first moment, Clay is aggressive towards his soon-to-be Packmate, and Logan is confused by this. Likewise, Logan’s rage at Clay’s turning of Elena reflects his own frustration at never being told of his own genetic heritage. He never had a choice, and, ultimately, Clay removed that choice for Elean too.

Image source: Goodreads

Title: Bewitched
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #0.5
In: Tales of the Otherworld (Kelley Armstrong)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: It was the running-away part I hated.

About how Kristof Nast and Eve Levine meet.

Although the creation of a half-witch, half-sorcerer child is great for the progression of the Women of the Otherworld series, it was difficult to understand just how a witch and sorcerer got involved. Even a witch as rebellious and with such a reputation as Eve Levine. Yet, Bewitched is about more than just Kristoff and Eve’s whirlwind, forbidden romance – it is about Eve finding out who she is to become and how to march to the beat of her own drum.

Haunted showed us that although Eve had a fearsome reputation in life, it was one that was carefully cultivated to shroud a caring individual. That’s not to say that she isn’t incredibly tough and intimidating, but young Eve, at the dawn of her bad-ass reputation is so wonderfully sweet. Her willingness to sacrifice her own wishes for the happiness of Kristoff just builds upon this much more vulnerable image which Armstrong is able to paint in this short story.

Image source: Goodreads