Title: Stolen ReRead
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Otherworld #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2002

It’s been a long while since I’ve read the Otherworld series, and I quite honestly forgot how dark this whole series is. Not only does Elena get kidnapped to be tested upon, but she also gets tortured. And then, because it’s Elena, it ends up in some very seriously twisted violence. There’s a reason why I love this series so much, but yeah, I’ve been on a major contemporary romance kick for a while now, and it’s definitely a whole lot darker than a lot of the books that I’ve been reading lately.

Where Bitten was all about the world of werewolves and Elena finding her way back to the world that she has tried to leave behind, Stolen opens up the whole world of the paranormal. This isn’t a series that is just about the werewolves anymore, but it is about a whole slew of paranormal couples. All of whom are dark and twisty in their own rights and have their own battles to fight. Plus, and I know this as it’s a reread, Savannah’s importance and story really starts in Stolen. I love that this was a second story about Elena and gives her the centre stage. But it is also a great start to Piper’s story which really kicks off in Dime Store Magic.

In Bitten, Elena chooses to return to the paranormal world and finally embrace some of her more violent and rougher edges. I love that in Stolen, she’s fully embracing this aspect of herself and her relationship with Clay. They are definitely not the traditional couple, and it’s not a relationship that would ever help me to thrive. But reading about how two imperfect beings manage to make all of their history and nonsense fit is a whole lot of fun. I also love that Elena’s acceptance of herself also means acceptance of her love for Clay. It’s a great reminder that she is steadily growing into her strength, place and powers.

Stolen is all about “othering” the paranormal community. It uses the idea of being “other” as a justification to kidnap, torture and kill some of the poor victims throughout this story. I love that this is all about witches versus warlocks. The power structures within the paranormal community and how each type of paranormal has a different level of “badassery”. A great story filled with the darkness and violence that I really love this series for. And now I can’t wait to dive back into Dime Store Magic again and see what I pick up on this read through.

Image source: Hachette

Title: Bitten (ReRead)
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Otherworld #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2001

It’s been a long time since my first read through of Bitten, and I was wondering how it would hold up years later. I mean, I still thoroughly enjoy reading Kelley Armstrong’s books, but there’s always something tentative and kind of risky about going back to read something you’ve loved in the past. What happens if it doesn’t meet your expectations? Luckily for me, this wasn’t the case, and whilst I took a bit longer than usual to read it – because I had personal crap going on. It was still just as beautiful and easy to love as the first read through.

I really liked the dysfunctionality of Clay and Elena. Which seems completely weird, but they are obviously meant for each other and going to end up together, yet, they are also a little toxic towards one another. I love that throughout this story, they actually spend a lot of time learning how to not be toxic toward one another and to be healthy in a relationship. Or at least, as healthy as they seem capable of. I also love that Clay takes the time to actually try and change and give Elena the space that she needs to make the right decision. Plus, there’s the fact that, even at the end, they aren’t quite riding off for a happily ever after into the sunset – rather it’s a lets see how we go now.

I can totally understand why Elena chuffs at the restrictions placed on her by Jeremy. I’ve never been one for blind obedience and I love that Elena is just the same – unable to blindly obey and constantly questioning authority. I also love how she does it in a way that ultimately still supports Jeremy in everything, she just doesn’t do so blindly. I also love Jeremy as an Alpha of the Werewolf Pack – he isn’t the typical aggressive alpha and is actually incredibly meticulous and intelligent. He is a little bit ignorant of just how to deal with Elena at times, which I find kind of hilarious.

I’m not going to lie, this is actually a bit of a creepy paranormal romance – I mean, the villains throughout this are primarily serial killers who have been turned into werewolves. That’s not going to be a comfortable story line / bunch of characters in any way, shape, or form. A lot of the storyline is also about Elena accepting the darkest parts of herself. She starts off in total denial about her more rage-like and aggressive tendencies, but then slowly comes to accept that that’s just a part of who she is. Not the cookie-cutter perfect reality, but a somewhat sarcastic and short-tempered power-house of a woman. One that, even on this second read through, I still adore.

Image source: Hachette Books