The first half of this one began extremely strongly.

It had me completely hooked and eager to see what would unfold. However, by the second half, it started to lose its momentum for me.

I quickly realized who Hull was very early on, which meant there wasn't much of a twist or any major surprises at the end.

Moreover, the way they finally killed him felt rather anti-climactic.

The pregnancy aspect was truly fascinating. I really wish the author had made it a much more significant part of the book.

Elena is the only female werewolf, and now she's pregnant. What about the potential complications? Or conducting more research on this unique situation?

I'm disappointed that the author kind of treated the pregnancy as a strange afterthought subplot, rather than finding a way to integrate it more meaningfully into the story.

Why couldn't Hull have needed her or her babies for something related to the portal or his pursuit of immortality? Instead, he wants them because they could be sold for a lot of money? That just doesn't make sense to me.

Also, considering he's from over 200 years ago, the concept of a female werewolf should be completely foreign and unknown to him. But he accepts it as if it's normal, yet also valuable? I don't know. I just feel like all of these elements could have been handled better.

Nevertheless, I'm still looking forward to seeing how the twins grow up in future books.

I purchased this book as part of a "blind date with a book" offer. All I knew about it was the following: its Goodreads score, the genres it belonged to - urban fantasy, paranormal, and romance, that it had a strong female protagonist, that it involved Jack the Ripper in the 21st century, and the mention of "Bring me to life" by Evanescence (which I have no idea what it means???). I am truly astonished that this is even a published book. It reads like a random fanfiction that I might come across at 2 am. The so-called "spicy" scenes seem random and completely unnecessary. (It's also quite humorous that the first smut scene was already on page nine, lol.) However, I must admit that the plot was so ridiculously absurd that it managed to keep me reading. So, kudos for that.

I also don't even know why I'm bothering to write this review because, in the grand scheme of things, it probably doesn't even matter.

Elena is pregnant, which should be a time of anticipation and some measure of relaxation. However, as is often the case for them, there is no such luxury.

Elena and Clay have a crucial job at hand. They need to steal the Letter from Hell. This letter is no ordinary document.

The problem is that within the letter lies a portal that has been sealed. If they are not careful, they could accidentally let the zombies out from this portal.

Their task is fraught with danger and uncertainty. Elena, despite being pregnant, is determined to see it through. Clay, as always, is by her side, ready to face whatever comes their way.

Together, they must navigate the challenges and risks associated with stealing the letter and ensure that the zombies remain safely sealed within the portal. It won't be easy, but they have no choice but to succeed.

The fate of who knows how many people may depend on their ability to handle this dangerous situation.

I have a deep love for Kelley Armstrong. This time, I chose to listen to the audiobook. While I could sense that it was a great story, unfortunately, the narrator really turned me off. It failed to capture the usual 'omg' intensity that I experience when I read it on my own. However, it's still a nice option to have when you're suffering from a migraine.

3 stars for the disconnected, slightly mundane beginning of the novel;

5 stars for the amazing Armstrong-style ending.

I won't lie; as much as I fangirl over Kelley Armstrong, Elena, Clay, and the whole werewolf world, I was initially disappointed over Broken. I skipped from Stolen to Broken (shamefully, I wish I'd had enough patience to read the three in-betweens first) and just felt like Armstrong had lost her touch to the werewolf world. Suddenly, Elena's POV wasn't about the werewolves, it was about all the other supernatural races. I didn't like it. I crave the werewolf world because Armstrong has such a tight grip on it. It feels so real. And in this book, it was gone.

Clearly, it comes back. So if you're feeling disconnected, don't lose heart. It comes back, and I'm all the more grateful. I think it's partly also my fault that I felt so disconnected because I skipped the three other books. I missed three years of their world, of their growing up (even if the books aren't completely focused on them), and suddenly they were thirty five plus and completely different to how they were in Stolen. I wish I hadn't skipped past those three years.

I absolutely adore Zoe, though. Oh Kelley, if you're reading this, you need to write something from Zoe's POV! PLEASE. She is brilliant. Her character is so unique and full of life. I love how she interacts with the other characters and how she brings a new dynamic to the story. I can't wait to see more of her in future books.

Overall, despite the initial disappointment, I still really enjoyed Broken. The ending was so good that it made up for the slow start. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Kelley Armstrong and the werewolf world.

I'm actually really disappointed in this book.

I adored "Bitten" and "Stolen" and was truly looking forward to delving back into the world of Elena.

Regrettably, I found myself bored for the majority of it.

The plot, although interesting in concept, wasn't executed particularly well.

Things seemed to drag on interminably, and there were far too many loose ends that led nowhere, effectively dampening the entire experience.

I can only give this book a rating of 2.5 stars.

It's a shame because I had such high hopes based on the previous installments.

However, this one just didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Perhaps others will have a different opinion, but for me, it was a bit of a letdown.

Nonetheless, I'll still be interested to see what the author does next in this series.

Ok. I completely forgot just how much I missed Elena as a main character until I picked up Broken. It's truly hard to believe that I didn't have a great liking for her in the first book of this series. Now, it seems almost unfathomable. LOL

My absolute favorite aspect of these books is the way Armstrong alternates back and forth between one main heroine and another in each book. I don't think I would have liked it if the point of view switched around within each story. However, I really love how we get to have a book (sometimes two in a row) with one main female lead, and then the next book focuses on a different one. But even though we move on to a new main character, we still get cameos and supporting roles from the previous heroines. Not to mention, we never know when one of our favorites is going to be back in the spotlight again. Elena was the main heroine in the first two books, then she took on a minor or supporting role in the next few, but now she's back again. I also think that Armstrong is extremely ingenious with her transition from one storyline to another. She manages to keep each book as its own unique story, while still maintaining that thread and cohesiveness that ties the books together as a series.

I haven't come across a series that I've enjoyed this much in I don't know how long. In fact, I don't think I've ever read a series quite like this one before, with the rotating main characters that still maintain a cohesive long-range "big picture" plot, while also keeping to the individual unique storyline of each book and all the other sub-plots of the interconnected characters throughout the series. It's like a crazy soap opera. LOL

I hope you won't let this crazy rambling review prevent you from reading the series. I truly LOVE these books, but trying to explain why is clearly more than I can handle tonight. Just do yourself a favor and read them. Once you do, you'll understand what I've been trying to convey. Perhaps you'll even be able to write a review that does justice to Armstrong's books!

I’m truly relishing this series. However, I have to admit that this particular book was rather long-winded.

It felt as if it took me an eternity to read, as I simply didn't experience that intense 'can't put it down' sensation.

The story seemed to plod along for a significant portion, with all the exciting action being saved until the very end.

Thankfully, when the action finally did occur, it was engaging and wrapped up the story in a satisfying manner.

Despite the book's length and the lack of a continuous page-turning allure, I still found myself really enjoying it overall.

The series as a whole has a certain charm that keeps me coming back for more, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the next installment has in store.

Yeah… so I skipped book four. And I’ll be skipping books 6 - 9 also.

And books 11 - 13. These just aren’t captivating enough to keep me invested.

The only character I really care about is Elena, so I’m just going to finish out the books that center around her.

These other “smart, sexy, women of the otherworld” are a bit of a snoozefest and I don’t care at all about them.

When I saw that book four was about Eve of all people…. A character already dead…. And some of the next books are about Jaime, the most aggravating broad in the whole series…. I just don’t have the mental strength to make it through.

Even for an Elena-centric story, this was a bit dull for me because I thought the storyline was akin to that book we had to read in middle school (Code Orange?) where a kid like, found some scab or something and unleashed a disease on the world. But there were some good Elena and Clay moments.

I’m ready to finish up with Frostbitten (book 10) and put this series firmly in the “meh” category like every other Kelley Armstrong I’ve tried.

It seems that the author’s attempt to expand the story and introduce new characters didn’t quite work for me.

Maybe if the other characters had been more developed or had more interesting storylines, I would have been more engaged.

As it is, I’m just going to focus on Elena and get through the remaining books that feature her.

Hopefully, the next Kelley Armstrong series I try will be more to my liking.

The beginning of this thing was a bit slow. It didn't really catch my attention right away. But then, something happened. It started to pick up pace. The story or the action or whatever it was began to unfold in a more interesting way. I found myself getting more and more involved. As it continued to progress, I realized that I actually liked it. It had that certain something that drew me in and made me want to keep going. It was like a slow-burning fire that finally caught and started to blaze. I'm glad I stuck with it until the end, because it turned out to be quite an enjoyable experience.

Elena is, without a doubt, my absolute favorite character. Therefore, the books in which she is the main protagonist are always my top picks. I have a particular affinity for this one as it takes us on a journey to Canada!

The only drawback is that Toronto is invaded by zombies, which dampens the excitement to some extent. There isn't as much intense action as there usually is in this series because Elena is now pregnant. Even a pregnant werewolf has to exercise a certain degree of caution. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed the parts where the other werewolves were overly protective of her. I thought it was really endearing and at times, quite humorous.

The plot of this book was also extremely engaging as it had a connection to Jack the Ripper, which is always a fascinating topic. There were zombies that emerged from a Victorian England time portal, and I really admired how the author managed to bring elements of that era back to life. For instance, there were diseases such as typhus and cholera that were carried by the zombies into modern-day Toronto. I found this aspect to be more realistic as zombies seem like they would be carriers of all sorts of unpleasant things. Additionally, we got to meet Zoe the vampire in this book, whom I adored, and I truly wish she had her own dedicated book.

BROKEN by Kelley Armstrong - A Review

BROKEN is the sixth novel in Kelley Armstrong's captivating Women of the Otherworld series. It continues the thrilling story of Elena, Clay, and the other werewolves, with a new twist as Elena is now pregnant. As the only known female werewolf, Elena is understandably nervous and unsure of what to expect. But when an old acquaintance calls in a favor, she sees it as a chance for one last adventure before becoming a mother.

Elena's pregnancy has made it increasingly difficult for her to perform her usual activities, such as shape-shifting and fighting. Without prior knowledge or experience, she, Clay, and Jeremy are cautious about revealing her pregnancy, fearing that she will become an even bigger target. When Xavier Reese asks for their help in retrieving the "From Hell" letter, Elena jumps at the opportunity for a distraction.

The "From Hell" letter is a valuable piece of evidence and DNA from Jack the Ripper, protected by a sorcerer's spell. Only the werewolves have the ability to pass through the spell, but once they obtain the letter, a series of disasters strike Toronto. Witnesses report missing people, zombie-like beings, outbreaks of cholera and typhoid, and unexplained murders. It isn't until the trio realizes the curse of the letter that they understand the consequences of their actions.

With the blood sacrifice, a portal to the otherworld is opened, and zombies begin to wreak havoc in the city. Clay is injured while fighting the zombies, and Elena is abducted, becoming the new target. The mystery man from the portal and the zombies are playing a dangerous game of evil, and Elena and Clay's children are at risk.

Kelley Armstrong introduces several new supernatural beings in BROKEN, such as Zoe Takana, a female vampire, and brings back beloved characters like Nick, Antonio, and Jaime. The story is filled with action, adventure, and romance, as well as heartwarming and humorous moments. The birthing scene is particularly well-written, and you can almost feel the panic and excitement of Elena and Clay as they welcome their child(ren) into the world.

Overall, BROKEN is a must-read for fans of the Women of the Otherworld series. It is a thrilling and engaging story that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.