Stolen (Women of the Otherworld, Book 2)

Years ago, by accident, I read Dime Store Magic, which is book #3, before reading any of the previous books in the series. At that time, I wasn't aware that it was part of another series. So, it was quite pleasant to be able to encounter the characters I already knew about. However, I did know some things that I would have preferred to be surprised by. I'm not certain if that affected my enjoyment. I did like this book, but perhaps just a little less than the first one.

Moreover, it was really nice to be introduced to other supernatural creatures! Bitten was completely a werewolf story, but in Stolen, we were introduced to vampires, shamans, demons, witches, and many more. And, of course, there's also more exploration of the werewolf world as well. This expansion of the supernatural universe added a new layer of depth and excitement to the story. It made me eager to see what else would be revealed in the subsequent books of the series.

Overall, Stolen was an engaging read that built upon the foundation laid by the first book and introduced new and interesting elements. While it may not have quite reached the same level of enjoyment for me as the first book, it still held my attention and left me looking forward to the next installment.

This particular installment failed to captivate me in the same way that Bitten did.

It commences with the fast-paced action characteristic of the first book, which initially grabs the reader's attention. However, it then reaches a standstill approximately halfway through.

I did appreciate the addition of new paranormal characters, with Xavier being a particular favorite. Nevertheless, most of these new characters are not present for a sufficient length of time to truly enjoy and get to know them.

The love story between Clay and Elena is one of the aspects I love, and it is shown more prominently in this book, which is a plus.

Elena, the strong heroine whom I grew to love in Bitten, unfortunately, does not shine as brightly in this installment. She is held captive for more than half of the story, and I, for one, find it difficult to believe that she could not extricate herself from her latest predicament independently.

Happily, the kick-ass heroine does make a comeback near the end to redeem herself.

Overall, I was hoping for a more consistently fast-paced action throughout the book but instead received a more monotonous story. This made it a little more challenging to get through, although it was not entirely tedious.

I know I've probably said this before, but thank goodness for #rollbackweek! This month, I decided to continue my exploration of Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series by reading the second book, Stolen. If you've read my review of the first book, Bitten, you know I was already enjoying this series. However, Stolen completely blew the first book out of the water. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I LOVED this book.

Stolen, like the first book, is action-packed and fast-paced. But more than that, Armstrong continues to expand the world she has created by introducing us to a variety of other paranormal races, such as witches, demons, and vampires. Just like Elena, Clay, and the Pack, we were previously unaware of the existence of these other supernatural species. So, we are introduced to this whole new world at the same pace as they are, which helps prevent us from being overwhelmed with information.
While it was exciting to see Armstrong's world expand and the Pack's reaction to it, what I truly loved about Stolen was the story. Elena has been captured by an eccentric and cruel billionaire - a human, of course - for evil purposes. This plotline really forces Elena to show her best self. She has to use all her wits to survive because physical strength and agility, which she has always relied on, will only get her killed. Seeing Elena in this locked room environment, although the storyline may seem cliché, never felt dull or boring. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next, how she would cope both emotionally and physically. And because of this harrowing experience, I felt like I knew and liked her a lot better by the end of the book.
But I also can't resist a bit of romance. And of course, the dire situation Elena is in forces her to look at her feelings for Clay more closely than she might like and makes her admit a few truths she's been avoiding. I'm sure there will be more Elena and Clay-related drama in the upcoming books, and I'm looking forward to seeing how their relationship develops.
I'm really enjoying this series, and I can't wait to learn more about the new characters Armstrong has introduced in this book. If you're like me and haven't started this series yet, you need to pick it up immediately. I promise you won't regret it!

I had completely forgotten about the casual racism that was present in the handling of the supernatural races.

Werewolves, for the most part, are depicted as being white. While there are mixed-race wolves, it is made abundantly clear in the books and short stories that these wolves come from mothers of color (WOC). Since the so-called "gene" for werewolves is almost exclusively passed from father to son, this implies that werewolves have their origins in Europe.

The closest the author gets to introducing a Black primary race is the "voodoo priest," which is listed as a minor and unpowerful race. The same goes for Druids. It seems that most supernatural races have their roots in Europe and are predominantly white.

Even though this story is set in North America, the only supernatural beings attributed to the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas are "shamans," who are real-life religious figures. I'm not entirely sure if it's appropriate to classify them as fantasy "races" in this context.

I absolutely devoured Bitten, the first book in the series.

Over the last several months, I'd been trying out different urban fantasies, and Bitten was easily one of my favorites. Then someone mentioned that it had been adapted for a show in Canada, and even better, it was on Netflix. Flash forward two days (because I binge watched it), and I was completely hooked! I knew I loved the author's writing, the characters, the story, and the show. So, you'd better believe I scrambled to get ahold of the second book.

However, there was only one problem. The first book was meant as a standalone, so reading Stolen felt like reading another first book. Normally, this would feel like a tragedy, as I love seeing the progression of a plot line over several books. In this case, however, it kind of worked. Stolen was at least told from Elena's perspective, and the writing was just as killer as ever.

Moreover, the show "Bitten" did a fantastic job tweaking the story in a way that allowed them to end with a cliffhanger. This means the second season will at least give me that continuation I so desperately crave. Everybody wins… well, I do anyway. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of Stolen. Just as with the first book, I was completely absorbed, dragging it out whenever there was a spare moment to see what happened next.

I read a lot, but I seldom feel addictively drawn back to a book. Kelley Armstrong has managed to do that not once, but twice to me. Needless to say, I will be continuing on. Although I admit I am a bit nervous about that. You see, she changes characters from here on out, and I'm so attached to Elena that I'm afraid I won't enjoy it as much. At least I can be sure that whatever direction the story takes, the writing is going to be superb! And the craft – Armstrong has an incredible instinct for story, which makes me think I will love whatever tale she decides to weave together.

Overall, I wish I hadn't waited so long to pick up this author. I can definitely see why she is considered a staple in the urban fantasy genre. I would highly recommend her to anyone who enjoyed authors like Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison. I would doubly recommend the show to fans of True Blood – it was great for all the same reasons… in fact, I may have loved it even more.

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.nikihawkes.com

I couldn't put it down. This is my preferred genre and Kelly always does it proud.

I was completely captivated by the different supernaturals in the story. The cute witch, in particular, is one of my absolute favorites. Her charm and magic added a wonderful touch to the narrative.

The relationship between Helena and the little girl truly moved me. It was a beautiful and heartwarming connection that added depth and emotion to the story.

I also love how badass Helena is. She's not just the only female werewolf, but she's also incredibly awesome at it. She refuses to be dominated, whether by an alpha or by some sick tycoon scientist who is trying to create a popular video game. Can we just take a moment to think about how sick that is?

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read more. Kelly has once again delivered a thrilling and engaging story that has left me eager for the next installment.

The book I read wasn't engaging at all, and I was really annoyed with the stupidity at the end. Each time I put it down, I had no eagerness to pick it up again. It felt more like an assignment that I had to finish. The first book in the series, "Bitten", was quite good. It mainly focused on the relationship between Elena and Clay and others. However, "Stolen", the sequel, lacks relationship development. Elena and Clay are already a couple and there are no changes in their relationship in this book. The other characters and their relationships and interactions weren't special or intriguing enough to draw me in. Instead, it's just a typical story of bad guys vs good guys. It was okay but nothing outstanding. It reminded me of TV shows and movies. Some new paranormal creatures are introduced, such as half demons, witches, vampires, and shamans.

The ending was really stupid and left a bad taste in my mouth. Here's the spoiler: Elena and Clay lead an attack to kill the bad guys. They manage to get all of them except the main guy, Winsloe. When they have him alone and remove his gun, they should have killed him right away like they did the other bad guys. But instead, Elena tells Winsloe he can have a five-minute head start and then the two wolves will hunt him. So Winsloe gets some guns he has stored nearby and starts shooting at the wolves. That was really dumb. The wolves realize they made a mistake as they didn't know he had guns nearby and they were almost killed.

DATA:

Narrative mode: mostly 1st person Elena, with a few parts 3rd person.

Story length: 551 pages.

Swearing language: strong including religious swear words.

Sexual language: none to mild.

Number of sex scenes: 2 briefly described and 2 referred to.

Setting: current day east coast U.S. with a little Canada.

Copyright: 2002.

Genre: paranormal urban fantasy.

Since reading The Most Dangerous Game in middle school (or perhaps high school?), I've, and I'm quite certain you've as well, encountered six or ten other renditions of it - in the forms of movies, TV shows, books, and so on. This particular one is probably my favorite among them all.

That being said, The Most Dangerous Game and any variation thereof cannot avoid being seriously creepy. The very concept is enough to send shivers down one's spine.

What sets Armstrong's version apart and makes it better than the others is the unique combination it presents. It combines scientific (or perhaps paranormal) research with the standard hunting of sentient beings. Moreover, Stolen elevates that hunting to a whole new level by utilizing the leftover supernatural beings (after all the data has been recorded) for the hunts. Let's face it, werewolves, witches, and demons are far more exciting to hunt than your average human, aren't they?

As I previously mentioned, it's creepy. But in a strange, captivating way.

This book also reveals that the Otherworld series is not going to be confined solely to werewolves. It has the potential to explore a much wider and more diverse range of supernatural entities.

In my opinion, it's not quite as amazing a story as Bitten, but it's still very good. It manages to keep the reader engaged and on the edge of their seat with its thrilling plot and unique characters.

This summer, I'm delving into this series once again. The second volume truly stands out as a great installment. It features women who take action rather than simply waiting for things to unfold. I had forgotten just how young Savannah was when she first made her appearance. The awareness of her age makes me even less fond of the pairing of her and Adam in the later books than I already was. And let's be honest, I never really liked it in the first place. But that's just my personal preference. I did enjoy the introduction of Paige and the scenes where the women worked together. It was quite entertaining.

3.5

In my old review, I mentioned that Elena, at least to me, is the most captivating of Armstrong's characters. She has her flaws, but they don't make her annoying. In fact, she has a great sense of humor. Although there are some imperfections in the book (Armstrong's writing here isn't as refined as it is in the subsequent volumes), Stolen remains a fun read. I really like the fact that Elena is not a conventional beauty, and I loved her remarks about her bust and waist size. Additionally, I appreciate that Elena is not the damsel in distress who is always rescued. She is a strong and independent character who can hold her own.



Overall, this series continues to be an enjoyable read, and I look forward to seeing what else Armstrong has in store for us.

A wonderful, wonderful sequel to Bitten.

Elena is on a mission to investigate someone selling information about werewolves. However, she discovers that her contacts are actually a pair of witches. They want to warn her about a secretive organization that is abducting creatures from the otherworld. These include witches, shamans, half-demons, and they are also after a vampire and a werewolf.

After dealing with her initial incredulity (despite being a werewolf herself, she never thought there would be other supernatural races), Elena and Jeremy, her Pack Alpha, attend a meeting with the two witches, Ruth and Paige, a shaman named Kenneth, a vampire called Cassandra, and the half-demon Adam. Alliances are formed, but Jeremy plans to take matters into his own hands with or without their help. That is, until Elena is kidnapped and locked in an underground cell.

Stolen contains more gruesomeness, and there is a horribly sadistic billionaire funding it all. It is truly painful to see a strong and proud person like Elena reduced to almost groveling to stay alive. I really wished she would just tear the place and the people apart, but that wouldn't be very sensible. Fortunately, my wish was granted in the end.

I can clearly see the similarities between this series and Keri Arthur's Riley Jensen books. Arthur was no doubt inspired by these earlier works, and the influence is evident. I love both series, but this one is more satisfying in terms of its prose and characters.

Well, the world just got a whole lot bigger.

This book truly did a great deal of universe-expanding. However, I wasn't quite as hooked as I had been with the first one. I had the distinct feeling that we had just begun to get to know the werewolves, and then suddenly, it was as if the bandaid was ripped off, revealing a whole host of supernatural creatures. For me, this felt like jumping the shark. As Elena herself remarks at one point, the entire plot is very reminiscent of Season 4 of Buffy, where creatures are being kidnapped, detained, and studied. But, as Elena also astutely points out, that's the most boring season of Buffy! So, it didn't always result in page-turning action, engaging dialogue, or captivating relationships.

For me, the relationship between Clay and Elena, as messed up as it is, was the most interesting aspect of book 1. But unfortunately, because Elena spends 80% of the plot locked up, their relationship is completely pushed to the back burner, which was a real disappointment. The other characters simply weren't compelling enough to truly make me excited for the shift in point of view. Nevertheless, I'm still going to give Paige's book a try!

REREAD 2022

I don't have a great deal more to express regarding this book, yet I noticed an inconsistency! Since it encompasses some significant spoilers, I will be penning it at the base of the review.

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REREAD 2020

Back when I repeatedly reread this series, I persistently skipped over Stolen. It was my least favored book within the series. While that position still remains open as I reread the entire thing, Stolen might potentially be my least favorite Elena-book.

It appears rather disorderly to me. There are an excessive number of characters involved, and there are multiple chapters that give the impression of being filler. I comprehend the reason for their existence, yet I believe the same information could have been imparted in other chapters, thereby shortening the book to some extent.

All in all, it is a crucial book for the series as a whole, but it is not a good book in and of itself. At least not for me.

New rating: 3/5 stars

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Original rating: 4/5 stars

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SPOILER

Why didn't Winslow respond to being bitten by Clay? One might contend that events transpired too rapidly, but given that they spent a considerable amount of time conversing and him shooting at Clay, Winslow ought to have exhibited signs of the bite by the conclusion. I mean, everyone else seems to fall ill within a few minutes. Why not him?