Reviews

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

aliceboule's review against another edition

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3.0

It was a bit hard for me to get into Bitten. Not because it was bad, but because I didn't immediately get . What I am trying to say is: from the moment you open the book you are dropped into the story. No explanation or narrative, it starts right away. Which is both good and bad. Good because it let me feel more into the story (once i got in ) and Bad because I was confused for a bit.

Even so, I like Elena. She's is interesting, deep, and involved - in other words, she takes action, not the other way around. Even more that Elena, i like Clay. He is so true to himself and refuses to bend for anyone (expect for Elena, and even then.. it's not really much of a difference). I find that admirable in a romance. Especially since normally it is always the male lead/romantic figure that must change-- but not Clay does not. I LOVE IT.

Sometimes the in-between dialogue had me losing interest (which is why i didn't ravage this book like i usually do) as it was a bit long.

I still enjoyed Bitten. It was fun and a page turner (sometimes). Not sure if i will read the others though..

keberwick's review against another edition

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3.0

It's really more of a 3.5, but I don't feel as though I should round up with this one. Don't get me wrong, I really REALLY enjoyed it, but I wasn't drawn into the world of the Pack as much as I thought I was going to be. Of course, I will be reading the second book in the series, just to make sure I'm not writing it off too quickly. I first discovered Kelley Armstrong's books when I was in middle school, with [b:The Awakening|5391115|The Awakening (Darkest Powers, #2)|Kelley Armstrong|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388459257s/5391115.jpg|4115339] and I absolutely loved it, so I decided 'why not give her adult books a shot?' Fortunately, I don't regret the decision (even though I do regret spending way more time on this book than really necessary).

renatalynn's review against another edition

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4.0

Looking forward to reading book number 2 ..

booksthatburn's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Elena has been trying to live as a human, but it quickly becomes apparent (to the reader, if not to herself) that her life in Toronto among the humans and with a boyfriend has been an exercise in making her smell self small enough to fit into what she thinks a human woman ought to be. When a mutt (a werewolf outside the pack) starts trespassing and leaving dead humans in the Pack's woods, Elena is called back to help them track down the mutt and put a stop to their activities. For all its dangers, she clearly revels in the camaraderie and safety provided by the pack. Her relationship with Clayton is tumultuous, vibrant and toxic by turns, but it's obvious both how much each of them care for the other, and how hard it is for him to change. 

I read this because one of my favorite authors recommended the third book in this series, and I'm a completionist who wouldn't be able to stand starting with book three, so I began here. I'm very glad I did. While some of the relationship dynamics haven't aged particularly well, I was pleasantly surprised by how much of it holds up in content, structure, and tone. It's also a snapshot of the 1990's, with cell phones available but low in signal quality, and only a hint of the internet. Elena is the sole female werewolf, a detail that I thought was a bit of a gimmick until I learned that in this series there are fewer than 50 werewolves in the world at any one time. This is possible because hereditary werewolves are all male, interbreeding with humans to produce offspring who then grew up in the pack. It's a neat way of having a small, scrappy species with numbers that edge close to extinction but aren't actually in danger of succumbing to a genetic bottleneck. The other way to create new werewolves is to bite a human, which is what happened to Elena a decade before the story begins. Her survival made her the only female werewolf, as the odds of surviving the bite generally are low, and she was bitten under the best possible conditions to have support through her first few changes.

As the first book in the series, this has a self-contained narrative which arrives at a new status quo by the end. Several major plot points are resolved, but the possibilities created by the ending make me very interested in what the sequels might hold. I like narratives where two very stubborn people gradually try to fit together. While I wouldn't actually want to be in this relationship, it's very fun to read about.

I love the audiobook narrator's performance, especially the voice for Clayton, his tone is captured perfectly. I plan to keep reading the series, and am interested in where it goes next.

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immortal_desi_reads's review against another edition

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5.0

Elena is a lone wolf trying to live a “normal” human life. She soon learns that it’s not only impossible to live mundanely, it’s also hard to deny what her heart truly craves… or shall I say who her heart truly craves. And did I mention, Elena is the only female werewolf in the entire world?

embereye's review against another edition

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3.0

This was an ok book. I have to admit that I'm not WILD about it... certain aspects of it I liked. The amount of thought and research she put into wolf behavior and how people who were also wolves would live and survive. The writing was decent and the plot had some fun bits... but some of the main character's faults made me a little too annoyed with her and some of the resolutions felt a little too easy. Otherwise, a decent book though.

laceyfrance's review against another edition

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DNF @ about 50%. Not a fan of this author’s writing style. Not sure what it is. Maybe it’s too much inner monologue and not enough dialogue?

rhisbookishthoughts's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

pinklilly122's review against another edition

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5.0

I am absolutely loving these books, this is the first book Ive read with werewolves as the main characters. Im really enjoying how the characters are not the same old types with all the great morals and trying to save the world. They do what they have to do to protect their pack even if it means killing, but are still VERY likable characters.

artsharky's review against another edition

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3.0

Picked up the book for an easy read where I could just turn my brain off and enjoy the cheese… and got exactly what I expected out of it haha!