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bevin1279's review against another edition
4.0
Easy read, definitely not literature by any stretch of the imagination, but good fun nonetheless. Armstrong writes well & her prose doesn’t detract from the story. Vacation read for me, so I got just what I was looking for.
nevclue's review against another edition
4.0
I must have come across this series back in 2013 when the first book came out and mistakenly assumed it was YA. In reality, it's lightly paranormal mystery/procedural in which a rich girl finds out that she's adopted and that her birth parents are notorious serial killers. The rich girl, Olivia/Eden, joins up with her birth mother's former lawyer Gabriel to look into the final murder that her parent's were convicted of. This is very much of a first book: lots of questions raised and mysterious backgrounds hinted at, but little actually resolved. But it was a hell of a lot of fun and I'm definitely reading the next one.
odomaf's review against another edition
4.0
Like many others, I was sad to see the Women of Otherworld series come to a close. However, I do like Armstrong's writing, and I do think this book might now be one of my favorites of hers.
What I liked
* Mystery - unlike WoO, more mystery than romance or action. If someone had told me this before I read it, I might have felt disappointed. But Armstrong knows her way around a mystery plot, and this one is well-paced and intriguing.
* Male and Female Protagonists - Refreshingly flawed people who make questionable decisions and accept each other for who they are, with no illusions.
* Cainsville - the town itself is developed as a character; a smart, fun, and slightly creepy addition to the cast.
* Pacing - I tend to prefer action-packed highly-fast-paced novels. This one has a slower more deliberate pace. It's an investigation, not a monster fight. The clues and information come at just the right speed to keep you thinking and turning pages. Armstrong keeps you right in step with the main characters as they discover and puzzle out what's going on.
* More subtle paranormal elements - there is definitely something paranormal about Cainsville, but it's not the obvious werewolves and vampires and sorcerers we're used to from WoO. Armstrong clearly will have it unfold over more than one book, and seeing it in peeks and snippets, wondering what's paranormal and what's not, keeps a person turning pages.
* Romance pacing - if you had asked me ahead of time, I would have told you that series with romance plots that take multiple books to resolve drive me bonkers. Not so with Omens. The realistic pace of the protagonists' developing relationship is refreshing and in-character with both of them. It makes sense, and I wouldn't want it to be rushed.
What I didn't like
* Perspectives - Armstrong made the odd choice of having the majority of the book in 1st person from the female protagonist's point of view n while throwing in the occasional chapter in the 3rd person point of view of another character. I'd personally have preferred she choose one -- either have it all in 1st person with the reader only knowing one perspective, or put it all in third with the reader having insight into multiple characters more intimately.
I definitely recommend Omens to anyone who likes a good mystery, a bit of paranormal, characters with real personal flaws, and a realistically developing romantic relationship built on transparent honesty from the start. I read this book in two days, and I'm hungry for the next one.
What I liked
* Mystery - unlike WoO, more mystery than romance or action. If someone had told me this before I read it, I might have felt disappointed. But Armstrong knows her way around a mystery plot, and this one is well-paced and intriguing.
* Male and Female Protagonists - Refreshingly flawed people who make questionable decisions and accept each other for who they are, with no illusions.
* Cainsville - the town itself is developed as a character; a smart, fun, and slightly creepy addition to the cast.
* Pacing - I tend to prefer action-packed highly-fast-paced novels. This one has a slower more deliberate pace. It's an investigation, not a monster fight. The clues and information come at just the right speed to keep you thinking and turning pages. Armstrong keeps you right in step with the main characters as they discover and puzzle out what's going on.
* More subtle paranormal elements - there is definitely something paranormal about Cainsville, but it's not the obvious werewolves and vampires and sorcerers we're used to from WoO. Armstrong clearly will have it unfold over more than one book, and seeing it in peeks and snippets, wondering what's paranormal and what's not, keeps a person turning pages.
* Romance pacing - if you had asked me ahead of time, I would have told you that series with romance plots that take multiple books to resolve drive me bonkers. Not so with Omens. The realistic pace of the protagonists' developing relationship is refreshing and in-character with both of them. It makes sense, and I wouldn't want it to be rushed.
What I didn't like
* Perspectives - Armstrong made the odd choice of having the majority of the book in 1st person from the female protagonist's point of view n while throwing in the occasional chapter in the 3rd person point of view of another character. I'd personally have preferred she choose one -- either have it all in 1st person with the reader only knowing one perspective, or put it all in third with the reader having insight into multiple characters more intimately.
I definitely recommend Omens to anyone who likes a good mystery, a bit of paranormal, characters with real personal flaws, and a realistically developing romantic relationship built on transparent honesty from the start. I read this book in two days, and I'm hungry for the next one.
fruitylish's review against another edition
5.0
I love how the story mostly focuses on the mystery at hand, her parents murdering the last couple. And there are small hints to the peculiar town that just makes you unable to not read the next in the series. I want to know about this town, and what the elders and Patrick are hiding.
thepiqht's review against another edition
5.0
I haven't read any Kelley Armstrong books (except for this one, duh) but I'm definitely going to be reading some more after Omens.
I enjoyed almost all aspects of this book, but the thing that most stood out to me was the idea. Sure, it followed the whole 'girl discovers something, her entire life is turned around and discovers she's special' story, but in an entirely unique way.
– While she is powerful, there are indications that those who she is mixing with, are powerful as well.
– Instead of feeling completely ostracized, she is welcomed into Cainsville.
– Her 'power' is such a unusual, yet brilliant idea. I never would have come up with it!
Above all; it's a dark, gritty story with an amazing protagonist. If you get the chance, I would definitely recommend that you pick this up.
I enjoyed almost all aspects of this book, but the thing that most stood out to me was the idea. Sure, it followed the whole 'girl discovers something, her entire life is turned around and discovers she's special' story, but in an entirely unique way.
– While she is powerful, there are indications that those who she is mixing with, are powerful as well.
– Instead of feeling completely ostracized, she is welcomed into Cainsville.
– Her 'power' is such a unusual, yet brilliant idea. I never would have come up with it!
Above all; it's a dark, gritty story with an amazing protagonist. If you get the chance, I would definitely recommend that you pick this up.
stacilorraine's review against another edition
2.0
I'm confused about how this has such great ratings. Maybe if you finish the rest of the series it makes more sense. But I found this to be horribly slow and the story to be a bit ridiculous. Olivia made no sense to me as the protagonist. I would like to know the conclusion but not enough to read the other books.
pixiegnerd's review against another edition
5.0
Wow what a read, I love it from the get go.
There is so many twists and turns you don't know what to believe but at the same time you are rooting for Olivia.
From finding out that she isn't who she thought to fighting back and sticking to her guns(with the occasional sanity question).
There is so many twists and turns you don't know what to believe but at the same time you are rooting for Olivia.
From finding out that she isn't who she thought to fighting back and sticking to her guns(with the occasional sanity question).
mmc_librarian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
I read this book in an entire day! Very familiar Armstrong style to me with characterization, but that's a great thing. I think she took more risks with the pace and development of the plot than in previous books, and I really appreciated it. I'm a very satisfied fan and I'm looking forward to more from this new series.
doessusanwrite's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nelsonseye's review against another edition
4.0
Reread 2021: Just as engaging the second time through, though possibly more so as I had a sense of the significance of certain events.
I find Kelley Armstrong's stories very readable and her characters very intriguing, although not always likable. However, I found myself able to relate to Olivia/Eden; I understood her motivations which does not always happen. I liked the townspeople of Cainsville (though I felt bad for Margie) and the little snippets of what might be going on behind the scenes. Looks like another Armstrong series to add to the TBR pile.
I find Kelley Armstrong's stories very readable and her characters very intriguing, although not always likable. However, I found myself able to relate to Olivia/Eden; I understood her motivations which does not always happen. I liked the townspeople of Cainsville (though I felt bad for Margie) and the little snippets of what might be going on behind the scenes. Looks like another Armstrong series to add to the TBR pile.