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bookloverchelle's review against another edition
4.0
Another good collection of short stories from Kelley Armstrong that laid out a lot of back story for some of my favorite characters. On the last collection of short stories from Ms. Armstrong, Men of the Underworld, I had actually read a lot of them when they were offered as free reads on her website. This collection, Tales of the Otherworld, there was a lot of new-to-me stories which I really enjoyed. Once I learned that the proceeds from both of these were going to charity I ended up having no issue purchasing the hardcover for stories I had already read. If you love the Otherworld series, you’ll love this collection. I would not recommend starting with this book if you’re new to Ms. Armstrong, you really need to know the characters and the world she has built for it to make sense. To a longtime fan like me, it was fun to dive back in to her world.
vikingwolf's review
4.0
I waited until the series was finished before I read this anthology. It covers the meetings between popular couples-Aaron and Cassandra, Eve and Kristof and Clay and Elena. We also get the wedding of Paige and Lucas, Logan arriving at Stonehaven and Sean Nast gets himself into trouble at a murder scene.
Being a wolf fan, the main draw here for me was reading about Clay and Elena's story. It is great seeing another side of Clay and you can finally understand why he chose to bite Elena. I really enjoyed the wedding story which was amusing! Seeing Logan in these stories makes me feel pretty sad as I like his character and I know what his later fate is.
REBIRTH: (#0.01)
Aaron tries to stop a shopkeeper being robbed and is stabbed, waking up in a coffin where his mother explains about what a vampire is. If Aaron does not kill one human in his first year, he will die and as he gets near his time, he is considering picking death. Enter Cassandra.
There is not enough Cassandra in the Otherworld so this short story was nice. Why couldn't they have sent her on a mission with Adam or the Pack during the series? She is much more fun than whiny Savannah!
BEWITCHED: (#0.06)
Eve is being threatened by a client and Kristof offers to make the problem go away in exchange for magic lessons from her. This is the start of the forbidden relationship that leads to Savannah's problems with the Nast Cabal.
This story was sad because Eve and Kris were such a great couple and for Kris to be cheated from seeing his daughter grow up by his evil family was heartbreaking. It also shows the good sides of Eve, trying to put Kris first so he did not lose his family and career over her.
BIRTHRIGHT: (#0.07)
Logan has never known his father but a message is sent to him with Jeremy's address at Stonehaven. Clay, however believes that this is a mutt arriving to challenge Jeremy and is is ready to deal with him accordingly.
Poor Logan goes to Stonehaven thinking this is the address of his dad and gets a few shocks from Clay on arrival! I liked this short story.
BEGINNINGS: (#0.08)
Clay is regretting teaching a group of giggling students trying to seduce him-until Elena walks through the door. He offers her a job as his research assistant and they fall in love. But Elena has noticed that Clay is very possesive and when he beats up her stalker stepbrothers she is ready to dump him so Clay decides to take her to Stonehaven to tell her the truth-if Jeremy will allow it.
We all know what happens next but it was nice to see how we got to The Bite. I had more sympathy for Clay after reading this-his anxiety at being parted from Elena overcoming his common sense. Seeing Jeremy so afraid and unable to stop Clay was quite gripping. The story also gives us more back story into Elena's abusive upbringing.
EXPECTATIONS: (#0.11)
A man tells Lucas about a witch who has a dangerous book and Lucas agrees to go and get it. What he gets is a face to face fight with Eve.
This was amusing, watching poor good guy Lucas getting his ass handed to him by Eve! Interesting story.
GHOSTS: (#1.1)
Jeremy is plagued with doubts about the decisions he has been taking during the mutt uprising, and it forces him to look at the ghosts of his past.
I liked this story as we see the Alpha unsure and vulnerable as he wonders what to do about the mutts. Of course, I love Jeremy so I'm always happy to see him in any story.
WEDDING BELL HELL: (#4.1)
Paige and Lucas get anxious and stressed when the well meaning Benicio decides to 'help' with the wedding arrangements.
This was a pretty amusing story. I like Benicio but he really knows how to make things worse! Poor Paige is already stressed enough without his interference!
THE CASE OF EL CHUPACABRA: (#6.1)
Sean Nast is on business and visits a gay bar, stumbling across a murder victim, blamed on a local legend. He asks Paige, Lucas and Savannah to assist as the Cabals start fighting over a suspect in the crime.
This was quite interesting, seeing Sean in the limelight for once. I liked all the twists and turns in the story though I could've done without Savannah stirring up trouble as usual.
This was a good anthology and I liked the stories in it though I'd have liked Logan's story to be more of a novella size like the recent wolfie releases! Great anthology for fans of the series.
Being a wolf fan, the main draw here for me was reading about Clay and Elena's story. It is great seeing another side of Clay and you can finally understand why he chose to bite Elena. I really enjoyed the wedding story which was amusing! Seeing Logan in these stories makes me feel pretty sad as I like his character and I know what his later fate is.
REBIRTH: (#0.01)
Aaron tries to stop a shopkeeper being robbed and is stabbed, waking up in a coffin where his mother explains about what a vampire is. If Aaron does not kill one human in his first year, he will die and as he gets near his time, he is considering picking death. Enter Cassandra.
There is not enough Cassandra in the Otherworld so this short story was nice. Why couldn't they have sent her on a mission with Adam or the Pack during the series? She is much more fun than whiny Savannah!
BEWITCHED: (#0.06)
Eve is being threatened by a client and Kristof offers to make the problem go away in exchange for magic lessons from her. This is the start of the forbidden relationship that leads to Savannah's problems with the Nast Cabal.
This story was sad because Eve and Kris were such a great couple and for Kris to be cheated from seeing his daughter grow up by his evil family was heartbreaking. It also shows the good sides of Eve, trying to put Kris first so he did not lose his family and career over her.
BIRTHRIGHT: (#0.07)
Logan has never known his father but a message is sent to him with Jeremy's address at Stonehaven. Clay, however believes that this is a mutt arriving to challenge Jeremy and is is ready to deal with him accordingly.
Poor Logan goes to Stonehaven thinking this is the address of his dad and gets a few shocks from Clay on arrival! I liked this short story.
BEGINNINGS: (#0.08)
Clay is regretting teaching a group of giggling students trying to seduce him-until Elena walks through the door. He offers her a job as his research assistant and they fall in love. But Elena has noticed that Clay is very possesive and when he beats up her stalker stepbrothers she is ready to dump him so Clay decides to take her to Stonehaven to tell her the truth-if Jeremy will allow it.
We all know what happens next but it was nice to see how we got to The Bite. I had more sympathy for Clay after reading this-his anxiety at being parted from Elena overcoming his common sense. Seeing Jeremy so afraid and unable to stop Clay was quite gripping. The story also gives us more back story into Elena's abusive upbringing.
EXPECTATIONS: (#0.11)
A man tells Lucas about a witch who has a dangerous book and Lucas agrees to go and get it. What he gets is a face to face fight with Eve.
This was amusing, watching poor good guy Lucas getting his ass handed to him by Eve! Interesting story.
GHOSTS: (#1.1)
Jeremy is plagued with doubts about the decisions he has been taking during the mutt uprising, and it forces him to look at the ghosts of his past.
I liked this story as we see the Alpha unsure and vulnerable as he wonders what to do about the mutts. Of course, I love Jeremy so I'm always happy to see him in any story.
WEDDING BELL HELL: (#4.1)
Paige and Lucas get anxious and stressed when the well meaning Benicio decides to 'help' with the wedding arrangements.
This was a pretty amusing story. I like Benicio but he really knows how to make things worse! Poor Paige is already stressed enough without his interference!
THE CASE OF EL CHUPACABRA: (#6.1)
Sean Nast is on business and visits a gay bar, stumbling across a murder victim, blamed on a local legend. He asks Paige, Lucas and Savannah to assist as the Cabals start fighting over a suspect in the crime.
This was quite interesting, seeing Sean in the limelight for once. I liked all the twists and turns in the story though I could've done without Savannah stirring up trouble as usual.
This was a good anthology and I liked the stories in it though I'd have liked Logan's story to be more of a novella size like the recent wolfie releases! Great anthology for fans of the series.
charlottenw1's review against another edition
3.0
I loved this book. It wasn't my favourite in the series but I loved the characters and their story. The action didn't stop and I loved the drama that it brought with it. I really enjoy the strong female characters in this book.
garnetofeden's review against another edition
4.0
Another collection of short stories from the Otherworld universe. I definitely liked this set more than Men of the Otherworld because it had the story I had missed in that book: how Clay met and fell in love with Elena. (Although I definitely loved getting the back story on Kristof and Eve as well.)
Rebirth - explored the idea of hereditary vampires, which was mentioned but doesn't really get addressed in the main Otherworld series. Although a Jewish mythology connection is briefly hinted at, the story doesn't go into a whole lot of detail. The decision to have the criminal be a grave robber was interesting. Grave robbing, while understandably upsetting for families, played a critical role in the advancement of medical science. It's not really clear what made Aaron give up on the idea of just letting himself die, but I suppose he must have eventually gotten used to the idea of taking a life once a year.
Bewitched - I really loved the story of Eve and Kristof. I think Sean's baseball incident was mentioned in one of the latest Otherworld books.
Birthright - Logan really had too short a tenure in the Otherworld series, so it was cool to hear more about him.
Beginnings - Loved, loved, loved hearing Clayton and Elena's back story.
Expectations - Cool little story about Lucas Cortez prior to meeting Paige. I can't remember if there was ever any indication he had met Eve Levine in the earlier Otherworld books though.
Ghosts - A teeny little story about Jeremy that took place during Bitten, I think. Small tribute to his kitsune/kogitsune heritage.
Wedding Bell Hell - Fun little story about Lucas's and Paige's wedding.
The Case of El Chupacabra - I was really excited to get parts of the story from Sean's perspective. I hope in the future we'll hear more about Sean, Bryce, and Savannah. I can't remember if there was any indication of Josef knowing about Sean being gay in Thirteen, so I'm going to have to look into that.
Rating reviewed 1/20/2023.
Rebirth - explored the idea of hereditary vampires, which was mentioned but doesn't really get addressed in the main Otherworld series. Although a Jewish mythology connection is briefly hinted at, the story doesn't go into a whole lot of detail. The decision to have the criminal be a grave robber was interesting. Grave robbing, while understandably upsetting for families, played a critical role in the advancement of medical science. It's not really clear what made Aaron give up on the idea of just letting himself die, but I suppose he must have eventually gotten used to the idea of taking a life once a year.
Bewitched - I really loved the story of Eve and Kristof. I think Sean's baseball incident was mentioned in one of the latest Otherworld books.
Birthright - Logan really had too short a tenure in the Otherworld series, so it was cool to hear more about him.
Beginnings - Loved, loved, loved hearing Clayton and Elena's back story.
Expectations - Cool little story about Lucas Cortez prior to meeting Paige. I can't remember if there was ever any indication he had met Eve Levine in the earlier Otherworld books though.
Ghosts - A teeny little story about Jeremy that took place during Bitten, I think. Small tribute to his kitsune/kogitsune heritage.
Wedding Bell Hell - Fun little story about Lucas's and Paige's wedding.
The Case of El Chupacabra - I was really excited to get parts of the story from Sean's perspective. I hope in the future we'll hear more about Sean, Bryce, and Savannah. I can't remember if there was any indication of Josef knowing about Sean being gay in Thirteen, so I'm going to have to look into that.
Spoiler
"Gotham is corrupt, son, and you're the only one who can save it." - Did Benicio make a bit of a Batman reference to Lucas?Rating reviewed 1/20/2023.
penandpencil's review against another edition
2.0
As I understand it, these stories were initially given out as free snippets to fans, which is wonderful, but that is also evident in the writing. These stories seem to skim the surface of the lives of these characters.
ellencamino's review
4.0
I'm SO glad these were properlly published, i'm not a fan of reading books online (it hurts my eyes after a while, and i like physically turning the page :P) and it was generous of Kelley to donate all profits to charity.
The stories, though short, fully immersed me. I was drawn into the Otherworld all over again - which is totally fine by me, i love it there! I have to say though being an Elena and Clay fan through and through Beginnings was my favourite story. It spans from just before Elena and Clay first met to the moment Clay infects her. It was amazing, they all were, Kelley is a very talanted writer.
The stories, though short, fully immersed me. I was drawn into the Otherworld all over again - which is totally fine by me, i love it there! I have to say though being an Elena and Clay fan through and through Beginnings was my favourite story. It spans from just before Elena and Clay first met to the moment Clay infects her. It was amazing, they all were, Kelley is a very talanted writer.
git_r_read's review against another edition
5.0
How I love the Otherworld series. Ever since I read DIMESTORE MAGIC, I was enamored. This is a collection of in-betweens of books in the series, filling in gaps. How Elena and Clay met is the longest tale and probably my favorite. They are my favorite couple.
The stories travel to the past as much as in current time. Cassandra meets Aaron, Paige and Lucas get married, Eve and Kristof hit it off.
An excellent collection and I highly recommend it as well as all of the other books in the series. And anything Kelley Armstrong writes...
The stories travel to the past as much as in current time. Cassandra meets Aaron, Paige and Lucas get married, Eve and Kristof hit it off.
An excellent collection and I highly recommend it as well as all of the other books in the series. And anything Kelley Armstrong writes...
thero159's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
alisonb's review against another edition
4.0
Have yet to read Armstrong's adult novels, and I was extremely ignorant of the characters with whom she was expounding upon. Yet, I enjoyed this collection immensely and look forward to getting to know her characters better in their fully developed stories.
hemloc's review against another edition
4.0
Eight reasons to read Tales of the Otherworld:
1) The anthology opens with the story of Aaron's death and rebirth. He's a very minor character in the main series, but I always enjoyed when he showed up. Getting a short story from his POV was an unexpected treat.
2) The next story is about how Eve met Kristof and their relationship. I liked seeing Eve alive and at the beginning of her career. As much as I love the relationship, the romance elements annoyed me a little because they took the focus away from Eve making a nuisance of herself in the world of dark magic.
3) Logan's story is the shortest of the lot but is interesting because it's a whole new view of the Pack and life as a werewolf.
4) Beginnings shows Clay and Elena meeting and falling in love. It gives a great look at their relationship but also their personalities.
5) It always surprises me how much I love Lucas's POVs.
6) Ghosts is gorgeous and haunting. If I didn't already love Jeremy, I would after reading this story.
7) Wedding Bell Hell is funny and adorable.
8) The final story gives us a case, more Paige/Lucas, a huge development in their relationship that will affect the future of the supernatural world
Four drawbacks to Tales of the Otherworld:
1) I'm not generally one for short stories. I like spending more time with the characters and experiencing plots that are more convoluted and life-threatening. After each story, I felt like I needed more and only felt satisfied after finishing the two longer ones.
2) I think the Eve and Kristof story would have been better had it been told from Kristof's POV because Eve's POV doesn't give any new insights into her character.
3) A lot of the stories in this series, not just the anthology, feature coffee shops, and Kelley Armstrong has one go-to description for all these different shops. It could be a USA/Canadian thing where all coffee shops look alike, but that seems too weird to be true.
4) A couple of the stories didn't add anything new to this universe or its characters, like Logan's story or even Aaron's. Although they were enjoyable reads, there wasn't enough to them to warrant having their own stories.
1) The anthology opens with the story of Aaron's death and rebirth. He's a very minor character in the main series, but I always enjoyed when he showed up. Getting a short story from his POV was an unexpected treat.
2) The next story is about how Eve met Kristof and their relationship. I liked seeing Eve alive and at the beginning of her career. As much as I love the relationship, the romance elements annoyed me a little because they took the focus away from Eve making a nuisance of herself in the world of dark magic.
3) Logan's story is the shortest of the lot but is interesting because it's a whole new view of the Pack and life as a werewolf.
4) Beginnings shows Clay and Elena meeting and falling in love. It gives a great look at their relationship but also their personalities.
5) It always surprises me how much I love Lucas's POVs.
6) Ghosts is gorgeous and haunting. If I didn't already love Jeremy, I would after reading this story.
7) Wedding Bell Hell is funny and adorable.
8) The final story gives us a case, more Paige/Lucas, a huge development in their relationship that will affect the future of the supernatural world
Four drawbacks to Tales of the Otherworld:
1) I'm not generally one for short stories. I like spending more time with the characters and experiencing plots that are more convoluted and life-threatening. After each story, I felt like I needed more and only felt satisfied after finishing the two longer ones.
2) I think the Eve and Kristof story would have been better had it been told from Kristof's POV because Eve's POV doesn't give any new insights into her character.
3) A lot of the stories in this series, not just the anthology, feature coffee shops, and Kelley Armstrong has one go-to description for all these different shops. It could be a USA/Canadian thing where all coffee shops look alike, but that seems too weird to be true.
4) A couple of the stories didn't add anything new to this universe or its characters, like Logan's story or even Aaron's. Although they were enjoyable reads, there wasn't enough to them to warrant having their own stories.