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A review by odomaf
Omens by Kelley Armstrong
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.