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A review by bookswithlukas
Omens by Kelley Armstrong
4.0
An interesting start to a series.
Kelley Armstrong is mostly known for her supernatural urban fantasy series, 'The Women of The Otherworld' and judging from some of the one star reviews I see here, I think that people were kind of expecting the second coming of that. Instead, this is much closer in relation to her 'Nadia Stafford' female assassin series. Although this one does have a slight paranormal undertone.
The plot here deals with a rich, upperclass woman suddenly finding out that she was adopted by her current family at the age of two, and her biological parents are actually two of America's most notorious serial killers, think Bonnie and Clyde, but with some ritualism thrown into the murders.
I liked the main character here as she grows throughout the novel. In the beginning she is a rich, upperclass woman and by the end she is independent and supporting herself. Sure, the turnaround may come a little quickly, and she doesn't really do it all herself, but I appreciated that the author tried to stimulate some character growth throughout. It is clear that the author wants you to relate to the character, and obviously most people will find it hard to relate to someone who gets everything served to them on a silver platter.
The love interest was okay for me, which is pretty much a compliment since the love interest is usually the thing I hate most about these novels. He still fits that dangerous bad boy pedigree that surrounds this genre, but he has more personality and isn't as cheesy as most which I appreciated. There was a little plot line with a biker that doesn't go anywhere in this novel, and hopefully won't pop up in the next one. I don't want a love triangle here, please.
If there are any drawbacks to this novel, I will say that having recently read some of the authors other series, a few of the plot lines seem to have been re-used. The main character leaving an engagement to a suddenly unsuitable man was extremely similar to Elena in 'Bitten'. Also, the idea of the love interest being a lawyer who represents the MC to feed his reputation, but slowly falls for her was used in 'Dime Store Magic'. If these little plot repeats can be dropped, I think this will go on to be another addictive series for the author.
Overall, if you're looking for a more crime focused story with a slight pinch of the paranormal, this is a good find. The inclusion of welsh mythology also makes it a little more unique than most stories out there, and definitely separates itself from the pack.
Kelley Armstrong is mostly known for her supernatural urban fantasy series, 'The Women of The Otherworld' and judging from some of the one star reviews I see here, I think that people were kind of expecting the second coming of that. Instead, this is much closer in relation to her 'Nadia Stafford' female assassin series. Although this one does have a slight paranormal undertone.
The plot here deals with a rich, upperclass woman suddenly finding out that she was adopted by her current family at the age of two, and her biological parents are actually two of America's most notorious serial killers, think Bonnie and Clyde, but with some ritualism thrown into the murders.
I liked the main character here as she grows throughout the novel. In the beginning she is a rich, upperclass woman and by the end she is independent and supporting herself. Sure, the turnaround may come a little quickly, and she doesn't really do it all herself, but I appreciated that the author tried to stimulate some character growth throughout. It is clear that the author wants you to relate to the character, and obviously most people will find it hard to relate to someone who gets everything served to them on a silver platter.
The love interest was okay for me, which is pretty much a compliment since the love interest is usually the thing I hate most about these novels. He still fits that dangerous bad boy pedigree that surrounds this genre, but he has more personality and isn't as cheesy as most which I appreciated. There was a little plot line with a biker that doesn't go anywhere in this novel, and hopefully won't pop up in the next one. I don't want a love triangle here, please.
If there are any drawbacks to this novel, I will say that having recently read some of the authors other series, a few of the plot lines seem to have been re-used. The main character leaving an engagement to a suddenly unsuitable man was extremely similar to Elena in 'Bitten'. Also, the idea of the love interest being a lawyer who represents the MC to feed his reputation, but slowly falls for her was used in 'Dime Store Magic'. If these little plot repeats can be dropped, I think this will go on to be another addictive series for the author.
Overall, if you're looking for a more crime focused story with a slight pinch of the paranormal, this is a good find. The inclusion of welsh mythology also makes it a little more unique than most stories out there, and definitely separates itself from the pack.