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    Otherworld Nights: An Anthology
    Otherworld Nights: An Anthology
    Otherworld Nights: An Anthology
    Audiobook12 hours

    Otherworld Nights: An Anthology

    Written by Kelley Armstrong

    Narrated by Johanna Parker, Saskia Maarleveld, Brian Hutchison and Tim Gerard Reynolds

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Rare and never-before published short stories featuring fan favorites from the New York Times bestselling series It's been more than ten years since Kelley Armstrong began the Otherworld series and drew legions of fans to a realm roamed by witches, werewolves, necromancers, vampires, and half-demons. Many of the novels have become bestselling favorites, but not all of the Otherworld adventures have been easy to find. At last, Otherworld Nights shares short stories that have previously been available only online or in obscure collections. Fans have long been clamoring for this anthology and they won't be disappointed-they'll find plenty of surprises are in store.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateOct 28, 2014
    ISBN9781490631622
    Otherworld Nights: An Anthology
    Author

    Kelley Armstrong

    When librarians finally granted Kelley Armstrong an adult card, she made straight for the epic fantasy and horror shelves. She spent the rest of her childhood and teen years happily roaming fantastical and terrible worlds, and vowed that someday she'd write a story combining swords, sorcery, and the ravenous undead. That story began with the New York Times bestselling Sea of Shadows and continues with Empire of Night. Armstrong's first works for teens were the New York Times bestselling Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising trilogies. She lives in rural Ontario with her husband, three children, and far too many pets.

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    Reviews for Otherworld Nights

    4/5

    91 ratings22 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is the first of three anthologies of rare and never-before published short stories and novellas. The focus of this anthology is love. The stories included are "Demonology," "Twilight," "Stalked," "Chivalrous," "Lucifer's Daughter," "Hidden," "From Russia, with Love," and "Vanishing Act."All of the stories were entertaining. I liked learning about Reese's background in "Chivalrous" which was a story that I had never read before. Nor had I read "Twilight" which was a Cassandra story. Being a new story, "Vanishing Act" which was an Adam and Savannah story that takes place after Thirteen extended the scope of the world. I had been curious about what would happen for Savannah and am satisfied with the way this story went. It is nice to be able to get these various stories assembled into a more easily obtainable format. The only thing that I would have found more useful would have been a timeline. A chronology of the stories and the novels would have helped me fit them into the whole world better. Fans of the Women of the Otherworld series will definitely want to own this collection whether or not they had previously managed to locate and read these stories.
    • 3/5
      This collection of stories comes from previously published stuff from her website or small press novellas. There are two new stories for this collection that bracket the collation. They are set in series order and that is rather nice. For the most part you don’t need to know most of the plot or the universe since what is needed for each plot is explained in each story but the more you know the more you do get out of it. The collection is more for fans of the series but someone wanting to get a feel for the universe will get a good taste even if it does ruin most plot points of the overall series.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed theses extra stories esp the Elena and Clay ones
    • 3/5
      I'd read the majority of short stories included, but had not read either "From Russia With Love" or "Vanishing Act." I was surprised at how much I enjoyed "From Russia With Love" and the fantastic look it gave me into Elena and Clay's life, and especially at the twins. I enjoyed "Vanishing Act" a bit less, mostly because Savannah and Adam's problem could have been solved with a conversation. That being said, I'm extremely fond of Savannah and the issue she had was one I wasn't at all surprised to see her dealing with and one that I thought was just so very in character and great for her. (Provided by publisher)
    • 4/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A very entertaining and solid collection of stories from the Otherworld. Fans of the series won’t want to miss it!Opening Sentence: Talia stared at the painting.The Review:If you’ve read any of my other reviews of anthologies before, you know I’m not always the biggest fan of short stories, mainly because it often feels like the story is too rushed and isn’t meaty enough. To this point, the only author whose short stories I regularly enjoy was Stephen King. Now, I can add Kelley Armstrong to the list as well. While some stories did fall a little flat, none of them failed to be entertaining or felt too rushed. I think the stories really benefited from existing in a world that’s already been explained by Armstrong elsewhere, thus no world-building needed to be done in the stories. All in all, this was a highly satisfying collection, and I’ll certainly be checking out more of Armstrong’s short stories.Demonology – 3.5 starsI can’t remember if we ever got to meet Adam’s mom in the Otherworld series, but it was very interesting to get a story from her point of view as she struggles to figure out what’s wrong with an eight-year-old Adam. Talia felt like a very fleshed out character even though the story is very short. In the same vein, the story was well-paced and included a flashback to Talia meeting Adam’s father. My one complaint would be that I wish the story had lasted a little longer rather than ending in the way it did. Still, I really liked it.Twilight – 5 starsCassandra has never been my favorite Otherworld character, so I wasn’t thrilled to have a story from her point of view. However, it hooked me from the very beginning, and I just could not put the book down until I had finished this particular story. The strongest part of this story lies in the imagery that Armstrong uses towards the end of the story, as Cassandra realizes why it is that old vampires end up dying. The reader is placed firmly in Cassandra’s shoes and can’t help but feel what she feels. This is tied for my favorite story in the collection.Stalked – 3 starsElena and Clay have never been my favorite characters in the series, and this story really didn’t change my opinion. I wasn’t fond of Clay as a narrator, and I felt very frustrated with his determination to keep Elena in the dark about the mutt stalking her. She has proven time and again that she can protect herself, so there’s really no need for him to feel that she can’t handle herself. Now, I know that part of his reasoning is that he doesn’t want to ruin their honeymoon, but it still frustrated me. This one was probably my least favorite entry.Chivalrous – 5 starsThis would be the other story that’s tied for my favorite entry. Wow. That’s really all I can say. Since I read this series over such a spread out period of time, I can’t remember if we ever got Reese’s back story or not. I have a feeling we did, and I just forgot. Either way, seeing it play out for myself was heartbreaking. I can’t really think of anything else to say. It’s just an awesome story.Lucifer’s Daughter – 3 starsThis one follows Hope and Karl as they attend an event that Hope’s grandmother has put together. Chaos ensues of course, and Hope and Karl find themselves at the center of it, trying to stop a demon from wreaking havoc. Despite the seriousness of what’s going on, I never truly felt like matters were urgent. I knew Hope would be able to take care of things, so that took a little enjoyment out of the story for me. Still, it was entertaining.Hidden – 4 starsThis one is a full novella rather than just a short story. Elena and Clay have taken their kids away for their first Christmas alone. While trying to enjoy their family time, evidence begins to pile up that there could be a maneater in the area, so Elena and Clay have to investigate while trying to keep their kids from being exposed to the dangers of the werewolf world. This one was very well written and kept me guessing as to what was going on. I also really enjoyed the side story involving Elena trying to figure out when to tell her children about werewolves. Despite the subject matter, it felt really true to life. When do you sit your kids down and talk to them about serious matters? Watching Elena struggle with this made me feel more connected to her than I ever have before. Very solid story.From Russia with Love – 4 starsThis one was really short, but good. I don’t want to say much about it to avoid giving away spoilers. It’s another Elena story and takes place after the events of Thirteen.Vanishing Act – 4 starsHow Savannah ended up being my favorite narrator, I have no idea, but I really do love it when she takes the lead. This is another story that takes place after Thirteen and follows Savannah and Adam as they try to protect a boy who’s being chased by one of the cabals. It’s nice to see how Savannah has grown up and matured throughout the series, and we get to see the culmination of that here. This was a solid story and left me feeling fully satisfied.Notable Scene:“I’ve always said I like a woman who can take care of herself. You could before, too, but you were a little wobbly on the self-confidence when I met you in Winslow’s playroom. You remember that? When we were prisoners together, watching each other’s back?”“I was his prisoner. You were his employee.”“But I still helped you, didn’t I?”“For a chit, which I repaid. Do you remember that? You made me steal the From Hell letter while I was six months pregnant.”“But it all worked out. You have two beautiful, smiling . . .” He looked at the twins. Both were staring at him stone-faced, Logan coldly appraising the situation, Kate tensed to pounce.“It all worked out,” he insisted, his voice a little less certain.“Did it? Have you forgotten that letter released zombies? One of them gave Clay a really nasty scratch.”“But he’s fine now, right?”“After a very long, very grueling rehabilitation. You should ask him about it sometime.”Xavier looked like he’d rather swallow thumbtacks.FTC Advisory: Penguin/Plume provided me with a copy of Otherworld Nights. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 2/5
      I've heard a lot about Kelley Armstrong over the last few years, and thought I'd take this opportunity to introduce myself to her writing and her world...

      (Material in quotations from Armstrong's contents listing)

      "Demonology - Adam's mother discovers what he is"
      And... here I begin to doubt whether this book will be a best introduction. This is not really a separate story, but more of an 'origin' piece for a clearly already-established character and his mentor. A young boy's mother has to deal with the fact that her young son is developing pyrokinesis...

      "Twilight - my unfortunately-titled Cass story from "Many Bloody Returns""
      A vampire needs to kill at least once every year in order to live. But this one year, Cassandra duCharme (really?) cannot bring herself to do it.
      This story would've been greatly improved by at least some hint of the reasons behind the main character's troubles - as it stands it's just an inconclusive, random-feeling episode.

      "Stalked - Clay/Elena honeymoon story from "My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon""
      Two werewolves on an unexpectedly boring honeymoon find their trip enlivened by being stalked by a rogue 'lone wolf.' There's some action, but the focus is more on relationship dynamics (which were a bit stereotypical.)

      "Chivalrous - Reese's backstory from SubPress's long sold-out "Tales of Dark Fantasy 2" (my Dec SubPress graphic novella picks up this storyline, so it's perfect timing)"
      Fratboy and sorority-girl type werewolves engage in Pack politics, and generally act like douchebags. Pretty much everyone in this story deserved to die miserably - except the ones who did.

      "Lucifer's Daughter - Hope/Karl story from "Blood Lite 2""
      During a museum gala opening in her honor, a woman with demonic heritage has to deal with an annoying imp on the loose. Can she figure out how to re-prison him before he insists on doing her honor with human sacrifices? Light and humorous piece; quite fun.

      "Hidden - SubPress 2012 Elena/Clay novella (see my site for details)"
      A longer, fully-developed story with a mystery format. Elena and Clay are two werewolves on a Christmas vacation getaway with their two children. While they're in town, a 'lone wolf' approaches them - and his overly-friendly attitude raises alarm bells. Does this guy know that Elena's her wolf pack's designated investigator? Has he been up to something (like, say, murdering humans) that's against pack rules?
      I had two categories of problems with this story. First, on a personal level: You cannot get two pages through this story without the main characters trying to have sex and being interrupted by their children. OK, I am sure that this does happen in families, but it is overdone and unappealing (although the author seems to think it is 'cute.')
      I also was not won over by the Big Drama of whether to tell the kids that they're in a werewolf family, or not. Maybe it is just that the target audience for this story is mothers - and I am not, nor do I have any interest in being one.
      Second category, on a technical level: The mystery is solved with a very unsurprising 'twist' and a trite 'boogeyman.' The big finale also doesn't make sense in the context. It's pedophiles. (It's always pedophiles.) However, we get this big showdown where everyone's in the woods and the evil werewolf pedophile is about to 'get' the little girl, and he has to be physically attacked to keep him away from her. But, umm, there's been no indication that he wants to kill or eat the kid. And he's not about to molest her out in the woods with a gun pointed at him, is he? The story also contains that worst feature of poorly-executed mysteries: an overly-long expository bit at the end explaining everything that just happened.


      "From Russia with Love - Elena bonus story included with hardcover of "Thirteen""
      Not very memorable. It felt more like an extra chapter of a longer book - one that an editor discarded. It takes place in Russia, but the actual setting is a cabin out in the woods, so there's no 'Russian' flavor to the story at all. There's a confrontation, of which both the beginning and the resolution are missing. However, this is where the werewolf Elena gets named Alpha of her pack, so I'm guessing fans would be interested in it just for that.

      "Vanishing Act - brand-new Savannah/Adam novella set after "Thirteen""
      A supernatural detective agency is called in to investigate a demon summoning - and ends up getting mixed up in the affairs of a paranormally talented youth who's being chased down by at least three cabals - not all of which - if any - have his best interests at heart. Fun, good action. It reminded me quite a bit of Mercedes Lackey's Diana Tregarde books, which I liked when they came out. Unfortunately, it has way too much of the two paranormal detectives' boring relationship problems tacked onto the end.

      Overall, I'm going to have to say that this book let me know that Kelley Armstrong's writing is not for me. (And never again will I, even for a second, confuse her with Kelly Link.) Many thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to discover this. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
    • 5/5
      This is a book about all kinds of supernaturals. Though you get to read about the American Pack. It falls more on Clay and Elena then the others. Though you get a piece each part of the stories. You get to learn a bit about Adam and though not all of it. You get parts of all eight stories list or at least part of it.

      Though most of the book talks more on Elena and Clay and his family and adventures. You read all about what Adam mother find out about her son. You get to read about Clay an Elena Honeymoon story and Hidden/ Twilight though I do not know how that fits in much. Chivalrous you learn about Reese's back story. Lucifer Daughter comes in but not much is about either of them. From Russia with Love is a sweet story about Elena. Vanishing Act is the newest story about Savannah and Adam when he is older.

      I know it a collection of stories not all them in a lot of detail. I was a little confused going from one story to the next I understood Elena and Clay story better and Savannah and Adam. That is all I understoood. The ohers I would not understand how it went from Adam being four years old to him being an adult. Why most of the stories where about Elena and Clay and American Pack when it started out with Demons and ending with Demons or half demons.
    • 3/5
      This is a short story collection, so if you're read most of them in other books, you'll only find one new novella.
    • 4/5
      An enjoyable collection of stories from the Women of the Otherworld series. I hadn't realized how much I missed it. There were a couple of excellent stories, a couple of "meh" stories, and the rest were average to about average. No real bombs in the group. "Hidden," " From Russia, With Love," and "Vanishing Act" are all favorites.
    • 3/5
      A wide variety of characters helped this move right along.
    • 4/5
      According to the author's introduction Otherworld Nights is the first of three new planned collections for the Otherworld series. She plans to include a brand new novella for each of these and the rest to be shorts that have been previously printed elsewhere.Many of these I have already read before, but as any fan of this series might know there are soo many short stories from this world floating out there that it can be difficult to track them all down. Thus I was extremely happy to hear they were going to be put into multiple volumes for our convenience and ease of reading.This particular collection has 8 stories focused around the various forms of love between friends, family and lovers. The one wish I have is that there were a mini forward before each story telling us where in the main novel timeline each story takes place so that they could be read in order. If you've read the entire Otherworld series I highly recommend this collection.Warning if you have not read the finished/complete 13 novels from the series then reading this collection and this review will likely contain things you might consider SPOILERS!DEMONOLOGYThis particular story is from the perspective of Adam's mother and it's how she learns about what his abilities are and where they come from.TWILIGHTCass has to take a life, literally drink it down in her victims blood, every year on the anniversary of her birth as a vampire. It is the price every vampire must pay for their long life. But this year Cass is having a lot of difficulty making her annual kill.STALKEDElena and Clayton Danvers are on their honeymoon when Clay realizes a mutt is stalking them and after Elena. But Elena isn't one to just wait around for someone to handle problems for her.CHIVALROUSA young werewolf named Reese who lives in Australia is attending college where he meets a girl and saves her from a late night attack. But their lives connect in a most unfortunate and dangerous way.LUCIFER'S DAUGHTERKarl (the werewolf thief) and Hope (a half chaos demon) are on a date and tonight they attend a museum function thrown in honor of some of Hope's research by her grandmother. Karl isn't supposed to steal anything but his sticky fingers still manage to get them into trouble.HIDDENThis is the longest story of the collection ( like a novella in length) and of course that makes it the most in depth. For those that prefer full length stories this one will probably be a favorite. Its Christmas time and the family goes off into a cabin to get a little bit of family together time before the pack will come up. It is really nice to see the twins at this age and how their parenting is being handled.FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVEThe North American werewolf pack travels to Russia for a Meet. We see a little bit of action after Elena and Clayton start heading to their cabin to meet the kids after their flight but mostly I think this story is about the interesting way in which Elena "challenges" Jeremy to become pack alpha.VANISHING ACTSavannah is called out on an anonymous tip to prevent a novice demon summoner but she arrives too late. However, the person that called in the tip still needs help. So Savannah, Adam, Paige and Lucas are determined to help protect this young man from the people chasing him. This story also really focuses on Savannah and Adam and how their relationship is settling as well as tying together the Darkness Rising YA trilogy more firmly into the main adult series.
    • 4/5
      Solid entry
    • 4/5
      Review courtesy of All Things Urban FantasyOTHERWORLD NIGHTS was a nice compilation of short stories of Women of the Otherworld, that were featured in various anthologies over the years with a new Savannah story at the end. Going back and re-reading these stories felt very comforting and familiar since I've been reading Kelley Armstrong's stories for so long. All of these characters feel so real to me and I loved seeing them again. Since the stories are set at different times chronologically there really is no 'right' place to start reading.There are a few back stories of some characters and some stories that happened in between books chronologically. I liked DEMONOLOGY and seeing Adam and his mom Talia figuring out what he is exactly. Talia is one determined lady though I wanted the story to be longer. LUCIFER'S DAUGHTER, which is half-demon Hope and werewolf Karl's short story was my one of my favorite. Bring Karl Marsten, a renowned jewel thief and a chaos demon to a museum and things are bound to get a bit tricky. I love these two together and so glad they had a happy ending. I wasn't a huge fan of the Savannah story as it didn't draw me in that much and I've never been a huge fan of her so that factored a bit into my feelings on the story. I did like catching up with some of the other characters to see how they are doing post Thirteen.OTHERWORLD NIGHTS is a great way to revisit some much beloved characters. It is a must read for fans of Women of the Otherworld and I can't wait to get more short stories from this series.
    • 4/5
      Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic! This book served a few purposes for me. First, it was written by Kelley Armstrong, whose writing I adore. Second, it helped create more space on my bookshelves, because I was finally able to have all of the short stories I had bought other multi-author anthologies in order to read. As a rule I really dislike multi-author anthologies, because you always end up with 1 or 2 stories you like, and the rest are just crap that take up valuable shelf space. Add in all of the new stories and it's a recipe for a happy meAnyhoo, I loved these stories, further forays into the world of Kelley Armstrong. Backstories, snippets and re-introductions to characters that I really enjoy. Wonderful book!
    • 4/5
      Overall, I enjoyed these stores. I'm not generally a short story fan, although I do like ones where they are set in a certain universe as these are. I agree with another review that a timeline would have helped. It's been so long since I have read some of these books, I was having some trouble remembering who was who (I didn't have a clue who Reese was until I read one of the later Clay/Elena stories).
    • 5/5
      Reviewed by: Rabid Reads ~ 4.5 Stars.DEMONOLOGY – 4/5In the WOMEN OF THE OTHERWORLD universe, mothers (witches are the exception) don’t play a large role in their children’s lives once their abilities start developing because in most cases they are human, and as a result can’t be let in on the secret. Robert Vasic has been a part of Adam’s world since he was eight years old, but this short shed some light on his mom who was no pushover. When confronted with a possible pyromaniac kid, instead of resorting to institutionalization or medication, Talia did everything in her power to help her son without labeling him, and eventually found what she was looking for in the most unlikely of places, a demonology professor. My favourite part of this tale was when Vasic insisted on keeping Adam’s mother in the dark, and she flat out refused by stating that her love is in fact unconditional, Exustio half-demon notwithstanding.TWILIGHT – 4/5After the werewolves, Cassandra is #2 on my top WOTO characters list. I’ve always loved her blasé attitude, and her advanced age makes her one of the most Other of them all. This was a quick read, but I really enjoyed witnessing DuCharme’s struggle to fulfill her annual kill requirement. Out of this series’ entire cast, she’s the one who never seemed to have any qualms about taking a life, however in TWILIGHT we get a glimpse of her inner conflict, and learn why she and Aaron had a falling out so many years ago. Cass does eventually do the deed, but she has to choke down the blood which made me wonder, would she have turned human had she delayed any longer?STALKED – 5/5I read THE HUNTER AND THE HUNTED pretty recently, and this short appeared in that eSpecial, but I can never resist revisiting Clay & Elena when an opportunity presents itself. After eighteen years, my fav werewolf couple finally gets a honeymoon, no wedding bells for them though, so a trip to St. Louis is as good as it’s ever going to get. They both have their hearts set on making the other happy to the point that neither will admit to being bored out of their skulls, or to the fact that there’s a mutt on their tail. This leads to classic Clay & Elena miscommunication, a hunt, followed by their trademark romp in the woods after a kill. I love these two!CHIVALROUS – 5/5Reese was a latecomer to the WOTO series, and little is known about his past other than that it was traumatic. CHIVALROUS was essentially his back story in a nutshell, and in my opinion, the saddest short in this anthology. His first love was not a pleasant experience, and came at a high price. Readers learn why he fled his original pack in Australia, and the reasons behind his refusal to date no matter how many girls Nick throws at him. Werewolves traditionally don’t have pleasant childhoods, and Williams’ is a prime example of that. This tale also tied in nicely with HIDDEN, and I sincerely hope that one day Armstrong will grant Reese his revenge.LUCIFER’S DAUGHTER – 4.5/5This was a fun novella about Karl being Karl, and Hope trying to rein him in. Adams’ family has no clue of her true nature which made her gran’s museum exhibit dedication rather ironic. And, of course you can’t bring Marsten into a place with priceless jewels on display without expecting him to try to steal ‘em. LUCIFER’S DAUGHTER did a great job of showcasing Hope’s chaotic nature, and her werewolf mate’s sticky fingers while also managing to add a romantic spin to the ordeal. These two are seriously perfect for each other, and I loved that the author gave them their own slice of HEA in this compilation because it’s been a long time coming.HIDDEN – 5/5The best and longest story out of the bunch! Armstrong is a Canadian author, but her werewolves’ home base is in New York, so I was pleased that the crew made a trip up North to Algonquin Park for Christmas. The twins played only minor roles in the later installments, and it was nice to see the whole family together for a change. I enjoyed witnessing the challenges of furry parenthood, and I liked how Elena started bringing Noah into the fold by introducing him to the ways of mutt hunting. The Big Bad in this tale not only made Michaels question her decision to keep Kate & Logan in the dark about their heritage, but also caused her unfortunate past to rear its ugly head. The author managed to throw a decent number of twists at readers while delivering a satisfying ending as well. I’ll probably re-read this one again in the near future because it was just so well-written.FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE – 4.5/5I bought a print copy of THIRTEEN, so this novella was a repeat, but it’s the story of how Elena challenged Jeremy for alpha which means that it was definitely worth a second read. Fans of this series know that there’s nothing traditional about Danvers’ Pack leadership methods, thus why would the passing of the torch be any different, right? I can’t really say more than that without giving anything away, however it was a cute spin on the classic fight to the death. Xavier also makes a brief appearance which was a fun bonus because we haven’t seen him since book 6, and he’s been known to pull one over on Elena in the past, so I got a kick out of watching her return the favour.VANISHING ACT – 5/5Savannah & Adam finally get their HEA! I’ve been waiting for this ever since I finished the final installment two years ago. Levine’s immaturity gets her into trouble AGAIN, but she actually learns from it this time, and undergoes a surprising amount of character growth for a short in both her personal and professional life. The young witch has been keeping secrets from Vasic, the Cabals are up to no good, and a young supe is in need of the kind of help only Cortez and Winterbourne Investigations can provide. VANISHING ACT was a great way to wrap-up this anthology because it introduced some new mythology to the WOTO universe, and ended on a high note with the conclusion to Savannah & Adam’s love story.
    • 4/5
      I love this series so reading this anthology was no hardship. My favorite two were of Clay and Elena. You absolutely can not go wrong with Clayton Danvers. They were all good and just made me want to reread the series again, which is not a hard thing to do. I enjoyed the background on Reese and seeing why he's not much of a lady's man even living and hanging around Nick. Can't wait to read more of these novellas.Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
    • 3/5
      I received this ARC via LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Having forgotten that Kelley Armstrong is one of those urban fantasy authors I generally avoid, I requested this, and was lucky enough to receive it. The book is an anthology of previously published short stories, collected together for the first time. Written over the evolution of Armstrong's Otherworld series, the stories fill gaps in the timeline between the books, answer origin/background questions, or offer teasers of what's to come. As a somewhat reluctant reader, I was pleasantly surprised. I had read a couple of the earlier stories in other anthologies - probably what turned me off to Armstrong's writing in the first place, as over the short haul her characters can be difficult to like. But by the time I reached the middle of the book, I was hooked. I may even give her full length novels another shot. These definitely are not your fun, fluffy, easily tamed werewolves & other creatures that go bump in the night, but if you like your monsters a little more monstrous, and you're not already a fan, this might be a good place to start. (If you're already a fan, then obviously getting this anthology makes more sense than tracking all of the stories down in other collections - no brainer, right?)
    • 4/5
      I would like to thank Plume & NetGalley for granting me a copy of this e-book to read in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review.Goodreads Blurb:This short story collection will include many brand-new tales and others only previously available on Kelley Armstrong's website. Most of the stories will feature the werewolves of the Otherworld, Elena and Clay, Jeremy, Karl and other members of the American Pack. These are some of Kelley Armstrong's best-loved and most enduring characters, from bestselling books such as Bitten, Stolen and Frostbitten.1) Demonology - Adam's mother discovers what he is2) Stalked - Clay/Elena honeymoon story from "My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon"3) Hidden - SubPress 2012 Elena/Clay novella4) Twilight - a Cass story from "Many Bloody Returns"5) Chivalrous - Reese's backstory from SubPress's long sold-out "Tales of Dark Fantasy 2" (the Dec'14 SubPress graphic novella picks up this storyline)6) Lucifer's Daughter - Hope/Karl story from "Blood Lite II: Overbite"7) F ??rom Russia with Love - Elena bonus story included with hardcover of "Thirteen"8) Vanishing Act - brand-new Savannah/Adam novella set after "Thirteen"Containing a series of novellas about a variety of Armstrong's more popular characters, this book has something for everyone. Each story adds information to the broader set of knowledge about these supernatural beings, data that helps answer questions, or unspoken history, posed in prior books. Although this book can be read as a stand-alone, it is much, much richer and more satisfying if it is read after the full novels about these characters. In addition, if read as a stand alone, be forewarned that these novellas will contain serious spoilers for the actual novels - something to keep in mind should you be planning on reading them at a later date, or finding that the novellas draw you in and entice you into reading the books that spawned these shorter tales.Several of these novellas weave more than one dominant character together, with the characters and tales overlapping. Since they are so brief, I'll avoid any details about the stories, as the information listed in the Goodreads blurb above lists enough to let the reader know what they'll be diving into. I will say that they are well written, and though they are novellas they still follow the traditional story arc, just on a much shorter curve. The intro gives enough background to give you an appropriate sense of setting and relation to the larger story (even if you haven't yet read it), then there is the meat of the story with the action, suspense, and emotional pull, followed by a resolution of some type. The endings don't have the normal cliffhanger style, as these stories are more looking back than leading forward, which means there is very little chance that the issues addressed will be raised again, at least as the main thread.All said, the book was filled with a variety of stories and different supernaturals. It met all my expectations and then some. When I finished the book I was content, though I won't say that I wasn't wishing for more!
    • 5/5
      It is so nice to have all these stories together and not have to look four hundred places to read everything. I can not hardly wait for the next two volumes and then have a giant reread of the whole series in order. Clay and Elena have always been my favorites so it was nice to reread the tale of their honeymoon. And I also enjoyed the new Savannah and Adam tale. Thank you for this book!
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed every novel in Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series and was sad to see it end. I am thrilled that she is giving us more stories with the characters I have grown to love in anthologies like this one. Armstrong's stories and novellas provide the opportunity to feature some of the minor characters in the books and give readers a chance to see what happens to some of the main characters beyond the novels. While some of these stories have been included in other anthologies, others are entirely new. I love that Armstrong is publishing her stories in this way as it is much easier than trying to track down individual stories in other books or online. This is a must read for every fan of the Otherworld.
    • 4/5
      I received this book as a Librarything Early Reviewer book. Kelley Armstrong has finished her Otherworld series and this is the first collection in book form of some of the short stories and novellas set in the universe that had been published elsewhere as well as a new novella.The Otherworld series is set firmly in the urban fantasy category other than the fact that several stories are placed in the wilderness or rural areas. I liked the series and recommend it. I liked this book too, but I can't recommend it as the entry point in to the series though. My advice would be to read the novels in order of publication instead and not to touch this book until you've read at least the first four or five novels. At that point you'll know whether you like the series without having to read my opinion.In terms of this book, I liked the short stories but thought the novellas were better and recommend the book to anyone who likes Armstrong's Otherworld series. I'm giving it four stars.