STOLEN by Kelley Armstrong (SPOILERS)STOLEN is the second book in Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series. Elena Michaels, the only known female werewolf in existence, wants to lead a normal life with her mate and family, but a group of ‘researchers’ and the billionaire who heads the institute, have other plans for Elena and the world of supernatural beings.Following a lead on a story about werewolf sightings, Elena is introduced to Paige and Ruth Winterbourne, mother and daughter witches who sit on the Council for Supernatural beings. As surprised as Elena is, that such a council exists, let alone witches, she is more surprised to find out that the ‘supernatural’ are hunted by billionaire Ty Winsloe, and then experimented upon and held in custody for his own personal collection. After a failed kidnapping attempt by Winsloe’s men, Elena and some of the pack make a decision.-it is time to meet the Council of Supernatural Beings and find out, what they know about Winsloe and his compound of vigilante hunters. Jeremy (Pack alpha) and Clayton (Elena’s mate) make an appearance alongside Elena at the emergency Council meeting, where we are introduced to Adam Vasic, a half demon whose powers involve fire, and Cassandra, a vampire who has eyes for Clay. Without a doubt, the reader knows, we will see these characters at a future date, with stories of their own.When Elena is abducted and held prisoner at the compound, she realizes she isn’t alone. Ruth Winterbourne and an assortment of other supernatural beings are already held in custody, trying desperately to communicate with one another. But it isn’t until Ruth dies under mysterious circumstances, and Elena is introduced to Savannah Levine, a young and powerful 12 year old witch, that she makes the decision to attempt freedom. Meanwhile, following several ‘physical exams’ and a threat against her mate, Elena becomes aware of one of the true reasons behind her abduction-to ‘make’ another werewolf. Sondra Bauer, a compound examiner and scientist, has injected herself with saliva she procured from one of the physical exams. Without the aid of a Pack, Sondra’s change to werewolf is anything but successful-her body is unable to handle the many changes and when attempting to escape, she is killed by the very guards, she once controlled. We are introduced to several supernatural characters including demons Xavier Reese and Leah O’Donnell, a chameleon shifter Armen Haig, and vampire Aaron Darnell, someone from Cassandra’s past and recent present. With an attempt at telepathic communication, Jeremy and Clay are able to contact Elena through Paige, but Clay refuses to believe that Paige has any ability beyond her ability to irritate. When the connection is broken, Elena becomes distraught and through dreams, she is able to connect once again with Clay, only to see that he too is suffering without his mate and lover.Ty Winsloe, is a sadistic collector of the supernatural, and when his ‘projects’ no longer serve any purpose, he pits Elena against a few of the failures. Hoping to learn more about the werewolf’s physiology and her ability to shift, Winsloe continues to antagonize Elena with pictures of an injured werewolf and talk of her ‘dead’ mate. She soon realizes that Clay and the others have tried unsuccessfully to rescue her, and she is now determined, to free herself from the compound and its’ band of vigilante warriors.Following her bid for freedom, Elena and Clay must return to the compound to rescue Savannah and the others. Without a doubt, Savannah is a powerful witch and they soon realize she is one being, that could very well, control many of the people with a few words and a look. We see the introduction of Adam to Savannah, a foreshadowing of many storylines, and the escape of Leah O’Donnell, a demon that will surface again in a future book. But, all is not lost, when Clay and Elena make the final move against Winsloe and his crew at the compound. One by one, each member of Winsloe’s team is ‘removed’ from duty and meets his demise at the hands or ‘paws’ of either a demon or wolf.Again, I can’t say enough about Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series. I found this series, purely by accident, while looking for something in the paranormal genre. As a fellow Canadian, I was excited and thrilled to read such an exciting series of novels and characters, and one that didn’t follow the usual vampire/werewolf storylines. I am saddened that Kelley is ending her Otherworld series in 2012, but with her continued novellas and anthologies, Elena, Clay and the other werewolves, will continue to be some of my favorite characters and Kelley one of my favorite authors.see all of my reviews at : thereadingcafe.com
This is a really hard one to review. I think my opinion was skewed because of unmet expectations. I think if I gone into this book cold I would have enjoyed it a lot more. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, but my opinion teeter-tottered throughout it. I finally decided on a four star grade because the end did pick up and once I was able to put aside my reasons for reading it immediately after Bitten I got caught up in it. I'd say that Bitten is a high four star while this one is a low four star.When Bitten ended we left Clay and Elena on a hopeful note. Nothing was really worked out, but the promise that they would try was given. I was so excited to pick up this one and watch their relationship heal itself. For me, that's half the fun of reading about a couple. I don't just want to see them together, I want to watch them get together and strengthen their relationship.When I started this book I was shocked to find out that approximately six years had passed since the last book. I was pretty pissed off about it too. All my expectations about watching them build their relationship collapsed. I was pretty surprised to see that even though she was still with the Pack and still with Clay, she wasn't really with Clay the way that a six year commitment implies to me. They're still in basically the same spot spinning their wheels. It was actually kind of sad for both of them. I guess I didn't miss as much as I originally thought... The beginning of this book was very slow going. My attention kept wandering and I had to struggle to make myself focus. The attention is no longer focused on just the werewolves. For a good chunk of the beginning half there's barely any werewolf interaction at all. The focus is all on the new type of supernatural creatures we meet and the organization hunting them. I did enjoy learning about the different groups, but what caught me most in the first book was the feel of the "otherness" of the werewolves and their interactions together. I felt that that aspect was really toned down in this book. Yes, there were gruesome moments, but the mentality of it felt different.Around page 200 is where the pace started to pick up for me. We were still focused on only Elena, but her personal demons started to come into play. It seemed like her captivity and isolation dug beneath her skin enough to break through her persona. We got to see the despair and the insecurities and the depression. It was great getting that raw view. I loved how Elena admitted she wasn't over her past and probably never would be.When Elena was back with Clay I found it extremely irritating that they never talked through anything. Their mode of operation seems to be to ignore everything and move on. It drives me nuts. You'll get to see how they solved the issue of his betrayal of her 12 years ago, and you'll see why I feel that way. I don't understand how they could have been back together the last 6 years and never have sat down and talked these things through.I loved the glimpse we got of Clay's point of view (sort of). I felt it added nice perspective for that time period. I loved Clay in this book. Even though we saw him infrequently his presence was still felt. I hear the next book is about Paige. I hope, for both her sake and mine, that she isn't as irritating in that book as she was in this. I was on Clay's side about her and I loved the nickname he gave her. Xavier and Adam seemed like interesting characters and I hope to see more of them in the series.
What do You think about Stolen (2004)?
The second book in the Women of the Otherworld series continues with Elena and Clayton. Kelley introduced a lot of new characters in this book, setting up the world for the next book in the series. This book was a bit different. Heavy on the action part with lesser romance. But those pages every few chapters about Clay and Elena were totally worth reading the whole novel for. One thing's for sure. This series isn't for the light hearted. Lots of killing and violence. I enjoyed it. It's rare that an action book engages me as well as this one. I prefer more romance but this one had me from page 1. I'm not sure all romance lovers will appreciate this book but the plot is excellently executed and the writing almost flawless. Kelley even made up for the lack of humor in her last book. It's not LOL funny but it does make you smirk at their antics. Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did!
—**Manjula ♥ Connor Cobalt**
I absolutely devoured Bitten, the first book in the series (I’d been trying out different urban fantasies over the last several months and Bitten was easily one of my favorites). Then someone mentioned that it had been adapted for a show in Canada and, even better, that it was on Netflix. Flash forward two days (because I binge watched it) and I was completely hooked! I knew I loved the author’s writing, the characters, the story, and the show, so you’d better believe I scrambled to get ahold of the second book.There was only one problem: the first book was meant as a standalone, so reading Stolen felt like reading another first book.Normally, this would feel like a tragedy, as I love seeing the progression of a plot line over several books. In this case however, it kind of worked. Stolen was at least told from Elena’s perspective, and the writing was just as killer as ever. And the show “Bitten” did a fantastic job tweaking the story in a way that allowed them to end with a cliffhanger, which means the second season will at least give me that continuation I so desperately crave. Everybody wins… well, I do anyway.That said, I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of Stolen. Just as with the first book, I was completely absorbed, dragging it out whenever there was a spare moment to see what happened next. I read a lot, but I seldom feel addictively drawn back to a book, and Kelley Armstrong has managed to do that not once, but twice to me… needless to say, I will be continuing on. Although I admit I am a bit nervous about that. You see, she changes characters from here on out, and I’m so attached to Elena that I’m afraid I won’t enjoy it as much. At least I can be sure that whatever direction the story takes, the writing is going to be superb! And the craft – Armstrong has an incredible instinct for story, which makes me think I will love whatever tale she decides to weave together.Overall, I wish I hadn’t waited so long to pick up this author. I can definitely see why she is considered a staple in the urban fantasy genre. I would highly recommend her to anyone who enjoyed authors like Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison. I would doubly recommend the show to fans of True Blood – it was great for all the same reasons… in fact, I may have loved it even more.Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.nikihawkes.com
—Niki Hawkes
Stolen is Kelley Armstrong's second installment in the Women of the Otherworld Series. I thought this book started off slow but as soon as there was action i was hooked and couldnt put the book down.In Bitten we are introduced to Elena and her fellow werewolves. Stolen introduces us to other supernaturals; witches, vampires, demons, voodoo practitioners, shaman, and so on. Someone is kidnapping supernaturals and they are never heard from again. Elena, Jeremy, and Clay are invited to a `United Nations' for the supernatural world in an attempt to stop the kidnappings. Unfortunately for Elena, the council is unable to stop her abduction.Elena finds herself alone, cut-off from the pack, and held captive for study. An unstable, megalomaniac man with money has decided it would be `fun' to study supernatural beings and when the study is completed - to have a little hunt. Elena must draw on all her resources to find a way to protect herself physically, mentally, and emotionally. As the hunt draws closer, Elena struggles to free herself and the other captives.Stolen is one huge adrenaline rush that can be addictive. As the story unfolds, it brings us into the supernatural world deeper and deeper. We learn about demons and their offspring in our mists. While werewolves have many advantages over other supernaturals, they are still vulnerable. Each supernatural has abilities that must be harnessed for survival. This blending of beings evolves into a partnership and friendship between groups that have never cooperated with each other before.The supernaturals of Stolen are written with a great deal of care. Each being is unique and strong in their own manner. Kelley Armstrong has created a world where everyone is a mixture of good and bad - only a few are truly evil. Elena may be feral and a killer, but she is a moral sentient being. Her outrage at captivity allows the reader to identify deeply with her. Werewolves have considered themselves too strong to be held captive. Their experiences in Stolen show them just how vulnerable they are. Elena, Clay, and Jeremy are forced to rely on others, in contrast to their nature. Im looking forward to reading the next book in this series "Dime Store Magic", im definitely hooked on this series. Kelley Armstrong has an extensive website at http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/ On her website are two novellas from the Women of the Otherworld series.
—(´*•.¸ღBexღ¸.•*´)
