Kelley Armstrong - Frostbitten

When a friend sent me Bitten to borrow I read it, loved it and rushed out to buy it. Of course then I had to buy all the others (up to about Industrial Magic at the time I think) and read and love them too. Since then I have continued to be hopelessly addicted to the Otherworld, awaiting each new fix with impatience. These days i've given up even trying to wait for the paperback so needless to say I rushed out and bought Frostbitten at the first opportunity.

Back in the beginning, Bitten was a stand alone novel, narrated by the werewolf Elena. When the second book was written we saw the introduction of more supernaturals, but it was still in a small way. Gradually as the series developed it has become a fully formed world of supernatural beings living amongst humans, narrated by multiple voices (sometimes two or three a book) and balancing the practical dangers of enemies and powers with political and emotional wrangling. The series has become increasingly complex and although in theory each book could be read out of sequence, the last few would leave some readers confused.

It was rather nice then to see the Otherworld series in many ways go back to where it began. Elena narrating, alone, through a werewolf based adventure of blood and violence and hunting. There are plot twists and unexpected directions but this is all about the pack and the things that may threaten it with the rest of the supernatural world acknowledged but very much sidelined. This is a book you could read on it's own without worrying about everything that has gone before, the first in a while that doesn't really need the support of the series.

Frostbitten will appeal to fans who have loved the series all the way through and should bring back to the fold those who were starting to drift as the books ventured in different directions.

we interviewed Kelly Armstrong a while back and for those of you thinking about World Horror Convention in march, I believe she is attending.