The Hunter and the Hunted: Two Stories of the Otherworld (edition 2012)

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Fun stories for fans of the Otherworld series with one new story, one old and a sneak peek into Thirteen.

Excerpt: No

The Review:

I am a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong’s writing style, unfortunately I haven’t read anything by her since Waking the Witch and I have forgotten some key elements to the series since then. It is really hard to talk about the stories when the synopsis above describes the story perfectly – and without giving away too much. Stalked was a story that I had read before and had no problem jumping back into again. Off-Duty Angel was a little bit harder to get into, trying to remember Eve’s story again, but if you are truly a fan of this series then you will want to read this story. Since I haven’t read Spell Bound yet, I couldn’t bring myself to read the first seven chapters of Thirteen, but I can’t wait to see how this series will end!

“Stalked” (Otherworld Series 7.3)

Originally published in My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon. Stalked is a story that is completely told from Clayton Danvers point of view as he tries to keep from ruining Elena’s honeymoon from a werewolf out to take Elena as his own. A fun, quick story that gives some insight into Clayton and how much he loves and respects Elena, even though it really comes down to communication. The story is a little predictable but if you are a fan of this series then you’ll love Stalked.

Rating: 4/5

“Off-Duty Angel” (Otherworld Series 12.5)

Eve Levine is bored. The afterlife just isn’t keeping her as busy as she would like so when Kristof gives her a job to follow someone for information, she stumbles upon a bigger mystery. This mystery story does start out a little slow since Eve doesn’t even know what is going on most of the time. The story is a good look into the afterlife where Eve lives. It is interesting how buildings and places are reflected into the afterlife – a lot of exposition is given to this.

The introduction by Kelley Armstrong makes Off-Duty Angel sound like it will tie into events that will happen in Thirteen. I have a feeling that whatever Eve finds will be the key that solves something which I guess I will have to read Thirteen to find out.

Rating: 3/5

FTC Advisory: Penguin/Dutton provided me with a copy of The Hunter and the Hunted. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

The Hunter and the Hunted are two short stories from Kelley Armstrong's the Otherworld series. Penguin also threw in the first seven chapters of Thirteen, and let me just say that I cannot wait for that book. I've had it pre-ordered for awhile now, but reading these first few chapters really sold me on it. I'm counting the days until it's released. The two short stories are good, and I always love getting more Elena and Clay. While I enjoyed them, I enjoyed the sneak peek of Thirteen more.

The first story in this novella is a short story about Elena and Clay, told from Clay's perspective. I love when Clay narrates because he has such a unique perspective. It's always like I'm reading from a wolf's perspective instead of a man's. I love Elena as a narrator too, but it's always interesting to see Clay's take on things. "Stalked," the story, is a cute story about Elena and Clay's honeymoon. It was interesting to see how they interacted and how much they tried to stick to human ideals while on their honeymoon. I'm going to miss those two characters when the series ends.

"Off-Duty Angel" is told from Eve's perspective. It's also a cute story, and it was nice to get to know Eve better. Since she only had one book in the series, I don't feel like I know her as well as I know the other characters. She's not present as much as Jaime (who also only had one book) is. I feel like I know Eve more through reputation than through observing her behaviors, so I liked getting to see more of her. Both stories are only around 30 pages each and very light-hearted.

The teaser for Thirteen blew my mind. I was already wishing July 24 would hurry and get here, and now it's a billion times worse. The final book in the Otherworld series is shaping up to be an intense and emotional thrill-ride. I have a feeling I'll laugh, cry, and be on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. I'm literally counting the days until I can get my hands on this novel.

Overall, I'd recommend this novella to any Kelley Armstrong fan. If you're a fan of the Otherworld series, then you'll love getting more looks into the characters' lives. It's also a nice edition to the series because we get to hear from characters who usually don't get to narrate their own stories. If you haven't read the Otherworld series yet, then you're missing out. Start with Bitten, though. You'd be completely lost with this novella if you hadn't read the other books first. The Hunter and the Hunted is available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon in e-book format. This is a novella you'll want to add to your e-reader library. ( )

This novella consists of two short stories plus a preview of the next book "Thirteen". The first, Stalked, has been published before but I hadn't read it. Clay, the pack enforcer and Elana, the only female were are finally on a honeymoon. Clay wants everything to be perfect to make up for the ruined wedding and honeymoon many years before but finds that Elana is being stalked by a mutt (non-pack werewolf) which upsets Clay, never a good thing. This story has a couple of twists which makes it fun to read. The second story, Off Duty Angel, features Eve Levene, a character who started as a side character and developed a life of her own. Eve, off duty from her job as a celestial bounty hunter for the fates is bored so her mate Kristol Nash sends her on a job as a P.I. for him. Of cource if you know Ms Armstrong's book you know that things don't always go the way the characters want.

All in all a good quick read while awaiting Thirteen to come out. I haven't mentioned the preview of Thirteen, but know that iy does cover, I think, 7 chapters, so the reader can decide if they want to read it or wait for the book to come out. ( )

I received this book from the publisher courtesy of Netgalley without realizing it was short stories that featured characters from the author's Otherworld series. Although I never read any of Armstrong's books, I'm definitely a fan now and I am adding her novels to my TBR pile.
Even without reading any of the previous novels, I was immediately pulled into the story about Clay trying to protect Elena during their honeymoon. This is the first book where an author actually made werewolves seem sexy to me. I liked Clay's point of view and thought the plot was perfect for a novella.
Eve's story was also fun and Armstrong drew a compelling picture of this supernatural world. I enjoyed the dynamic between Eve and both her lover Kristof and her partner Trsiel. The mystery aspect could have been a little more suspenseful, but everything tied together well in the end. ( )

STALKED was a story that I was familiar with. I am such a fan of Armstrong's work that I buy anthologies just for her stories. If you have My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon, you already own this story. What I liked most about it is that it is told by Clayton Danvers. It tells about a honeymoon trip that he planned to St. Louis, which seems an odd honeymoon destination for a couple of werewolves, and which is turning out to be less exciting than either of them had hoped. Less exciting that is until a stray werewolf shows up who wants to kill Clayton and take Elena as his own. Obviously, this guy isn't too bright! Clayton notices him following them but tries to keep it from Elena so as not to spoil their honeymoon. Elena isn't fooled and together they end up taking on the not-too-bright stray werewolf. They also have a honeymoon that is more their style.

OFF-DUTY ANGEL is a story featuring Eve Levine. She is bored while Kristoff is off on a case and ends up getting herself into trouble as she starts following a guy, discovers a lost spell book attributed to Moses, and ends up in the Hell dimension. It is Eve at her irreverent and quirky best and provides us with a look at the dimension where she lives people by oni, angels, fates, and other supernatural creatures.

The ebook also contains the Prologue and first six chapters of THIRTEEN. We see Savannah, Jaime, Jeremy, Adam and Eve in this section. It begins with Savannah, Bryce, Jeremy and Jaime getting away from a bomb blasted lab. Then Savannah and Jaime are arrested and the rest takes place at the jail. This brief teaser makes me very eager for the release of THIRTEEN on July 24.

The stories were a good way to find out more about the characters of the Women of the Otherworld series and were a good way to get an Otherworld fix while waiting for THIRTEEN. ( )