Frostbitten

My Summary: Elena and Clay just beginning to adapt to their new lives as parents when they're called to find a rogue Mutt and warn him of the dangers he faces by hanging around with known man-eating werewolves Liam and Ramon (I know my Darkest Powers people just gasped). Instead of a calm, peaceful encounter however, Clay and Elena are forced to chase the guy all the way to Alaska.

Once they arrive, the couple realize they're dealing with a lot more than a rogue werewolf. There are reports of locals being killed in the woods by large wolf-like creatures, and when Elena is attacked by something in the forest, they decide they need to prolong their stay. On top of all that, problems from Elena's past have been re-surfacing, and she finds show more herself feeling weak just when survival depends on being strong.

My Thoughts: Yet another awesome read from Kelley Armstrong! I swear, I don't think she's ever written a book that I wouldn't read and adore every minute of. Frostbitten was actually one of the first Women of the Otherworld books I bought, because I has just read Stolen and Bitten and knew I was eventually going to buy it anyway because I was already obsessed with the series (plus it was on sale - you can't top that!).

In Frostbitten, you really see a lot of growth in both Elena and Clay. They're dealing with quite a lot in this book - emotionally and situation-wise - and the way they handle it makes them seem real and easy to relate to. I also love the fact that the characters acknowledge that they are getting older - it gets a bit tiring reading about characters who are eternally perfect (you know who I mean...).

Also, I loved the windigo reference! I recently read a novel that centered very heavily on that myth, and I loved that Kelley was able to include it into the book!

Final Thoughts: Another wonderful novel from Kelley Armstrong. I definitely recommend her series to fans of paranormal YA who are looking for something in the adult section (there's definitely some hot scenes in there :P). show less

Finally back to an Elena book! One of my 2017 reading goals is to finally finish this series, and I’m well on my way! I like the fact that we’re getting back to an Elena and Clay-centric novel and while there are some magical elements involved, it actually centers around a fairly human concept: a domineering group of men who are trying to become the head honchos and give them some semblance of feeling powerful. This story is dark and deals with rough concepts surrounding abuse, especially abuse afflicted on women by men.

Elena and Clay head to the boonies in Alaska to help a new werewolf as well as to investigate some reports of wolf attacks on humans. What they end up finding is a lot more than they were expecting — a rebel group show more of the Russia werewolf pack who have decided to become the new American pack and lead by fear and force. On top of that, there’s a weird creature with a seemingly mythological history roaming around the Alaskan woods.

I was completely immersed in this book right up to the very end; it is gripping. In general, I try to read a little bit of a bunch of books that I’m currently reading, but I couldn’t do that with Frostbitten. I just had to know what was going to happen next. There’s plenty of action and fight scenes while also giving a nice amount of Elena/Clay time and dealing with some of Elena’s struggles with abuse that has happened in her past. And I have to say, one of my absolute favorite scenes was when Elena started fighting the rebel werewolf who was trying to rape her. Something about a woman beating the crap out of a rapist just makes me feel so good. As my husband can attest, I was triumphantly war screaming during the fight scene.

Overall, this was a great addition to the series. It has some interesting developments for the werewolves and details even more of their history. And, though I didn’t talk about it a lot in this review, it also added another element to the supernatural world as Elena and Clay encounter a different sort of shapeshifter during their Alaskan trek. I thought the ending was overly prolonged — just a couple too many upsets for my liking. It felt too hokey to have the power balance shift so many times between the rebel werewolves and Elena and Clay’s group, but it was still a pretty decent story. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less

“I've spent the last decade learning to stand firm and face my problems… or at least batter them until they're unrecognizable.”

Frostbitten is the last full-length book in the Women of the Otherworld series that is told through Elena's point of view. Throughout the series our main character has grown into her skin, settled in with her mate, advanced higher in the pack, and adapted to motherhood.

In a way I'm bummed the final Elena book, like the second to last, takes a breather from Stonehaven. There's something charming about their property and the bonding that goes on there. Whatever the reason, the author took us out to the Alaskan wilderness, which actually had a cool small town setting. The snow and winter storms added to the show more creepy feel around an isolated cabin with death inside, wolves and werewolves outside. Armstrong introduces a new form of shifter, but throws in a mystery with it so I can't reveal much other than to say there's a few surprises and nice twists.

The twins are adorable but Skyping with them was enough. Taking Elena and Clay away from Stonehaven gives them alone time to solve the crimes and ride the highs of mystery while giving the readers a break from parenting overload. Jeremy is hardly around until the very end (bummer), but he and Jaime are spoken of briefly. This is an unusual story in that there aren't many regular gracing the pages other than through phone calls and memories. Nick makes a stand at least once, however, and we get two new important werewolves that may shape the future stories that will remain untold since the series is ending.

Cleverly twisted, Elena runs into some sick individuals who hold little remorse for man or shapeshifter. She has to confront her last biggest fear before she steps onto the higher step of alphahood. It was interesting on a psychological level, but I have to wonder if it was completely needed. She didn't grow beyond the fear (who would?) but instead learned to accept it and ignore it for the bigger picture. It was never a phobia or necessarily holding her back, so I'm not sure if the author had that particular scenario in this book for a bigger meaning that I didn't fully grasp.

Clay is awesome, he'll always be awesome, and we get a good dose of him here. Romance, steam, fight, vulnerable moments, the whole package in one.

Frostbitten is a dark book that finishes with a hopeful feeling. The pace is calmer than a few others in the series, but this only heightens the sense of isolation that complements the winter setting. show less

Frostbitten
3 Stars

***Warning: Spoilers Ahead***

Elena Michaels and her husband, Clay Danvers, travel to Alaska in pursuit of a young werewolf. Soon they run afoul of a gang of rogue Mutts with their own agenda. If that weren't bad enough, there is something ancient, unnatural and disturbing loose in the dark forests of the Alaskan wilderness.

Despite several engaging characters and compelling plotlines in the first few books, Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld has been hit or miss for me, and the last couple of books have been DNFs mainly due to their focus on bland and uninteresting secondary or even completely new characters. Unfortunately, Elena and Clay's return in Frostbitten dashed my expectations for a return to the series show more initial appeal as there are several problems with the story.

To begin with, the intriguing premise of an ancient supernatural being haunting the Alaskan wilderness devolves into a ridiculous Goldilocks and the Three Bears meets The Hendersons scenario. The tension and suspense inherent to the threat posed by the mysterious creatures vanish completely when their true identity is revealed.

Second, the rape trope is an infuriating and unnecessary plot device. Its inclusion contributes nothing to either Elena's characterization or the rogue Mutt narrative. This might be harsh, but using this trope is an overused and lazy method for adding drama and angst to the conflict, which would be better served by not undermining the heroine's strengths and skills with this cliché.

Third, the last few chapters are a repetitive mess of catch and release situations as Elena is repeatedly captured, escapes and is recaptured - seriously?! Did the author need to fulfill a page requirement?

Finally, the blurb hints at a conflict between Elena and Clay with regard to the future Alpha position in the pack. However, this never materializes in the book itself as the issue is resolved quickly with a simple conversation. So why include it at all?

Overall, this is a disappointing addition to the series and I can only hope that the last three installments focusing on Savannah and her powers will be better. show less

I love Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. The novels in the series usually are first person told by a female supernatural--but different ones generally in each book: witch, half-demon, necromancer, angel--and in this case, as in the first two books, Bitten and Stolen as well as Broken, it's Elena Michaels, the one and only female werewolf.

I read and imprinted not on Bitten though, but the third book, Dime Store Magic, with Paige and Lucas. When I got to the first book, Bitten, I was rather disappointed they weren't there--and was less than taken with Clay, Elena's mate. At the very start of that very first book he's revealed to have made Elena a werewolf by biting her without her consent years before. I didn't *want* Elena to show more forgive him. Yet through the course of the different books, I have warmed to him, and I do like this development in their relationship--can Clay follow Elena's lead?

Besides the romantic/relationship thread, as in the other books Armstrong serves up an intriguing mystery in a well-developed and imaginative supernatural world. Her books are the kind you open and step into another world entranced until you close it thinking, where did the time go? show less

In FROSTBITTEN, Armstrong has returned to the first characters in her WOMEN OF THE OTHERWORLD series--Elena and Clay Danvers--and transported them to an inhospitable, unforgiving climate to deal with vicious werewolf mutts and a completely new type of shifter. FROSTBITTEN uses all the traditional lore, and some of the character relations, we know from Armstrong's earlier books, but also introduces creatures based on Inuit legend.

As if rogue werewolves and territorial shifters weren't enough, Elena is also dealing with memories of her past, as one of her foster fathers asks for her forgiveness for molesting her as a child. Armstrong navigates the emotional minefield of a recovering abuse victim, keeping Elena from repressing by pitting show more her against a hopped-up-on-steroids werewolf who gets his kicks from raping and killing young women, and continually attempts the same with Elena.

While toward the end of the book the conflict feels a bit crowded--two different packs fighting each other with occasional help or demands from the shifters--Armstrong skillfully keeps the action from being too confusing by focusing on Elena and her direct foe, the rapist-werewolf.

This is a quality addition to the OTHERWORLD series and I recommend it highly. show less

It is no secret that I absolutely love Kelley Armstong's Women of the Otherworld series and Frostbitten reinforces that love completely. Elena Michaels is the female werewolf who started the whole series and it is so nice to return to her as the central character. Taking Clay and Elena away from the Pack and their children was a great way to keep the focus on how they interact as a couple. I found out a lot more about Elena's past in this book and that gave great insight into her motives, methods, and pressure points.

There is a lot going on in this book to tie together the many different threads that Clay and Elena must follow. Armstrong keeps things moving quickly but also provides down time to think things through, talk things over, show more and plan their next moves. The dialogue between Clay and Elena easily moves between playful, serious, and sexy. Elena shows her tough side when dealing with other werewolves but lets her guard down a bit with Clay. Armstrong writes such full characters along with the great story lines.

One thing that I really enjoy about this series is that the focus shifts to different characters for different books. This means that it isn't critical to read the books in order as long as you keep the books with the same main characters together. This was definitely to my advantage because I skipped over Frostbitten to read the hardcover of Waking the Witch because Savannah is one of my favorite characters. I thought the Savannah books might be my favorites of this series but I think Frostbitten actually beat Waking the Witch for me! I am looking forward to returning to Savannah in Spell Bound but now I really want more Elena. I hope we see more of what the Pack looks like in the future. show less