Living with the Dead (Women of the Otherworld, #9)

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Living with the Dead (Women of the Otherworld #9)

by Kelley Armstrong (Goodreads Author)

3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 · rating details · 9,136 ratings · 385 reviews

They’re smart, sexy, and supernatural. They’re the men and women of the Otherworld—a realm of witches, ghosts, and werewolves who live unseen among us. Only now a reckless killer has torn down the wall, trapping one very human woman in the supernatural cross fire.

Robyn Peltier moved to Los Angeles after her young husband’s sudden death, trying to put some distance betwee...more

Hardcover, 372 pages

Published October 21st 2008 by Spectra

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Jul 28, 2010 Tatiana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of Women of the Otherworld series

Shelves: 2010, urban-fantasy, series-dropped-lost-steam

I can't shrug off the feeling that Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld books are shifting more and more from urban fantasy to just plain mystery. But maybe I am just too used to her world and it seems too real to me? I don't know. Living with the Dead is another entertaining but ultimately forgettable addition to one of my favorite series. Let me sum it up.

The positive:

1) This book is just as page-turning as Armstrong's previous novels. Well-paced and never boring.

2) Kumpania - a commune...more

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Apr 21, 2010 Mel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In this ninth book in Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series the author brings us something different: the protagonist is a non-supernatural.
Robyn Peltier is a PR consultant with no special powers or abilities what so ever, well… except maybe attracting bad luck. She does know how to pick her friends though, as Hope Adams and Karl Marsten come to her rescue when Robyn's problems evolve from bad to worse.

This is another solid read by Kelley Armstrong. It read like a suspense novel, packed w...more

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Nov 25, 2008 MissM rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2008

I really like this series overall and look forward to them, but this one was just a miss for me. The main character of the book really wasn't a supernatural at all. And the jumpy POV changes made the book feel choppy and lacked cohesion. I liked the Detective character that was introduced but overall, it just really wasn't the high point of the series for me. I'm kinda bored with Hope at this point and I'm ready to get back to more interesting characters in the series. Because Hope's power is so...more

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Nov 08, 2008 Julie (jjmachshev) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008-reads

Now how do I rate Kelley Armstrong's latest in her 'Women of the Otherworld' series? "Living with the Dead" isn't about just one woman. In a lot of ways it's not even about one couple, it's really about two men, two women, a ghost, and the question of what is love.

Robyn is a woman who recently lost her love, her soulmate, to a senseless and stupid crime. She spends her time now just going through the motions of living and keeping a scrapbook about good samaritans who are killed for their deeds,...more

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Nov 19, 2010 Francesca the Fierce ~Eyelet Ecstasy~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-audio-books, series-women-of-the-otherworld, books-read-2010, genre-urban-fantasy, ghost-spirit-necromancer, werewolves-shifters, angels-demons

This was a nice, refreshing installment in the Women of the Otherworld series. I really liked the twists and turns in this story, and there was sure lots of that and lots of action. In my opinion a very well put together story into an elaborate world.

My only complaint was the fact that we didn't know most of the characters involved, so this could "almost" be a stand-alone story (you wouldn't need a lot of background story to understand it). I did come to like Robyn and Finn. Even though Damon, h...more

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Dec 29, 2008 Gemma rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural

I am a huge Kelly Armstrong fan, and I have devoured all her 'Women of the Underworld' books right from the beginning. I have, however, been disappointed with the most recent books. Armstrong usually sticks to a first person point of view, which allows her strong characters to really grow and reveal themselves to you as you follow their journey. In her most recent publications of this series, she has played around with multiple view points, and it doesn't work. It felt stilted in 'No Humans Invo...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Suzan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone!

Shelves: favourite-author-s

This isn't my favourite of Kelley's books, in fact in the series it's my least favourite, however even Kelley's 'worst' book is better then most out there and still very good. Karl is not my favourite pack member cause the favourite positions are commandeered by the surviving original pack members but I do love him! He is the major redeeming factor in the book! That and I love learning more about such an elusive supernatural type. Clairvoyants are one of the rarest supernatural races and general...more This isn't my favourite of Kelley's books, in fact in the series it's my least favourite, however even Kelley's 'worst' book is better then most out there and still very good. Karl is not my favourite pack member cause the favourite positions are commandeered by the surviving original pack members but I do love him! He is the major redeeming factor in the book! That and I love learning more about such an elusive supernatural type. Clairvoyants are one of the rarest supernatural races and generally stay hidden, even from other supernaturals for fear of being forced into 'employment' by cabals, despite the fact that overuse of their powers causes madness in them the same way it does to necromancers as we seen in Industrial Magic.

Adele is a vile character and I couldn't find any sympathy for her, she was a real sociopath, only interested in her own well being caring for nobody and nothing else. The things she did while constantly excusing herself and blaming her reprehensible acts on others made her a truly replusive villian that you can't help hating.
Rhys was an interesting character and him I did like, he wasn't the typical mercenary or a self-centred one like Xavier Reese was. He seemed like a mercenary with morales and principles unlike most of the mercenaries we've met in the books.

I did like Robyn and it was interesting having a human as a narrator which hasn't happened in the series before and seeing how she reacts to the news about her best friend Hope and the exsistence of supernaturals. She actually handled it pretty well though a lot of that was probably because of how close she was to Hope.

Hope grows a good bit in this and learns to better handle her demon side and find some balance though she realises she has to take a short break from Karl, not in the sense of breaking up with him but more learning to trust herself more and handle decisions herself instead of looking to him for all the answers. She's also realising she needs more to satisfy her chaos hunger then the council jobs alone can provide.
I also liked Finn, both as a character and narrator. It was interesting seeing his reaction to finding out he wasn't quite as speacial as he thought he was. It was interesting as well to learn that though his powers went way back in his family they were totally isolated from and ignorant of other supernaturals, including other necromancers. He hadn't even heard the term applied to him before meeting Damon's ghost. It was admirable that at the end he was taking steps to learn more about his powers and meet other supernaturals. I also felt bad for him that at the end he was second guessing every gesture of friendship Robyn made thinking she was only offering in the hope that her dead husband Damon was with Finn.
Like I said while not the best book in the series it was still very good and interesting to read but it always takes me the longest to read out of the series!(less)

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Dec 28, 2008 Bronwyn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I glanced through this book while at a bookstore and that is probably as much attention as it will get from me.
It is nothing against Armstrong as a writer because i think she created this amazing world and characters, but Elena and Paige have been the only characters that i actually care about as more than just extras (like Jamie, Eve (whose book i have no intention of reading) and Hope). Armstrong's next book will be an Elena book and so I am hopeful that my love of her books will be reignited...more

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Dec 04, 2008 Donna rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

The beginning of the book was great, but then the characters basically chased each other around for a two hundred pages. There were too many viewpoint characters and perspective shifts, and Hope is probably my least favorite Armstrong heroine. I hope this series picks back up, this is the second one in a row that I've been a bit disappointed in.

Here's my full review.

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May 01, 2013 Levian rated it 2 of 5 stars

the ninth book of the Women of the Otherworld (2001-2012) series followed the story of Robyn, a human who was framed for murder. when a photograph was sent to Robyn from her client Portia, Adele the clairvoyant was accidentally in it. before the photograph destroy her future, she had to eliminate those who had access to it. after killing Portia, Robyn was next in her list. when Robyn came looking for her help, Hope the chaos-demon knew that the supernatural were involved. at the same time, Finn,...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Kara Snoble rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have to admit, I wasn't a huge fan of how many point of views Kelley did. I honestly think she wrote them really well, but I thought some of it (example Colm). So far this was not one of my favourite of the series. Not to say that Kelley didn't write this well, she did, it just wasn't up there for me.
One thing I did like was seeing a human as a protagonist. I liked how she 'stayed human' (didn't find out that she's secretly some supernatural species). I found her interesting and hope that she'...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Amanda Faul rated it 4 of 5 stars

This wasn't my favorite Kelley Armstrong book (I prefer the books that have Elena and Clay as the leads) but I really enjoyed it.

The Good:
I found it refreshing to have a human narrator and enjoyed watching Hope and Karl's relationship progress. I keep expecting Hope's powers to grow or her to learn how to manifest them in a cooler way. Regardless of the fact that her powers have never seemed that cool to me I always am interested in her struggle to remain good in the face of a power that encour...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Jennifer Bielman (Reading and Writing UF and PNR) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: demons, reviewed, wereanimals, urban-fantasy

From http://readingandwritingurbanfantasy....

At A Glance
Let's put it this way, I read this book a couple years ago and I completely forgot everything about it. I reread it for this review, and I've already forgotten half of it again.

The Good
Though Hope and Karl aren't my favorite couple of the series, I was excited to see them again in this book. Hope is still struggling to control her chaos demon all while trying to accept and embrace her feelings for Karl, our hot werewolf. I enjoyed them in...more

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May 11, 2012 W. Tinkanesh rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is not just another novel by Kelley Armstrong featuring supernaturals by the dozens. The supernaturals are there, but the central character is the very human Robyn Peltier, recently widowed after only a few years of happy marriage. She has relocated in Los Angeles and works as PR for celebutante Portia Kane. Then Portia Kane is murdered and Robyn is prime suspect and on the run. First she runs to an ex-cop who now works as bodyguards mostly for celebutantes. He is swiftly murdered, too. How...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Grete rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, favorites

Being accused of murdering your new boss isn’t the best way to get ahead in business. Innocent but unable to prove it, Robyn Peltier has no idea what to do. When it seems the murderer thinks she knows something and is after her too, she calls on best friend Hope Adams for help. Along with Hope comes her boyfriend Karl, who Robyn finds a little creepy. When it starts looking like the murder was supernatural in origin, Hope tries to help but keep Robyn unaware of the other side of her life. Unfort...more Being accused of murdering your new boss isn’t the best way to get ahead in business. Innocent but unable to prove it, Robyn Peltier has no idea what to do. When it seems the murderer thinks she knows something and is after her too, she calls on best friend Hope Adams for help. Along with Hope comes her boyfriend Karl, who Robyn finds a little creepy. When it starts looking like the murder was supernatural in origin, Hope tries to help but keep Robyn unaware of the other side of her life. Unfortunately, with Hope’s demon side revelling in all the chaos, a detective that can talk to ghosts, and Karl being a werewolf, Robyn quickly finds herself embroiled in a world she never knew existed. She can fall apart or come out fighting and with the murderer on her heels everywhere she goes, falling apart is not an option.

I find Hope Adams an intriguing character. Being a half-demon of chaos, she lives with her two natures, trying to keep both halves satisfied and controlled, but struggles to find a balance. I’ve seen her grow through two previous books from a scared young woman afraid of her demon half to a bold, confident reporter and it’s been a good journey. I liked that the mundane and supernatural world meet with the characters of Robyn and Finn, who I liked a great deal and both were great additions to the cast.

The book itself was a good, smooth read with enough tension and twists to keep you turning the pages. This is something I’ve come to expect from Kelley Armstrong and her easy to read style of writing. Happily, she delivers once again. I also love the cameo appearances of characters from different Otherworld books, something that happens across the series and I hope that continues!

I found Living with the Dead quite poignant, the relationship between Hope and Karl was bittersweet and while I found the end quite sad, I also realise the necessity. I look forward to Hope’s next book to see how she matures even further.

A great addition to the Otherworld series and a treat to read.

This review and others can also be read at http://www.bookthing.co.uk (less)

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Jun 24, 2011 Jen (Red Hot Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, otherworld

This didn't feel like an Otherworld book. At all. It was deeply disturbing and dark. It featured some characters we know: primarily Hope and Karl, but unlike any of the previous books, this was written in the third person and the real main character was a regular human we've never met before.

It's been six months since Robyn's husband Damon died. Since then, she's moved to LA to start a new life for herself. She's a PR rep for a celebutante, but she's really just going through the motions. Hope i...more This didn't feel like an Otherworld book. At all. It was deeply disturbing and dark. It featured some characters we know: primarily Hope and Karl, but unlike any of the previous books, this was written in the third person and the real main character was a regular human we've never met before.

It's been six months since Robyn's husband Damon died. Since then, she's moved to LA to start a new life for herself. She's a PR rep for a celebutante, but she's really just going through the motions. Hope is worried about her --the two are longtime friends-- so she and Karl come to visit. Shortly after they arrive, Robyn's client is killed and thanks to a string of unlikely events, Robyn becomes the prime suspect. Then Karl and Hope must figure out who really killed the woman and why, while protecting Robyn from the real killer.

Investigating the case is Detective John Finnley. Finn's a necromancer, though he doesn't even really know what that means. He only knows that he occasionally sees ghosts... a skill that helps him believe Robyn is innocent, not only of her client's murder but other deaths that are piling up in her wake. The ghosts of the victims help lead his way, and so does (eventually) the ghost of Robyn's husband.

Earlier, I mentioned that this story is disturbing. That's due almost entirely to our villain, a sociopathic clairvoyant named Adele. She is the real killer. It's not because she enjoys killing; she's just looking out for number one. You see, Robyn's client had the misfortune of accidentally taking an incriminating photo of Adele. That leads to her death. And the deaths that follow are also to keep Adele's secret -- that she is trying to escape from her commune of clairvoyants to join the Nast cabal. That doesn't sound that bad... standard bad-guy stuff. But there's more to her schemes. She slips birth control pills to one of her commune sisters, knowing it will eventually force the girl into what's essentially gang rape when she can't conceive a child by her husband. The husband Adele wanted for her own. She has sex with a mentally disabled boy to manipulate him into sharing his powers with her, and gets pregnant with his child. Then she seduces his younger brother, a 15 year-old, to hide the baby's paternity. She doesn't care what she has to do or who she has to do it to, to get what she wants.

Adele is really a product of the environment she has grown up in... although undoubtedly, she is the worst case scenario. The commune beats its children to instill fear of the cabals; it inbreeds; uses the disabled for their powers; and we've already talked about the forced sex. It even kills those whose powers are too weak to make them useful. And even as I try to describe all this, I know it doesn't do it justice.

There's a lot going on here. In addition to all the stuff with Robyn, Finn & Adele, we can't forget about Hope and Karl. Their relationship is at a crossroads. And Hope has a lot of uncertainty about her future. And in the end, we see that the major developments in this book and the previous ones are intertwined, perhaps in some greater purpose, or bigger picture. I find that very intriguing. It was a solid installment... it just felt... off. And I missed the romance. 4 stars.
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Feb 23, 2011 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

Great read. I don't think that you necessarily need to have read the rest of the Otherwold books to jump into this one and be engaged by it and that's the beauty of Robyn being a main character for those who don't know much or anything about the supernatural world in Armstrong's books. Having multiple protagonists works so well, I got a lot of the insider jokes from Hope and Karl but had I known nothing about any of it Finn and Robyn would have given me that outsiders view and learning curve tha...more

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Jan 13, 2011 Kathy Davie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: homey, romance, paranormal

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 20, 2010 Oracleofdoom rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was definitely the weakest of her books so far. There were too many points of view, and I really disliked the antagonists' perspective. I didn't feel it really added much of anything. It simply filled me with disgust, because there was absolutely nothing redeemable about Adele, and she was just completely abhorrent.

Robyn was okay, but not that great for a character either. I started out okay with her, but I had to write her off as stupid in the beginning, when Portia was murdered. (Is it a...more

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Oct 29, 2010 Chibineko rated it 2 of 5 stars

I couldn't wait to get my mitts on this book, having been aching with anticipation to see what some of my favorite characters were up to. Turns out, the anticipation was a little bit better than the book. This latest entry into the WotU series focuses around not just one, but at least four other people. There's not a lot of rhyme or reason to when shifts occur or even why it's necessary for so many people to be narrators. (My guess is that it was just easier for Armstrong to write as the villain...more

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May 23, 2010 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

...of the otherworld... except in this book a human woman is the main focus...

We meet Robyn Peltier as she is adding to her scrapbook of senseless deaths... the first article being about her husband who was shot by a woman who misunderstood his motives when he stopped to help her with her flat tire. In her attempt to move on, and escape her memories, she moves to LA to be PR for Portia - a celebutante wannabe.

Portia inadvertantly takes a picture of Adele (a clairvoyant who is part of a kumpania)...more ...of the otherworld... except in this book a human woman is the main focus...

We meet Robyn Peltier as she is adding to her scrapbook of senseless deaths... the first article being about her husband who was shot by a woman who misunderstood his motives when he stopped to help her with her flat tire. In her attempt to move on, and escape her memories, she moves to LA to be PR for Portia - a celebutante wannabe.

Portia inadvertantly takes a picture of Adele (a clairvoyant who is part of a kumpania) who was meeting with a rep from the Nast cabal (which is strictly against the kumpania's rules)... Portia goes on a rampage as she attempts to get back all of the copies of the picture... killing Portia, 2 policemen, & a human at a fair, & a teen of the kumpania who has a crush on her & who is trying to helpher. The kumpania is a collection of 4 families of clairvoyants who have operated for centuries as a cult, that operate as a program for breeding, protection, and indoctrination - and unbeknownst to all but the leader, under the protection of the Nast cabal where the cabal gets one clairvoyant every 10 years.

Robyn is there when Portia & the policemen are killed and leaves each crime scene -for good reasons, and she is a suspect.

Finn is the detective trying to solve the murders... he has the ability to see & talk with the dead - an ability his family has had for many years going back... and he wants to make a difference - to use his gift for good... but they are not connected to anyone to know there are others like him... he knows Robyn is innocent... and is working hard to figure things out... And Robyn's ghost husband joins Finn to solve the murder...

Hope & Karl... Hope is Robyn's friend - since High School... Robyn was the only one that stuck around when Hope had her breakdown... Hope is trying to find balance with her chaos demon and doing the right thing... Karl is trying to help her & assure her that he will not leave her... The two of them protect Robyn and track down Adele...

Rhys is of a supernatural regulator... that goes beyond how the council interferes... he is ex-kumpanian - and it is his son that dies at the manipulations of Adele... he invites Hope to join them, and she is considering it.

Many of kumpania die (most at their own hands) - including Adele (though her body is being kept alive by the cabal because she is pregnant... Rhys gets his 1st son (one he did not know lived - who is retarded, but a seer - a stronger clairvoyant)... te kumpania continues... Hope and Karl find a deeper understanding... and Hope knows she needs to make some decisions without Karl... and Karl assures her he is behind her no matter what.

and they introduce Finn to Jamie (another necromancer) who will help him to gain better control over his powers... and he allows Robyn's husband to take his body for an hour so that they can say the goodbys they never got..

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Oct 14, 2009 Melindeeloo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Pleasant enough visit to Armstrong's Otherworld

Living with the Dead is not quite what I expected coming on the heels of Personal Demon (Women of the Otherworld, Book 8), which left Lucas in a quandry that I had thought would lead to some interesting upheaval in the overall story arc of the series. Instead Lucas is a minor off-screen character here and we continue on with half choas demon Hope and her werewolf mate Karl. But Living with the dead is more multithreaded than Armstrong's previous bo...more

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Jan 29, 2009 Sheena rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

When recently widowed PR rep Robyn is framed for murder she finds herself surrounded by forces both supernatural and mundane, some trying to protect and others to harm her. Defended by a werewolf and half-demon, pursued by a necromancer police detective and a clairvoyant sociopath she's not sure who to trust or where to turn, not only to prove her innocence but save her life.

I am a big fan of the "Women of the Otherworld" series, especially the books about witches and werewolves. In this novel h...more

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Mar 21, 2011 Nichole rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Living with the dead by Kelley Armstrong:
DOES contain spoilers!

So...this book was a little all over the place for me.
I LOVE Hope and Karl; They're two of my favorite characters in the series, coming in second to Elena and Clay. However, there a few characters I didn't like in this book, one being Adele.

First of all, Adele is supposed to be around 20 years old in the book. However, she comes across as a woman in her late forties, early fifties. This took me for a loop.

Second, there are some refe...more

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May 21, 2012 Isabella rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban, women-of-the-otherworld, i-see-dead-people

I love this series and Kelley Armstrong's ability to write books in which you cannot foresee what is going to happened. This book is very refreshing since Robyn is an human that is caught up in something supernatural and if you have read all the previous books (you do not have to) you are used to look from the supernatural point of view. It is also refreshing that Robin and the love of her life Daimen though separated by the hard line of death still can show that love is even stronger than that...more

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Jun 21, 2009 Cam rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 23, 2012 Christina Madison rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: angels-fallenangels-nephilim, demons-devils, ghosts-spirits-wraiths, necromancers, psychic-abilities, werewolves-shapeshifters, witches-warlocks-wizards, 2006-2010, supernatural-fiction, urban-fantasy-fiction

Full review here: http://zodiacbookreviews.blogspot.com...

Robyn Peltier took a PR job representing Portia Kane in an attempt to leave the painful memories of her husband's untimely death behind. With help from her best friend, Hope Adams, Robyn is slowly getting back to herself. But when a clairvoyant paparazzo kills Portia for a photo she took on her cell phone, Robyn is accused of the murder and ends up on the run from the police--and the killer.

Adele Morrissey is a clairvoyant and a member of...more Full review here: http://zodiacbookreviews.blogspot.com...

Robyn Peltier took a PR job representing Portia Kane in an attempt to leave the painful memories of her husband's untimely death behind. With help from her best friend, Hope Adams, Robyn is slowly getting back to herself. But when a clairvoyant paparazzo kills Portia for a photo she took on her cell phone, Robyn is accused of the murder and ends up on the run from the police--and the killer.

Adele Morrissey is a clairvoyant and a member of the Kumpania. The Kumpania strongly dissuades interaction with the Cabals, so when Adele discovers that Portia Kane has a photo with Adele meeting with Irving Nast in the background, she'll do anything to get that photo before anyone in the Kumpania can see it. Adele is ruthless--she kills anyone who gets in her way, and she uses and sabotages anyone to get what she wants. I didn't like Adele at all. I think she may be one of the worst villians in the Woman of the Otherworld series so far.

It was pretty funny how everyone thought that Robyn was a supernatural, just because she's friends with Hope. They're all asking, What kind of supernatural is she? Like, is it so inconceivable for a human and supernatural to be friends?

Just like in Haunted with the reference to Eliot Ness and the Untouchables, Living with the Dead has a reference to the policeman in The Fugitive who would not give up trying to capture Richard Kimble. That's who Damon compares Finn to, because of his relentless pursuit of Robyn.

Detective Finn is a necromancer who didn't know he was a "necromancer." Though he's a supernatural, he didn't know anything about that world until this case. Finn has help from Robyn's dead husband, Damon, with the case. He even gets a visit from Eve at one point. Finn was one of my favorite characters in Living with the Dead. I hope we get to see more of him in future books.

Hope and Karl appear in Living with the Dead. Aside from trying to help clear Robyn's name, we get to see how their relationship has developed. With Karl's birthday and their first anniversary approaching, Hope still fears that Karl will leave her, and she also fears how dependent she has become of him. When Hope receives a business proposal from Rhys, a clairvoyant mercenary, she knows she has a tough decision to make--and she has to make it herself. I really liked Karl's show of commitment. The infinity symbol charm for Hope's bracelet, with the engraving "No matter what" was so sweet. I love seeing that side of Karl. What I really want to know is if they ever made it to that cabin in the woods, LOL!(less)

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Feb 13, 2012 Julie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: canadian-lit

I have to say for a Women of the Otherworld book, this one was a disappointment. It could have worked if it was a standalone novel, that had connections to the series, but this book fell flat for me.

One of the biggest issues for me was that the main protagonist wasn't supernatural nor was she really the "main character" in the book. While her role in the story was important, I felt she took the back seat in the story. Events occurred, and she just happened to be there at the wrong time, which in...more I have to say for a Women of the Otherworld book, this one was a disappointment. It could have worked if it was a standalone novel, that had connections to the series, but this book fell flat for me.

One of the biggest issues for me was that the main protagonist wasn't supernatural nor was she really the "main character" in the book. While her role in the story was important, I felt she took the back seat in the story. Events occurred, and she just happened to be there at the wrong time, which in the end, caused her to be wrapped up with supernaturals. The other characters in the book seemed to have more weight and importance than Robin, which just didn't seem right to me. As the main character she should have the center of attention, not be drifting along with every else.

Another issue I had was the book had far too many narratives, I believe there were five in total. Normally, I enjoy books with multiple narratives, but it did not work for this book. It took away from the usual atmosphere that found in the other books from the series. It suppose to focus on the women, preferably the main character of the story, not random men we'll probably never see again. I also found that some of the narratives weren't completely distinct from each other. Colm and Adele narratives often seemed to blend as one person, rather than two separate people. I also found there was to many threads to the story, instead of coming together to make a clever, complicated story, it fell apart.

Although I'm not a big mystery fan, the author did do a good job at creating a mystery to solve. Some things were predictable, but I did enjoy the way the author built up suspense for the story, and tried to keep the reader guessing on some characters true motives. But overall, this book did not work for me. I think if this was a standalone book I would have enjoyed it more, but as part of the Women of the Otherworld series, it just didn't have that same flair as the other books.

Also on my book review blog Jules' Book Reviews - Living With the Dead (less)

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May 01, 2011 Norah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Really didn't love this one. A _lot_ of characters and POVs, but I could deal with that. What was frustrating was all the misinformation and mistaken assumptions all the characters had, which drew this out longer than necessary, almost into a bad comedy of errors. While I recognize that books can sometimes make character's thinking too simplistic so that they seem to magically make the right assumptions, this was too far the other way, and I found myself just annoyed that no one would take a mom...more

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Sep 23, 2009 Amy or "Ames" rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-books, urban-fantasy, read-in-2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I imagine Living with the Dead was an expansion on the experiment with the POVs in Personal Demon but instead of just two POVs there are at least five here: the good-guys -Robyn, Finn, Hope, and the bad -Adele and Colm. This led to many puzzle pieces being slowly put together in an often confusing way, jumping from person to person which made it impossible for me to be bespelled into reading this in one sitting.

Even though Kelley shoves Robyn to the front of the stage and naming this her book, t...more I imagine Living with the Dead was an expansion on the experiment with the POVs in Personal Demon but instead of just two POVs there are at least five here: the good-guys -Robyn, Finn, Hope, and the bad -Adele and Colm. This led to many puzzle pieces being slowly put together in an often confusing way, jumping from person to person which made it impossible for me to be bespelled into reading this in one sitting.

Even though Kelley shoves Robyn to the front of the stage and naming this her book, the focus was on Hope and how this story affected her future though it was also a vehicle for Finn and Adele (and her unborn baby).

Finn is a detective who is also an untrained necromancer who uses his ability to see and communicate with ghosts to help solve crimes. Due to the isolating nature of his ability (i.e. seemingly talking to himself) he lacks a social life and is ready and willing to give up his life in a noble gesture which Eve happily puts a stop to. Eve's cameo appearance at the end was very welcome and with it I realised I was missing the usual fiesty main characters in Kelley's books, which unfortunately this one lacked - well all except for Adele.

Adele is a clairvoyant who has decided to escape the manipulative cultish clutches of her kumpania(a clairvoyant community) and does some reprehensible things in order to do so including sleeping with two teenage boys, one of which was both mentally and physically disabled, ick, the other she was grooming to kill for her. She obviously has a screw loose and doesn't hesitate to kill anyone in her way.

The inner-workings of this kumpania were very interesting, sort of a cutthroat cabal (the very thing they supposedly despise) but with a heavy dose of indoctrination.

Again I could not connect with Hope and felt that perhaps Clay & Elena or even Lucas & Paige would have been better in this book instead of Karl & Hope. I would not be adverse to Kelley bumping her off sometime soon but then Karl would be devastated and I wouldn't want that. As ever I loved Karl but I think I'm ready to see him running with the Pack. Perhaps we'll get that in Frostbitten.(less)

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Why are there so many different editions of the same book?	4	35	May 03, 2012 07:02pm

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About Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked a...more

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Trivia About Living with the Dead

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Quotes from Living with the Dead

“What am I? Let's just say I won't fetch a stick for you. I won't beg for treats. And, no matter how nicely you ask, I will not roll over and play dead.” — 44 people liked it

“He leaned her back against the tub, setting her head on the edge, then washed her shoulders.
"I know I left you once."
She opened her mouth, wanting to say it didn't matter, it was forgotten. But it wasn't.
"I know I hurt you."
Again, she wanted to argue. But she couldn't.
"I know I said I won't leave you again, but I also know that's not enough, and that the only way you're going to trust that I won't leave is if I don't".
He slid the cloth over her arms.
"If this ends, Hope, it won't be me that ends it. I think you know that.” — 40 people liked it

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Living with the Dead (Women of the Otherworld #9)

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