2.5 stars, rounded up to a very, very, very generous 3-star rating.

Waking The Witch is an installment of the Women of the Otherworld series that I don't see myself ever re-reading. This is sad because I had been looking forward to finally reading a Savannah book for a long time.

I remember Savannah a 12-year old spoiled, petulant girl and later a determined, brash, strong, sassy and refreshingly selfish woman and a powerful witch who hates authority, goes after what she wants, can kick ass, despises humans and whose only weakness is her girl crush on Adam. That's who she was as we saw her through the eyes of Paige, Jaime, Elena and other narrators of earlier Otherworld books and that's the way I loved her. The Savannah we get in this novel is pretty much a boring and timid Hope Adams clone who is apparently slightly depressed, has no spunk and no guts to actively pursue the man of her dreams preferring instead to settle for random hookups. Who is this woman? Let me tell you, not someone I care to read about. I expected this book to be about a young woman who would raise mayhem and unleash her super powers. I expected Savannah to go after Adam with all her determination and forces. I expected sparks to fly between the two. No luck here.

Now onto the plot itself. You know, I wonder why Armstrong started writing urban fantasy because it seems she prefers writing mysteries. I have nothing against mysteries per se, but if not grounded in paranormal, hers are weak. This book can be considered urban fantasy only because the main character is a witch. Otherwise, substitute cover spells with hiding in dark corners and knockback spells with a good kick, and there is nothing paranormal left in this story. The mystery itself is mediocre at best, because there is absolutely no way for readers to guess who the villain is. Speaking of the villain, the villain's motivation makes hardly any sense, the final result can be achieved much easier without this convoluted plan and murders.

Some readers also mention the cliff-hanger ending. Yes, there is one, but it is lame and unnecessary IMO. It surely won't make me lose my sleep.

To sum it up, Waking The Witch is a throwaway addition to the series - the mystery is lame, the narrator is boring, and romance is non-existent. But somehow it is written better than the majority of new UF and this is the only excuse for my very generous rating.