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Bitten

(Otherworld #1)

Kelley Armstrong (Goodreads Author)

4.01 · Rating details · 96,208 ratings · 4,593 reviews

Elena Michaels is the world’s only female werewolf. And she’s tired of it. Tired of a life spent hiding and protecting, a life where her most important job is hunting down rogue werewolves. Tired of a world that not only accepts the worst in her–her temper, her violence–but requires it. Worst of all, she realizes she’s growing content with that life, with being that person ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 436 pages

Published September 7th 2004 by Plume Books (first published September 21st 2001)

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· 96,208 ratings · 4,593 reviews

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Dec 24, 2010 Elle rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy-and-paranormal, 2011-read, dnf

Had any of the characters been even half as cool as this guy:

Teen Wolf

...I may have keep reading.

Or to be more accurate I should say: I may have read it correctly.
Which I didn’t. Instead, I did this:

*notices all the 5star reviews of Bitten*

*clicks ‘confirm order’ button on BookDespository.com*

*waits by mail box for about 40,000 years*

*receives Bitten*

*does happy dance like a happy thing in a happy place with a happy hat*

*begins reading page one of Bitten*

18 minutes later:

“ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ...more

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Mar 16, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kat-s-book-reviews

How can I write this review without sounding like I'm about to start stalking Kelley Armstrong?

I loved this book. I loved all the characters in it. It was well written, with engaging, interesting characters. The plot was fast moving and interesting. I never got bored, I never felt like it was dragging and the story was a PLEASURE to read.

This is what reading should be! Turning from page to page, absolutely and completely emotionally invested in the characters and feeling like you're right there, ...more

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Jul 18, 2008 Christina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Clare, Katharine

Recommended to Christina by: Kaylan

Shelves: 2008-reads, fantasy, werewolves, 2012-reads

You know when you don't really expect to like a book based on the fact that you're prejudiced to its contents? For example, thanks to Twilight, I am completely Team Vampire (and I'm terribly ashamed at having brought Twilight up, trust me) so anything Werewolf-ish automatically sets off some inner resentment. Knowing this book was about werewolves just made me go 'blegh!' but I was suddenly determined to give it a chance, and so I did.

Oh. My. God. FANTASTIC. I was utterly absorbed by this book ...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: best-series, best-of-the-best, urban-fantasy, favorite-secondary-characters, the-book-boy-is-mine, weres-shapeshifters, jerk-of-my-dreams, favorites

This might be the best first-in-series I've ever read. I have favorite series, and this is definitely one of them, but most of the time my favorite book in the series is not the first one.

This one is.

I love Elena. I love Clay. I love them together, and I HATE them separated. I love their issues, and I love their issues getting resolved even more.

I can't think of a single think about this book that I don't like.

ALSO Clayton Danvers might be my all-time favorite book boyfriend:

1. He's a friggin ...more

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Nov 28, 2008 Beth rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: vampire lovers who think the werewolf can't hack it

Recommended to Beth by: Jennifer

Shelves: tnbbc-winter-2008, urban-fantasy, infidelity, i-reviewed-this-bad-boy, 2009-five-star-reads, 2009, werewolves, canada

A lot of authors tend to rely on supernatural abilities to make their fantasy and paranormal characters more appealing to us foolish mortals who seek our escapes amongst their pages. But Kelley Armstrong’s werewolves in Bitten must rely on grit and personality alone, because aside from having the ability to Change their shape, they don’t have any bizarre powers. They aren’t immortal, they can be killed just as easily as any other non-supernatural creature and it doesn’t take a silver bullet to d A lot of authors tend to rely on supernatural abilities to make their fantasy and paranormal characters more appealing to us foolish mortals who seek our escapes amongst their pages. But Kelley Armstrong’s werewolves in Bitten must rely on grit and personality alone, because aside from having the ability to Change their shape, they don’t have any bizarre powers. They aren’t immortal, they can be killed just as easily as any other non-supernatural creature and it doesn’t take a silver bullet to do it—they could be gored by a deer, hit by a truck or even strangled or have their throats slit by a human psychopath.

The abilities Armstrong’s werewolves were granted were surprisingly believable, even without that total suspension of reality that is required to read a book about werewolves or vampires or the Fey. They were stronger than the average human, able to run harder longer, bench press more and do more pushups. And they could heal faster, but healing wasn’t an instantaneous process, it still required rest and time. And even though there was a slight psychic connection between the alpha and his pack, it was no more eerie than the close bond between a set of twins or best girlfriends or a married couple so in tune to each other that they frequently find themselves dialing the phone to call the other at the exact same time. It was Armstrong’s ability to subtly draw you into the werewolves’ world that sold me hook, line and sinker.

Like so many others who read urban fantasy and paranormal romance, werewolves have not been my favorite characters. Vampires, yes. Other fantastical beasts, erm, okay, but only if there’s a vampire somewhere in the book. But werewolves??? Eh. Pass. Fortunately, the high ratings this book has received practically forced me into giving this book a shot. And frankly, I loved it!!

Elena Michaels is one of the most intriguing heroines I’ve encountered in quite some time. She is the only female werewolf in existence and in the history of the Pack. She was raised human and after losing her parents in a car crash, was in and out of foster homes for her entire young life. She suffered the unwanted attentions of her foster fathers and grew up wanting nothing more than to have that normal human life: a good career, a caring husband, a home…

But when she was bitten by a werewolf during college, everything changed and her dreams for a normal life were ripped away from her because suddenly she was faced with violent urges, a ravenous appetite and the need to periodically change form and run as a wolf through the night. Obviously the latter is hard to do in a big city like Toronto, but after gaining some control over her other half, Elena tries to make it work.

She takes a job as a journalist with the newspaper, has a wonderful human boyfriend named Phillip who is kind and considerate and buys her flowers, and she quietly appeases the werewolf inside her by sneaking in-between meals at street vendors so her live-in human boyfriend doesn’t notice her above-average appetite and she sneaks out of the apartment at 2 a.m. to stalk and scare local security guards—a sad excuse for an all-out deer hunt, but she makes do.

But then she receives an urgent message from Jeremy, the Pack leader, and Elena can’t ignore it: her Pack is in danger. Elena leaves Toronto and flies to a remote area in upstate New York where her Pack is headquartered. And there she finds Clay, just as she left him, waiting for her, still in love with her.

Like Elena, Clay is also a dark, tortured hero. And the relationship Armstrong weaves for the two is both passionate and painful and oh-so wonderful, and the fact that the relationship was second to the urban fantasy plot of an all-out werewolf battle for territory didn’t make it any less satisfying.

No spoilers here, so I won't say anything else, except that I highly, highly recommend! ...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Navessa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: shifters, paranormal, romance

I first read this book when it came out and loved it. It was one of the few books I'd read that focused predominantly on werewolves. I've read MANY since and so I went back and reread this because I was curious if it would hold up against the masses. Oh boy. It did.

Let me just say that out of all paranormal books I've read, Clay has to be one of the sexiest, if not the sexiest male character. I'm not sure why exactly, maybe it's because nothing about him is really overdone, a lot of his appeal ...more

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Mar 13, 2008 Shannon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, shape-shifters, 2009, favourite

This one's been hanging around for a while, since it was recommended to me sometime last year. I saw that kiwiria loved it and remembered that I had it, so thought I should get onto it sooner rather than later. To be honest, the fact that it's about werewolves put me off. I greatly enjoyed Kerri Arthur's Riley Jensen Guardian series (the main character is a werewolf), and Kresley Cole has some wonderful lycanthrope characters whom I love, but generally they don't hold the attraction that vampire This one's been hanging around for a while, since it was recommended to me sometime last year. I saw that kiwiria loved it and remembered that I had it, so thought I should get onto it sooner rather than later. To be honest, the fact that it's about werewolves put me off. I greatly enjoyed Kerri Arthur's Riley Jensen Guardian series (the main character is a werewolf), and Kresley Cole has some wonderful lycanthrope characters whom I love, but generally they don't hold the attraction that vampires do. Well, I really should re-think that now.

Elena Michaels is an orphan with a horrible past of foster families and abusive foster fathers since her parents died in a car accident when she was little. Meeting and falling in love with Clay, an esteemed anthropologist doing a stint of teaching at the University of Toronto, was the first time she could be more herself, and he was the first person she could be honest and open with. Until she's bitten by a werewolf and becomes the first female werewolf ever, and forced into a life she did not want, with the Pack.

Ten years later, she's carving a human life for herself in Toronto as a journalist, living with her boyfriend Philip, and forcing herself not to Change until she can't help it. When she does, she goes out in the early hours of the morning and chases security guards in the car parks, and rabbits in the ravines. Her attempt at fitting in with humans comes to a jarring halt when the Pack leader, Jeremy, asks her to return to Stonehaven in New York State. There's a killer on the loose in the town who's obviously a non-Pack werewolf, a mutt, leaving the mutilated bodies on Pack territory and bringing the police to their doorstep.

Returning to Stonehaven, Elena finds herself fitting into old patterns without fear of exposure or judgement. She still yearns to be human, or at least, to fit in in the human world, but the situation is becoming more threatening and her Pack-brothers are losing their lives: and the enemy wants her.

While the Prologue was necessary in setting up the main character and narrator, Elena, and it worked well written in present tense - gives it that timeless quality - I found it a bit boring and was worried I wouldn't be able to get through the book. It wasn't long before I was completely riveted though.

It comes down to Elena herself, I think. She's tough, she's bitchy at times, she's smart, yet she has this aloof, lonely quality that adds a touch of vulnerability and really made me feel for her without being told to. The way she describes her past and how she dealt with it, the way she over-thinks her way through the world of humans, concentrating and always thinking, what would a human do? (Even though she used to be human, she's not anymore.)

Then there's her relationship with Clay, which is what really drives the whole story. Clay is an interesting character with at least three noticeable sides: cold killer; eager, childlike boy with a wealth of feeling; and borderline genius. He's moody but predictable, dangerous and lethal but oh so loving and loveable. I just loved the fact that he wasn't easy to sum up, that he was complicated.

More than that, though, the plot was exciting and even though, after the prologue, the rest of the book is written in past tense, it still has that "now" feeling where the narrator, Elena, isn't giving hints as to what happened later, but narrates as if she has no idea either. That gives the story a great deal of suspense and tension.

For a debut novel, this is a bloody good novel. The writing quality is very high, the character development is wonderful, the plot is absorbing, never boring, and the moments of humour are very adult and speak to a level of intelligence that most popular fiction aims below. It's an intelligent, mature book, very hard to put down, and I'm very keen to read the second book featuring Elena, Stolen. ...more

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Oct 13, 2015 Jilly rated it really liked it

Shelves: werewolves-and-other-furry-shifters, urban-fantasy

I'm sick with a cold/flu thing so I'm not sure how good my judgement is right now, but I definitely found my new book boyfriend here. His name is Clay and he's a sociopathic werewolf. He hates humans and kills them without remorse. But, he is also willing to kill anyone for the woman he loves. Isn't that romantic? He's so sweet!

aww, you are kinda cute with your little noseless face, aren't you?

So, this book is about the only female werewolf in existence, Elena. She's not happy being a furry and ...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Dexter rated it it was ok

Shelves: romance, urban-fantasy, weres-shifters

Elena Michaels is the most idiotic and annoying main character ever. As if it's not bad enough that she's the stereotypical urban fantasy heroine (hates being "different", continually tries to be "normal", etc.), she's also just plain -stupid-. The spends the entire book swearing on her life that she doesn't love Clay (ex-fiance, turned her into a werewolf, blah blah blah), and yet is cuddling up with him and spending time with him the whole time, DESPITE the fact that she keeps saying how much ...more

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Dec 30, 2008 Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, favorites, antihero, favorite-or-autobuy-author, kickbutt-heroine, werewolf, part-of-a-series

A warning to the reader, don't pick this book up if you cannot devote hours to reading it. You will be completely absorbed into this tale of a woman who happens to be a werewolf, and isn't completely happy about it. Elena is a fascinating protagonist, not all bad, but not all good either. She has an animal side to her that she has suppressed, but when dead bodies start turning up, killed by what is clearly a werewolf, she can no longer hide from her werewolf origins. Another thing that makes thi ...more

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Dec 09, 2015 Wren (fablesandwren) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 05-stars, physical-shelf, all-time-favorites

I’m going to start off by saying this is my all-time favorite series of books for the adult mind. I love a lot of series, but I read this one when I was in high school (which, I shouldn’t have honestly) and INSTANTLY fell in love with it.

Why shouldn’t I have read it then? Well it is 100% an adult book. It has graphic scenes, sexual and bloody and probably shouldn’t be read by a fifteen year old. I was tired of reading the high school equivalent reading level though, and my Kindle recommended thi ...more

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Sep 11, 2017 Choko rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy

*** 3.44 ***

A buddy read with the MacHalos, because we were in a wolfish mood:)

There is nothing really wrong with this book, it is just written in a heavy info-dump type of style. It is written from the POV of Elena Michaels, a "bitten" werewolf who is trying to live like a normal human, since the circumstances under which she was turned felt like a betrayed and she did not want to have anything to do with the pack. The Pack wants her back, and particularly Clay, who considers her belonging to h *** 3.44 ***

A buddy read with the MacHalos, because we were in a wolfish mood:)

There is nothing really wrong with this book, it is just written in a heavy info-dump type of style. It is written from the POV of Elena Michaels, a "bitten" werewolf who is trying to live like a normal human, since the circumstances under which she was turned felt like a betrayed and she did not want to have anything to do with the pack. The Pack wants her back, and particularly Clay, who considers her belonging to him. The main character goes from current time into reminiscing about the past and most of the narrative is just telling us stuff, but not really letting us experience it... If we were allowed to live through all those formative events with the character, I think the book would not have felt like a chore a lot of the time, because in the moments of current action and discovery, the narrative shined and the reader could really get engaged. Her moments of anger, passion and fear were very powerful and poignant, and I constantly looked for them, but they were few and far in between...

"...“The truth is, if a werewolf behaved like this psychopath it wouldn't be because he was part animal, but because he was still too human. Only humans kill for sport.” ..."

I remember reading this book at the time it came out and I loved it. I remember thinking of the writing style as somewhat cumbersome and flat-footed, but I still enjoyed it. At the time it seemed new and exciting, the UF genre just hitting its Golden Age. However, since then there have been a saturation of the field and the reader has been given many wondrous were-related series, and I am not sure if this book has aged as well as I thought it might have.. However, if you like a story which takes its time to develop and has plenty of intermediate action, this is a good one. I would also recommend it to those who are just getting introduced to this genre, since it does have some very well established werewolf lore in it. A very good jumping into the pool of furry monsters springboard:)

"...“Cosmo never speaks to my life. Its surveys always ask questions like How would you react if your lover announced he was taking a job in Alaska? and jumping for joy is never one of the options. Move to Alaska? Hell, my lover was thirty-seven and hadn't moved away from home yet. Where were the questions relevant to my life?” ..."

Also, there were things that bothered me more this time around, like the betraying of trust, the casualness of cheating, and the fact that she was a bit of a pain in the ass... I am not sure why those grated on me more on the second try, but it is what it is...

Now I wish you all Happy Reading and many more wonderful books to come!!! ...more

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Oct 06, 2009 Krys rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: werewolf-shapeshifter, read-in-2010, first-person-narrative, medium-length-book, urban-dark-fantasy-paranormal, series, need-to-finish-did-not-finish

Well, I think it’s very safe to say that I am not a fan of Kelley Armstrong’s writing style. Too bad, she’s very popular. But I just could not get into this and I tend to love Urban Fantasy. So what happened?

Well, for starters I think I am starting to tire of the Werewolf plot in books… you’d think it would be the Vampire storyline, but no. I get so bored by reading all of the pack dynamics and posturing. As a result there’s only a few shining examples of Werewolf fiction done extremely well fo ...more

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May 01, 2019 Sophia Triad rated it really liked it

Shelves: wolves-lycans, 1paranormal-lovestories

Werewolves in Toronto! I loved it!

Elena Michaels never wanted to become a werewolf. She knew nothing of this world. Now, because of a sudden impulse by her werewolf boyfriend, she had become the only known female werewolf.
After a few years, being tired of this world, she decides to leave the Pack and live again at the big city as a normal human. She has a nice job and a nice new boyfriend.

Unfortunately for her, the Pack needs her back. Clay, her old boyfriend, wants her back. She still belongs t ...more

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Mar 10, 2011 Emily May rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of good urban fantasy

Shelves: paranormal-uf, pnr, 2011

Plot: 4 star
Characters: 4.5 stars
Writing: 4.5 stars
Sexiness: 4 stars
Ending: 3.5 stars

Overall: 4.1 stars

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Jun 21, 2020 Krystal rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dark-fantasy-and-paranormal, motley-crew, carnage-and-mayhem, owned, loved-up, kinky-af

In describing this book, I would first and foremost like to use the words carnage, mayhem and kinky.

Normally the kinky stuff really grates for me but for some reason the way it was written, and the story overall, made it a non-issue for me here. The whole, 'primal instinct' thing totally worked.

So here we have: Elena, reluctant werewolf, who just wants to live a normal life. Only of course her pack can't let her go and when trouble calls them out she's by their side and doing wolfish things in n ...more

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Oct 28, 2018 booksNpenguins rated it liked it

Shelves: urban-fantasy, paranormal-and-gothic, vampires-werewolves

This was so entertaining and, even though I didn't expect it to be so NSFW, I really enjoyed it. I'm not giving it 4 full stars because I'm a fan of the TV show and TV Elena is way less whiny, immature and annoying than book Elena (not to mention laura vandervoort and her stunning face totally make a difference) and because it seemed to rush in some points and drag in others.
Overall it was a good read and I really liked how similar it was to the TV show.

ACTUAL RATINGS 3,5/5 ...more

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Sep 25, 2010 Mariya rated it it was amazing

Shelves: shifters, best-couple-award, kick-ass-heroine, bad-ass-hero, hottie-harem, side-character-love, favorites, tortured-herione

Out of all of the shifter books I have read this has got be the be the best one I have ever read. I was starting to think that shifters may not be for me, but wow can Kelly Armstrong write. I was a little worried about this series because I wasn’t too fond of her young adult series. But I can definitely say I will be continuing with the Women of the Otherworld series. I am highly addicted to some Elena and Clay.

"You forget, darling.
I am the local psychopath.” She stared at him. “Oh my Go
Out of all of the shifter books I have read this has got be the be the best one I have ever read. I was starting to think that shifters may not be for me, but wow can Kelly Armstrong write. I was a little worried about this series because I wasn’t too fond of her young adult series. But I can definitely say I will be continuing with the Women of the Otherworld series. I am highly addicted to some Elena and Clay.

"You forget, darling.
I am the local psychopath.” She stared at him. “Oh my God, it’s scary you noticed that."

We have Elena the only female werewolf in existence. A long time ago she fell in love and was engaged to be married to Clay the love of her life, but while meeting with Jeremy the Alpha of the pack Clay is in. Clay turned into a wolf and bit Elena. And thus turning her into one. And Elena was never the same again. Elena gets called back to the back to help solve a problem that could result in a danger to all werewolves including her.

I absolutely loved this book to death. I loved Elena and Clay. They are like the perfect couple ever! While Elena is back for a while trying to solve this problem for the pack, Clay is making good use of this time trying to win her back. I know we get glimpses into the future of what happened to these two concerning the bite and all of what she went through when she got bitten, but I was a little disappointed to learn that we didn’t get anything about how Elena and Clay first met and what let up to the engagement and bite. But then I learned that there is a book about that. So, yea. can’t wait for that.

"What's this?" Nick said. "Bedtime?"
No one answered him. I kept my eyes closed.
You look positively content, Clayton," Nick continued, thumping down on the floor. "That wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that Elena is cuddled up with you, is it?" "It's cold in here," I murmured.
Doesn't feel cold."
It's cold," Clay growled.
I could start a fire."
I could start one too," Clay said. "With your clothes. Before you get them off."

I loved everyone in the pack. The pack, Alpha is very kind and cold to me at the same time. I know being an alpha you have to maintain control and be cold sometimes because it is a big job, but wow. I think Jeremy is wonderful alpha and I really hope we get to learn more about him as time goes on. He has a kindness towards Elena where you can see him as a father figure for her. We also have Nick, Antonio, Logan, the whole gang. I loved the pack. They’re like such a great family together.

In the book Elena is still having trouble coming to terms with her being a werewolf and I loved her dealing with that, figuring out who she is and by the end of the book finally excepting everything. She has come a long way. My favorite part of the book is Elena and Clay and I just have to say I WANT MORE! I can’t wait to read book two in the series, Stolen and find out what happens next in the Women of the Otherworld Series. If you are a big time shifter fan you will devour this book. I highly recommend this book to any urban fantasy fan.

More of my reviews at Mystifying Paranormal Reviews ...more

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Oct 30, 2008 Gaijinmama rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

#41 Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
rating 4 of 5
436 pp

This is the literary equivalent of eating potato chips. Not terribly filling or nutritious but lots of fun, and it sure is hard to stop once you get started. I have already read the author's third and fourth books, Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic and I have to say I wish I'd started here, at the beginning.
Note to self: read a series in order! Regardless of when you manage to pick them up at the used bookstore, forbear until you can begin at #41 Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
rating 4 of 5
436 pp

This is the literary equivalent of eating potato chips. Not terribly filling or nutritious but lots of fun, and it sure is hard to stop once you get started. I have already read the author's third and fourth books, Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic and I have to say I wish I'd started here, at the beginning.
Note to self: read a series in order! Regardless of when you manage to pick them up at the used bookstore, forbear until you can begin at the beginning, otherwise you're just plain missing out.

Bitten is pretty unique. There are quite a few books out there with strong, female Witches or demon-fighters or vampire slayers as protagonists, but not many where the heroine is a bonafide werewolf. Actually, Elena is more of an antihero. She's not really a very nice person; that's why I like her! She's funny, grumpy, sarcastic, and has very little compunction about ripping up a rapist or pedophile. She also gets to engage in a couple of pretty hot love scenes (in human form, don't worry). Neither these parts nor the violence are overly graphic. I'd say this series would be OK for a 14 or 15 year old, since they see much worse than this on TV, but parents please use your own discretion with your own kids!
I think what I like best about this book is that Armstrong's take on werewolves is pretty sensible. Their need to Change is a biological function that is either genetic or contracted by being bitten. As one character puts it, it's "about as much fun as having a bowel movement." Well, he doesn't actually say "bowel movement," the vocabulary is definitely PG-13.
No need for silver bullets, either. Armstrong's werewolves can be killed in any manner that would kill any other living creature, including knives, regular bullets, or being run over by a truck. They don't magically return to human form after death, either. A dead werewolf is just roadkill. And human predators (see aforementioned rapists and pedophiles) are far scarier than anything the supernatural can produce.

All in all, a highly entertaining read. I'm in the mood to open another bag of chips and start right in on Stolen, the next book in the series.
...more

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May 08, 2011 Kat rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: m-f, meh-but-not-awful, goodreads-hype, everyone-liked-it-but-me, fantasy, ya

Apart from the fact that only Jericho Barrons could have rescued Bitten from a pool of mindboggling dullness, Armstrong's werewolves just didn't match my expectations *sulkily stripes away ~~raw animalism, carnality, pack troubles, alpha fights, angst, werewolvish sex~~ - whatever that may be..*. I actually caught myself longing for the werewolves in Blood & Chocolate, trailer trashy and imperfect as they were.

Wouldn't surprise me if the pack in Bitten grows organic tomatoes for a living too.

I'm pr ...more

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Aug 17, 2018 Darce rated it it was amazing

Shelves: paranormal, hot-book-boyfriends, kick-ass-heroines, romance, best-of-the-best

This is the first book in the Women of the Otherworld series, and isn't it just the best. It is chock full of unwanted romance, paranormal beings, death, bargains, pride and tricks. One of the most wonderful books from Kelley Armstrong and one that I'll treasure forever! ...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Jo ★The Book Sloth★ rated it liked it

Shelves: urban-fantasy, adult, shapeshifters, kick-ass-heroine, paranormal, stupid-love-triangles

1/8/2014 UPDATE

I finished this freakin book! YES, I read it all on my third attempt! I feel f*cking proud right now!

The most weird thing is that I didn't hate it. You would think that since I'd already tried the book 2 times and couldn't finish it either of them I would hate it. But I didn't. The writing was decent, the characters interesting if not exactly mind-blowing and the plot pretty original for its genre.

And I will admit here that I read it mostly because I've watched the show and I like ...more

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Mar 17, 2014 Komal rated it did not like it

Shelves: could-not-finish, paranormal

I knew it even before beginning this book that either I would completely loathe it, or I would not finish.
Bitten was forced upon me by a colleague who's a paranormal romance fanatic. The book was also mentioned several times to me by other goodreads members, so I decided to give one more chance to paranormal. I always end up giving too many chances to things I know I would never find a likeness for. Perhaps I'm biased. In fact, I think I am; starting any book with "I'm going to hate this" doesn I knew it even before beginning this book that either I would completely loathe it, or I would not finish.
Bitten was forced upon me by a colleague who's a paranormal romance fanatic. The book was also mentioned several times to me by other goodreads members, so I decided to give one more chance to paranormal. I always end up giving too many chances to things I know I would never find a likeness for. Perhaps I'm biased. In fact, I think I am; starting any book with "I'm going to hate this" doesn't really help push away the negative thought from your mind even when you're half-way into it and it actually is not that bad.

Perhaps Bitten was subjected to one of my several severely lethal prejudices, for example the fact that it was written by a woman. I'm not a sexist and nor am I against feminism (as long as it focuses on strengthening women and not degrading men). But I am a complete misogynist when it comes to skill-lacking female authors penning down their silly fantasies in the shapes of contemporary Paranormal and/or Young Adult romances. To all these ladies: stop. Please. You're making me hate the fact that I'm a woman. The worst part is that these 'books' are gaining more popularity than a would-be-secret-child of Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. Another reason I've stopped sifting through the Goodreads Most Popular and Highly Anticipated Books of whatever-year lists.

I went a bit overboard with my contempt up there, and Bitten, while not completely off the contemporary romance Venn Diagram, wasn't as bad as some of the others, with the paranormal mixed in it. Bitten wasn't as poorly written as most Paranormal romances that I've tripped across (Hush, Hush--I shiver). It actually had quite a nice bit of tone to it, to be honest. The writing wasn't mediocre, but the story it portrayed was horrible.

I don't think Bitten had a story, and if it did, that story did not surface even after 160 pages of the novel--the point where I put the book down calmly and decided to kick it out of my life and memory permanently (I bet something drastic would've turned up right on the 161st page, eh?) The major setback was how the events were unfolded: we have a thirty something real shallow, like real shallow, female protagonist thrown into a bizarre and highly unrealistic set of events. She was thrust into a house of men (of course, she was the only woman there, so, sex vibes radiating off everywhere) who she had a past connection with of more than a decade, and that connection was never explained. It felt like Elena Michaels was getting abnormally comfortable in a house full of complete strangers and this was downright weird.

Clayton, the supposedly alpha male douche bag of this book and the undeniable love interest of Elena Michaels, was a mess. Apparently, Elena hates him, but he still has full liberty to use her whenever and wherever he desires, and then both pretend nothing happened and Elena goes back to hating him. It's such a bullshit chemistry, that I don't even get it. Who the hell behaves like that? Oh and it's completely not cheating on her boyfriend, Philip, when she sleeps with this asshole because, hey, he's different. He's a werewolf. Werewolf genitals don't count.

The action played like a movie where you accidentally hit the [slow motion] button. There was literally no description, instead we get some pretty useless and unnecessary musings from Elena's head, with no concern for logic during humane interactions. The whole progression of the book was choppy and static. Like someone broke up one story into parts and pasted them haphazardly, with some paragraphs and histories missing. No other character stood out, except, perhaps Jeremy. But even he wasn't saved from being stereotyped.

Conclusion
I still think I can give paranormal another chance. I'm of the belief that it's my misfortune to trump across the most blatantly ridiculous representatives of the genre and that there are some gems out there, away from the clutching hands of the mainstream fan-base and devoid of preposterous romance, which are still waiting to be found and help redeem Paranormal books in my eyes. The Dresden Files looks like a good place to start. I'm also open to other Paranormal recommendations, preferably not linked to women, romance and alpha male douche bags. ...more

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Nov 19, 2020 ✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: eyerolling-is-my-cardio, let-s-bail-snail, boredom-fest, machalo-tbr-cleaning-challenge-2020, self-preservation-is-the-key, tbr-shelf-says-thank-you, blah-blah-blah-heaven, pnr-would-be-more-exciting, stupid-stupid-stupid, 2020

💀 DNF at 27%.

No bloody shrimping comment. (See bookshelves for details and stuff.)

...more

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Sep 28, 2014 Joe Valdez rated it did not like it

Shelves: abandoned, paranormal-werewolves

Bitten gets off to such a good start. It reminded me climbing inside a late model luxury car at a rental agency, a car that's been recently waxed and has that New Car Smell. And then doesn't goddam go anywhere. I gave Kelley Armstrong 86 pages to turn the ignition before I got out and walked back into the rental office for other options.

This 2001 novel is the first person account of "Elena," a blonde haired Toronto resident who's a werewolf. What lured me in here was Armstrong's prose, which is ...more

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Jun 10, 2011 Jen Davis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: otherworld, urban-fantasy

Bitten is more than just a werewolf book. Yes, it follows the story of a werewolf named Elena and the trials and tribulations of her pack. There's plenty of action and sex. But what is so exceptional about this book is the complex emotions invoked by our main character.

Elena never wanted to be werewolf. She had a miserable childhood, shuffling through the foster system, enduring horrific abuse. She survived, clinging to the idea that she could make a normal life for herself; grow up and create t Bitten is more than just a werewolf book. Yes, it follows the story of a werewolf named Elena and the trials and tribulations of her pack. There's plenty of action and sex. But what is so exceptional about this book is the complex emotions invoked by our main character.

Elena never wanted to be werewolf. She had a miserable childhood, shuffling through the foster system, enduring horrific abuse. She survived, clinging to the idea that she could make a normal life for herself; grow up and create the kind of family she never had. But in college, her fiance Clay, took away her dream of normalcy, when he bit her and turned her into werewolf. That was about a decade ago and she still hasn't forgiven him. Instead, she's abandoned her pack and started a new life. She hides what she is and works to pass herself off a normal woman, especially to her live-in boyfriend, Phillip.

But she is forced to return to the pack when her alpha, Jeremy, calls her for help. There is a rogue wolf in pack territory and they need Elena to help sniff him out. Clay is there, making matters more complicated. And as the story progresses and the rogue-wolf plot becomes more dangerous and deadly, we see Elena fighting the pack, Clay, and herself and she tries to figure out where she truly fits in.

Armstrong makes it easy to see both sides of Elena's warring emotions. The hurt and resentment for Clay is understandable in the context of her horrific life. Yet, at the same time, it's so apparent that these two have something epic between them. Clay loves her so much, and that is even more meaningful when compared with how little he values almost anyone else. Elena and Jeremy are his whole world. And it's clear that no matter how hurt Elena was by his bite, her heart will never be free of him. He is an undeniable part of her. Her relationship with Jeremy is almost as fascinating. She is so insecure about his feelings as he remains inscrutable. He gives her orders that on some levels feel cruel, but when you look more closely, you can understand why he makes the decisions he does. And even if it's not clear to her, it's clear to me, that he loves her.

Elena's relationship with Phillip definitely muddies the waters. It's hard not to be a little turned off that she jumps from his bed to Clay's without a shred of guilt. I suppose that shows where her heart lies, but it paints her in an unflattering light. Armstrong makes no bones that Elena is far from perfect, but perhaps that makes her a better heroine.

There is a lot of action in the book. Several people die and not just fringe-characters. I thought the story arc was exciting and took some unexpected directions, which I enjoyed quite a bit. This was a great introduction to the Otherworld series. 4 1/2 stars.

...more

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Jul 30, 2009 valee rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I really liked this book. It was a bit slow at the beginning but once I got over that I was completely hooked. We are introduced into a new werewolf world with this series, one that has not been described in any other series I have read so far.

Our heroine is Elena. She was just a normal girl who made the mistake of falling in love with her teacher, a young hot and sexy blonde who had her crazy in love since they first met. I mean, what would you have done in Elena's place? I know if I was in he ...more

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Nov 22, 2020 Woman Reading rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy-urban-fantasy, 3-and-half-stars-worthwhile-read, read-women-2020-challenge

3.5 ☆
I was far better at killing things than keeping them alive. Good thing I never planned to have children.

Bitten isn't my usual urban fantasy fare because it's about werewolves. Nevertheless, I was drawn into this long 436-page book by the slow unveiling of main protagonist Elena Michaels' personality and history. She's a misfit desperately attempting to blend into the rest of humanity. Elena is not an admirable character but having her first-person POV mitigates her less than attractive tr ...more

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Nov 13, 2017 Sharon rated it it was ok

Shelves: eyeroll-moments, paranormal, paranormal-romance, creepy-af, 1-and-a-half-stars, get-your-shit-together, romance

Very conflicting feeling here.

Here are some of my thoughts:
• I’m just gonna outright say it. I don’t like the protagonist, which is such a disappointment because my friend recommended me this book for the exact reason that it has a strong protagonist. LOL. I just find her so frustrating. Yes, I totally feel for her for her past – it is damn sad and terrifying. I think the narrative may have been not worked for me in this case because it comes off more detached than emotional (view spoiler) ...more

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May 15, 2009 Tatiana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2009, urban-fantasy

Elena is a werewolf, and the only female werewolf in the world at that. She is turned werewolf against her will and knowledge by a person very close to her. Mad and unable to forgive, she tries to escape her pack to find her place in the human world. When she finally thinks she is settled in her human ("normal") life, the pack calls for her help and she can't say "no." When she is back, she faces her past and at last realizes what she really wants and needs.

I am a huge fan of currently popular u ...more

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Bitten the book vs Bitten the tv show: Do you like the way the show is telling the story?	23	841	Jun 21, 2019 07:49AM
Vaginal Fantasy B...: Bitten Discussion Spoilers	1	71	Feb 01, 2019 06:26PM
Vaginal Fantasy B...: Otherworld Series Discussion Spoilers	1	33	Feb 01, 2019 06:21PM
RARE19London	2	4	Oct 29, 2018 06:27AM
Play Book Tag: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong--2.5 stars (round up to 3)	3	13	Oct 29, 2018 03:08AM
Fantasy and Vampi...: June BOM - Bitten (Otherworld #1)	9	27	Jun 09, 2018 08:50AM

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About Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong

28,316 followers

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