Frostbitten (Women of the Otherworld, #10) in Challenge Overload (PNR and UF Edition)

Apr 15, 2010 Nairabell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, 5-star, read-in-2012

Elena Michaels has finally accepted her life as a werewolf after years of internal struggle so when she and Clay are sent to Alaska with the twin missions of tracking down a mutt and investigating a series of gruesome murders she expects a simple job. The truth is a lot more complicated and Elena soon finds herself forced to confront the horrors of her past while realising that there are other, older supernatural races hidden in the frozen terrain that may threaten her very existence.

This is the Elena Michaels has finally accepted her life as a werewolf after years of internal struggle so when she and Clay are sent to Alaska with the twin missions of tracking down a mutt and investigating a series of gruesome murders she expects a simple job. The truth is a lot more complicated and Elena soon finds herself forced to confront the horrors of her past while realising that there are other, older supernatural races hidden in the frozen terrain that may threaten her very existence.

This is the tenth book in the Otherworld series (which started with Bitten) and not only features the return of Elena Michaels as narrator but also a return to form after a couple of less enjoyable books. If you are a new reader I'd definitely recommend beginning at the start of the series as this book is really the culmination of Elena's adventures over the last nine books.

Coming back to Elena as a narrator means coming back to the relationship between her and Clay which has changed to a more balanced settled family status with their twins. The romance and passion is still there though. It also means that Elena's pre-werewolf past is revisited and she is given the opportunity to deal and move on, a task made more difficult by the revelation that Jeremy expects her to replace him as Alpha of the Pack. Clay is also struggling with the damage left to his arm from a previous installment and is left questioning if he is still strong enough to protect Elena.

The storyline is densely plotted and packed with twists and turns, and the change of setting means that Alaska gets contrasted with the previous locations of the series. It is vastly different and the location is incredibly well developed and described, almost taking on a life of its own. The book is also fast paced and I was glued to the page throughout. I loved how new characters were gradually introduced and how Elena and the Pack formed new alliances, especially with the Russian Pack.

The idea of other supernatural races that the main community doesn't know about has been featured in some of Kelley Armstrong's books (both her adult Otherworld series and her YA trilogies), but the introduction of a precursor race to werewolves is interesting. The creatures are quite scary in how they are introduced and it definitely adds a new layer to the book.

All in all, this was a great read and I'm looking forward to Waking The Witch.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 49/50 ...more

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