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Omens (Cainsville, #1)

Kelley Armstrong

Start date: October 1, 2013

Finish date: October 31, 2013

Discussion: Book of the Month

Why we're reading this: Voted as our "Most Popular Books Published in August 2013" October BOM [TIE]…more
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What Members Thought

Dec 06, 2013 Katyana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, uf

Really liked this... fantastic start to a new series, and I can't wait for the next one.

Re-read Nov 2017
I'm not sure why this series fell by the wayside, because I really did enjoy the first. But I tripped over it and decided to re-read the first as a refresher, and then push onward. And I'm so glad I did, because I really did love this book.

Olivia/Eden is a great heroine. She may be a little naive about money, but really, she's self-aware enough to realize that... and when her whole world is ro Really liked this... fantastic start to a new series, and I can't wait for the next one.

Re-read Nov 2017
I'm not sure why this series fell by the wayside, because I really did enjoy the first. But I tripped over it and decided to re-read the first as a refresher, and then push onward. And I'm so glad I did, because I really did love this book.

Olivia/Eden is a great heroine. She may be a little naive about money, but really, she's self-aware enough to realize that... and when her whole world is rocked, she decides that she needs to strip a lot of things away for a bit, and try and find herself. That sounds overly self-help, and I don't mean it that way, because there's no self-help angst going on here. She's just... overwhelmed and confused. And the horrid way the people in Olivia's life treat her - from her disappointment of a mother to her self-absorbed fiancee - underscore that she needs some time away in order to figure things out.

Even better, she does all this without being a moron. She understands when she starts doing something dangerous, and she takes intelligent precautions. She keeps her mind open to possibilities. She knows that she needs to stay as unbiased, regarding her birth parents, as possible - it's too easy to fall into the trap of believing they are innocent because she wants them to be, and she constantly polices herself about that.

She's honestly just fabulous.

The town of Cainsville is also intriguing, and I'm excited to see what's behind all the teases we've gotten.

Gabriel is an interesting character. I can't label him the hero, and I'm not even honestly sure that I want him to be. He's a bit of a sociopath, honestly. Other people's feelings don't even occur to him, and when Olivia/Eden gets (quite fairly) pissed about him when he does something shitty, he seems to honestly be unable to see why she would/should be upset. So I don't know that I want him to be the hero/love interest... but he does make an interesting partner. So again, I'm excited to see what happens.

Re-read September 2025
When reorganizing my Kindle, I came across this series. It's been so long since I read it that it wasn't even vaguely familiar ... I think I read too much (not that I think there's any such thing) and so older stories kind of blend together in my brain. But I looked it up on GR and saw that I loved it, loved the whole series, so I jumped into a re-read.

And I'm glad I did. I don't disagree with a single part of my review. It was pretty wonderful, a unique blend of magic, science, mystery, thriller. And having finished this re-read, I still only have vague wisps of memories of the story (I certainly didn't remember how the mystery of this first book played out), so it's kind of like a first read all over again. Yay! ...more

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Sep 30, 2013 Christina T rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Last night as I was reading I was totally stoked as to how much I was really getting into this book. I even spent 20 minutes trying to figure out who amongst my Shelfari friends recommended it to me and in which group so I could comment on how much I was enjoying it. (which I did thank her for the recommendation by the way.) AND THEN......right around the 400 page mark it went to Hell in a conspiracy theorist's hand-basket. Say WHAT????

What Didn't work: Right around the 400 page mark we were all Last night as I was reading I was totally stoked as to how much I was really getting into this book. I even spent 20 minutes trying to figure out who amongst my Shelfari friends recommended it to me and in which group so I could comment on how much I was enjoying it. (which I did thank her for the recommendation by the way.) AND THEN......right around the 400 page mark it went to Hell in a conspiracy theorist's hand-basket. Say WHAT????

What Didn't work: Right around the 400 page mark we were all of a sudden introduced to men in black secret CIA stuff and an acronym that didn't mean anything along with double secret probation or something along those lines. I got so annoyed that I stayed up until 3am to finish the thing so it wouldn't mock me today.

Ok, lets talk acronyms or in this case a code word that is unpronounceable and looks like an acronym. MKULTRA. Yes there really is something called Project MKULTRA. Armstrong didn't make it up. Just in case you feel the need to look it up here you go. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_.... So, it's a code word that according to Armstrong doesn't mean anything. So, this meaningless word was used so often in the last 200 pages that I had to either skip the annoying word or call it McUltra which sounds like a calorie and fat laden new mega mega sandwich from McDonalds. So be it. I'll take a McUltra and a Coke please. Ok I just can't let it go without saying that I would just like to...no, no...I NEED to voice my concerns that one cannot have either an acronym or a code word without appointing some logic and/or meaning behind it. There I said it. I'm sure the US Government will take this into consideration.

In addition to this, the mystery aspect was only partially tied up. We still don't know if the Larsens killed the couples they were convicted of. We don't know what is up with the town of Cainsville. We don't know if the secondary characters are even human or if the cat is really a cat. Pretty much we don't know anything and after reading a hardback book that was almost 500 pages I would expect some closure.

One more thing that goes in the minus column is the paranormal aspect of the book. Had there not been one obvious instance of paranormal super healing of a very minor character who was only in the book for a couple pages the entire book would have only hinted at the paranormal. As it stands the book seems to have an identity crisis regarding it. The main character constantly dismisses the possibility of the paranormal through the entire book to only, kind of, accept that, maybe, she can see omens at the very very end. As a reader of paranormal fiction I think the book should have just jumped into the woo-woo pool cannonball style and stopped with the hinting.

What Worked: As Olivia and her kind of partner, Gabriel, looked into the deaths of the 4th couple the Larsens were convicted of killing I was sucked into the research and interviews of their investigation. It was very hard to determine who was telling the truth, who was lying and who was using who.

The characters were also a plus. The town folk were interesting and the main characters, Olivia and Gabriel, were multifaceted. Neither one was completely likable but every once in awhile we saw an action that redeemed them a little bit making them worth reading about.

Also the Omens, Superstitions and Portents mixed in with Celtic lore was refreshing.

In a Nutshell: Such an interesting book until the terrible CIA plot twist. This almost ruined the book for me but I persevered and at the end I decided it wasn't a horrible waste of my time. I'm not sure I'll pick up a second book in the Cainsville series unless I'm guaranteed no weird conspiracy theories are involved. If the next book even has the non-acronym acronym MKULTRA in it I will not read it.

3.5 Stars ...more

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Jul 01, 2013 Christal rated it it was amazing

Shelves: female-lead, magical-or-paranormal, favorites, fae, mystery-and-thrillers, mind-bullets, shady-government-agency, new-series-trusted-author, arcs, murder

See this review and others like it at BadassBookReviews.com!

When Kelley Armstrong announced she was ending the Women of the Otherworld series and beginning a new one, I was a little worried. I loved Elena, Clay, Jeremy, Jaime, Paige, Lucas, Eve, and the rest of the gang. How could a new series compare? Well, I shouldn't have worried because Omens, the first in Kelley's new Cainsville series, was fabulous! Kelley has created another series filled with lush world building and intriguing characters See this review and others like it at BadassBookReviews.com!

When Kelley Armstrong announced she was ending the Women of the Otherworld series and beginning a new one, I was a little worried. I loved Elena, Clay, Jeremy, Jaime, Paige, Lucas, Eve, and the rest of the gang. How could a new series compare? Well, I shouldn't have worried because Omens, the first in Kelley's new Cainsville series, was fabulous! Kelley has created another series filled with lush world building and intriguing characters. I can't wait to learn more about Cainsville and its inhabitants and to see how Olivia continues to grow.

Olivia Taylor-Jones is the heir to a department store fortune and engaged to a rising political star. She has wealth and security and what she thinks is a pretty stable life. One night, a few reporters learn that she was adopted and her whole life changes. Olivia had no idea she was adopted and especially no clue that her birth parents are convicted serial killers. When the people she loved the most seem to care more about their images than her, Olivia decides it is time to get away from Chicago. Directed by a few strange events, she ends up in the small town of Cainsville, where everything may not be as it seems.

Omens was deliciously creepy while still playing a lot of its cards close to the vest. Once Olivia arrives in Cainsville, the story begins to take off and we see that there is a lot about her past that is unclear. She finds herself remembering little superstitious limericks and rhymes that she has no memory of being taught. She meets with her birth mother and begins investigating the murders, finding a few inconsistencies. As she grows closer to the residents of Cainsville, she becomes accepted in town and many think she has the ability to recognize and read omens. While Olivia is less convinced about this, she begins to balance her investigation with work as a diner waitress and soon meets lawyer Gabriel Walsh. Together, they look for clues in the final murder that could prove her parents' innocence.

Naturally, I thought that Olivia was a great heroine; Kelley Armstrong writes some of the best strong women leads. While Olivia comes off as a little spoiled in the beginning, she soon proves her strength and determination. She is inquisitive by nature and puts it to good use by investigating her parents' case. I love the superstitious aspect of Omens. It added a completely unique twist to Olivia's character and I am very interested to see how she develops her talent. Gabriel Walsh isn't really like any other male character Kelley has written before. He is smarmy and always looking out for his best interest, unable to form or even fake physical contact, and untrustworthy at times. Throughout the book, I was never 100% sure that he was actually trying to help Olivia, instead of just taking advantage of her situation. His character growth by the end of the book was subtle and believable and I look forward to a future partnership between him and Olivia.

The tone of this book is very different from the Otherworld books. Omens could almost be considered magical realism; the paranormal aspects are woven in so subtly. The main focus of this book is on the mystery, the who-really-dunnit, of the murders and of Olivia's background and connection to Cainsville. Kelley has purposely kept things vague in this book, but she does provide a tip in the forward suggesting that some unfamiliar words could be Googled to provide extra clues to the nature of Cainsville. Even if you don't look the words up, you won't be lost. Everything necessary is explained very well. You will just learn about Cainsville as Olivia does.

As with all of Kelley's books, the writing was beautifully paced and descriptive. The reader becomes completely immersed in the town of Cainsville. Kelley Armstrong has sucked me into another series and I am strapped in for the ride. I am already committed to finding out the mystery of the town, Olivia's background, and her parents' true involvement in the murders. This is a wonderful book for both fans of Kelley's previous works or for those new to her writing completely. I highly recommend this book to any and all readers!

Thank you to Dutton Adult Books for providing a finished print copy of this book! ...more

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Aug 30, 2013 Paula Phillips rated it liked it

This book has been sitting on my wishlist as I am a big Kelley Armstrong fan and have read everything by her, so when it came in the new books at the library I just knew I had to read it. Even more was the fact that I got the cover in the middle, it held a creepy feeling - almost like a Stephen King novel type cover . This excited me and I just couldn't wait to get stuck into the novel. Omens started out great with Olivia Taylor-Jones discovering she was adopted and that her birth parents are Am ...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Deyara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: time-contemporary, setting-america, crime-suspense, setting-small-town, supernatural

Liked this a lot. The setting was interesting, and the characters were pretty good. I'm not sure where the story is going, but I am happy to find out. ...more

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Mar 02, 2023 Kelly (Maybedog) rated it liked it

Shelves: how-series, what-modern-fantasy, how-audiobook, what-female-protagonist, when-not-mm-soon-mod-fantasy

3.5 stars

This wasn’t as good as I hoped. The paranormal aspect is just the omens thing really, little more. Don’t expect an urban fantasy here. But that wasn’t the problem. It was a little boring. It didn’t move fast enough for me. It got exciting near the end and there was an excellent climax but I don’t know how anything was any proof that could be used.

I like the characters a lot. I liked Gabriel from the beginning, even when it seemed he was probably evil. I liked Olivia most of the time bu 3.5 stars

This wasn’t as good as I hoped. The paranormal aspect is just the omens thing really, little more. Don’t expect an urban fantasy here. But that wasn’t the problem. It was a little boring. It didn’t move fast enough for me. It got exciting near the end and there was an excellent climax but I don’t know how anything was any proof that could be used.

I like the characters a lot. I liked Gabriel from the beginning, even when it seemed he was probably evil. I liked Olivia most of the time but sometimes her self-righteousness got to me. I did not understand a lot of the her motivations. Which I’ll go into below.

The two readers in the audiobook were good. I think having both made the book easier to understand without the printed text in hand.

So there were things I liked about it that make me consider reading the next one but I’m not that motivated and there are better things out there.

3.5 stars

About the MC as well as another couple observations about the book:

I understand wanting to get started on your own but she hadn’t had everything handed to her and did nothing like Paris Hilton. She had a Master’s from Yale. She worked her ass off and should take that into account. She also did get her hands wet so to speak by volunteering, not just giving money, and volunteering directly with those she was helping, not working in an office. She didn’t need to start from scratch.

I would have taken the money her parents offered, used enough to get an apartment or pay for a hotel until I had a job. It’s next to impossible to get an apartment without a job. I’d still take an apartment I could pay for myself once I had work. Then once I had a job, I’d give what was left to a charity. And if I wanted to view the rest as a loan, I’d pay it forward until I had repaid everything. She would have been homeless if she hadn’t gotten those breaks in Cainsville. I’d argue that the ease in which she got a job and an apartment in Cainsville was not a learning lesson at all but instead made it seem easy.

I grew up upper middle class (not upper class like her). In the beginning we were poor and we were on food stamps, but my mom had her parents to fall back on when things got desperate. Then when I came out as LGBTQIA+, I was forced to work full time doing odd jobs like delivering pizza to put myself through school through my MA. I know what it’s like to have money and to not have money. But even when I didn’t have money, like the MC, I knew deep down my disapproving parents wouldn’t truly let me be homeless. So it’s not the same as doing it in your own when you have a very strong net.

I like that she said “an old man, maybe not that old, maybe 70 years old…”

The Romans didn’t go through and force their religion. They went through and stole the beliefs of their conquests and melded them together. Much like Christians. ...more

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