#bechdelfail

This used to be my favorite werewolf duology, which says more about the competitors to that title than it does about this book. I don't even remember what happens in the book, but I remember that I 100% loathed Clayton.

I enjoy Armstrong's other entries in the Women of the Otherworld series, but I do not do not do not like her werewolves. I have plenty of guilty pleasure books, but from this day forward any werewolf novel that doesn't pass the werewolf Bechdel test is dead to me. AKA, if you can't have lesbian werewolves, why would you even bother?? ( )

I have to tell the truth, I only read this book to compare it with the television series. There are some clear plot differences between the two, especially in the fact that the author leaves two key figures alive at the end of the book (that were killed off during the television series). The thing about the book that makes it worth reading is that the book examines in more depth the relationship of Elena to Clay and Jeremy and their roles in bringing her into her new life as a werewolf.

Pfff. What an incredible amount of blundering about. Unbelievable. That whole Pack is being upstaged by the mutts time and time again. In the end, that's what stopping me from giving it a better rating. That and Elena's vacillating. Years of it, seriously. And I'm not happy about how it ends. I was afraid this was what the book was building up to, and apparently I was right. Eugh. And while I'm ranting, can anyone say 'overdramatic backstory'? It's too much. Also not so well handled. In about 3 sentences Elena explains how she got over her fear of her abusers, by realising they are pathetic. Sounds like a slap in the face of everyone who ever went through something like that.

So, overall I don't think the story is very good. Still, I had feared worse. I mean, the only female werewolf on earth. She is bound to be the only cool woman because she is special, although in the end all the males are better than her. And indeed, there are no other female characters of note. But there is less chauvinism than I thought there would be. The Pack at least does not condescend to her. And I may not be able to say that Elena is capable, but then again, none of the good guys are capable. They are all blundering idiots.

I realise this may sound like the book was horrible, but the writing style is nice. I did enjoy large parts of it, until the clunkiness of the story started to intrude. ( )

I read this one twice, and got through it rather quickly. The first in the series, but I couldn't get through the second one. This one was a very fast read, and the concept is interesting. ( )

Great book love Elena & Clay, but really upsetting to lose some of the family ( )