Cainsville Overview

Cainsville by Kelley Armstrong

 

This post will contain spoilers for the entire Cainsville series, including all but one short-story and the novellas. You have been warned.

Cainsville was one of the few series in my life I managed to pick up as it was initially coming out. I followed it, apparently, right up until the last book (Rituals). I'm not sure how I managed to miss it at the time, but I did. I am happy to say that I have now finished the entire series and am mostly satisfied with how it turned out.

I was initially drawn to Cainsville because I very much enjoyed Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld/Otherworld series and because the the Fae element. I haven't read many books or series with a strong Fae element thus far so I was excited to see where all this went. I was initially happy with the amount of Fae lore dropped in among the human mystery parts of the story, though that waned as the series went on. The Fae stuff was still there, it just wasn't as present or otherwise just disappointing. Honestly, the addition of the sluagh as the over-arching "Big Bad" of the series just tanked the ending for me. The sluagh turned out to be some connecting tissue that probably could have been more fleshed out, but just wasn't. While I was kind of wondering what exactly possessed Patrick to actually father Gabriel, I wasn't going to be fussed never finding out.

If you've read my reviews, you'll also know that I'm not a fan of the romance elements. Or rather, not a fan of the love triangle stuff. I liked Ricky and Olivia together, but I'm definitely not a fan of Gabriel and Olivia being end-game. I personally feel like a more polygamous bent to their relationship would have made more sense. That's not to say strong friendships shouldn't be valued or cultivated, as Olivia and Ricky's is, just that... I dunno, would have felt neater from a story perspective. Also, I really do feel like Gabriel feels more asexual than not. I'm an very aware that, like most things and especially sexuality, asexuality is a spectrum and Gabriel definitely fits with some of what I've experienced personally with my own asexuality... just... the way his relationship with Olivia progresses feels weird to me. I'm not sure exactly how to explain it, but it definitely feels like Gabriel should have been fine being the friend in this forced love-triangle thing. (I will talk more about that, I promise.) It didn't seem like he had any romantic feelings in Olivia's direction until the plot and the ghost of Gwynn demanded it. I'm just not a fan of how that all worked out.

So, speaking of Gwynn... I'm also not a fan of how this ridiculousness for coded into the Fae storyline. We've got the Tylwyth Teg vs the Cŵn Annwn. Gwynn vs Arawn over the affections of Matilda. That's the whole impetus for the entirety of Cainsville, ultimately. Welsh Fae nonsense, basically. (I say that affectionately, really.) So, basically, back in ye olden times, before humans were in any sort of power in Wales, this Fae Prince of the Tylwyth Teg (Gwynn) and the Lord of the Underworld, Leader of the Cŵn Annwn (Arawn) make a pact not to try and win the affections of their mutual friend who has blood from both their lineages (Matilda). Really, in the text, it's Arawn who decides this needs to be a pact and Gwynn just goes along with it for... reasons? They do not tell Matilda about this pact. Later on down the line, Matilda makes her affections for Gwynn clear to him and they plan to marry, but do not breathe a word of this to their "bestie" Arawn... for reasons? Arawn finds out at pretty much the last minute and confronts Gwynn about their "pact." Arawn decides to tell Gwynn that if Matilda comes to him on the night before their wedding, she's now Arawn's. A new "pact" is formed, apparently. They tell Matilda none of this. Gwynn does not try to stop her from going to Arawn. Weird magic happens and not only does Matilda lose Gwynn and the Tylwyth Teg, she dies. Neither man gets what he wanted... and they are now doomed to reincarnate over and over to replay this nonsense. Whoever the Matilda chooses, gets her magical power for that generation... or something. That part was a little unclear. Also unclear exactly why a two-way split couldn't just work, even though that's what ends up happening at the end of the series. What is very clear is that Arawn is an asshole.

So, Olivia is the Matilda, Ricky is the Arawn, and Gabriel is the Gwynn of this generation. Olivia is told by the Cainsville elders that she must choose which of these men she's going to be with because weird magic nonsense. This three-some is unhappy about this and basically end up dithering until a weird third-party magic "race" (the sluagh I mentioned earlier) enters the fray in Rituals. Oh, and neither the Tylwyth Teg nor the Cŵn Annwn want to give Olivia and information about themselves until she decides to let them start courting her. Again, this whole thing could have been solved by a "Persephone solution" as Olivia puts it... and is, at the very end.

But yeah, I'm not at all salty about any of this. And to be clear, none of this made me not enjoy the story. I did enjoy the ride... mostly. I think the whole situation is very silly and obviously spawned by an idiot teenager. This is in the text of the books, by the way, I'm not making that bit up. Arawn was an idiot teenager at the time the original "pacts" were made. It's just amazing they got turned into such a big thing, magically speaking.

Outside of the Welsh Fae stuff, there is a bit of outside Fae stuff. Greek Fae, to be precise. Lamiae and Dryads make an appearance. I very much liked the inclusion of something other than Welsh Fae. Wish there had been more. I'm pretty sure the Cainsville series wouldn't really have supported adding in more mythologies, given how insular Cainsville itself is, but... eh. That's me with my global mythology interest wanting what I can't have.

I liked the original spooky supernatural mystery vibe of Omens. That definitely drew me into the series. However, that vibe definitely decreased as the series went on. Olivia did very little omen-sensing after Omens. That ability was largely discarded in favor of visions, granted by some kind of generational Fae memory. The love-triangle thing took center stage, even with the "mystery of the book" happening outside of it.

I did this read-through chronologically, as I've been doing with series lately, and I feel like the short stories did add something to the overall series. However, the novellas were largely just a revisiting of the characters and their emotional states. With the short stories, we got looks at characters outside of the whole "Matilda" thing but still within the realm of the Fae/human interbreeding and what can happen with that. We got a glimpse of Patrick pre-Omens, Gabriel's childhood, and what TC was up to. I quite enjoyed these short stories. The novellas... I could honestly reread Cainsville quite happily leaving them out. As I've said before, they really just rehash Oliva and Gabriel's feelings on what they're going through and have been through. The last two, while slightly interesting in that they explore a bit of what happens after Rituals, don't really bring much to the table, in my opinion.

I realize a lot of what I've discussed here sounds quite negative. It probably is. However, Cainsville is quite well done overall and entertaining to boot. I really do enjoy it. I just have a heavy eye-rolling kind of feeling toward certain elements... obviously. I wouldn't have so much to say if Cainsville was boring, after all.

Very last note: The novellas include some art depicting certain scenes contained within them. They're... interesting. Mostly okay, but honestly, they make Olivia look a couple decades older than 24. I also don't think the illustrations really add anything to the stories.

Cruel Fate by Kelley Armstrong

Honestly... I was bored through most of this. Most of the character stuff was just rehashing things that had already been "taken care of" earlier in the overall narrative. The mystery was just kind of "bleh." There was no way Todd was going to end up back in jail after pretty much the entire Cainsville series was so focused on him getting out. Even the Fae stuff was just "meh."

Rough Justice by Kelley Armstrong

Rough Justice was an alright mystery story. Fairly twisty. Just kind of "whatever" for me, though. I wasn't at all invested in it, or either mystery, really. The mysteries take place firmly in the human world and that's honestly just boring to me.

I was much more interested in Olivia's Cŵn Annwn scene at the beginning than anything else in this novella. I've always been much more invested in the fantasy parts of the Cainsville novels, so this was really no surprise to me. Getting to "see" a Hunt was fun. It was a disappointingly short bit of the overall story, though.

I'm still not super into or really buying Gabriel and Olivia as a couple. Gabriel definitely reads more asexual to me than anything else, even despite his attraction to Olivia. They definitely work better for me as friends and business partners. The romance spark just doesn't feel like it's there.

Rituals by Kelley Armstrong

I have reached the "official" end of the series... still got two more novellas to go, but Rituals marks the end of the main series. It was quite the ending... threading in some little loose ends rather deftly, all things considered, while at the same time throwing in an ultimate Big Bad for the series that was apparently there all along, just not as overt as the Tylwyth Teg and Cŵn Annwn. The sluagh, a semi-interesting addition that really drove the plot more than anything else.

I'm not sure I really agree with Olivia's decision of "mates" in the end. Of course, I also didn't really think Kelley Armstrong was going to go the polycule route, either. Still... I think I'm just gonna make that my head-cannon. Olivia chooses who she chooses for the sake of the plot but they end up in a polycule down the line because that just makes more sense to me. "Stick together" is much easier in a modern relationship than it would have been between the kingdoms of Gywnn and Arawn.

I really, really enjoyed the addition of Helia and Alexios. They were a lot of fun and added a much-needed breath of levity. I was half-expecting them to be the solution to the sluagh's, uh... spoilery thing it turned out the sluagh were responsible for... but... yeah. They were fun.

I'm glad we finally got an answer as to what exactly's going on with Grace's apartment building. I liked that addition to the lore. Liked most of the additions to the lore. They were very well done and satisfying overall. Oh! I almost forgot about Lloergan! I'd hoped we'd get more of her, and we did. Even a pronunciation guide to her name... though you won't catch me trying to say it anytime soon. Didn't even stick after reading it a few times. But anyway, Lloergan was very sweet and her presence very welcome.

Seanna's reemergence I could honestly take or leave. She was a puzzle piece, ultimately. One that felt a little shoe-horned in, if I'm being completely honest, but... yeah. I suppose I was just as curious as anyone as to why she seduced (or whatever) Patrick all those years ago and we did get that answer... but she was very "meh" as a character, all told.

Rituals was a satisfying ending to the Cainsville series. I like that it's ultimately open to additions, as with the pair of novellas I'm about to read... and, ultimately, I'm just glad to not have to read more of the love triangle thing. Persephone would be proud, I think.

Favorite Lines

"Right or wrong, one cannot argue with the excitement value of a good murder, because it leads to a good mystery." - Helia

"Adventure comes with risk or it would hardly feel adventurous." - Helia

"We love traps. They're like puzzles, only with higher stakes." - Olivia Taylor-Jones

Betrayals by Kelley Armstrong - 2024 Reread

Reread Review

So, yes. I am still very, very annoyed with the love triangle aspects of this story. I think Ricky's "solution" to this at the end of the book is a good one. Definitely leaning more into a polycule solution, which is honestly the one I would prefer. I know, I know that main Fae interest in Olivia and the boys is exactly this love-triangle thing and the choice, but I'm really more invested in the lore and mystery aspects of the series than I am the romance.

Much of Betrayals focuses on Gabriel's developing feelings for Olivia and his thought processes surrounding that. I honestly had very little patience for Gabriel this time around. I understand his trauma a lot more due to the short-stories and novellas that have been added to the chronology, but... he should have taken his own thought-advice more often than not. I'm a big believer in communication and that's something Gabriel just tends not to do. It's immensely frustrating, which we definitely see through Olivia's reactions to that non-communicative nature of his.

I had completely forgotten the Hound stuff, despite apparently really enjoying it last time. I did enjoy it this time around. Looking forward to finally finishing the series and seeing if we do, indeed, see more of Lloergan.

I really enjoyed the further world-building around what is and isn't considered Fae. I always enjoy when other mythologies are included in this sort of thing, because there are mythological critters everywhere in the world, not just the British Isles. I definitely liked getting some more on the Cŵn Annwn.

A am apparently repeating myself from 2018 (which I did not reread before typing this out), so I think I'll just end this here. I largely liked Betrayals but I'm really, really hoping we can just finish this love-triangle stuff without boring me to death. Can't wait to finally find out.

2018 First Read Review

Favorite Lines

     "What's their purpose" I asked as I stood.

     "Children? No idea. It appears to be simply an inconvenient stage between birth and usefulness."

     "I mean the gargoyles," I said. - Olivia Taylor-Jones & Patrick

"Life is a sightseeing tour." - Olivia Taylor-Jones

Lost Souls by Kelley Armstrong

So, the main story line of Lost Souls gets and A+ from me. The mystery is a good one, folding in possibly unknown lore with the Fae stuff. I like how it went, I like how it was resolved.

However, I honestly found Gabriel's treading or re-treading of his insecurities involving Olivia really quite tedious. I get that he didn't have a great childhood. I get that he didn't learn how to make friends. I get that Olivia is literally the first relationship of any kind he's had to forge by himself. Fantastic. I wanted him to tell her all of that as a way of explaining the awkwardness that tends to happen between them from his end. I know she knows about Gabriel's horrible childhood at this point, but I'm not sure she knows or even thinks about what that might have truly done to his social skills. Some sort of explanation from him would have done wonders, I think.

I don't particularly enjoy yelling at a book or rolling my eyes over the utter lack of communication going on between characters. Gabriel is a very insular character and it's ridiculously frustrating to "watch," even if the rest of the story is pretty good.

Favorite Line

"He's a matagot. He understands me just fine."

     "He's also a cat. Which means he doesn't care." - Patrick and Grace

Portents by Kelley Armstrong

Portents should probably be read after you’ve read the main Cainsville series as it does contain story spoilers. Probably best to add it in, as I did, chronologically on a reread. Or just enjoy the stories on their own. I can’t tell you what to do.

So here we run into another problem I, personally, have with anthologies: stories published in multiple books. I purchased Led Astray: The Best of Kelley Armstrong for my Women of the Otherworld read through two years ago. I was initially pleased to encounter a few of the stories I would need to complete a Cainsville read through. This year, I purchased Portents and… the first three stories were the ones in Led Astray. Not really a giant deal, as I’ve got more to read anyway, but I’m still annoyed about it.

I read everything in Portents except the Lost Souls excerpt, because I believe Lost Souls is the next book in my chronological read-through anyway.
 

"The Screams of Dragons": I was not expecting that to be as seriously dark as it was. Just… wow. Even after the child abuse from Bobby’s grandmother, I was not expecting… wow. This was very well done.

"Devil May Care": I’m not sure how I feel about this one. Not entirely sure I needed Patrick’s side of Gabriel’s backstory, though I do like Patrick as a character. Also, this one is definitely one to read after reading the main Cainsville series, as Patrick’s role in things is a mystery to Olivia and Gabriel.
 

"Gabriel’s Gargoyles": Cute, if also somewhat maudlin. Gabriel’s childhood was not the best. I was not expecting a cute Gabriel story, to be honest. 

“Bad Publicity”: Exciting. Now my interest is more piqued about how useful “Gwynn” is outside of Cainsville and the purpose he has there.
 

"The Orange Cat”: I really liked the way this was told. Felt noir-ish to me. Also, gotta love a determined cat.
 

"Matagot”: Eh, it was alright. Another little piece to the puzzle I’m not sure really needed to be there… does explain a bit about TC and how he got stuck in the Carew House, but… also included another retelling of the Matilda thing, so that was less interesting.

"Lady of the Lake": This was interesting. I feel like Liv and Ricky are a little too comfy casually discussing the Fae stuff for when this is timeline-wise. However, it was actually fun to get the pair of them without any drama involved. The mystery here was also well done. I, too, was fooled by the puppy. Not sure where it was going after that, but I was definitely fooled.

Deceptions by Kelley Armstrong

 Spoiler-y Reread Review

Okay, so, Deceptions is the book where everything hits the fan. It ramps up to 11 on the Fae side of things, the whole Matilda thing is completely explained, and there is more than a hint at a love-triangle brewing. I’m personally not happy about that last one, but the rest is pretty good. It’s a little hard to believe that these books have only taken place over a few weeks, at most. I will warn right now that, due to the nature of this story and the way I feel about it, this review does contain spoilers.

Cult. Deprogrammers. Because Olivia broke up with you and you can’t take “no” for a damn answer. WTF James. My hatred is clearly justified. James just keeps getting worse. It’s gross. This feeling doesn’t change because of what happens to him mid-book. Still gross. Don’t do this shit. Take “no” for an answer, regardless of how you feel about the situation.

I really hate the whole Gwynn, Arawn, and Matilda thing. It’s incredibly cis, het, misogynistic BS. “Ah yes, Gwynn and Arawn keep make pacts about Matilda without letting Matilda know and she’s expected to just… go along with it? But she doesn’t know so… wtf even. Oh, and these pacts affect EVERYTHING because weird Fae reasons.” Some polyamory would have done these knuckleheads a world of good. Oh, and maybe TELLING MATILDA could have been part of the plan????? I’m happy Ricky agrees with me, at least as far are Gwynn and Arawn being pricks.

Also “Neither will accept that, because it dilutes your power and they both want it all. They will insist you choose.” Which, like, okay… but also, no. Olivia’s the one with the power, she should insist right back about a “Persephone solution,” as she calls it. This is so dumb. Tristan coming into the mix doesn’t help either, really.

All this is not to say that I’m not happy with the lore dumps. I am. They were interesting. All of them. I think I most enjoyed the visions at the mansion and the bits at the end. Getting the visions explained was also a bonus I’d forgotten happened.

Deceptions was a fun ride, despite my issues with the romance plot. It did have a bit of a feel of finality, if I’m honest. I know there’s more to go with the Olivia’s parents’ trials and maybe fully shaking out what’s going to happen with the whole Matilda thing, but the ending really felt like an ending. That’s not a bad thing, by any means. It’s actually quite nice to have a definitive ending and not being pulled along to the next book as strongly as the last two. 

Favorite Line

"I like the foreign names. It makes these conversations mildly less ridiculous." - Olivia Taylor-Jones

In Other News

I finished another OviPets project. This one is MetalSeadramon for my Mega Digimon Project line. Took me exactly 8 months.

Visions by Kelley Armstrong

Not sure whether this is relevant or not, but I did not previously review Visions. I reviewed Omens and Betrayals, but not Visions for some reason. I’m not sure what that reason is, as my first two reads were 10-ish years ago. However, thinking about how I feel about Visions now, I think maybe I didn’t have the language to talk about the characters. I’ll get into that more as I write this review.

First and foremost: everyone needs some therapy. Olivia, due to her parental situation and dead body encounters. Gabriel, because of his past, mostly. James, to get over this toxic bullshit he’s got going on. Just therapy all around, might be smart.

I like the Ciara Conway mystery for what it brings in terms of world-building. We know that Cainsville has some weird crap going on, apparently to do with Fae. That’s definitively confirmed here. That Cainsville has some sort of perception filter is honestly par for the course. I like that Olivia and Gabriel are pushing through it. That said, the preternatural stuff is rearing its head a lot more firmly in Visions. It’s still woven neatly with the “normal” stuff, which I think is a plus.

Given that I’ve only read the first three Cainsville novels and a smattering of short stories so far… I honestly did not remember what happened with James. It is safe to say that I actively hate him. I hate the way he’s decided he basically owns Olivia despite her saying very clearly, several times, that she doesn’t want him. Hate it. Hate him. He’s really giving me Riley from Buffy: The Vampire Slayer vibes. More milk-toast and excluded from the actual goings on than everyone else and resenting it. Well… resenting that Olivia is not “his.” Blech.

I actually quite like Ricky, so far. He’s so far done very little wrong. He’s a charming character. Apparently has ties to something Cainsville-related… which I don’t remember if that’s made more explicit in Omens or one of the short-stories, but yeah… don’t know much about it from a Visions perspective anyway. Ricky’s a pretty good character.

I love that we get to see Gabriel’s trauma hoard, even if Olivia has no idea… I won’t say anything more about that, though, as it is late enough in the book to be a spoiler. But Gabriel does loosen up some more here, which is good.

Visions is largely about Olivia discovering and figuring out exactly what’s up with Cainsville and breaking more firmly into her own life away from the life she had at the beginning of the series. I enjoyed the ride and — despite rereading my Betrayals review — looking forward to the next one. I’m genuinely interested in learning more about the Fae in this “realm” and hope there’s more of that to come. 

*Amendment: I completely forgot Deceptions existed while writing this review. I also haven't reviewed it.

Favorite Line

     "I don't think angels are supposed to grant wishes."

     "They should. It would make them much more interesting." - Olivia Taylor-Jones & Rose Walsh

Omens by Kelley Armstrong

2024 Reread Review

Going to start this out by saying: I really do love Omens. I think it’s very well paced, the story is well put together, and the characters are engaging. I flew through it the first time I read it. Definitely a fantastic start to a new series.

The herding of Olivia to Cainsville honestly gives me horror story vibes. Of course, most of the chapters that aren’t from Olivia’s POV have overt weird vibes. I quite like it. Little reminders that Olivia’s story is being at least partially observed and manipulated by Cainsville residents. Keeps more tension going that way.

I love Rose. She’s no-nonsense, for a fortune teller. She’s practical and caring, in her own way. She kind of gives me a “Golden Girls” vibe, though I think she’s younger than that crew.

I really, really like that Olivia and Gabriel’s relationship is kept platonic. It’s so nice to not have much relationship drama thrown into this. There’s definitely enough of that with James and, to be honest, I don’t think this story needs it.

The weaving in of Cainsville’s supernatural underside is well done and intriguing. It’s very clear, assuming you’re up on your Fae lore, that this leans more than direction than the “traditional” witchy or vampiric direction. I like it, largely.

I feel like the MKULTRA stuff came out of nowhere. It was done fairly well, I think, but on this third read-through, feels forced. That may also be because, just due to the timing of my reading, I sat and stewed in those chapters for a few days… but yeah. I mean, it’s apparently connected to something down the line (which I don’t remember, but which is hinted at in the text), so, set up.

But yeah, if you’re a fan of mystery and the supernatural, I definitely recommend giving Omens a read.

2016 Review

Favorite Lines

"Of course. That's the problem with most theories of prognostication. They presume a single future. You will marry a handsome, rich man and have two children.  Is life so predetermined from birth to death, like a car on a fixed track, no room for detours, no allowance for free will? There are futures, Olivia. Possible outcomes based on choices." - Rose Walsh

"Don't be dull, Olivia. There is no graver sin." - Rose Walsh

"Demon possession strains the boundaries of credibility, given the sheer number of times it seems to happen. One would really hope demons had better things to do with their time." - Rose Walsh

"Rain on a sunny day. That's good luck." - Omen-sense

"Yes, I'm a whole lot braver when they can't hear me," - Olivia Taylor-Jones

Led Astray: The Best of Kelley Armstrong by Kelley Armstrong

My review is broken into pieces following each individual story in the order I read them in. I read six stories from this anthology.

I will say: The Cainsville stories are best injected into the chronological reading order after a first read of at least the first couple novels. The short stories are up front about the Fae stuff where the novels are decidedly mysterious about it at first.

The other three I read while doing my Otherworld read-through and did not review them at the time… so those reviews are from memory and skimming.

"Learning Curve": Twas a thing.

"The List": More of mostly the same. I like Zoe, but these stories are mid at beat.

"V Plates": Eeehhhh… I mean, funky zombies and werewolves. What’s not to enjoy?

"The Screams of Dragons": I was not expecting that to be as seriously dark as it was. Just… wow. Even after the child abuse from Bobby’s grandmother, I was not expecting… wow. This was very well done.

"Devil May Care": I’m not sure how I feel about this one. Not entirely sure I needed Patrick’s side of Gabriel’s backstory, though I do like Patrick as a character. Also, this one is definitely one to read after reading the main Cainsville series, as Patrick’s role in things is a mystery to Olivia and Gabriel.

"The fae understood the concept of give and take, but none more than the bòcan. Treat them well, and they'd return the favor. Treat them poorly, and expect trouble, which was only fair, after all."

"The best stories -- the ones he strove to tell -- were the ones that lingered after that last page was turned. The ones that kept readers thinking and, more importantly, feeling."

"Gabriel’s Gargoyles": Cute, if also somewhat maudlin. Gabriel’s childhood was not the best. I was not expecting a cute Gabriel story, to be honest. 

"Easter was the holiday recognizing the death of Christ, and, while he understood the concept, he thought it rather presumptive to die for strangers."

Betrayals by Kelley Armstrong

Originally Posted to GoodReads: December 10, 2018

If there's one thing I really, really hate above all else it's relationship drama. I know, realistically speaking, relationship drama is a thing that happens and it's unavoidable but... ugh. I hate it. That said, Betrayals handled it fairly well. It helped that there were snippets of the story from Gabriel and Ricky's POVs. It wasn't dramatic for drama's sake. I did spend almost the entire book going "More threesomes, less triangles" because the whole triangle thing is just annoying.

But anyway, I did enjoy the world-building. The world of and around Cainsville is intriguing. The wider world of the Fae and other mythologies is a rich one and to have at least some of it explored is great. I appreciate it, a lot. I enjoyed the parts with the hound. Hope she comes back more often.

I'm really not sure I have much else to say about Betrayals. It's definitely good, but not as stellar as the previous ones... but then, I've been reading a lot this year and don't think I reread the Cainsville series so my esteem might be clouded by time. Again, the relationship drama drives me batty so... yeah. More of that means less enjoyment from me, most of the time.

Short Reviews Batch 6

Omens by Kelley Armstrong
A Spoiler Free Review

Originally Posted to GoodReads: May 15, 2016

The opening book to Kelley Armstrong's new Cainsville series was pretty darn spectacular for an opening. There were intriguing characters, a nice mystery, and some twists on "powers." I very much enjoyed "Omens," so much so that I was up until 2 AM reading last night and spent most of my morning reading as well.

"Omens" really ramps up toward the end, though it is by no means slow getting where it's going. There are intriguing mysteries set up that will carry through the series, some introduced right at the end, which was a surprise.

I will happily follow Olivia, Gabriel, and the rest of Cainsville into the events Olivia has apparently launched herself into.

A Wizard Abroad by Diane Duane
A Ridiculously Short ReRead Review

Originally Posted on GoodReads: May 30, 2018

I'm pretty sure this book is why I was so disappointed reading Crimson Death by Laurel K. Hamilton. You get a really good feel for Ireland in this book. Not to mention the story is really good.

Age of Legends Overview

Age of Legends by Kelley Armstrong

There are spoilers contained in this overview

 

I really enjoyed Kelley Armstrong’s Age of Legends, surprisingly so. Coming off the Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising trilogies, Age of Legends is a breath of fresh air. It is totally different. Everything from the setting to the trilogy formula is just so different and really, really refreshing. I’m pretty sure I said that Armstrong could do better, and she definitely did with Age of Legends.

Age of Legends has a vaguely medieval but not really geographically set empire. Like, it’s definitely Chinese/Japanese inspired, but that’s not really shoved in your face as far as the actual setting goes. Could really be any medieval-y style society given that most of the time the characters don’t spend anywhere with particular architecture. I mean, the surnames of the clans are all Japanese, but the first names aren’t. The “Empire Born” are also given preferential treatment here and are not white, which makes a change from a lot of this kind of fantasy. Yes, the Moria and Ashyn are white, but they’re just about the only two in the entire trilogy who are. I liked that even though I honestly didn’t think about it until afterward. Also, there’s a poorly explained caste system that basically serves to explain how to tell the good guys apart from the bad guys and Gavril’s sense of honor. Not sure it was strictly necessary, but it was there.

There isn’t really a love triangle, which I appreciated. There’s plenty of relationship drama, for those interested, but it’s really mostly Ronan and Ashyn misunderstanding each other a lot. The whole Gavril-Moria-Tyrus thing is mostly a non-issue as far as the usual love triangle antics are concerned. Moria knows where she stands and who she wants to be with and both men respect her decisions on that score… with gusto is either direction, really. I like that Moria and Gavril are able to go from platonic to vaguely romantic to enemies to platonic again without much in the way of melodrama. Age of Legends had plenty of actual plot drama to keep me engaged.

I’m honestly disappointed we got so little of the Seeker and Keeper power set. In fact, their powers have very little do with anything in the entire trilogy. They don’t rely on them at all and appear to not even know the full extent of their own powers, no one does, not even the elder Seeker and Keeper who trained them. Really, their powers just seemed to be an excuse to give them their animal sidekicks — Daigo and Tova — and to explain the differing personalities of the girls. The sensing of spirits and ability to dispel them barely come in handy until the last book and then only in certain circumstances… Anyway, I was disappointed. Also, what does the Empire do with male twins?

From the Seeker and Keeper stuff, we do get some mention of the Empire’s religion, but again, that’s kept quite vague. The Seekers and Keepers play some role in pacifying real spirits that… are apparently kept in really good shape given we see nothing bad happen apart from the shadowstalkers and occasional possessed dead body. I’m pretty sure the religion some kind of state-sanctioned Buddhism with a Shinto twist, probably, given we’ve got a sect monks mummifying themselves. And, of course, there’s a big emphasis on the filial piety thing. It plays big into Alvar Kitsune’s plans for taking over the Empire… speaking of which…

I also wasn’t very impressed with Alvar Kitsune as a villain. He’s like Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter books (I said this in my Forest of Ruin review) except he doesn’t fulfill that promise of ultimate menace. I felt nothing as he cleared the way for Tyrus to take the throne there at the end, because honestly, the other princes got zero “screentime” and mean nothing to the reader. Alvar’s downfall at the end was also unsatisfying because as soon as he started chanting upon accidentally killing Gavril, I knew what was coming next… a life for a life. Super obvious. I also really don’t understand how he got shadowstalker spirits into and then out of the children with no one noticing. It doesn’t make any sense, partially due to no one really understanding how his sorcery works at all. Just… Alvar was such a disappointment in the end.

Even though Alvar himself was a crap antagonist, the way he worked in the shadows was actually kind of impressive. His use of rumor and deception on the people of the Empire worked really well. This is where the little-explained caste system really came into play. If you knew that Warrior Caste were the only ones who could legally wield swords, it stood to reason that any publicly acting dude with swords was Warrior Caste and therefore carrying out the will of the Emperor. Using rumor to discredit Gavril, Moria, and Tyrus was pretty well executed, even if I did have an issue with how that plot line was resolved.

I personally would have liked to see more of the fantasy elements explored. We get a good bit with the shadowstalkers and fiend dogs and dragons, but everything else showed up once and disappeared. The fantasy elements honestly almost seem to be there just so the story wouldn’t have to be historical fiction. It’s not a detriment to the story, just, ya know, I like more fantasy in my fantasy.

Age of Legends is definitely a good trilogy and worth a read. The fact that a good portion of my gripes have to do with wanting more out of the world is a good thing, I think. It was well enough fleshed out for the story, but I definitely wouldn't mid stepping back into this world to learn more about it.

Forest of Ruin by Kelley Armstrong

I really feel like a good chunk of Forest of Ruin drastically slowed the plot and killed the urgency. There’s just so much relationship stuff going on here, and not just romantic relationship stuff. Also, Alvar Kitsune really goes from being this big looming threat to, like, Voldemort in the first couple of Harry Potter books. Like, you know he’s there but he’s not a direct or even an actual threat anymore.

There’s a lot of running around throughout Forest of Ruin that’s essentially tying up the very loose ends from the previous two books. We left Ashyn and Ronan with her grandfather and the revelation that dragons are being brought into this. Moria and Gavril have to deal with their mission from the Emperor, which Tyrus also has to deal with because he can’t just stay put for two seconds if he’s not ill. And then we gotta find the kids — finally — and foil Albar Kitsune’s big giant plans that no one has any idea about… and resolve the various relationship issues at the same time. Led to a very draggy book, to be honest. The sense of urgency from the previous books just up and died.

The resolution to the whole “we must keep Tyrus away from the capital or Emperor Tatsu’s going to be forced to imprison him or whatever” thing was super underwhelming. If it was that easy to just walk up and air grievances in front of the city, why didn’t you do that before? The deal was barely sweetened by the children and the macguffin of a dragon. Honestly, the only other thing gained by that whole runaround was Gavril’s Mom Trauma.

And speaking of Alvar’s plans that could have and essentially did go wrong… he basically turned Gavril against him at every turn. This weird belief in Gavril’s unfailing filial piety above all else is just toxic and annoying… and Gavril reall should have stabbed Alvar before Alvar murdered the princes. Alvar Kitsune is honestly one of the weakest villains I’ve read in a while, and that includes a book I more-or-less hated recently. Every single one of his plans past the Edgewood/Fairview thing just kept failing and barely made sense. It’s like there’s this weird subterfuge he’s trying to pull and it just doesn’t work in world or character-wise.

I can honestly say I’m happy with how the Tyrus-Moria-Gavril “love triangle” worked out. It really wasn’t one and in the end, that’s totally okay with everyone involved. Platonic friendships FTW. I can also honestly say that Ronan’s clearly got baggage and I really disliked how his baggage was handled. Just came off like he was being stupid and completely obtuse half the time. He and Ashyn are going to need what passes for therapy in their world if they end up making it in their long-distance relationship.

Forest of Ruin was overall just alright. Armstrong kind of stuck the landing, but only after a lot of faffing about. I will also say that, after the climax, the ending of the book went straight back to the very slow pace the book had toward the middle, which was frustrating, really. But I guess all’s well that ends well and everyone got their happy endings.

Stay Tuned For Pokemon Scarlet Image Posts

Empire of Night

A Spoiler Free Review

Originally Posted on GoodReads

I’m honestly not sure how I feel about Empire of Night. It’s not the usual runaround of Armstrong’s middle books, but at the same time, it kind of is. Stuff happens, though, rather than basically nothing ending in a semi-reset of the status quo. I liked it well enough. Wasn’t bored at any point. Wasn’t blown away either. But yeah…

Ashyn and Moria actually spend most of this book apart again, which was interesting. Ashyn basically ran around with Ronan and Tyrus while Moria was held captive by Gavril. Both storylines had their own cast of characters and it was nice to not have the girls stuck to each others sides once reunited. There is also less worrying ostensibly about each other as their world has definitely grown beyond Edgewood.

The boys were a bit more interesting this time around. Ronan was a tad more vulnerable, less stand-offish toward the girls. Tyrus got more fleshing out, though he remains an almost perfect romantic partner for Moria, I think. And Gavril was a jerk, which I think was actually keeping Moria safer than if he hadn’t been, honestly. His motives were obviously less clear as he was ostensibly a traitor in this book. Oh, and Simeon is a dick. Full stop. I have posted a rant below this review, because, well, I apparently have things to say about Simeon despite (or probably because of) my hatred for him.

We got to see a little bit more of Moria’s powers in action. If only because of the encounter with the spirit beasts toward the end of the book. Honestly, it’s like the Seeker and Keeper powers are way passive. They can speak to spirits and kind of command them, but that’s pretty much it. They might as well not have powers for a majority of the story anyway. Not a bad thing, just disappointing for me, personally.

Empire of Night is probably my favorite of Armstrong’s middle trilogy books. It kept me engaged the whole way, which is more than I can say for the last pair of trilogies I read from her. Time to see if she sticks the landing in Forest of Ruin.

That Simeon Rant I Promised

There are spoilers in this part

Okay so, Simeon. First, I really hate his name. Second, he's, uh, basically an incel. Third, it's actually quite unfortunate that he's also basically a nerd because that plays into some tropes that aren't great...

Simeon, when we meet him and through most of his "screen time," is just a socially awkward guy who also happens to be a scholar. I envision him as your bog-standard fantasy nerd type, probably even monk-ish in his dress, just cuz that's how my brain does. Ostensibly, there's nothing wrong with this. Gimme more fantasy nerd boys, we have enough dashing hero types. However, the problems arise when he decides to ask Ashyn if he can court her once their adventure is over. He reacts badly to the rejection. Very badly. Immediately starts insulting her and basically anyone associated with her. Definitely not a good look. Fast forward to later in the story after they've sent him off to tell the Emperor what happened with Tyrus and the mercenaries... he's apparently lied to the Emperor about Tyrus and Moria. Just wholesale lied about both of them. Possibly because he's on Alvar Kitsune's side or possibly because Ashyn refused his advances. Either way, not a good look.

I wholeheartedly despise these types of characters. First, most nerdy guys I've encountered aren't actually jerks underneath and portraying them as such has definitely given nerdy guys a bad rap. Maybe not completely undeserved, I have been around the internet (and, ya know, just been a woman) long enough to know better, but, ya know, "not all men" kind of thing. Given the other guys in the story are all warrior types -- almost literally given the caste system Armstrong's got going -- the nerd boy being rejected by one of the heroines and immediately being a jerk just isn't a good look for the character or Armstrong, really. Second, -- and let me be really clear here, this goes for absolutely anyone who has ever or will ever ask someone out -- this type of turnaround from kinda sweet and awkward to instant asshole is a gigantic red flag. It speaks of some kind of expectation behind the ask and honestly shows the true colors of the asker. If you turn on a dime like that, you're the asshole, not the person who turned you down. Also, let's also be really clear here: You are not owed any kind of relationship with anyone, no matter how nice you are to them. Not friendship or a romantic relationship. None. You are owed nothing for being nice or kind to anyone for any reason. It's nice when the attitude is returned, but you shouldn't freak out if it's not.

I also don't understand why you'd immediately start insulting the people attached to your crush to your crush. Like, ostensibly, and especially in Ashyn and Simeon's case, you'd maybe like to keep at least a friendship going, right? But no, apparently not? Simeon just flat burned that bridge immediately... and then to take it as far as they're assuming he did? Ashyn was too polite for just a flat "no" and pretty much told him "not right now" and he just takes it to the extreme immediately upon being rejected. Way to just completely turn off your crush, man. This is that stereotypical incel-y behavior that made me label him that way. Girl doesn't like you so you start calling her a whore and such... which has been going on for a lot longer than incels have been around, really. Empire of Night was published in 2015 and the term was apparently coined in 1997, online specifically, so... yeah. Basically people need to learn how to handle rejection better. Your nice-guy (nor nice-girl or whatever) facade crumbles immediately if you immediately start acting like a jerk. Should be obvious. Apparently isn't.

I would also like to say that the fact that Simeon is basically a nerd boy in the company of warrior boys isn't a reason for Ashyn to pick him over Ronan (who is her love interest anyway). I completely respect her choice. It just rubs me the wrong way that Simeon is a nerd boy and is a complete ass compared to Ronan, Tyrus, and Gavril. He's one of basically three named characters who is antagonistic right off and it's just frustrating, is all. And, ya know, nerd boys rarely get the girl in these stories because they're not the dashing hero type. That doesn't sit well with me either.

This rant is longer than my review... I might also be really reading too far into this... probably am. 🤷

Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

A Spoiler Free Review

This is honestly nothing like anything I’ve read from Kelley Armstrong. That being said, I’m definitely a fan of epic fantasy and this ticks that box rather nicely. Sea of Shadows is definitely set up for the rest of the trilogy. The concepts for the magic system are set up but not completely explained, so I do hope that gets expanded upon through the rest of the trilogy. Same for the overall war plot that Armstrong has set up.

I quite liked the main protagonists, Moria and Ashyn. I would like a more thorough explanation of their powers, though. They are Seeker and Keeper but I’m still not entirely sure what that means aside from an affinity for speaking to spirits. Them having animal sidekicks is nice, love me an animal sidekick. Ronan and Gavril are kind of bog-standard for their character types, really. I was expecting either of them to do anything super awesome or important. They are clearly secondary to Moria and Ashyn and that is just fine.

The setting is actually kind of flat for this high fantasy story. Like, not sure if we’re in a European style medieval or an Asian style medieval… just kind of standard village is village thing going on for most of the story. We get a better feel for the setting once the characters reach the capital city toward the end, but it’s more of a side feature Asian style than an in-your-face kind of thing.

I think the shadow-stalkers, thunder hawk, and death worms were interesting, if largely just obstacles the girls have the get through… like mini-bosses. Honestly, of the three, the thunder hawk was my favorite. The fact that it actually influences the local weather is cool, if worrying for weather patterns.

The only thing I have left to say is that I really don’t blame the village elders or whatever for just straight up killing anyone who survives the Forest of the Dead. If you’ve had one person seem perfectly normal turn on a dime and actually be murdery and crazy, then yes, you have legitimate reason for just killing all survivors. I mean, otherwise you have to waste manpower on some kind of quarantine and, ya know, no one wants that… and yes, I am being sarcastic in that last bit. Your Forest of the Dead punishment is supposed to allow for survivors… but nope, can’t actually have that. Ugh.

Anyway, I really enjoyed Sea of Shadows. For once that ominous sounding title fits the narrative within. On to the next one!

Darkness Rising Series Overview

Darkness Rising by Kelley Armstrong

A Semi-Spoilery Overview

Encompasses both Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising 

Welp, neither of these trilogies lived up to their ominous-sounding titles. I went in expecting something more in line with what Savannah went through at the end of Thirteen and it ended up being closer to the end of a CW teen school drama. Nothing remotely world-changing or even particularly dark happened in Darkest Powers or Darkness Rising. I think literally the worst things that happened were Nicole murdering Serena and the helicopter crash. I guess you could count Chloe accidentally raising an entire cemetery as “dark” but I saw that coming a mile away so it didn’t feel “dark.” None of this is to say that the trilogies were bad. They weren’t, really. A little bland at times, yes, but not bad.

I think it’s very safe to say that neither the Edison Group nor the Cabals know how to deal with people very well. It’s honestly hard to say which is worse… the circumstances are both similar and very, very different. Both were like: oooohhh, shiny experiments! Sure hope they don’t turn into PEOPLE some day. Sure hope we never have to tell them what we did to them. Oh no! We have to tell them now! Oh no! They don’t want to be under our control! Imprisonment! Murder! Just… you guys. What. The. Hell. Did. You. Think. Was. Actually. Going. To. Happen. You should have Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters that shit. Tell them the truth but make it as normal as you can! These are people, not objects. Thank the universe Sean Nast is helming their future at the end. He and Lucas Cortez were at the top of my “best case scenario Cabal people” list.

Anyway, specifically on Darkness Rising: I quite liked Maya as a protagonist. She was fairly chill through most the the trilogy. Capable in almost every scenario she’s put in. It was definitely refreshing after dealing with Chloe in Darkest Powers. I’m glad Maya did the smart thing with her love triangle, even if I would have loved to see some polyamory involved. Probably just me. But anyway, Maya was a good protagonist.

Rafe and Daniel, being Maya’s love interests/besties were the best fleshed out of the group of Project Phoenix kids. They were bother differing shades of chill boyfriend. Made a nice departure from the Dereks and Clays of the male love interest spectrum. Other than that, I don’t really have an opinions on them. They were there and supported Maya as best they could given the circumstances.

Still not sure how I feel about Ash. He kind of faded into the background once the Project Genesis kids were introduced and didn’t have much time with the Phoenix kids to get really well established. I kept envisioning a young Sam Carter from the Stargate universe whenever Sam was mentioned. Hayley was notable only because she shares a name with my bestie. Nicole for kind of the same reason (my sister’s original legal name this time), though it did help that she was psychotic so… yeah. Most of the rest of the characters were just kind of there and pretty one-note, which is completely understandable in a cast this large.

I think that’s mostly it for my thoughts on Darkness Rising. Better than Darkest Powers but mostly managing to hit the same story beats. Got your setup book, your wandering/traveling book, and your conclusion book. Not sure Darkest Powers would do well as an omnibus, but maybe a two book split instead. Not really sure.

The Rising by Kelley Armstrong

A Spoiler Free Review

I honestly found The Rising to be alright. There was a lot crammed into the last third of the book. The first third kind of felt like flailing and the middle was much more active than I think I was expecting. There’s a lot going on in this book. The last third basically serves as a coda for both the Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising trilogies. So yeah, lots going on.

Not sure how I feel about Ash. He largely just comes across as bratty and much younger than Maya and the others. And, with the introductions of Ash, welcome to a lesson in racism from a white author out of the mouth of her Native character. Not that this conversation shouldn’t be had, and often, just, uh, feels a little weird to me… the also white person. As I’m thinking about it (I write these reviews over time and not usually all at once), it would also be odd to NOT encounter racism at all. I honestly think Armstrong does a good job tackling the issue.

I am very glad the Interracial Council and Lucas got brought up here. Heck, I breathed a sigh of relief when Sean Nast showed up. Of all the Cabal people who could have wound up in charge of the Genesis and Phoenix kids, Sean was the top of the list for the ideal person to handle them.

Well Derek’s definitely coming across as more of an ass than he probably needs to be. Not that I didn’t think he was to begin with, but still… Getting these two groups together would probably have excited me if I were younger, but now it’s just like… ya’ll are all waaaay too pigheaded to be any type of real help to each other. Not how it turns out, but those were the initial thoughts. I think Kit being there definitely helped smooth things over between the groups.

Okay first, the ending of this book and this series feel rushed. Second, polyamory is a thing that ought to be considered whenever a love triangle is brought to light. You have more options than monogamy, even as a teenager. Work that shit out. And of course Maya does work that shit out and in a much less dramatic way that I was thinking it was going to go, so I’ll just let all this stuff lie. Definitely wasn’t counting on Armstrong to go the polyamory route. I do also want to say that there’s a paragraph toward the end talking about the dating pool needing to be wider and… just ugh. Why’s everyone always have to be super focused on dating? Romance is not and should not be the end-all, be-all for anyone, period. End mini-rant.

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

A Spoiler Free Review

Nothing like starting out with an improbable helicopter hijacking and probable character death. Having never been in a helicopter myself, I can’t speak to the realism here, but… I really don’t buy any of what happened in the first 15 pages of this book. Just… feels like they all should have been dead, or crashed, at the very least. Not gonna say I was glad when they did eventually crash, but… yeah. I think it would have happened a lot sooner than it did.

Teens wandering around in the forest is no more interesting than teens hitchhiking across states. I question the adults who are going after them, too. Like, if ya’ll had shown up without guns — even if they are tranq guns — your case would be a lot easier to argue. But no, you choose violence so the teens have a very valid excuse for running the fuck away from you. Seriously, the Cabals and the Edison Group really need lessons in how to treat people.

Anyway, that’s pretty much how this book went. Maya and the others basically running away from Cabal operatives, hoping to head home, and eventually making it. I guess it was a little more entertaining than The Awakening, but not by much. At least there was barely any relationship drama to get into, so that was nice. I’m definitely not a fan of full-on relationship drama.

I did like the fact that Maya and her friends actually talked to each other about their plans. Glad to see actual group dynamics in action. I also like how Maya’s transformations were described and went down.

Pretty bog-standard Armstrong trilogy middle book, to be honest. Ya know, based on the one other specific trilogy of hers I’ve read. Not much actually happened aside from the beginning and the ending.