I’ve always been a vampire/supernatural lit fan and my comfort zone has always resided with the king and queen of the genre: Bram Stoker and Anne Rice. For this fan, few contemporary writers rise to their level of writing. On a suggestion from a friend, I took a chance on Kelley Armstrong. I admit I was hesitant and quite skeptic at first but I gave it a go nonetheless and have not regretted the choice thus far! In the Women of the Otherworld series, Armstrong produces several strong female protagonists that although have men in their love/family lives, they do not “need” the men to save them. These female characters are a breath of fresh air amidst the slew of female “heroines” who disappointingly need men to save the day and to save them (e.g., Twilight, Vampire Diaries, True Blood, etc.)

Once I completed that series I moved onto the Cainsville series beginning with the book Omens.    In the series  a character named Olivia has just found out she is adopted and that her birth parents are convicted serial killers Pamela and Todd Larsen. In trying to cope, Olivia flees to the small, sleepy town of Cainsville where time seems to have stopped. Everything seems so perfect, almost Rockwellian or is it? From mysterious gargoyles, murder mystery, mind control to hidden identities it is soon learned that everyone in Cainsville has a secret, even the town itself! In the first novel Omens, Olivia is trying to cope with her new lineage. Strange things are starting to happen to her, she is starting to see things, strange animals are showing up and only she can see them. Is she going crazy like her birth parents or is it supernatural? Did her parents really murder all of those people? She is not so sure anymore as she begins to remember her past and with bodies showing up seemingly everywhere she goes, Olivia is determined to get to the bottom of present and past murders. People she meets are not as they seem and she cannot trust anyone except for Gabriel. Or can she?

Exploring the historical sides of Welsh and Celtic cultures, traditions and folklore, Armstrong has penned yet another series I am unable to put down. She intricately weaves mythology and history into the plot line and character development, spinning historical fiction and supernatural fiction to create a thrilling read. It is Dan Brown meets Anne Rice and it’s perfect for this vamp fan!

– Sabrina B.