Book Review: Waking the Witch

Let me start by saying that I love Kelley Armstrong, and her Otherworld series. Which, by the way is now The Otherworld and no longer Women of the Otherworld. She opened it up so now she can write from a male's POV. However, she is currently contracted to 13, and 11-13 will be Savannah's novels. I've been reading her series since there was only two novels. And I've loved Savannah from the beginning. So I've been waiting seven years for this novel.

WAKING THE WITCH came out today. I ran to the bookstore this morning to pick it up. Thankfully, I got off early, so I came straight home to start reading. I finished it in a few hours, taking a break only for dinner. I've never read one of her books so fast. Usually I try to slow it down and make it take a few days, savor it, since I know the next book in the series won't come out until a year. But I couldn't control myself.

This was definitely one of the best books in the series. It surpassed expectation. The writing and the story-telling get better with each novel. And I love how the series has evolved, adding characters and different races of supernaturals. Despite the paranormal aspect, the world Kelley has created feels real, and she makes the reader feel like a part of that world.

We've known Savannah since she was 12. And Kelley said long ago, she wouldn't write a Savannah novel until she became an adult. So now Savannah is 21. It's interesting to see Savannah as an adult, especially since we've "seen" her grow up. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil anyone. But I love that Jaime was in it. She is, as some of you know, my favorite character in the series.

If you haven't read the series, you need to do so. And if you've read the series, but haven't picked up WAKING THE WITCH, get it ASAP. You won't be disappointed.

Synopsis:

The orphaned daughter of a sorcerer and a half-demon, Savannah is a terrifyingly powerful young witch who has never been able to resist the chance to throw her magical weight around. But at 21 she knows she needs to grow up and prove to her guardians, Paige and Lucas, that she can be a responsible member of their supernatural detective agency. So she jumps at the chance to fly solo, investigating the mysterious deaths of three young women in a nearby factory town as a favour to one of the agency’s associates. At first glance, the murders look garden-variety human, but on closer inspection signs point to otherworldly stakes.

Soon Savannah is in over her head. She’s run off the road and nearly killed, haunted by a mystery stalker, and freaked out when the brother of one of the dead women is murdered when he tries to investigate the crime. To complicate things, something weird is happening to her powers. Pitted against shamans, demons, a voodoo-inflected cult and garden-variety goons, Savannah has to fight to ensure her first case isn’t her last. And she also has to ask for help, perhaps the hardest lesson she’s ever had to learn.

And below is the cover for the Canadian version. One of my least favorite Otherworld covers.

I wanted to share this with you, in case you hadn't seen it. This image was released as the cover for the US, but it got changed. I do like the new one more. So I'm happy they changed it, but really wouldn't have been disappointed if they hadn't.

I'm going to reread the entire series, and will review them as I go. These books are so great, they need written reviews. Maybe after I finish my stack of ARCs.