Release Day Review: Otherworld Nights by Kelley Armstrong

Otherworld Nights by Kelley Armstrong

Otherworld Stories Collection

This short story collection will include many brand-new tales and others only previously available on Kelley Armstrong's website. Most of the stories will feature the werewolves of the Otherworld, Elena and Clay, Jeremy, Karl and other members of the American Pack. These are some of Kelley Armstrong's best-loved and most enduring characters, from bestselling books such as Bitten, Stolen and Frostbitten.

1) Demonology - Adam's mother discovers what he is
2) Stalked - Clay/Elena honeymoon story from "My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon"
3) Hidden - SubPress 2012 Elena/Clay novella
4) Twilight - a Cass story from "Many Bloody Returns"
5) Chivalrous - Reese's backstory from SubPress's long sold-out "Tales of Dark Fantasy 2" (the Dec'14 SubPress graphic novella picks up this storyline)
6) Lucifer's Daughter - Hope/Karl story from "Blood Lite II: Overbite"
7) From Russia with Love - Elena bonus story included with hardcover of "Thirteen"
8) Vanishing Act - brand-new Savannah/Adam novella set after "Thirteen"

I have to admit that anthologies aren't typically my favorite thing as the short stories never seem long enough for my tastes. The exception to that rule is when the anthology is set in one of my favorite series, where the world is already known to me. I enjoy getting to see extras from my favorite main characters, as well as the bonus of featuring some of the side characters as well. It's an opportunity to expand the world, and even while Kelley's world already was very very expanded for me due to the narrator rotation, this anthology only enhanced things for me. Now onto the individual stories:

Demonology - This one's about Adam's mother and how she learned about his demonic half. It was enjoyable, but it left me wanting more in the end. It just felt like it ended too abruptly. Even so, it was a good look into her character and the determination to help her son.

Stalked - I had read this one before, but it was just as much fun the second time around. Clay and Elena are anything but a normal couple, so seeing them try to go through the full ritual of a honeymoon was amusing, especially as both were determined to follow procedure. A cute and fun story.

Hidden - I've read this one as well, and own the really nice hardcover collector's edition. This one is perfect for fans of the werewolves as the whole gang is there for the most part, including the twins. A great additional story to satisfy fans.

Twilight - This one was interesting because it showed Cassandra, and explained some more details on vamps at the end of their lives. It could have been a bit longer, but I was glad to have those questions answered.

Chivalrous - This one utterly and completely broke my heart. I knew Reese's back story wasn't a happy one, but this one felt like a sucker punch to the gut. But, after reading this one, I feel I understand him better, and my heart goes out to him even more.

Lucifer's Daughter - This was a fun and crazy story to match Karl and Hope's lives. Enjoyable.

From Russia with Love - This is another I had read before, and again it was just as enjoyable the second time around. I always enjoy the werewolf centered stories the most. This one is set right after the end of the series.

Vanishing Act - This was the new novella for this anthology, and while I enjoyed it, it really did spotlight Savannah's immaturity. Frankly I kind of had enough of that back in the main series, so it irked me a bit, but none the less I enjoyed the story, and I think the immaturity might be finally on its way out, so it will be interesting to see if there will be any more Savannah stories coming up in the future.

So as you can see, this is a great set of stories for fans of the series. I can't wait to see what novellas will be in the next as Kelley has two more anthologies planned.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
     a GREAT read
     Liberty Falls Down
     Paperback Wonderland

Previous Books:
     1. Bitten
     2. Stolen
     3. Dime Store Magic
     4. Industrial Magic
     5. Haunted 
     6. Broken
     7. No Humans Involved
     8. Personal Demon
     9. Living With the Dead
     10. Frostbitten
     11. Waking the Witch
     12. Spell Bound
     13. Thirteen