geekySpectra, paperback
480 pages, dark urban fantasy/supernatural romance, werewolf party people in the house
Currently in print
***
The first five 'Women of the Otherworld' books are very straightforward in their gimmick: the series changes narrators every book or two, the old narrator remains as a bit player in the new narrator's story, and we don't look back. Broken changed that by returning to the narrator that many readers consider to be Armstrong's best, Elena. (As a big Paige fan, this gives me hope that one day, Paige herself will be returning to blessed center stage. Please?) Naturally, this book draws heavily on everything that's come before, most especially Bitten and Stolen, which introduced Elena, Clay, and the rest of the Pack.
In Broken, Elena and Clay have finally decided to take a risk on doing something that no werewolf couple has ever done before: they've decided to start a family. Of course, it doesn't help that there are no records of any other werewolf couple having ever existed -- Elena is still the world's only female werewolf, and no one really knows whether two infected parents can successfully have children. Naturally, the Pack is circling the wagons to keep Elena safe. Also naturally, Elena is dying of boredom.
When Xavier -- a half-demon Elena met while she was the captive of Tyrone Winslow, in Stolen -- contacts her and offers to give the Pack a location of a man-killing mutt if they'll just help him steal a harmless curiosity, she jumps at the opportunity for a little harmless mayhem. The excitement should let her get through the rest of the pregnancy without going completely stir-crazy, she argues, and what harm can stealing a little letter do? Even if it is supposedly Jack the Ripper's famed 'From Hell' letter. It's just a letter.
Until they have the letter in their hands, and discover that it contains a hidden portal into a pocket hell. A hidden portal that something nasty has just emerged from -- something that seems to think Elena makes the ideal target for whatever its goals are...
Elena is always a fantastic narrator, and it's wonderful to return to her and see what truly accepting her place in the Pack has done for her character. She and Clay have actually managed to achieve something that once seemed impossible: they have a stable, healthy relationship. Not healthy for humans, maybe, but for werewolves? It's perfect. Elena's concern about the health of her family adds the sort of vulnerability to her character that it was previously missing, and makes it much easier to truly sympathize with the situations that she finds herself contending with.
There's actually another Clay and Elena book planned for the near future, so we should get a look at the future impacts of this book's events. In the meantime, this is a solid, enjoyable addition to the series, and if I have any objections to it, it's that the denouement seems to be a little rushed. Definitely worth taking the time to read.
Next up is No Humans Involved, also known as 'Jamie Vegas finally gets her own book, and Seanan does a little dance.' Yippee!
