Review: Bitten by Kelly Armstrong

Title: Bitten
Author: Kelley Armstrong
ISBN 10: 0452286034
ISBN 13: 9780452286030

About the book (from Goodreads)
Ever since her parents were killed in a car accident when she was five, Elena Michaels has longed for a normal family life. Smart, beautiful, and engaged to be married, Elena hopes to fulfill that dream when disaster strikes. Not only has her fiancé lied about his secret life as a werewolf, but he's made her one, too. She has no choice but to join him at Stonehaven, the upstate New York home of an elite pack of werewolves.
In an attempt to break away, she moves to Toronto to lead a normal life. Working as a journalist, Elena now lives with her new architect boyfriend, works out in the basement gym of their high-rise apartment, lunches with girlfriends from the office, and —once a week, at four in the morning —runs naked and furred through a downtown Toronto ravine, ripping out the throats of her animal prey. But when a band of outlaw werewolves threatens the Stonehaven pack, Elena's feral instincts drive her back there to join the defense. What follows is a war for territory, for pride, and ultimately for Elena herself.
Writing with the visceral power of Anne Rice, Kelley Armstrong has created a fascinating story of a woman struggling for her identity.

Author Biography: Bitten is Kelley Armstrong's first novel.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Women of the Otherworld, book #1
Published: 1st October 2001
Publisher: Plume
Website: Kelley Armstrong
Excert: Prologue

My Review
Elena Michaels is the only female werewolf in the world. She was bitten and betrayed by her former fiancé Clay and is trying to make a normal life for herself in Toronto with her human boyfriend.

Called back to the pack to help deal with a Mutts problem, Elena hopes everything will be done in a couple of days so she can return to her normal life. However, once at Stonehaven she finds herself immersed in the werewolf way of life, seeming to fall once again for Clay. Elena deals with everything thrown at her in the course of dealing with the Mutts who are killing humans.

Elena is a great character to read, she is strong and smart yet vulnerable in many ways. She engages with the pack well and is not afraid to admit her own faults. She clearly does not want to admit she enjoys life as a werewolf, at least when it’s just the pack.

I grew to really like Clay, he is a lovable bad boy who has eyes only for Elena. The pack leader, the ever calm Jeremy, is a great character but he has his own vulnerabilities. I liked the other pack members too, who all seemed a believable group who complimented each other very well.

The detail given on pack and werewolf behaviour was well woven into the story and seems to increase my enjoyment of the plot not detract from it. I found the general werewolf view of women as sex or dinner as quite difficult, but the Pack’s attitude towards Elena was clearly much more respectful and equal.

I really enjoyed Bitten and am looking forward to reading more of Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series.