Waking the Witch
This was another great book from Kelley Armstrong. This book is from the point of view of Savannah. Savannah is left alone to take care of Paige and Lucass PI business while they are on vacation. It is her turn to prove that she able to take care of herself in there dangerous supernatural world. However things are not what they seem to be when Savannah goes to work three related murders that have a supernatural angle. She needs to prove to herself that she can go solo from Paige and Lucas. Will Savannah be able to prove to everyone that she can be trusted to work on her own or will it all blow up in her face in a deadly way.

Savannahs character is another great strong supernatural female lead. Savannah is smart, funny, and extremely motivated to make her life work. I cant wait to hear more from savannah and she if she will untimely end up with Adam or some other supernatural hunk.

ETA: After reading other reviews of this book: I love the fact that Savannah is portrayed a little more timid than she has been in other books. She is just coming into her own and is not sure what her next move is. Her life so far has not been an easy one and she still has many things that she needs to work through. With everything that she has been through in her other books one would not expect to find a fully happy well rounded functioning adult. You would expect to find exactly what the author writes. Savannah is working though her phobias and her fears through this book while trying to get a better handle on whom she is exactly. Armstrong always writes great female characters most of the time though her characters are greatly damaged individuals. It is her forte and she will cling to it which is great that she continued this with Savannah. I would not have enjoyed this book as much had savannah been the happy bubbly self assured individual everyone else seemed to what to see.

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Grade = C

Waking the Witch is book eleven in Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. Savannah Levine whom readers of this series first met as an unruly teenager and a very powerful witch in the second book Stolen. Savannah is all grown up now and has the opportunity to be a lead investigator on an important case while her guardians and employers, Lucas and Paige are off on a much needed vacation. Not wanting to bother Lucas and Paige, Savannah heads to the small town of Columbus to investigate the murders of three young women.

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong and really enjoy her Women of the Otherworld series. Unfortunately, Waking the Witch is probably my least favorite book in this series. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that this book seems very transitional. Kelley Armstrong seems to be taking her series in a new direction with Savannah as a lead character. She needed this book to set up new storylines and new characters for future books in the series. Plus, it was a way to show how Savannah is changing and growing into womanhood.

I have trouble with Savannah as a lead heroine. Since Savannah was introduced as a character early on in the series, I never really liked her. Savannah has always come across as selfish and her moral compass is slightly skewed. She is not afraid to use her powers and does not shy away from dark magic. By the end of Waking the Witch I felt much more sympathetic to the choices she makes. In this story she gets a rude awakening and I think it is the beginning of a new Savannah. She has a lot of growth to make and I think the upcoming books will reflect that.

Another reason why Waking the Witch wasn't my favorite is because there is almost no romance. Savannah has had a crush on Adam, a half demon who works for Paige and Lucas, since she was a teenager. Their relationship or the one sided feelings Savannah has for Adam was the extent of the romance. Again, I believe that Adam might have feelings for Savannah but won't act on them because he feels she is too young, as he is eleven years her senior. Plus, the story is told from Savannah's point of view and the reader only gets the romance from Savannah's perspective. But I am definitely intrigued as to how things are going to play out in future books.

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We first met Savannah back in book 2 of the Women of the Otherworld series. She was a smart-mouthed teen with razor sharp wit, and a screw-it-all attitude. Now, Savannah is 21, and although she has matured, not much else has changed. She's still just as smart-mouthed and smart, although she does try to reign in the attitude when she can. Of course, all of these things are the reason I love her! I've been dying for a Savannah book, and I was definitely not disappointed with it.

Savannah is on her first solo assignment and things keep going from bad to worse. There was a great amount of mystery in this book. You never know who the bad guy is from beginning until the big reveal. Every time I thought I had it figured out, it threw me for a loop and changed it all up again. This book was action packed and kept me turning pages until way late into the night! There was some great scenes with sexual tension, but this is just a small part of the story, not the overlying storyline.

All of the characters in this quirky little town were a lot of fun. Each had a their own unique personality, and their own secret to keep hidden. I love Kelley's writing and all the characters that are weaved in and out of this series. We get to see another side of fun-loving Adam, which was great. Not much Lucas and Paige, but you get to see a great deal how they have affected Savannah's life, which was wonderful. I definitely recommend this book it to all of the Kelley fans out there! If you haven't read her books yet, then what are you waiting for???

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I'm a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong and I loved this novella. Yup, novella. This was 1/2 of a novel. I'm assuming the second half is Spell Bound which in NOT released until July 2011. I'm sadden that she too has gone the way of MJD & C Harris in giving 1/2 books instead of a full story. With only one Women of the Otherworld book every 10 mos or so it seems only far to get a full novel! If you have not read this do yourself a favor and wait till closer to 7/11 otherwise you'll feel as unfilled. It was kind of like going to see the latest Harry Potter. I left the theatre sadly thinking there should be more! And there is! And I have to wait for that too!

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Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong
*won the ARC from Literary Escapism blog in exchange for an honest review

Waking the Witch is the newest installment in the Women of Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong. It follows Savannah Levine, who is all grown up now. She has been working with Paige and Lucas since she graduated high school. She is ready to show them that she is not the same spoiled little girl she used to be. The perfect opportunity knocks while Paige and Lucas are on vacation in Hawaii.

Jesse Aanes shows up at the office with an offer Savannah cant refuse. He has been hired to investigate the murders of three young women in a small factory town north of Portland. There are signs that the murders may have been part of an occult ritual. Adam is at a conference, so that just leaves Savannah.

She is excited for the opportunity to spread her wings, with Adam acting as backup she takes off for the town. She encounters a lot of road blocks along the way and the bodies keep piling up. As the story progresses there are several underlying events taking place that eventually come to a conclusion. There are twists and turns in the story that kept me guessing for awhile. I had figured out who was the bad guy toward the end but the left turn caught me off guard. The ending was great but I HATE cliffhangers in books. I want the next book NOW!!!!

I really enjoyed Savannahs book and seeing her grown up. I have liked Savannah since she was introduced in Stolen. I like the werewolves in this series but unlike most people, I actually enjoy the witch stories just as much. Savannah has had to deal with a lot in her young life and she is finally realizing that she needs to take responsibility for who she is. She lost both her mother and father at an early age but she has had Paige as a stable role model growing up. You see that influence on her as she struggles to do the right thing even when she wants to give in to her darker side.
The story is a little slow building up but about midway through it picks up. I was not happy with the way things turned out with Michael, Claires brother but understand it was part of the story. I think he was good for Savannah and helped bring out a little softness in her. She is used to taking care of herself and doing things her way that she had to learn give and take when working with him. Their verbal sparring sessions were very entertaining.

I love Adams character and how he has a soft spot for Savannah. They are best friends, even though she wants more. I think Adam has a hard time getting past the age thing with Savannah and seeing her as a young woman. His reaction whenever anyone does something to hurt her says he cares for more for her than just a friend. I hope he has a bigger role in the next book and we can see if things progress between the two of them.

Overall its not the best book in the Otherworld series but I enjoyed it and cant wait for the next book to continue Savannahs story. If you are a fan of Kelley Armstrongs Otherworld series, I definitely recommend it. If you have not read any of the series, I would start at the beginning and read them in order. I give Waking the Witch 3 Flaming Hearts.

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