TV Adaptation: Bitten (2014)
Bitten, a paranormal romance, was Kelley Armstrong’s debut novel and the first in the Women of the Otherworld series. Elena Michaels is the only female werewolf to exist, and she really wishes that was not the case. She is determined, no matter how detrimental to her health, to live a ‘content’ human life—to an extent—that she thinks she would have had before, but unfortunately, trouble is brewing back at Stonehaven and her pack needs her. Whether she needs them or whether she wants them, that’s her choice to make.
Elena is an incredibly strong character and is not the type to go down without a fight. Saying she had a rough childhood is putting it lightly, but she came out of it and was determined for more in her life, and meeting Clay made this future she had always envisioned something of a reality. Naturally, things went downhill with the whole biting disaster, which I am hoping to learn more about in the next few books because I certainly do not have the full picture of that. Elena did not become a werewolf by choice, and it’s rather impressive that she made it considering the history of werewolves, but she is a stubborn, resilient kind of woman with a great deal of pent-up rage, which makes how she behaved after being bitten understandable.
What annoyed me with Elena was that, yes, she did not choose this life, but the pack accepted her, they helped her, they loved her, and then she just left them because it was not what she wanted when she wanted a family and she found one. She’s so set on the ideal of wanting a human life that will make her content—not happy, just content—but she is no longer human; she is much more than that now. She is also so determined to see Clay in the worst light because of the mistake he made, so blinded by her anger that she’s ignoring the fact that she still loves him, and while she had been off playing human, he has been waiting. I really liked Clay; he had me at ‘Welcome home, darling’, and his constant bickering banter with Elena was so entertaining. He is an incredibly smart and loyal man, but he could easily kill someone who threatens him or his family, and he has no idea why it would be wrong. It’s such an interesting mindset. He’s also super patient with Elena because of how much he loves and knows her; he will give her whatever she wants and whatever she needs, no matter how much it hurts him. The juxtaposition between Clay looking like he would kill you but giving golden retriever energy to Elena and Elena looking like a sweet flower but giving touch him and die energy to anyone trying is perfect!
I loved how Kelley Armstrong gave so much information, but in a way so that I did not feel like I was being walloped with the facts; it’s so easy to read, and I commend her for that. Being able to find out all the information on werewolf history, Elena’s history, Clay’s history, and the rest of the packs through Elena’s eyes was so enjoyable. Seeing the way she thinks, how she feels about what’s happening around her, and how the others are behaving allowed me, as the reader, to connect deeper with Elena. This was so valuable later on in the book because there was one part when Elena realised she was not so invisible that had my heart aching for her and wishing for her to get out of the situation unscathed. This is a big change because it took me a little time to get into the book and like her. The more I connected to her, the more I saw her behaviours as my own, and the more I worried for myself. I’m not going to look at that too closely.
When I started Bitten, I thought I was dead set on the rating, but as the book progressed, as I related more and more to Elena—which I am not entirely sure is a good thing—as I fell in love with the interactions between her and Clay, that rating changed. I went into this book having watched the TV series, which I love, so I knew there was a strong possibility that I would like the books as well. The pace was a little slow in the beginning for me, and there were times that Elena’s behaviour annoyed me, so it never felt like a five-star read. But as the pace increased and as I found out more about Elena, it started to make more sense, and I was gripped. Therefore, I’m rating Bitten Four out of Five Stars, and I will most likely be reading it again in the future.
I would recommend Bitten by Kelley Armstrong to an adult audience, as this book contains violence, sexual content, and some hard topics. It also holds a great deal of love, brilliant banter, a strong (found) family dynamic, and humour. Even despite some of the topics discussed, which are usually a little hard for me, I really enjoyed it. I’m very much into shifter romances right now, so that definitely helped, Elena may be surrounded by a group of strong men, but she is one hell of a woman, and I would not want to be her enemy. I’m off to purchase the next book in the series!
Favourite Quotes
“The truth is, if a werewolf behaved like this psychopath it wouldn’t be because he was part animal, but because he was still too human. Only humans kill for sport.”
page 25
“‘Yeah, right,’ I said. ‘I’d be more likely to get to the airport by thumbing a ride with the local psychopath.’ Clay grinned. ‘You forget, darling. I am the local psychopath.’”
page 48
“Given the choice between the agony of the Change and admitting to Clay and the others that I could no longer do it on demand, I’d pick drawing and quartering any day. Physical pain fades faster than wounded pride.”
page 89
“‘Tell me to stop,’ he whispered. ‘Just tell me.’”
page 104
“Even now, as I realized he was right, that there wasn’t time to get him out, I knew I wouldn’t leave him here. I’d rather die.”
page 408
“‘I need you.”
page 421
Finer Details
Title: Bitten
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Pages: 436
Publisher: Hachette Digital (2008)
Publication: 2001
Language: English
Rating: 4/5