106) Led Astray by Kelley Armstrong

The Blurb :

Two brand new tales anchor this wide-ranging collection from one of urban fantasy's most successful authors. Here is the first time that best-selling fantasy, YA, and crime author Kelley Armstrong has had her stories collected from Otherworld and beyond. With her signature twists and turns, Armstrong gives a fresh spin on city-dwelling vampires, werewolves, and zombies, while also traveling further afield, to a post-apocalyptic fortress, a superstitious village, a supernatural brothel, and even to feudal Japan.

My Thoughts :

I should really take the time to read the blurb before pouncing on books by my favourite authors.  I see their name, see a release date that is quickly approaching and just grab a copy.  However within seconds of starting the book I realised I had made a mistake.  This wasn't 'new' and this wasn't at all what I was expecting.

Led Astray is an anthology.  The best of Kelley Armstrong.  Now this may seem like a great idea.  All of Kelley's short stories in one book.  However I have already read the majority of them.  So I ended up speed reading at least two thirds of the book.  The other stories, two new, weren't anything extremely special to write home about.  Although on saying that, I do tend to get a little negative about anthologies.  I'm just not a fan and rarely find one worth praising.

Now if you are a hardcore fan you will have read most of the stories already.  Over the years we have all craved just a little bit more of Armstrong in between books and have grabbed the occasional novella.  So this won't be a top priority for you unless you really want to make sure your collection is complete.  Yes there are two new short stories in here but weigh up the pro's and con's first.  You are buying a whole book full of stories you have already read just to get two new short stories. Think about it and don't blame anyone else for your decision.

If you enjoy Kelley's books but haven't had the chance to read any or many of her short stories then you will want to get a hold of this one.  There are some really nice ones in here and the stories are set in all of her various 'worlds'.  So there is something for everyone.  However if you haven't read many or any of Kelley's books you may want to leave this one for a later date.  There aren't really huge spoilers in here but there are some.  It would certainly annoy me and most likely confuse me if I wasn't that far along with the books in any of the series.

Lots of the stories are standalone but quite a few fit into a certain series somewhere.  One of the original stories (and one of the longest of the collection) is from the Cainsville series where as the other is a standalone.  Actually my favourite of the bunch was the original standalone called 'The Door' but it was a quick read.

In all honesty I nearly didn't finish this book.  After about 20% I had to put the book down and have a break.  My head hurt and I felt like the book should be over already.  The first 20% felt like a whole novel.  If it wasn't for the fact that I was stuck at the doctors for two hours with only my trusty Kindle to keep me occupied I may not have finished this book.

All in all this is a nice collection and also a wonderful idea.  I don't think I would have bought this one but definitely would have borrowed it from the library or a friend.  Kelley is an experienced and special author with some amazing books behind her and hopefully more in her future.  She has the gift of writing a great short story so Led Astray isn't full unworthy reads.  Just full of novellas you may have read before.

32) Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

The Blurb :

In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.

Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.

Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they’ve ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever.

My Thoughts :

I read blurbs, like them and therefore add the book to my wish list and then I promptly forget about the short description.  I feel sorry for person who has to come up with the few sentences or paragraphs that have to capture the whole essence of the book and make it sound so awesome that you want to buy and read it.  However I find that they usually give away too much of the plot for my liking and sometimes I will start a book I have had on my wish list and wonder why I wanted to read it at all.  Blurbs can also be too good to be true.

I tell you all this because nine times out of ten I don't even read the blurbs of the books some authors have on offer.  I have nothing against being surprised by my favourite authors.  I trust them after all these years and brilliant stories and Kelley Armstrong is on this list of writers that I will read no matter what.  She could write a historical romance (not my cup of tea) but I would still read it.  Her style, imagination and wonder concepts are always good.

So after a few chapters of Sea of Shadows I was seriously ready to give up.  I couldn't believe I was even contemplating it.  This wasn't what I was expecting.  Young Adult yes but Fantsasy?  It was difficult, it wasn't modern and it wasn't familiar.  I felt lost and confused.  I went back to the blurb but that didn't help encourage me.  So it was with a heavy heart that I put the Kindle down and went off to do something else.

However I didn't want to give up and after a week of work, normal life and finishing off an audio book I went back to this today and found new hope.  It came a few more chapters in and I was suddenly relieved that this was going to be good and that I made the right decision to go back and keep reading.  What followed was an impressive and fantastic story that becomes unforgettable and more than interesting.

Kelley Armstrong has done it again and delivered another brilliant read.  Yes it was slow going at first but the rewards come along later if you keep going.  It doesn't have the wow factor that her previous books have had but it still special.  Action, betrayal, death and some lovely fantasy all come together in this debut book in the Age of Legends series.   Any Armstrong fans will be happy with this new addition to their bookshelf and any lovers of Maria Snyder will find Sea of Shadows is a nice read to fill the gap between her releases.

Now I eagerly await the next installment.  By the end I was ready for more. There are so many questions left unanswered and a lot of promise of more fantastic fantasy to come.  I found the characters hard to befriend but by the end I felt invested in their story and I look forward to getting together with them again soon.  Well worth checking out this new release from one of my all time favourite authors.

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