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.

78) Hunting Kat by Kelley Armstrong

The Blurb :

Kat is a sixteen-year-old vampire, and she's not too happy about it. After an experiment-gone-wrong and a bullet to the heart, she now hungers for human blood, and the worst part about that is the guilt. But guilt isn't the only thing stressing her. Kat is being hunted by the Edison Group, a dangerous Cabal that is responsible for her undead state.

Kat is running out of places to hide, and she has no one to turn to—until she meets Chad and Neil. They're on the run like she is, and they offer to help Kat against their common enemy. But the boys aren't all that they seem, and for Kat, deciding whether to trust them may be a matter of life or death.

My Thoughts :

Hunting Kat is a short story that takes place in the Darkest Powers/Darkness Rising world that fans will have come to know and love. There isn't much really to tell about this novella other than it surprises by bringing in vampires to the mix. I believe that they have been mentioned in the previous books but an actual vampire experiment is, from what I can remember, new. Maybe it is a preview of what is to come in the next three Young Adult installments?

If you have been following the series you will know all about the Edison Group and what the other teens have gone through. This means Hunting Kat will make a lot of sense. If you haven't already enjoyed this special series then you will get a little insight into the world and basic story line.

Any lovers of Armstrong's work will enjoy this short tale. How the author manages to put some much feeling and action into such a short story is mystery but she does is well. The novella left me satisfied and even though I would have loved a full length novel, Hunting Kat took the edge off. Now I don't mind waiting a little more for the next delicious story.

Darkest Powers

#1 - The Summoning
#2 - The Awakening
#3 - The Reckoning

Darkness Rising

#1 - The Calling
#2 - The Gathering
#3 - The Rising (Due out in 2013)

27) Darkest Powers : Bonus Pack by Kelley Armstrong

The Blurb :

Contains three companion stories to the Darkest Powers trilogy.

Dangerous (prequel to The Summoning)

The story of how Derek and Simon came to Lyle House, told from Derek’s point-of-view

Divided (set between The Summoning and The Awakening)

Derek and Simon’s adventures while separated from Chloe and Rae in the factory. Also told from Derek’s point of view.

Disenchanted (overlaps part of The Awakening)

Simon and Tori continue their journey after Chloe and Derek are left at the truck stop. Told from Tori’s point of view.

My Thoughts :

I really enjoyed the Darkest Powers Trilogy and when I came across this package of novella'sI had to have it. Oh and the cover was pretty cool too! Anyway this set of novellas actually more or less makes it as long as a full length book. Which makes this bonus pack even better value for money and worth checking out.

All three stories were interesting and cleared up some questions from the books. Also it meant you finally see some of the story from another angle and it makes a little more sense. I especially liked thethird story which Tori takes over for herself. It was fun and totally reminded me of how her character acted back in the trilogy.

The Darkest Powers trilogy are gone but not forgotten in this lovely collection. Any fans of the series need to check this out and anyone who has read the books yet can make sure they read the novellas in the correct order. Well worth reading.