Bitten By Kelley Armstrong (3.5/5)

I would have liked to have read through this book quicker than I did, as Kelley's other books i've read have been addictive. This book was good, but not as jaw droppingly, heart racingly amazing.

I enjoyed the character of Elena, I loved her strength and her power, but I also like that this didn't come at the cost of her compassion. She was able to be tough, cynical and occasionally violent, but she loved fiercely and was extremely loyal for the right reasons. I loved her attitude and found her very entertaining, expecially when she was being deliberately provocative, or couldn't control her anger

I couldn't really empathise with the character of Clay, I found his love for Elena endearing, but I still didn't really feel much for him as a character until near the end of the book, which was a shame. I like his back story though, very much so. The idea of a feral child, being a very interesting one, especially with the way he clung to Elena. However, his lack of empathy made him a rather difficult character to sympathise with.

The action was good, and well written. There was a lot of it, which felt a bit drawn out in places. There were so many show downs that the pace of the book was slightly affected in my opinion. Though as individual scenes they were very entertaining. I liked all of the villians, how they had different motivations and tactics. For the same reason I liked the contrast of The Pack. Lots of different personalities clashing, but with the most important difference, The Pack had a respectful hierarchy that worked. Jeremy was a great leader, tough when he needed to be, but caring, sensitive and a brilliant father figure.

I think the only part of the book I didn't enjoy was the treatment of poor Phillip. He was lovely and he didn't deserve to be unrewarded for his complete loyalty, kindness, compassion and care. This is the absolute example of nice guys finishing last. Only he didn't just finish last, he was stabbed, abandoned, terrified, and cheated on. All for being a nice guy. :S I really don't like that moral. The fact the Elena wasn't attracted to him wasn't his fault and yet his character was never given a break. *pats his head* I think the story would have worked just as well if he was a friend of Elena's who clearly had feelings for her, and whom she was keeping as a 'back up'. Plus then I may have been more open minded to Elena and Clay's relationship, rather than never being supportive, because I saw the whole thing as unethical. I think I would have liked to have supported it, as I may have cared a little bit more.

All in all, a good read, not one of my favourites, but well written enough to be worth reading, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series. Plus my book is signed by Kelley Armstrong, which always makes it more special. : )