Thirteen (Women of the Otherworld, #13) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Sep 09, 2012 Nairabell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, 5-star, urban-fantasy, favorites

The Otherworld is perched on the brink of war. The Supernatural Liberation Movement are poised to reveal the existence of supernaturals to the rest of the world in a bloody display of power, utilizing a deadly virus in hopes of controlling those in positions of power. Savannah Levine is forced to make a stand and lead a group to stop the revelations. Now Elena and Clay, Paige and Lucas, Jeremy and Jaime, Hope, Eve and more must stand with Savannah and Adam to protect their world.

This is the fina The Otherworld is perched on the brink of war. The Supernatural Liberation Movement are poised to reveal the existence of supernaturals to the rest of the world in a bloody display of power, utilizing a deadly virus in hopes of controlling those in positions of power. Savannah Levine is forced to make a stand and lead a group to stop the revelations. Now Elena and Clay, Paige and Lucas, Jeremy and Jaime, Hope, Eve and more must stand with Savannah and Adam to protect their world.

This is the final book in the Otherworld series (which started with Bitten) and is the concluding part of a trilogy within the main series that began with Waking the Witch and Spell Bound. This isn't the absolute end of the series as the author plans to release short stories, but it is the end for now. If you are a new reader I'd encourage you to start at the beginning of the series as this is a conclusion of all the previous books.

Once again Savannah is the narrator although I was thrilled to see chapters from the perspectives of past narrators (Elena, Paige, Eve, Jaime and Hope all have a turn) as not only was it a way of saying goodbye to their characters, it also furthered the storyline. Savannah is still pretty much without her powers but she is learning that wasn't her only strength and is fighting back. Her relationship with Adam finally moves into romance territory, although the sheer amount of action in the storyline means that the romance is in the background.

The storyline is fast paced and densely plotted, packed with twists and turns that leave you breathless. The author manages to pick up all sorts of storylines from the previous books and novellas and uses them to create an action-packed deliciously detailed plot. Even storylines I thought were over (Lucas's role in the Cabal, Jaz's imprisonment, Adele's baby, Savannah's relationship with the Nasts) are picked up and developed further. The relationships between the characters are also developed further, with Lucas struggling with Adam's feeling for Savannnah and Karl finally accepting his role in the Pack.

The ending is perfect but hard to discuss without spoilers. All I can say is that each character ends up with something that makes them incredibly happy but thought they could never have. There is a final note included at the end from Kelley Armstrong that explains why she chose to end the book (and series) in this way and I fully agree with her. This is a beautiful, if bittersweet, conclusion to one of my favourite series.

There is also a bonus short story included called "From Russia, with Love" featuring Elena. Basically it is a brief story that shows how she takes on the Alpha role and for me it's inclusion in this edition was brilliant. Before I read the final three books, I felt the series should end as it began with Elena as the narrator. I loved how the series was concluded but this is really the icing on top as it brings Elena full circle and gives the conclusion I was hoping for.

All in all this was a brilliant end to an outstanding series.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 49/50 ...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Christal rated it really liked it

Shelves: urban-fantasy, weres-and-shifters, magic, witches-warlocks-and-mages, war, multiple-leads, angels, demons, ghosts, vampires

I am sad that the Women of the Otherworld series is now over, but I thought Thirteen was a pretty good ending for the story. Savannah is still my least favorite narrator, but I came to like her a little bit more by the end of the book.

I liked that each previous narrator got a little chapter here and there from their perspective. Elena has always been my favorite but I enjoyed Paige, Jaime, and Eve's books as well. I'm glad most of the recurring characters made appearances and we got some closure I am sad that the Women of the Otherworld series is now over, but I thought Thirteen was a pretty good ending for the story. Savannah is still my least favorite narrator, but I came to like her a little bit more by the end of the book.

I liked that each previous narrator got a little chapter here and there from their perspective. Elena has always been my favorite but I enjoyed Paige, Jaime, and Eve's books as well. I'm glad most of the recurring characters made appearances and we got some closure with their lives. I'm also glad no one major died. I'd much rather have a bit of a pat ending with everyone still breathing than have a horrible, heartbreaking death scene in the final hour.

When the book starts, Savannah and Adam are still trying to bring down the supernatural terrorist group from the previous book, Spell Bound. Throughout the book, they are constantly attacked or kidnapped or running from place to place to try to stop an attack. The action is pretty much non-stop, but we do get the requisite love scene that's been a long time a'comin' (though the Savannah love scenes still make me feel icky since she started the series as a 12-year old girl...). Savannah still reads as young and selfish to me. I don't think her voice was best suited for this book because I had trouble believing she would be as involved as she was. She's still just a young adult and her powers are on the fritz. Why would Savannah take the lead when you have a full-powered witch/warlock combo in Paige and Lucas, super-strong werewolves in Elena and Clay, or even the indestructible vampires Cassandra and Aaron?

The terrorist plot made for a fun read, but some of the aspects weren't quite as clear as I would have liked. I didn't really understand why the celestial world was in chaos just because an earth-bound terrorist group was in the beginning stages of their plot. I did like seeing everyone work together and them each getting their moment to shine. I'm glad Elena and Clay had such a big role, but I did miss Paige and Jamie. They had small roles but I would have liked to have them around more. I liked that Eve and Kristoff got a chance to tie up some loose familial ends and I hope we get a chance to see what happens to the Nast Cabal in a future novella. Overall, I enjoyed this book and the tentative closure it provided to the series, I just would have preferred a different narrator for the finale.

This edition included a short-story from Elena's perspective and I enjoyed it very much. I always like it when we get to spend time with the whole pack. I'm a little sad that the new werewolves didn't get very much character development throughout the books, but I liked the little glimpses we received of Elena and Clay's twins. The ending seemed more like a new beginning than a closure chapter so I hope that means we will be getting lots more werewolf stories (even if they are short or novellas) in the future. ...more

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Aug 10, 2013 Mandy Beyers rated it it was amazing

Shelves: urban-fantasy, borrowed, z-read-for-a-2013-challenge, ztower-team-reads, z-climbthestairschallenge

Really satisfied with the way the series ended - the whole book was exciting and the way the last three few fed into each other was well-done.

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Jan 27, 2012 Cindi Kelley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-read

#90of2012 It was a good ending to a series. Nothing was wrapped up in a tidy little bow. Things will keep on trucking there even if she isn't writing about them anymore. I will really miss this series. :( ...more

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