Publisher: UK Publisher: Hachette; US Publisher: Dutton.
Where did you get the book: Purchased
Release date: out now
Review contains minor spoilers.
War is coming to the Otherworld. A sinister cult known as The Supernatural Liberation Movement is hell-bent on exposing the truth about supernaturals to the rest of the world. Their violent, ruthless plan has put everyone at risk: from werewolves to vampires, from witches to half-demons.
Savannah Levine – fiery and unpredictable – stands at the heart of the maelstrom. There is a new, dark magic inside her, granting her the power to summon spells of terrifying strength. But whether this magic is a gift or a curse, no one knows.
On the eve of battle, all the major players must come together in a last, desperate fight for survival – Elena and Clay; Adam and Savannah; Paige and Lucas; Jeremy and Jaime; Hope, Eve and more…They are fighting for lives.
They are fighting for their loved ones.
They are fighting for the Otherworld.
*blurb taken from Goodreads*
I have so many mixed emotions about Thirteen. It’s the last book in the Otherworld series, and we make a return to Savannah. With her powers slowly returning as she practices them, Savannah not only has to deal with the dangerous and frightening Supernatural Liberation Movement, but the Cabals are moving politically — and Savannah is caught right in the middle. Demons are also getting mixed up in all this trouble, and along the way Savannah is going to need the help of her Otherworld friends to make sure they, and humankind, survive.
Thirteen is full of non-stop action from the get-go, and whilst I loved the action compared to the slowness of the previous books, at times it was too high energy and frantic that left me feeling rushed. Because there was so much going on, I think a lot of character development was not shown in great detail. Savannah does mature in Thirteen, and her relationship with Adam grows. Despite the age gap, I really believe that their relationship is going to last.
We meet past narrators again in Thirteen such as Elena, Paige, Jamie and Hope. The odd chapters dedicated to them didn’t add a lot to the story, but it was a fitting end as these characters made the Otherworld series. I was happy to see a chapter dedicated to Jamie, though I was a little sad there wasn’t any emotional time with Jeremy. I wanted Jeremy and Jamie to have a scene where Jeremy admits he can’t live without her and vice versa…Yeah that’s the big romance reader in me.
Also, in a weird way, I was waiting to see if one of the characters would die. And whilst I’m happy nobody did die it would have been more realistic if somebody did due to the action and violence that was created. There are demons involved, and the Cabal play a major part, especially the Nasts. Savannah gets to spend time with her mum Eve which really tugged on my heartstrings. It seems like the rule was broken just so Savannah could meet Eve, along with her Dad, Kristof.
The ending left on a HFN note which I thought was great. It concludes the series, but left things off where Kelley can return to the world. I would love to see Sean in a book, and see where his story takes him. He was such a big presence and I really grew to like him. But there was a scary moment where a much loved character nearly dies. I just about died, and all I’ll say is Kelley Armstrong was so sneaky doing that!
All in all whilst I didn’t adore Thirteen, it was a fitting end to a long running series that knows when to end on a high. Kelley Armstrong created a series that has kept me entertained for many years with characters that I have grown to love. I would urge anyone who loves gritty Urban Fantasy, and romance, to pick up this series and enjoy the journey it takes you on.
I give Thirteen a B.
The scene with the almost-death hit me like a punch in the gut. I really believed he was gone!!!
Great review.
@Jen at Red Hot Books: I was nearly hyperventilating because I thought he was a goner.
This book gave me lady blue balls. I LOVED Savannah and Adam and was looking for way more payoff… I agree that their relationship was handled realistically, but I wanted so much more, and I wanted that bedroom door to remain open, damn it!
I have to confess that I haven’t start reading this author, but I am slowly collecting her books, and will read them one day.