Cross posted from the League of Extraordinary Writers.
Since it’s nearly Halloween, let’s talk paranormal fiction. I am a fan, but a picky one. I like strong female characters. Not simpering victims or mooning lovers. So, I was thrilled to discover Kelley Armstrong’s books a few summers ago.
The Women of the Otherworld series and her YA series—The Darkest Powers—share the same universe. All the supernatural races—werewolves, vampires, witches, shamans, necromancers, etc.—exist secretly alongside our world. The sorcerers have even organized themselves into family-run Cabals, something akin to a corporate mafia.
In the Otherworld series, each novel is told from the point of view of a strong female supernatural (No vampires, though.) as she kicks butt and/or sleuths her way through some mystery or intrigue. Elena, the werewolf, is by far my favorite narrator. The others are no slouches, though. Paige, the witch. Jamie, the necromancer. Hope, the half-demon. The latest books of the Otherworld series are from Savannah, a witch, who has grown to young womanhood since the third book. The 12th Otherworld novel comes out next year.
The first three books of Armstrong’s YA series are told from 15- year-old Chloe’s perspective. Because of their budding powers, she and several other teen supers find themselves in a half-way house for kids with psychiatric problems. I won’t spoil the plot if you haven’t read any of the books. The fourth—the Gathering—comes out next Spring.
What I love about Armstrong is that she doesn’t sacrifice strong men for the sake of strong female characters. Although there may be a few chauvinistic holdouts, her male and female supers are on equal footing. Armstrong has written several short stories about the Otherworld men, which were anthologized in Men of Otherworld.
