I decided to request Bitten from the local library because I’d seen it on a list of good fantasy series. I’m so very glad I did that. Got it from the library that is. This book is the epitome of everything that people don’t like about paranormal romance. I’m almost tempted to throw it in the river and save everyone else who may check it out the experience; I won’t because that’s destruction of library property (and therefore bad on principle) and the book’s not worth the fine or the pollution.
One of the worst things that romance novels of any kind can do, as I say this having read both some very bad and typical ones and some very good ones, is put a certain type of heroine between Mr. Nice Guy and Mr. Bad-Boy, and have a terrible time deciding between what she thinks is the better (she’s usually right) and what she “feels” is better (NO! Bad heroine!). I really hate this; it’s like in horror movies when you want to yell at the screen “Don’t open that door” or “Don’t split up” and you know the characters will do just that and it will be bad.
The heroine here is pretty stupid, in all kinds of ways. Elena Michaels is trying to lie a normal life in Toronto with her seriously nice boyfriend, except she’s having a little problem dealing with the fact she’s a werewolf, the only female werewolf. It turns out she was bitten by an-ex lover, and now wants to get away from her Pack. The Mr. Bad Boy is Clay, who is smart, sexy, etc. but a terrible excuse for a man, even though he’s a werewolf. He’s controlling, borderline abusive, manipulative, and why do women in romance novels fall this disgustingness so often? I don’t care if he’s hot and you may have had a thing years ago. Nice Philip the architect actually respects you and treats you nicely. Also, how fair is it that we have to see Elena have sex with Clay more than once but nothing with Phillip? That seems one-sided, and makes Elena look like that’s all she cares about, which in this story seems to be the case.
The actual Pack and werewolf mythology used here is actually the only interesting thing in the book, and the only reason I managed to finish. Jeremy and the other wolves/guys at Stonehaven are actually a really interesting take on the whole pack and werewolf existence and mentality. The problem is that all the murder they don’t do but must figure out, and a lot of the killing that they do do, and by ‘they’ it’s mostly Clay and Elena, has nothing to make it interesting. Just a bunch of people and the occasional wolf dies for generally no reason. Someone might even get a little upset. Even the bad guys have little to no personality to them, beyond these guys are messed up, as in physchologically. When the main villain supposedly finally shows up in person, he dies so stupidly that what was the point of even having him there?
If this is how the series starts, I can only imagine how bad the rest is. The reviews on Goodreads are surprisingly positive, and there’s quite a few entries in this series. What’s wrong with people?