This book! This book turned me back on to reading series again. Very plainly, I hate reading series. I'm a very impatient person, so having to wait an entire year to get the next book is hell to me. But this book just completely made the exception. I've always loved Kelley Armstrong. I think the first time I ever encountered her was in grade 8, I read her Darkest Powers series. I fell in love with the characters. But Omens just completely surpassed my expectations. If you haven't read it here is the synopsis:
"Olivia Taylor Jones, 24, seems to have the perfect life. The only daughter of a wealthy Chicago family, she has an Ivy League education, pursues volunteerism and philanthropy, and is engaged to a handsome young tech-firm CEO with political ambitions. But Olivia's world is shattered when she finds out that she's adopted. Her real parents? Todd and Pamela Larsen, notorious serial killers, each still serving a life sentence.
The news brings a maelstrom of unwanted publicity to her adopted family and fiancé, and Olivia thinks the best thing she can do for herself and for them is run away from it all. She ends up in the small town of Cainsville, Illinois, an old and cloistered community that takes a particular interest in both Olivia and her decision to uncover the truth about her birth parents. Olivia decides to focus on the Larsens' last crime, the one Pamela Larsen swears will prove their innocence. But as she and Gabriel Walsh, Pamela's former lawyer, start investigating, Olivia finds herself drawing on abilities that have remained hidden since her childhood, gifts that make her both a valuable addition to Cainsville and deeply vulnerable to unknown enemies. There are dark secrets behind her new home, and powers lurking in the shadows that have their own plans for her."
The way Armstrong describes Cainsville is phenomenal. I was able to picture it quite easily. I swear almost nothing is worse than not being able to picture the setting where the majority of the book is taking place. I love the character dynamics throughout the novel. The way that Olivia, Gabriel, and Pamela change throughout the novel and the series is huge. Both Gabriel and Olivia have a lot of childhood trauma. We see how it affects their lives and their relationships with others. We also get to see how they work to get through that trauma and make the effort for each other. Kelley describes them primarily with their personality and it's so easy to fall in love with them. I'm trying not to talk about the rest of the series too much. I don’t want to spoil much.
In the book we follow Olivia and Gabriel as they investigate one of the crimes that the Larsens are accused of committing. Armstrong takes you through many expected yet unexpected turns. After about 1/3 through the book you expect to be surprised by what is discovered and done.
If you ever go into Chapters, Indigo or whatever your bookstore chain is, this book is categorized under horror. I, however, disagree with this genre categorization. This book would be more a suspense/mystery/thriller and also Sci-fi. It really isn't scary, at all. There are a few moments where you're completely on edge, but that’s just the suspense of "what are they going to do?"
Like most of Kelley Armstrong's novels it has a supernatural theme in it, but in the first book it's just undertones. Supernatural becomes more prevalent in the following novels in the series. Romance is an attention thief as well, of course. Boy, Girl, what else is going to happen. But it isn't who you expect and that really got me. I'm a huge romantic and I thrive on it in my novels. So of course having it incorporated into this novel is a definite bonus.
Overall I think Kelley did a good job. I mean it was great enough for me to read the rest of the series and actively wait for the next book to be released. There are some elements to it I wish were different and there are some things that aren't explained in this book but in the following ones. It's thrilling and entertaining, and it keeps you coming back for more whether it's for an explanation, a dose of sexy and cool Gabriel, or curious and loyal Olivia. You'll fall in love with this duo.
The book is roughly around 400 pages and should take around 10 hours to read. I read it in one night, granted I didn’t sleep at all. You can purchase it at your local bookstore. I bought the e-book from Kobo, which is a few bucks cheaper. I'll post some links below for it.
Have you read it? Comment your thought on it below. I'd love to hear what you think!
Cheers!XX
EsquireCat
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/omens-1
Indigo/Chapters: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/omens-the-cainsville-series/9780307360533-item.html
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Omens-Cainsville-Kelley-Armstrong-ebook/dp/B00BRUQ2KO
Google Play Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kelley_Armstrong_Omens?id=YInFP5CekK4C&hl=en
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