Reviews

Adventurer by Kelley Armstrong

kathydavie's review

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3.0

A free short story, 5.1 in the Women of the Otherworld urban fantasy series, revolving around the supernatural races with the focus on the Interracial Council.

My Take
You could say that "Adventurer" is an exposé that ticks Taira off big time. She'd like some excitement and adventure with Kenneth who much prefers the laid-back life of a sleepy shaman.

Only Taira doesn't know the deal Kenneth has with the council, *snicker*.

We learn all this from third person protagonist point-of-view from Kenneth's perspective, as he takes in the dynamics of the council's planning meeting. Yep, there isn't much in the way of action, but more an insight into Kenneth's observations.

It's a winding kind of thing, low-key, as we follow Kenneth in his meanderings.

The Story
There are all kinds of excuses the council offers up, anything to avoid ticking off a cabal. Only Bryant Peters really isn't being blackmailed by a cabal...

So the council's break-in isn't, um, really wrong.

The Characters
"Silent" Kenneth is a sleepy, shaman. Taira is Kenneth's ayami, a spirit guide.

The Interracial Council is…
…an organization for supernaturals, excluding sorcerers, dedicated to preventing the misuse of power. Paige Winterbourne represents the witches. Cassandra represents the vampires. Jeremy Danvers, an artist and the alpha, reps the werewolves. Elena Danvers is part of his pack — the only female werewolf in the world — who is trying to get pregnant. Clayton Danvers is Elena's husband, a notorious werewolf. Adam Vasic, an Exustio half-demon, represents the demons. Jaime Vargas is the newest council delegate, a necromancer.

Lucas Cortez, a sorcerer, lawyer, and Paige's husband, is a crusader against the Cabals, including his own family. Robert Vasic, a Tempestras half-demon, professor, and Adam's stepfather, and Ruth Winterbourne, a witch and Paige's deceased mother, had been council members. Bryant Peters is being blackmailed.

The Cabals are...
...like a mafia family only composed of sorcerers. The cabal in this story is the St Clouds.

The Cover and Title
The cover has a central graphic in a blurry range of blues with Taira in the middle reaching for a pink butterfly. The top and bottom have black borders serving as the background for the author's name with the title below in a pale blue. The bottom text is a pale blue credit for the cover artist.

The title is all about an unexpected "Adventurer".

novelette's review

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3.0

super short story

vikingwolf's review

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3.0

Kenneth the Shaman never says much at the Council meetings but there is more to him than meets the eye. He decides that Elena and Clay need a little help with their quest to have children and he gets the chance to quietly help Jeremy with a plan to outwit the St Cloud Cabal.

I liked this! Kenneth has always interested me and this could have been really good if it had been extended into a decent length novella featuring Kenneth and the Pack.

charlottenw1's review

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3.0

Love these short stories

hemloc's review

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5.0

Three reasons to read Adventurer:

1) I fully expected to neither like nor dislike this story. Kenneth made a brief appearance in Stolen where he doesn't even have a speaking role. He was there to fill a space and didn't serve a purpose beyond that; therefore, he did not leave a lasting impression. But his POV makes him likable, even interesting.

2) His relationship with Teira is sweet in a frustrated, confrontational way, and I loved his interaction with Jeremy.

3) Elena's reaction after he gave her the good news, although only a small moment in a small story, made me smile.

readingrenbo's review

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

bookfessional's review

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3.0

Short POV from Kenneth. Looks like he does do something after all ;)

a_h_haga's review

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4.0

Yay! A story about Armstrong's shamans! I've always been curious about them. Whether they have any other powers than spirit-walking or not. Guess I got my answers here.
Also fun to see the glimps into Elena and Clay pre-Broken. And while I honestly didn't remember Kenneth as a character, I liked him here. Don't think he'd be a good full novel MC, but interesting. And I'd love more shaman stuff!

lpcoolgirl's review

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5.0

Story of Kenneth the shaman, of the council, and who basically wants to nap, but helps in his own way, doesn't want credit, and passes it on, before it was Ruth, now it's Jeremy, and yeah, it was a sweet short story!

si0bhan's review

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2.0

In truth, Adventurer is more of a two-point-five star read, but I opted to round it down, as it wasn’t quite the level of amazing as some of the other Otherworld short stories have been.

Adventurer is just a handful of pages long, something you can complete in a mere handful of minutes, providing you a little insight into the mind of Kenneth. He’s a character we know of, but not one we know very well. In fact, he spends a lot of time in the background. This works to show there is something more to his character than we believe – but I really would have liked a little bit more. This made him real, but it wasn’t enough for me to fall head over heels for his character.

A nice little addition for fans, but not a necessity.
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