Bibliosa

A great start to a series. I've never read anything by Kelley Armstrong, but after this one I not only added the sequel to my most anticipated books of 2014 list, but I plan to start reading more of her work.

Olivia Taylor Jones a.k.a. Eden Larsen is the main character of Omens. She is a rich girl from Chicago who has had everything in her life handed to her. However, she isn't a princess. She is fully aware of her advantages in life and doesn't necessarily feel guilty, but she also isn't comfortable doing nothing. As the novel begins, Olivia is engaged to a decent guy, and she is preparing to go back to school to earn her PHD in Victorian Lit. That is until she discovers that she is really the daughter of two notorious serial killers both serving out life sentences in prison. Suddenly Olivia is the focus of media scrutiny, and her family doesn't prove to make matters better for her. Frustrated and feeling alone she decides to take a break from of it all and discover her past. She ends up in Cainsville, a small and mysterious town where she meets Gabriel Walsh, her mother's former lawyer who offers her assistance in her search. Together they uncover old secrets about Olivia's parents, and about Olivia herself. 

Omens is divided between fantasy and mystery. The combination works great. The fantasy is sprinkled in every now and then to remind you that this isn't your average solve-the -crime story. The lore behind the town of Cainsville is rooted deeply in Welsh history which I found fascinating. Many questions are left unanswered which is a bit frustrating, however, keep in mind this is the first in a series. The first half of the book really drew me in, and I couldn't put it down. However, I will say the middle portion did drag a little, but sped right back up towards the end. I also wasn't expecting the book to go in the direction it went, and in typical mystery fashion, I was surprised to discover who was really behind the crime. 

The characters are different and complex even some of the side characters. I loved Grace's humor, and Rose is intriguing. Gabriel was a fantastic male lead. By the way there is no romance here, well at least not between Olivia and Gabriel. There is chemistry though and hints of something. Which I'm sure Armstrong will touch on later which I prefer. I also really liked Olivia. She was naive many times, but smart and quick to solve her problems. She matured throughout the course of this book, and I'm interested to see where this journey takes her. 

Overall I really enjoyed Omens and I would recommend it to fans of Fever Series