Review: Haunted

Haunted by Kelley Armstrong (Women of the Otherworld #5)

Published 2005 by Bantam Books
Ebook, 495 pages

From Goodreads:

Eve Levine – half-demon, black witch and devoted mother – has been dead for three years. She has a great house, an interesting love life and can’t be killed again – which comes in handy when you’ve made as many enemies as Eve. Yes, the afterlife isn’t too bad – all she needs to do is find a way to communicate with her daughter, Savannah, and she’ll be happy.

But fate – or more exactly, the Fates – have other plans. Eve owes them a favor, and they’ve just called it in. An evil spirit called the Nix has escaped from hell. She feeds on chaos and death, and is very good at persuading people to kill for her. The Fates want Eve to hunt her down before she does any more damages, but the Nix is a dangerous enemy – previous hunters have been driven insane in the process. As if that’s not problem enough, the only way to stop her is with an Angel’s sword. And Eve is no angel…

Haunted is the fifth book in the Otherworld series which focuses on Eve Levine. In previous book in the series, Eve has been portrayed as a minor character with her main role as Savannah’s mother. With this book, Kelley Armstrong gives more depth and life to a wonderful character.

When Eve was alive, she was a much feared witch. She traded in the dark arts of magic and she had no time or patience for the American Coven. Now, as a ghost in the afterlife, she has to find a new path. She focuses most of her attention on Savannah; always watching and checking up on her. For all her faults (Eve is far from perfect), she loves her daughter more than anything wants to protect her above all else. Her most redeeming quality is being a mother to Savannah. She sacrificed her own life to help her. By being a mother, Eve is able to expand her morality to make better choices that are not just focused on her. At the end of the book, Ms. Armstrong depicts a strong mother-daughter connection between Eve and Savannah where even death can’t destroy.

Ms. Armstrong loves conflict with her couples which make for a really good subplot to her books. In Haunted, Eve and Kristof have a lot to overcome. Prior to both their deaths, they had a very secret and passionate affair and the result was Savannah. Their love is strong but the trust isn’t. All Eve cares about is the safety of her daughter. Kristof wants her to realize that they can have a life together in the Afterlife. They both have to find their own way in the Afterlife and back to each other. Like all of Ms. Armstrong’s female characters, Eve is strong and fiercely independent; having to rely on someone else is difficult. Eve has to struggle to realize that Kristof will always be there for her and she can have a happily ever after with him. That struggle makes Eve a very fascinating character.

Overall, Eve is a strong, powerful and confident witch. She is not afraid to face a demon or any other supernatural creature to get want she wants. I was really happy that Ms. Armstrong wrote an entire book devoted to Eve. She is a great character with big flaws. However, maybe against her will, Eve is developing a good heart. We are not done with Eve because she will continue to play a part in other Otherworld books including 13.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars