Gothic Horror

Omens (Cainsville #1)

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Average Rating:   2.5 / 5

Trigger Warnings:

What would you think if you discovered you were adopted? What would you do if you found out that your bio-parents were serial killers?

Olivia Taylor Jones has led a charmed life. She is the sole heir to a wealthy, prominent family from Chicago. With an Ivy League education, she has the freedom to spend her days working for charity and her handsome fiancé is a smart, tech firm CEO with a future in politics. Her course is already set for the rest of her life. 

But her picture-perfect world is destroyed in one night with one scandalous secret. A secret that her father attempted to take to his grave. Her parents are not her biological parents. Instead of wealth and privilege, her pedigree is full of shame and horror. Her bio-parents are Todd and Pamela Larsen, notorious serial killers who are both serving life sentences. When the breaking story brings a storm of frenzied attention from reporters and victim’s families alike, Olivia does the only thing she can think of and runs. 

Determined to find out the truth about herself and her parents, Olivia finds her way to Cainsville Illinois, a small mystical town that is closely observing her progress. Finding questionable help from her mother’s ex-lawyer, Olivia begins to dig into the Larsen’s crimes. Along the way, she also begins to discover hidden knowledge and abilities that have been marginalized up until now.  And while her strange “talents” may help her get closer to the truth, they will also open her up to darker secrets and powers that threaten her more than she knows. 

Corinna : 2/5 

I had high hopes for this book as it had all the makings of a great fantasy/paranormal thriller. I have not read any Kelley Armstrong books myself, but have heard many good things about her writing, particularly The Otherworld Series, so I had good vibes going into this book. The opening storyline about Olivia finding out she is adopted and that her biological parents were convicted serial killers had me hooked. But as the story progressed, the book seemed confused as to its genre and what it wanted to be. I would put this book into a mystery genre with a sprinkling of supernatural and paranormal, but just enough to be confusing. In the author’s note at the opening of the book, Armstrong says there are literary Easter eggs and foreign words and phrases, and encourages people to discover them with Olivia in the progression of the book, but one could also look them up  if you were more curious. As an avid fantasy reader I was already familiar with  some of these terms and others I did look up. While these were supposed hints, they didn’t actually help with explaining the ultimate mystery of Olivia and what’s behind the strange town of Cainsville. I believe it to be a bit of a stretch to classify this book as fantasy or paranormal, it is more of a mystery with attempts at including paranormal elements that in my opinion didn’t help the storyline. I feel misled, if the book had been classified as a mystery I would have had a different expectation going into it and perhaps enjoyed it more. Unfortunately it didn’t intrigue me enough to continue the series. 

Lydia : 2/5

I am so frustrated with this book. It had SO much potential and it failed to entertain and fulfill on multiple levels. The storylines seemed randomly placed and didn’t connect. The events that took place had no conclusion and just made me have more questions (in a bad way). With a book titled “Omens” I expected to read a lot about mythology, literal omens, psychics etc., but what I got was a weird mix of murder mystery and romance with a tiny little dash of the supernatural. I wasn’t able to connect with any of the characters as I found them all superficial and dishonest with the reader. I usually enjoy Armstrong’s work so I was very disappointed. Her writing is usually better than this. By the end of the book I was screaming WHAT THE HELL IS CAINSVILLE!! 

Megan : 3/5

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favourite authors. Her being a Canadian is a nice bonus, but I love how she chooses a mythology and then incorporates its creatures and legends into her books. Omens is no different.

Out of all of her books, this did not hit the top 10. It wasn’t as action-packed as what I’m used to. The premise was similar to the television show Prodigal Son and how the main character deals with shock and trying to come to terms with discovering that her biological parents are serial killers. The relationships between Olivia and the other characters were interesting. I enjoyed her relationship with Gabriel and seeing how that progressed throughout the story. It was refreshing that it didn’t become romantic; it wouldn’t have suited the story and would have detracted from it.

The mythology was very subtle. In her author’s note, Armstrong mentioned the Easter Eggs that were included for those too impatient for the reveals as the story progressed. I will admit that I did Google a few words, but I look forward to finding out more of how the Celtic mythology will guide the story. It’s a slow build-up, but I will still recommend the book, especially if mystery and mythology are your go-tos.

Sharaya : 3/5 

There were a lot of elements in this book that I really enjoyed and then quite a few that didn’t click for me.  The novel felt like a strange juxtaposition of genres.  On the one side, there was the terribly interesting concept of not only finding out that you are adopted, but that your bio-parents are infamous serial killers.  Maybe it’s just because I happened to finish season 2 of Prodigal Son last weekend (fingers crossed for season 3!), but I was getting some strong Malcolm Bright vibes from Olivia.  Particularly as her newly discovered parentage caused her to question her reactions, whether they were “normal”, and what was she really capable of? The other side of the plot was the paranormal elements, which were very prevalent, but not developed at all.  Don’t expect to get a lot of answers on that front, at least in this installment of the series (which seems a little strange to me for a book titled Omens).

The characters had a variety of interesting psychologies, but I wasn’t really drawn to any of them (except for one of the older couples in Cainsville, because who doesn’t love a cute, old married couple?). It was written well, and I am interested in seeing where the paranormal storyline is heading, but I’m not sure if or when I will read the next book in the series. I’m intrigued, but not dying to know what happens. 

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