Review: Visions by Kelley Armstrong

Posted July 20, 2015 by Lola in Fantasy, Mystery, Review / 14 Comments

LolaReview

visionsVisions (Cainsville #2)
by Kelley Armstrong

Blurb:
As #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s new Cainsville series continues, Olivia’s power to read omens leads to the discovery of a gruesome crime with troubling connections to her new hometown.

Omens, the first installment in Kelley Armstrong’s exciting new series, introduced Olivia Taylor-Jones, daughter of notorious serial killers, and Gabriel Walsh, the self-serving, morally ambiguous lawyer who became her unlikely ally. Together, they chased down a devious killer and partially cleared her parents of their horrifying crimes.

Their success, however, is short-lived. While Olivia takes refuge in the old, secluded town of Cainsville, Gabriel’s past mistakes have come to light, creating a rift between the pair just when she needs his help the most.

Olivia finds a dead woman in her car, dressed to look like her, but the body vanishes before anyone else sees it. Olivia’s convinced it’s another omen, a sign of impending danger. But then she learns that a troubled young woman went missing just days ago—the same woman Olivia found dead in her car. Someone has gone to great lengths to kill and leave this young woman as a warning. But why? And what role has her new home played in this disturbing murder?

Olivia’s effort to uncover the truth places her in the crosshairs of old and powerful forces, forces that have their own agenda, and closely guarded secrets they don’t want revealed.

My Review:
I love Visions, it’s the perfect sequel to Omens and even though I read Omens a while ago I easily got back into this world. There are plot lines from the first book which continue onwards, some progress very little, others more. There is also a new murder mystery and plot that get’s resolved in this book. While I had expected this book to focus on another murder by Olivia her parents that they would prove they hadn’t done, that isn’t the case. This one actually focussed on a random character that got murdered and it seems almost irrelevant, but slowly pieces fall on it’s place. This book delves deeper into the paranormal aspect, we learn more, get some answers and even more questions. It is well written, with short chapters or page breaks, which made it almost impossible for me to put this down. Every time I was thinking just a few pages more or just one more chapters and I ended up reading much more. This book led me till reading very late in the night on some days, but I didn’t mind at all.

There is mystery, the search for answers, paranormal aspects. Clues and hints which we don’t fully understand and some we do. Things are revealed and there are hints to even more and other things. Olivia her visions seems to mean something, but I can’t fully figure out what. I love the mystery aspect and the wanting to know more. It’s all so well done, getting enough hints to keep reading, while also keeping so many things mysterious as well. It’s an interesting combination between thriller, mystery, paranormal, romance and urban fantasy.

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favourite authors and every time I pick up one of her books I just get sucked into it. The story is slightly slow paced, but I love the pace and how it fits the story. While there are multiple plot lines going on it’s never confusing, there is enough progressing in all of them and while some plot lines basically stand on pause in this book there are still enough hints and mentions that you understand why. I loved the story in this one and how it focusses more on Cainsville and Olivia. We learn more about Olivia and her past and connection with Cainsville and also about Gabriel. Beside the plot there is also a lot of focus on the characters and the interpersonal relationships.

Olivia is a great main character, sensible and down to earth, while still trying to solve things on her own sometimes She doesn’t take unnecessary risks, but she does land in some risky situations. There is a lot going on with her in this book, she has visions which she struggles to understand, then she finds a dead girl who looks a bit like her and there are things going on romantically. It isn’t really a love triangle, as it’s way too well written for that and there isn’t really a conflict of who to chose. But there are multiple men who are interested in Olivia. I am still routing for Gabriel and Olivia as I love them together. I didn’t like James at all, he seems reasonable, but he shows more of his true self in this book and he is a bit of a creep. Then there is Ricky, I liked Ricky and he can offer Olivia things the other cannot. He is what she needed at this time, but I believe it’s temporary. And I still like Gabriel more, he has a hard live and there are hints he is still damaged. And he’s such a complex character, who carefully hides his emotions, but Olivia still understand him pretty well. We get a few chapters from his point of view and I loved that. There are a few chapters form other point of views that shed light on different things and I loved those little chapters. It is also very cleverly done with how the normal chapters have a chapter number, but the chapters from other people their point of view have a name in a different font. It’s really obvious you are in someone else their point of view.

The romance is slow building, at least the romance between Olivia and Gabriel and yes I still like to believe that’s were they’re going. Tiny steps, so slowly, but so delicious. I love seeing them get a bit close, then a step back and the something else happens and they are closer again. They thread very carefully, but I love what they already have together. They are so close, yet still not close enough. they trust each other, but still don’t fully open up about some things. Gabriel hides his past, Olivia hides her feelings even from herself at times. And there is this scene at the end where Olivia confronts Patrick about something and I loved it and it shows how much she cared. Then the conclusion scene again hints at there being more between Gabriel and Olivia. All those little gestures and signs seem to mean so much.

Beside that romance, there is also something going on with James and Ricky. I liked Ricky. I didn’t like James. Olivia genuinely seems happy with Rick and I know there is something going on with Ricky as well, he is involved on this. And while she does share his bed, she doesn’t share all the details about her seeing omens and the supernatural. And I have a feeling Ricky has his own secrets as well and is connected to it all.

The world building was amazing. I knew something was up with Cainsville and while it’s subtle in the first book, in this book there is more. More paranormal or supernatural or preternatural how you want to call it, it’s hard to label it. More mythology and legends and the past and how it all plays a role. The Wild Hunt and more. Every piece that we learn only has me ask more questions, but I loved learning more and having things make sense and how expertly we get more answers and questions and things fall on it’s place and more pieces are missing. I can’t say anything more for fear of spoiling it, but I can say I love the world building. It’s so well done and so original and woven into everything and mysterious.

To conclude: I love this book, I have the feeling my review is a bit all over the place as it’s hard to adequately describe what this book did to me, the range of emotions I felt and how invested I feel with this story. I love every aspect of this book, from the story to the character, the romance and the world building. I am happy I waited till now to read it, because it makes the wait for the next book shorter and on the other hand I wish I had waited a month or two longer so I could read the next book right after it. The story was very well done, furthering some plots and a plot of a murder mystery that gets resolved in this book. It’s a long book, but it didn’t feel long as I loved every page of the story. I also like the characters, Olivia is a great main character and I keep routing for her and Gabriel. Loving how they grow closer and still not close enough. Gah I love this type of romance. Then there are James and Rocky who both play a bigger role in this book. I did like Rick,y although I like Gabriel more. I don’t like James. We learn so much about the world and Cainsville and I loved every piece of info we got, even though there are even more questions now. I can’t to read the next book! I am sure the wait will be worth it.

5-star

Links:
Goodreads
Amazon
B&N
Kobo
The Bookdepository

Other books I have read and reviewed by this author:
– Kelley Armstrong – The Gathering (Darkness Rising #1) – 5 stars
– Kelley Armstrong – The Calling (Darkness Rising #2) – 5 stars
– Kelley Armstrong – The Rising (Darkness Rising #3) – 5 stars
– Kelley Armstrong – Omens (Cainsville #1) – 5 stars
– Kelley Armstrong – Exit Strategy (Nadia Stafford #1) – 4 stars
– Kelley Armstrong – Made to be Broken (Nadia Stafford #2) – 4 stars
– Kelley Armstrong – Wild Justice (Nadia Stafford #3) – 5 stars
– Kelley Armstrong – Forbidden (Otherworld #10.2) – 4 stars
– Kelley Armstrong – Gifted (Otherworld #13.4 and Cainsville #?) – 5 stars
– KL Armstrong and MA Marr – Loki’s Wolves (The Blackwell Pages #1) – 4 stars
– KL Armstrong and MA Marr – Odin’s Ravens (The Blackwell Pages #2) – 5 stars

Have you read any of Kelley Armstrong her books? Which is your favourite of her books/ series?

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14 responses to “Review: Visions by Kelley Armstrong

    • It’s such an awesome series! But then I love almost everything this author writes. I am actually glad I waited so long to read this, as now the wait for Deceptions isn’t too long. Olivia and Gabriel are great and I really hope they get together in the next book, I am sure it will be worth wait and I love the slow building aspect, but it’s also a bit frustrating as I wnat them together now! And after reading the Devil May Care short story in Kelley Armstrong her Led Astray short story collection, I am even more curious about what’s going to happen next.
      Lola recently posted…Review: Visions by Kelley ArmstrongMy Profile

    • I don’t give out 5 stars often, but this book totally deserved it. And I am so happy you feel how much I love this book. I always have the most trouble writing reviews of books I love, like I never can adequately express my love for a book. So I am happy I got my message across with this review :). The mystery aspect was very well done and kept things interesting, but there’s also so much else going on and it was just so well written. I can’t wait for the enxt book in this series!
      Lola recently posted…Review: Visions by Kelley ArmstrongMy Profile

    • Thanks I am glad to hear that! This was such a hard review to write as it’s difficult to adequately express my thoughts and emotions when I love a book so much. I really hope the Olivia-Gabriel pairing will work out, preferable in the next book, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we have to wait another book. I ship them really strongly, they are just so good for each other and I want to see them together.

  1. I’m a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong too. I think she could rewrite the phone book and I would read it. When the Otherworld series ended, I was worried that I would still enjoy her books. She has yet to disappoint. I’m very excited of the next book to come out in this series. I just finished the Norse middle grade series last month. I just loved it.
    Melanie Simmons @mlsimmons recently posted…Hunted Warrior Audiobook by Lindsey Piper (REVIEW)My Profile

    • I agree, I will read every book this author writes. I was fraid I wouldn’t enjoy her Nadia Stafford series as it wans’t my usual genre, but I ended up really enjoying it. I also have the Masked Truth pre-ordered, which is a book I would never pick up for the blurb, but as Kelley Armstrong has written it I have to read it. I only have the last book in her MG series still to read, love the series so far! And I am happy we don’t have to wait too long for Deceptions to be released.

    • Dime Store Magic was one of the book by this author that I enjoyed a bit less, I think Bitten the first book in that series was better. It can also be because of the switch in main character that Dime Store Magic was a bit hard for me to get into. I certainly would recommend giving her books another try. I love her writing style and love or really enjoy most of her books. I still have to start her Sea of Shadows series.
      Lola recently posted…Review: Visions by Kelley ArmstrongMy Profile

    • I loved her YA series. Her MG series and adult series are great as well. I still haven’t read Sea of Shadows, I hope to read that one during this Coyer! I even own the second book and haven’t even read the first one yet.
      I can’t wait to hear what you think of this series, so happy you are adding it to your to-read list 😀
      Lola recently posted…Review: Visions by Kelley ArmstrongMy Profile

    • It’s an amazing series. The first book is a bit light on the paranormal aspect, but there’s more focus on that in this book and I like how little by little more details become clear. The mystery aspect and the characters and romance are also well done. I hope you give this series a try 😀
      Lola recently posted…Review: Second Chance Summer by Jill ShalvisMy Profile

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