cold
and Frostbitten). There are no real spoilers for Hidden.All Elena Michaels and Clay Danvers want is to spend a nice normal Christmas with their children. Unfortunately when you’re a werewolf, nice normal Christmases are hard to come by. When Elena and Clay discover that a local werewolf may be a man eater, they know they have no choice but to track him down and make him pay. Meanwhile, Elena struggles with her decision to keep her werewolf identity hidden from their children. Do they have a right to know what their parents really are, and what they themselves might become one day?
Hidden is the third Otherworld novella released by Subterranean Press, following Angelic (which focused on Eve), and Counterfeit Magic (which focused on Paige). Personally, I found Hidden to be the strongest of the three, due to the fact that it was so character focused, and a little bit longer. This intimate storyline is particularly satisfying given the fact that the series has gotten so large-scale lately. I don’t find anything wrong with the fact that the series has taken more epic turns, but I like the fact that Armstrong can still turn out something quieter.
Hidden gives us insight to Elena’s personal thoughts, which are mainly focused on being a good parent, and to a lesser extent, being a good alpha. I found her struggles on whether to tell her children about their werewolf parents or not to be delivered very believably, and found myself struggling along with Elena on what was the right thing to do. Another part I really liked about Hidden is getting to revisit other pack characters. There are those those who have been a part of the series from the beginning, such as Nick and Clay, but the most satisfying additions are actually the newest pack members, Reese and Noah. I really enjoyed seeing how these two young werewolves were adjusting to pack life since Frostbitten.
Like all of the Subterranean Otherworld novellas, Hidden is illustrated. Angilram takes over the role of illustrator and the full-color artwork has a nice comic-book style to it. Hidden also comes in at a hefty price tag for a physical copy ($28 for what's basically half a book) and has a very limited press run, making it only for die hard fans. But for people with ereaders, a far more affordable digital copy Hidden can be purchased. This appears to be a smart decision because I know there have been issues with previous novellas selling out before everyone can get a copy. I really enjoyed Hidden, and look forward to next year’s Otherworld novella (Forbidden, which is said to also feature Elena and Clay).
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 193 pages
Source: Subterranean Press website
Other books I've read by this author: everything, let's just leave it at that :)
Next I will be reviewing Farthing by Jo Walton
xposted to
temporaryworlds, 
bookish, and goodreads