Customer Reviews

No Humans Involved

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Like another reviewer on this page, I had my review reported unfit for Amazon by someone and subsequently removed along with all the helpful votes it had earned. This has happened three times now. Whoever is doing this "reporting", please stop. I know the Amazon guidelines very well and this review follows them-if it did not the nice people who run this website wouldn't have allowed it to be posted in the first place. If you have a specific issue to take up with me or my review write a comment attached to my review or email me but please stop trying to delete this review. Amazon reviews works because everyone can post their opinion.

"No Humans Involved" is the turn for Jamie Vegas, our favorite celebrity Necro, to narrate. She was actually a cool choice for a first person speaker because it made the book really different to have a heroine who can't do anything to protect themselves physically. No super strength or wolf-shape like Elena, no spells like Paige or Eve, and definitely no Angel sword. Sometimes this is annoying because Jamie spends a while whining about always having to be rescued, but it a way it's more relatable, because hey, what reader could take on a werewolf or demon and expect to come out alive? Jamie is more human than the others. And she's definitely the funniest narrator yet.

But she's still way not normal. This book takes place on a TV shoot to raise the ghost of Marilyn Monroe, involving Jamie and two television spiritualists (no necro power for them.) At first Jamie thinks this will be a great way to get her own TV show, and Jeremy, the werewolf pack Alpha agreed to come out to LA from New York to visit, raising her hopes for a romantic relationship with him (no, in this book, in the beginning, they are not dating.) But while doing a TV summoning, Jamie comes across some real world ghosts, not that that's weird, they're all over the house, but these are different-she can't see them, or hear them really, but they can touch her. Remembering the situation in "Industrial Magic" (vampire ghost) she decides something must be done and discovers these ghosts are children-something which according to the laws of the underworld shouldn't happen. And they became trapped on earth by humans using magic-with no supernatural blood involved.

So something must be done. Can Jamie find out what humans have discovered the ways of magic, save the ghost kids, do something more than just flirt with Jeremy and manage to pull of this TV show to her advantage? Read the book to find out. It's chopped full of the usual action, adventure, horror, suspense, laughs, nifty trivia about the otherworld and of course, sex. Unfortunately because of the series is finally popular enough, it's only out in hardcover, but it's not a waste of money to buy it now.

With the "Women of The Otherworld" series having officially become large at six books total, the author, I believe, fell pray to a trap that commonly hit popular writers, especially those writing series. Now hitting these pitfalls makes this in no way a bad book, as you will see by reading the rest of this review, but it does mean that sadly, "No Humans Involved" is not as strong as the previous novels in the series.

First of all it's clear it was written too quickly. Normally for Kelley Armstrong this isn't a problem because she can churn out mini-stories on her website that fill in the blanks between books and they're great-but this book has things happen that leave you wondering when the characters planned on doing on that. Like, when did Jamie tell the backyard ghosts about the trapped child ghosts? And when did they decide to help? It never says, and according to Jamie herself, and all the past books, ghosts just aren't very altruistic. In accordance with this parts of the book and the ending just seemed too neat and tidy; it really needed more filling out. There were too many helpful coincidences, escape routes...bla bla, you get the picture.

Also there were some things mentioned about Jamie's past that were like little blips in the book that I would have loved to know more about. It seems like in "Bitten" we got Elena's life story, and we know a lot about Paige, but this book barely scratched Jamie's surface.

Other than that, this was another great book. I do believe we even got introduced to our next narrator, who will take book #8 (when it comes out) on a decidedly dark turn.

I do hate to give a Kelley Armstrong novel anything less than five stars, but this was just written too fast and it didn't have enough depth-still, though for a book with so much to do with death, it's a live wire. So in the end, four stars. Recommended (obviously) but read the others first. We have come to the point in the series where you'll just be lost without starting earlier on.

I've read all the books in this series and although Bitten remains my favorite because it offers what I think is the perfect blend of romance and suspense, I've enjoyed every novel Kelley Armstrong puts out. No Humans Involved is very smoothly written and Jamie Vegas, the lead character and narrator, has a wry, intelligent voice that pulls you in from the first page. I definitely got caught up in her trials and tribulations as a necromancer and wanted to see her solve the mystery of the ghosts plaguing her. I also was rooting for her to find love with Jeremy, the Alpha werewolf with whom she's been in love for years.

The plot has already been summarized well by others, so I won't attempt to do so again here. Suffice to say that if you enjoy supernatural suspense with some romance mixed in, you'll like this novel. Also, unlike some series, I think you can read the Women of the Underworld books out of order or as stand alones although, of course, certain moments will resonate better if you have read the other books.

What I Enjoyed: Kelley Armstrong is a talented writer and her prose always flows well. In this book, the writing is particularly strong when Jamie grapples with the pratfalls of being a necromancer (she can't help every ghost and all the chatter from the dead may ultimately contribute to her losing her sanity). I also liked the humor in the scenes where Jamie gets the better of the Hollywood types she works with on her television special.

I've always liked Jeremy and I very much enjoyed the way he and Jamie initially dealt with the complexities of any potentional romantic relationship between them. That said, I thought more time could have been spent on their romance. The sex scenes are a bit more passionate and detailed than those in recent installments, but it's obvious that the romance is secondary to the suspense. I would have liked more romance, but since that's obviously a personal preference, I'm not downgrading my 5-star review. But I would say that if you're someone who likes to read paranormal romance you might feel a bit shortchanged when it comes to Jeremy and Jamie's relationship.

Overall, though, I highly recommend this book. The pace is brisk, the plot tight and the resolution satisfying.

I had already written a review for this book and it disappeared. I have no idea why they removed it, for it didn't contain any crucial spoilers, or at least I hadn't mentioned anything that hadn't already been mentioned by other reviewers. I have no idea on what new grounds this site removes reviews, so I won't go into details and just sum this up by saying that No Humans Involved is one of the best installments in Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. Jaime Vegas, celebrity necromancer, is a surprisingly splendid heroine. I say "surprisingly" because she had always struck me as flaky in the other books, but she has a great voice of her own and shows complexity and great pathos during some scenes, especially the ones where she deals with the ghosts and spirits. I also love the romantic tension between Jaime and Jeremy, the alpha werewolf of North America. I really enjoyed their scenes together. Overall, I loved this book and look forward to the release of Personal Demon, the next installment.

My one peeve is the hardcover price, but it's worth spending more money on something so entertaining and well written. If you prefer waiting for the paperback, then that is fine, but read this! You will love Jaime Vegas!

Jaime Vegas is a woman who works hard for what she wants, and she's on the cusp of realizing all of her ambitions. She's got a good handle on her career, and her love life is...well....lets just say things are finally starting to look up.

The book opens with Jaime agreeing to participate in a television reality show with two other up-and-coming celebrity spiritualists. She's not thrilled about it, but she sees the program for what it is: an opportunity to land her own series. It all seems easy enough, until Jaime becomes aware of something more troubling than the run of the mill spectral encounters she's used to. Lurking around in the backyard of the house where the show is set, something dark and frightening is vying for Jaime's attention. With questions piling up and answers making themselves scarce, Jaime turns to friends for help in solving this most unusual of mysteries. With werewolf Jeremy Danvers at her side, Jamie travels from L.A, to Chicago, to Portland and back all in an effort to make sense of a ghostly puzzle. Along the way, she bargains with a dark witch, trades quips with a demon, and enlists the protection of an unlikely angel. But she'll need more than supernatural allies help her understand what is slowly beginning to look like a very 'human' crime.

Jaime's come a long way since her debut in Armstrong's 'Industrial Magic', and her voice in this new book is sassy, sexy and fun. Though she's got a few hang-ups to overcome, she's a definite contender when it comes to taking care of business. This book sees Jaime coming to terms with her checkered past and the darker side of her supernatural abilities. Readers will also be delighted by Jeremy's strong presence in 'No Humans Involved'. The dark, notoriously self-controlled Pack alpha has always been something of an enigma and it's nice to be getting a small peek into his mind (and yes, heart) at last.

This seventh book in the Otherworld saga is definitely one of the best in the series. It's got humor, intrigue and a number of genuinely chilling moments. A definite must-read.

I've read all the books in this series and was excited to recieve this in the mail after pre-ordering it. Unfortunatly, I was disappointed in this installment of the series. Here we have the Alpha Wolf and Necromancer together, but there is little action to speak of. In fact, the only thing that kept me turning the pages was because I was hoping something exciting would finally happen. For Armstrong's inclusion of the Alpha Wolf into this mystery there was suprisingly little use for his abilities. What action did happen happened mostly off-screen (or would that be off-page?). I found little chemestry between Jamie and Jeremy, and only miniscule progression of the relationship between the two characters. For two really hot characters, I think the author really dropped the ball when it came to writing out Jamie and Jeremy's story.

Length:: 3:16 Mins

"No Humans Involved" is a real return to form for a series that I've followed almost fanatically ever since I read "Bitten" years ago. It's not that I didn't love "Haunted" and "Broken", it's just that they didn't grab me like the previous entries. After all, we'd already learned the ins-and-outs of The Pack in the first two books and while the Otherworld afterlife in book 5 was a very original one, it still took us away from a lot of what was going on in the series. NHI puts the series right back where I wanted it to be: exploring the Otherworld from the point of view of a character I already know and love but that hasn't been fully explored through Kelley Armstrong's gift of first person narrative.

Jaime proves to be an outstanding heroine and seeing this world from her POV is a treat. Being a good-hearted person, being a necromancer, AND being in showbiz aren't really compatible with each other, but somehow the woman makes it work. And watching her do it is impressive indeed. The climax where the Otherworld's damsel of perpetual distress is forced to think fast and wield her big supernatural stick is a killer. Particularly when Jaime has been kidnapped/saved, bitten by vampire spirits, and generally been rendered moot so many times in the series. Paige, Elena, Karl Marsten, Savannah, Kristoff Nast, and many other Otherworld all-stars make appearances as does the dark angel herself, Eve, and her daughter Savannah (who has a truly awesome sequence). Then, of course, there's Jeremy; Alpha werewolf, object of Jaime's affection, aloof intellectual, and general all-around great guy. Plenty of him to go around and a nice conclusion to their little romance arc that's been many books in the making.

NHI has everything I love about this series and that is....well, everything. Like I say in the video, if you love Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, or any other supernatural series with a self-aware sarcastic streak than these are books you owe it to yourself to read. Oh, and Ms. Armstrong, I'm still waiting for that Cassandra novel!

The "Women of the Otherworld" series so far:
Bitten (Women of the Otherworld Book 1)
Stolen (Women of the Otherworld Book 2)
Dime Store Magic (Women of the Otherworld Book 3)
Industrial Magic (Women of the Otherworld Book 4)
Haunted (Women of the Otherworld Book 5)
Broken (Women of the Otherworld Book 6)
No Humans Involved (Women of the Otherworld Book 7)
Personal Demon: Women of the Otherworld Book 8
Coming soon: Living with the Dead (Women of the Otherworld Book 9)

Read them all and enjoy!

I pre-ordered as soon as possible and couldn't get it fast enough! What a wonderful reason to wait. It was all around an excellent read. Ms. Armstrong has never let me down like other writers and I will anxiously await the next book. She stays true to herself and her characters. They feel like family now! I would've loved to seen where J/J's relationship is heading, but I guess that's another reason KA gets to write more books!!

As we enter the Otherworld, this time Jamie Vegas, the necromancer, is the leading protagonist. Jamie is still striving for her dream, a TV show of her own. The only way to get there is to do small segments on other TV shows and do stage performances of talking to ghosts, but sometimes it's not for show. While doing a TV show at a real haunted house with two other necromancers Jamie uncovers a deadly kind of magic being performed by mere humans. Knowing the other two necromancers are fakes and not the real deal like herself, Jamie turns to her friends for help, Jeremy, Eve, Paige and phone calls from the rest. Jeremy proves to be more than helpful as she has had a crush on him for years. Will Jamie and Jeremy be able to uncover what these humans are up to and will they finally become closer than close? You'll have to read to find out. Also there are appearences by an older Savannah, Lucas, and phone calls from Elena with her twins growing up. There is also the appearence of Hope who is part chaos demon, I cannot recall if she has ever popped up in another Otherworld book or not. Overall a good book and a must read for the Kelley Armstrong fans!!

I waited anxiously for this book to come out. All of Kelly Armstrongs novels have been easy to read and hard to put down. This one is no exception.

This novel does lack the depth of her other books but that does not take away from the storyline. Jaime Vegas has a talent that probably few people would want, she can not only speak to the dead but can also reanimate them - Yuck! Her lack of the supernatural talents that all the other characters in the other books posess make her rather "needy" throughout the story, but Jeremy Danvers, Alpha Male of the werewolf pack, shows up to aid Jaime in her quest to help some ghost children to find peace, and to explore the possibilities of a closer future relationship between himself and Jaime. It would have been nice to have a bit more romance between Jeremy and Jaime but Kelly did the relationship scene very well and it wasn't stretched over half the book.

Kelly Armstrong pulled this story together very well. If you are a die-hard fan of her books you will enjoy No Humans Involved as you are familair with the characters and the theme of her novels. If you are a new reader, read some of the others first and then this one.

I've learned you just can't go wrong with a Kelley Armstrong story. It was good to see Jaime finally make peace with her gift and about time she and Jeremy got together. It also presented a side of jeremy we hadn't had the chance to glimpse before, which was very much a bonus. I can't wait until Book 8!