Visions by Kelley Armstrong

Visions (Cainsville, #2)

by Kelley Armstrong

Omens, the first instalment 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.

Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on

4 of 5 stars

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4.5 While I enjoyed Omens the first book, I freaking loved Visions. This urban fantasy kept me completely enthralled. I slipped right into the world and consumed this massive novel in just two days.

Cainsville is small-town where things are not quite right. Armstrong weaves this physiological thriller vibe into this tale with a murder mystery and old lores like those of the Wild Hunt.

In Visions, Olivia begins to link the murder and mythology back to Cainsville. As Olivia investigates, sees omens, and asks questions she seems to be thwarted by the townsfolk. The whole tale gave me the shivers. There are those who want to aid her, and others who try to hinder her. In Omens, we focused more on Olivia’s parents and their crimes, and while we saw some development there, Visions focuses on the dead girl whose body keeps appearing to Olivia.

The characters and their relationships pull you in. Gabriel and Olivia’s friendship continues to grow, despite objections and misunderstanding. I was not a huge fan of Gabriel in book one, but in Visions we begin to understand him and what drives him. He reminds me of my feelings for Trent Kalamack from The Hollows by Kim Harrison. Gabriel is a type A personality and does not really let anyone in. We see him begin to bring Olivia into his circle and it was powerful. While I expected a romance to develop between them, and have not completely ruled it out, Olivia begins a romance with another character. His role may prove to be significant. I am hoping we do not get into a triangle, but to be honest I felt the beginnings of one.

Armstrong weaves in suspense, danger making every page count. Everything is important, each clue, omen and hunch weaves together giving the reader quite the thrill. I now know much about Cainsville and its residence and yet we have only begun to scratch the surface. Olivia is quite clever and seems to be a person of importance to more than the residence of Cainsville. I loved discovering more about key players as we explored myths, crossed paths with supernatural beings and gained more insight.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 27 September, 2015: Finished reading
  • 27 September, 2015: Reviewed