The Darkest Powers Trilogy: The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Orbit

Format: Paperback

Published: 2010

Book: Bought

Numbers of Pages: 391

Genre: Dark Romance, Action, Supernatural, Fantasy, YA

The nail-biting climax to Kelley Armstrong's bestselling YA series. Chloe Saunders is fifteen and would love to be normal. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen. First of all, she happens to be a genetically engineered necromancer who can raise the dead without even trying. She and her equally gifted (or should that be 'cursed'?) friends are on the run from the evil corporation who created them. To top it all, Chloe is struggling with her feelings for Simon, a sweet-tempered sorcerer, and his brother Derek, a not so sweet-tempered werewolf. And she has a horrible feeling she's leaning towards the werewolf. Definitely not normal... 

Review:

This is last in the trilogy that has become one of my favourite paranormal series ever, and by far the best book in it.  I absolutely devoured it, desperate to know what was going to happen. 

It picks up more or less where the other stopped, after Chloe, Tori, Derek and Simon’s escape from the clutches of the evil Edison Group, with the help of former employs, who are now working on bringing the EG down.  Chloe and her friends had been through a lot in the previous two books, and none of them are who there were at the beginning.  They know now that you can’t trust everyone.  Can they trust these people?  After all, one of them is the boys’ father’s friend, the one they were told to go to if they were ever in trouble.  But they’ve already been betrayed by those they trusted more than anyone, so can they really trust these people, and is their offer simply too good to be true?

These are the questions that were running through my mind, practically falling over one another; I just needed to find out what would happen.  On the other hand, I was almost reluctant to finish the book, because I knew that if I did it would mean no more stories about Chloe and her friends.  But the book was far too absorbing for that, and besides, there’s a second trilogy coming out, about a different group of kids caught up in a different Edison Group project.  It should be coming out something this year, and will be called Darkness Rising, the first book being called The Gathering.  There’s a rumour that Kelley Armstrong will write the gang from The Darkest Powers series into the new one, in a later book in the trilogy, and I really, really hope she does, as I think there are a few unresolved issues, and besides, I just want to read more about these characters.

Chloe really grew up in this book from a naive, scared little kid to a brave young woman who really knows how to handle her powers – and how to stand up for herself, something that had annoyed me a little from the other two books.  As Tori said in one of the books, Chloe was just too nice, but it was great to see her finally come in to her own and realise you didn’t have to be horrible to defend yourself.  One of the things I love most about her is the way she has of looking at everything as how she’d film a movie when times get tough for her: it made her feel far more real, and I loved her for it.  I must admit, I kind of saw her getting feelings for Derek coming after the second book, where they get left behind because Derek starts going through his first Change.  I wasn’t really sure who she was going to choose, but I was really happy with how the love triangle turned out.

Derek really grew during this book, and I loved him more as it went on.  You finally get to see his vulnerable side, the sweet side, and it made him feel really real.  Also, you discovered more about his life before the story started, and you love him even more when you find out what he’s been through.  Tori also changed a lot, turning from a complete and utter spoilt, little girl into a powerful witch who shows she actually has the ability to have emotions.  And you also find out more about her life, too, and I really liked her by the end.  Finally, Simon; he didn’t really change much, but why change something already good?  I loved him before and I loved him all the way through this book.

Fast-paced, suspenseful and with a genius plot and incredible characters, The Reckoning is my favourite in the series and kept me glued to my seat all the way through.  I can’t wait for the new series, and they will definitely be an auto-buy: I just love the way Kelley Armstrong tells her stories, and the plots are absolutely incredible.  I recommend this to everyone who likes the whole witch-werewolf-supernatural genre (particularly the ones who liked The Secret Circle, Dark Visions, Evernight and the books below.  It’s also quite similar to Maximum Ride by James Patterson – both are about genetically-modified teens on the run from the organisation that created them – and to Night World by L. J. Smith ­– because of the whole underground-supernatural-community part).  Read this book!  You definitely won’t regret it.

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Darkest Powers Trilogy - The Summoning and The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Challenges It's Taking Part In:
100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

Series: The Darkest Powers Trilogy, Book Two

Publisher: Orbit

Format: Paperback

Published: 2009

Number of Pages: 384

Book: Bought

Genre: Paranormal, Dark Romance, Ghost Story, Horror, Urban Fantasy

Chloe Saunders used to be a normal teenage girl – or so she thought.  Then she learned the shocking truth – she is a walking science experiment.  Genetically altered at birth by a sinister team of scientists known as the Edison Group, Chloe is an aberration – a powerful necromancer who can see ghosts and even raise the dead, often with terrifying consequences.  Even worse, her growing powers have made her a threat to the surviving members of the Edison Group, who have decided it’s time to end their experiment – permanently...

Now Chloe is running for her life with three other supernatural teenagers – a charming sorcerer, a troubled werewolf and a temperamental young witch.  Together they have a chance for freedom – but can Chloe trust her new friends?

Review:

The second in the supernatural trilogy that is fast becoming one of my favourite series ever, this book definitely didn’t let the first down.  It was even better.  With even more action, supernaturals and suspense, it was next to impossible to put down, and left me desperate for more.

In this book, the gang’s on the run from evil scientists, facing danger, death and zombie bats.  Their main goal is to find Derek and Simon’s dad, a sorcerer who went missing, and who they expect to have been taken by the Edison Group.  And while they’re running for their lives, they’re also facing what they are and who they’ve become.  With more than a few slipups.

Chloe was brilliant in this book, too, and I love the way she thinks when she’s scared: she sees everything like a movie.  And for almost every major scene, she has a movie from her metal archive to compare it to. 

Derek, Simon and Tori are back with Chloe, having also escaped.  Simon was sweet as ever, and the more I learnt, the more I liked him.  Derek was kind of grouchy in the first book, but he really comes into his own in this one, and you get to see even more of his softer side.  Although, he still has a bit of a short temper.  And finally, Tori, who is still more than a little moody, but bearable and (increasingly) likeable. 

New minor characters are introduced, and ones from the previous book are bought back, along with a whole range of thrilling problems that left me desperate for more.  I can’t wait to get the next one, and I definitely recommend this to a reader who wants action, romance and horror all rolled into one (far too short) book. 

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

 

Read this book if you liked:

The Darkest Powers Trilogy – The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

House of Night by P. C. and Kristin Cast


Challenges It's Taking Part In:
100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
A-Z Reading Challenge (Hosted by Book Junky)
Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
Off The Shelf Challenge (Hosted by BA Reading Challenges)

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Series: The Darkest Powers Trilogy, Book One

Publisher: Orbit

Format: Paperback

Published: 2008

Number of Pages

Book: Bought

Genre: Paranormal, Dark Romance, Ghost Story, Horror, Urban Fantasy

All Chloe Saunders wants is a life like any normal teenager – the chance to get through school, make friends, and maybe meet a boy.  But when she starts seeing ghosts, she knows that life will never by normal again.

Soon the ghosts are everywhere, demanding her attention.  When Chloe finally breaks down, she’s sent to a group home for disturbed kids.  At first Lyle House seems okay, but as she gets to know the other patients – charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a ‘thing’ for fire – Chloe begins to realise that something strange and sinister binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual ‘problem kid’ behaviour. 

And they’re about to discover that Lyle House isn’t your usual group home, either...

Review:

This was an absolutely amazing book, and has to be one of my favourite supernatural-type story I’ve read.  It was completely addictive, from the prologue to the last chapter, and had me desperate for the sequel (which I have too, luckily).

The characters were fantastic, and the story, told from the point of view of Chloe, is suspenseful and exciting.  Chloe is a brilliant heroine, very likeable and you’re able to connect with her, even though she isn’t your average teenager.  I just love how Kelley Armstrong gave her a stutter, when she’s one of the bravest girls I’ve read about.  I mean, it can’t be easy, when everyone around you thinks you’re insane – even the ones you love the most – and yet you’re able to face the facts and realise you’re not.  She proves you can stand up for yourself, no matter certain ‘disabilities’ (and I’m not talking about the stutter).

The other kids from Lyle House are brilliant too, though I think Rae’s my favourite of them.  She’s the street-wise, charity case girl with an obsession with fire, smart, kind and really sweet.  Simon’s a sweetie too; charismatic, handsome and always ready to step up to defend his brother, Derek.  Derek’s one of those characters that you start of unsure of, and gradually warm to, realising by the end of the book that underneath the ‘Frankenstein’-like appearance, there’s a teenage boy who just wants for people to see him for what he is, rather than what he looks like.  Tori’s the only one who I wasn’t particularly keen on, but you do get why she’s a bit unbearable at times, as you learn more about her.

I loved Armstrong’s way of writing, and the short chapters just draw you in, so much so that I ended up reading and reading and reading way into the night.  But this really is one of my favourite paranormal books, and is completely different from all the others I’ve read: there isn’t a vampire in sight, although there are zombies, ghosts, and a variety of other mythical beings.  Full of thrill, excitement, ghosts and action, I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, especially those who like books like Night World by L. J. Smith.  And it just happens to have the most amazing cliff hanger and the biggest twist, which I didn’t even expect was coming.  An incredible story and a cast of incredible characters, this is just an amazing read! 

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Night World by L. J. Smith

Maximum Ride by James Patterson

House of Night by P. C. and Kristin and Cast


Challenges It's Taking Part In:
100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
A-Z Reading Challenge (Hosted by Book Junky)
Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
Off the Shelf Challenge (Hosted by BA Reading Challenges)