The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers series has been a big hit for me. Although I felt like the series started off a little slow in The Summoning, I saw much potential plot and character-wise. Luckily, I stuck with the books and was rewarded with some truly fabulous storytelling in The Awakening. I loved everything about Chloe's gradual discovery of her powers and the way her relationship with the other Edison Group teens was allowed to naturally develop - all of which left me with some very high hopes for the conclusion of Chloe's story in The Reckoning.

The Reckoning picks up right where The Awakening so cruelly left us hanging: Chloe, Derek, Simon, and Tori are hiding out (again) in hopes of finally evading the nefarious Edison Group, who used the four teens - and others - as lab rats in hopes of genetically altering their supernatural powers. The Edison Group didn't exactly succeed with their little experiment which resulted in some super-charged teens who don't have the foggiest notion of how to control their powers. While Simon can barely cast a spell to save his life, Tori is picking up powerful spells with no apparent effort, and Derek is struggling to cope with his first change into a werewolf with absolutely no direction. Chloe herself is a impressive necromancer but doesn't have a clue how to control her abilities. What these four teens have become masters at however is loyalty. Hoping they have finally stumbled upon allies they can actually trust, Chloe et al set out to rescue the remaining super-teens from the clutches of the Edison Group in hopes of finally shutting the laboratory down once and for all.

I am so sad to see this series at an end. The entire concept of a group of extra-powerful genetically altered teens held under lock and key caught my interest from the first but the well-developed characters and non-stop action kept me happy. Even though much of the story arc and plot devices were similar to those found in the earlier two books, The Reckoning was vastly different from its predecessors. The pace itself was set at a much slower rate: the teens spent much of their time waiting around, gathering information about the Edison Group a bit at a time. This left a lot of time for Chloe to digest her feelings on the Boy Front. To me at least, it's been obvious all along which direction her hormones would lead her, but when Chloe finally admitted to herself which guy she was crushing on, well, my heart did a happy little flip-flop of joy. Despite the fact that I wanted to shake her (repeatedly) for taking so long to figure it out.

Chloe is a powerful necromancer but aside from being able to raise the dead, she's short, average, and doesn't have a clue when it comes to boys. There is much to like about Chloe. I found it intriguing to watch her grow as a character over the course of this series. She's finally got a better grip on her necromancer powers and was even learning to stand up for herself now and again *gasp* - my only complaint is that in The Reckoning Chloe decides she needs to tell us that fact several times. Which quickly got old. On multiple occasions, Chloe repeats that she is no longer a little girl or that her Aunt Lauren was finally seeing her 'all grown up.' Just let the story tell us for itself, mmmkay Chloe? Other than a few issues of that nature, I was happy with this final conclusion - it wasn't as great as The Awakening, but still a solid read.

And... I just stumbled across the new cover for the companion books to the Darkest Powers trilogy:  The Gathering, set to be released next spring. Read an excerpt here. This cover is so purdy. I'm digging the darker color scheme and wonder if they plan to continue with the jewelry theme again.

series reading order:
~ The Summoning - my review
~ The Awakening - my review
~ The Reckoning

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Em's Bookshelf review 
Girls in the Stacks review 
Lavender Lines review
Pure Imagination review
Today's Adventure review

book source: my local library

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

After simply loving the fantastic timing and characters in Kelley Armstrong's The Awakening and The Summoning, I thought I'd check out her backlist to see if her adult novels were just as good. I knew in picking up Bitten that I'd be getting a werewolf novel (perfect timing for Halloween) but didn't know much else.

What I stumbled into was a complex and very character driven story about a strong female werewolf, trying to build a life for herself outside of the Pack. Since werewolves are only born male, Elena was bitten (against her will) and has never really gotten past that little detail. Even though her Pack has helped her try to accept this new part of her life, she's determined to break all ties with them in favor of trying to make it on her own in the city. She does pretty good for a while, even moving in with her boyfriend Phillip - a kind and patient man who has absolutely no idea what she really is. That is until the Alpha Jeremy calls asking for help and her return does she start to panic. Even though she's been gone more than a year, Elena still hasn't really sorted out her feelings about being a werewolf or her fellow wolves. She really doesn't know what to do about Clay, Jeremy's foster son, the man who stole her heart but who ends up breaking it more often than not since he tends to usually act more like a wolf than a man. Unwillingly, Elena returns to help the Pack only to discover they are on the brink of an all-out war with some insane loner-wolves who will stop at nothing to get what they want.

Elena's story moves at a fast clip with plenty of action and some truly memorable characters to lead the way. Unfortunately, as I got more settled into Bitten, I continued to have issues with a few aspects Elena's story. The characterizations are all there and there were even some really good Pack dynamics happening - I just couldn't get over my irritation with Elena. That's not to say I didn't like her at all, I actually did - she's had some pretty rough things happen in her life and has come out a strong, determined woman - very admirable, but I couldn't stand the way she treated Clay and Phillip. I mean, I know Elena had moved away, trying to make a clean break from her life with the Pack and had set up shop with Phillip; but when things change does she break it off with Phillip or even ask for some time apart? No, the girl doesn't know what she wants (somewhat understandable) and so continues to keep both men stringing along. Very bad form. I understand that there was a lot going on to distract her from making up her mind, but she was so dang slow about it, she just ended up hurting my head. Probably part of the reason is because I became super attached to Clay. Southern drawl and all, the man is a total package. So it's entirely possible I might have become a little miffed any time I thought he wasn't being treated right. That said, Bitten spun an intriguing story full of what I like best: believable characters - I just wish some had acted a little differently.

series reading order:
~ Bitten
~ Stolen
~ Dime Store Magic
~ Industrial Magic
~ Haunted
~ Broken
~ No Humans Involved
~ Personal Demon
~ Living with the Dead
~ Frostbitten

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
All Booked Up review
Alpha Heroes review
Angieville review
Flames Rising review
My Years of Reading Seriously review

book source: my local library

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

After being locked up by a group of 'scientists' bent on studying teens with supernatural powers, Chloe is desperate to escape to find out what has happened to her friends Simon, a sorcerer, and Derek, a werewolf. Chloe also discovers that she and the other teens from the Lyle Group home were genetically modified as babies in hopes of creating supernaturals without any side effects. Only things went wrong with the experiment and none of the teens are aware how uncontrollable their powers have become. Chloe herself tries to come to grips with betrayal and her own talent for seeing ghosts and proves herself to be an extraordinary girl time and again.

I am totally digging this series. I love that Kelley Armstrong doesn't force character development and relationships to happen. She allows Chloe, Derek, Simon and even Tori to go along, make choices and by doing so shows you their growth instead of just telling about it. There is also some definite potential in Chloe and Derek's relationship - I just love these two by the way. By the same token, Armstrong thankfully has allowed things to go slow with them to the point that the relationship has built to something completely believable. The reader can easily understand every exchange, even when all is not explained. My kind of book. My only complaint is it all went by too fast - the action is literally non-stop. But all that action brings some serious information to light and I for one can NOT wait for the next book, I'm sure it will only get better.

series reading order:
~ The Summoning - my review
~ The Awakening

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Chloe feels like her life is finally settling down. After moving from place to place due to her dad's job she's finally enrolled in a arts high school that her dad has promised her she'll be able to stay in for all four years. But then Chloe wakes up one day and begins to see ghosts - which freaks her out just a bit (understandably so) - and her school forces her into group home for treatment where she learns the others kids have some pretty unusual abilities as well.

The beginning of the book was super S-L-O-W. The author spent an inordinate amount of time setting up accessory characters and background information that were either never mentioned again or that could have been explained at a later date. That's not to say the action does pick up with a vengeance - literally once things got going I couldn't bear to put it down. Chloe is smart and thinks each situation through and the major cliffhanger ending had me pulling out my hair saying 'Eek! That's it?!?' I especially liked the villains in this book - they are nasty and vindictive and not at all who you would suspect. Yea for bad guys who aren't made of cardboard!!

My biggest beef is why is Chloe so interested in Simon (another kid at the group home)? Unfortunately for him, he has the personality of a turnip. Now, Derek - that boy has potential. I can't wait to see what he does in the next book.

Silly side rant: If have to read one more book where the protagonist's name is Chloe I think I'll shoot myself in the head.

reading order:
~ The Summoning
~ The Awakening