Darkness Rising

It's so hard to talk about a trilogy without spoiling major plot points.  Therefore, I'm going to amalgamate my review of The Gathering, The Calling and The Rising, all which comprise Kelley Armstrong's The Darkness Rising series.  This Young Adult series is set in the Otherworld and follows on from her previous YA trilogy, The Darkest Powers.  Due to me being a bit lazy this morning, here's the blurb from goodreads for the first book (I wont share the others as they are often spoilery if you haven't read the first book.  Look them up on goodreads if you want!):

 

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.

The lasting impression I had from The Gathering was that the ending was weak, making me very glad I didn't read it upon release and had the second book on hand to continue the story.  In fact, book one and two could have been combined as The Gathering was all about introductions and nothing else.  Don't get me wrong, I liked both the setting and getting to know Maya.  She is a great character in that she's outdoorsy, not so fussed about boys and has a male best friend.  Who is just that.  A friend.  She's also not hung up on being adopted, the family that raised her are her family, end of story.  Plus, as a long time fan, I liked all the hints about the Otherworld, and the prospect about learning more about the St Cloud cabal, but nothing about The Gathering wowed me.  However, the day I don't like Armstrong's writing will be a sad one, but plot-wise, she's following the normal formula of her previous books.

Moving onto The Calling, and here are when my review gets vague in order to avoid spoilers.  The plot finally begins to move forward, even if again, it's following the same sort of story line from The Darkest Powers series.  More action, dark secrets being revealed, as are true personalities, this is the type of story that I have come to expect from Armstrong and was missing in The Gathering.

The final book in the trilogy, The Rising, was probably my favourite out of the three.  Lots of action again with the characters having to make hard choices, and the addition of some cameos from previous Armstrong novels. I was kept pretty happy, although I'm not sure about the final resolution.  It's hard to convey my disappointment without being spoilery.  Lets just say that while I wasn't surprised, I would have preferred something a little more open ended.

If you're a fan of The Otherworld series, but haven't tried any of Armstrong's YA books, then I would thoroughly recommend reading them some time soon.  I'd still recommend them even if you've never heard of Kelley Armstrong before!  The Darkness Rising is a solid paranormal series with some great characters and no vampires in sight...not that I dislike vampires, but I like when authors introduce me to different types of supernatural creatures...and that's as spoilery as I'm going to get.

The Reckoning

The Reckoning is the final part of Chloe's arc in the Darkest Powers series and Kelley Armstrong successfully provides an exciting end to the trilogy.  The long set up of the love triangle finally comes to fruition.  Secrets are revealed and alliances formed, some with shady characters.  Not all problems are solved in the end leaving enough to be answered in the new series, set in the same world but in another location that has links with Edison Group, which starts with The Gathering.  I can't reveal too much without spoiling such an interlinked series, so the best advice I can offer is to get your hands on a copy and see what you think, especially if you're a fan of Armstrong's Otherworld series (or just an individual book/short story of hers) as you won't be dissapointed.

The Awakening

 The second book of Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers series, The Awakening, sees fifteen year-old necromancer Chloe plotting her escape from the Edison Group.

I can't say too much without giving both the plot of the first book, but The Awakening is definitely a slightly weak bridge between The Summoning and The Reckoning, which is the final instalment in the series.  The first book definitely had a stronger story, this one tended to get a little repetitive in places, but The Awakening wasn't any less enjoyable.  I noticed the hints that Chloe will probably have to make a choice between the charismatic Simon or his grouchy but protective older brother Derek, but these possible romantic feelings were still a side note to the main plot.  Questions left from The Summoning about the Edison Group were answered, but enough were unanswered so that hopefully all can be revealed in what should be an interesting finale.   

The Summoning

 Kelley Armstrong's The Summoning is the first book in her Young Adult Darkest Powers Trilogy.  Set in the Otherworld, but with no appearances from characters in Armstrong's lead series, this is possibly the best YA novel I have read.

Fifteen year old Chloe Saunders has been sent to Lyle House, a small group home for troubled teens, after an outburst at school.  While her teachers thought she was a suffering a violent mental break, Chloe was experiencing her first instance of interacting with a ghost.  Chloe is desperate to get out of Lyle house and get back on track to achieving her dreams of becoming a director, but her efforts propel her into discovering the true nature of group looking after her.

What struck me most is there's no focus on what seems to be the obligatory teen romance that clogs so many young adult novels.  Priority is, rightly, given to the excellent plot that is paced so well that The Summoning could easily be stocked in the adult section of a bookstore and attract an older audience.

Terrifying in places, with a good twist at the end (especially if you have no prior knowledge of Armstrong's work), I was smiling when I finished and couldn't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series.