The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

“Remembering. Forgetting. I'm not sure which is worse.”

The Calling is the second instalment in the Darkness Rising trilogy, its picks up where The Gathering left off. Full of mystery, suspense and intrigue, any fan of Kelley Armstrong will definitely love this series.

Maya has discovered that she and her friends are part of an experiment that has genetically altered their DNA to enhance previously dormant traits. They now have powers that have not been seen in hundreds of years and were thought to have died out. Maya is a shape shifter like Rafe and can change into a cougar, her friend Daniel and Sam are 'benandandi', an extinct witch/demon hunter.

Maya and her friends are stuck in the Alaskan wilderness, desperate to get home but after the events of the first book, who can they trust? Are their rescuers really rescuers at all, or just people from the mysterious research facility, waiting to take them back.

I really liked this instalment, yes the plot isn't face paced but their is plenty of exhilaration and chase scenes to keep you occupied. Armstrong constantly keeps us on the edge of our seats with who our characters can trust, friends become enemies and enemies become friends.

Once again the main aspect of this book is the character development, Armstrong builds on the characters we've previously met. This I find is where Armstrong's talents lie, she is able to create believable and well rounded characters that when put in harrowing situations react in a way most of us would (if you'd just been in a helicopter crash and witnessed the death of three people, wouldn't you freak out just a little bit), Maya is strong willed, level headed and smart, we get to see her in a leadership role in this book and struggling to come to terms with her blossoming powers. I also thought that Armstrong's secondary characters came into full effect in this book, we got to see more of Sam and understand her actions and hostility a little bit more and of course my favourite Daniel the lovable best friend.

The plot doesn't really move on much, they start off in the woods and are pretty much still there when the book ends which is a little annoying, even though I was never bored when reading the book, I did feel that it just ended and wished we had had a little more progression, saying that though Armstrong has set us up for what should be an explosive finale, where Maya and her friends will face off against the scientist who have experimented on them (and a little spoiler Chloe and the gang will be back from the Darkest Powers series).

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

“I want you to have big dreams, big goals. I want you to strive to achieve them. But I don't want to see you beating yourself up every time you make a mistake.” 

Maya lives in a very secluded research town in Canada, her father is a park ranger and so Maya has always grown up around animals, she feels a connection with them and the outdoors. After her best friend mysteriously drowned, things started changing for Maya, she knew it was no accident but hasn't been able to discover the truth and now she is starting to realise that this small town holds more secrets than she could have imagined.

This book is set in the same world as Armstrong's Darkest Power series and so you should probably read those first before moving onto this one as you wont get the hints dropped unless you have.

I loved this book, Maya is a great female lead, I loved her connection to the Mountain Lions and nature in general, I'd love to be able to experience the freedom Maya feels when exploring the forest. She is funny and loyal but she has her flaws, she can be quick to judge and doesn't forgive people easily. I think what I liked about her the most is that she was able to stand up for herself, she didn't run to her friends for help at the first hint of a crisis but she also knew when she should. She didn't want to accept who is was at first, or what she would turn in to but I liked her rational approach, she didn't freak out, she sorted through the facts and knew what Rafe was telling her was the truth.

Rafe, even though at the beginning I was unsure about him, I thought he would be your typical bad boy turned good, he actually surprised me at the end. Everything he does, he does for his sister and even though he does really like Maya, he is honest about why he came to find her but I think my heart belongs to Daniel, he was sweet and kind, always looking out for Maya but you can see he has a temper and I think  I know where this story is going to take these characters. The rest of the support cast seem really well rounded, this is what Armstrong does best, create real characters, whose emotions and reactions seem plausible given the situation they are in.

Even though this book ended on a cliff hanger, its set so much up for the next book, I can't wait to dive in. Its full of mystery and intrigue, what's really going on at that research lab and what really happened to Maya's friend?  Whilst its not face paced, Armstrong builds the world and the characters superbly well and leaves you wanting more.

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

“You were just worried about me." 
An exhale, relieved that I had understood. "Yeah"
I turned. "Because you think I'm worth it"
He put his fingers under my chin. "I absolutely think your worth it."
"But you don't think you are."
His mouth opened. Shut.
"That's what this is about, Derek. You won't let us worry about you because you don't think you're worth it. But I do. I absolutely do.” 


The third and final instalment of the darkest powers series picks up exactly where the second book left off, Chloe and the gang have arrived at the safe house and are planning how they can rescue the people that the Edison group still hold captive.

Once again I thoroughly enjoyed this book, Armstrong makes books that are easy to read and plots that you just get lost in. With many twists and turns and not knowing who you can trust, Chloe once again learns the hard way that not everyone is who they seem.

Chloe has really grown on me during the course of these books, at first she was a little too moany and too trusting of everyone she met (the problems of a sheltered upbringing) but now she doesn't run to the nearest adult for help, she learns to trust her own instincts. She also isn't the typical heroine we see so much of, she didn't wake up one day and have automatic control over her powers, even at the end of the book she is still struggling to come to terms with how strong she is, she doesn't run head first into every situation and knows that sometimes other people are better at handling them and maybe she is better just stepping aside.

I don't want to spoil the actual plot of the books, just that you'll find a lot more run/chase/fight/hide sequences in this book, but isn't that why we love reading them, Armstrong makes sure they are full of action and suspense that their is never a dull moment.

One little spoiler but I'm sure you all saw it coming a mile off, I know I did but Chloe and Derek finally admit they have feelings for each other. I love the dynamics of their relationship they both are able to call each other out when one makes a mistake and they've both grown and evolved as characters as a result.

Once again Armstrong creates a book with wonderful characters and an elaborate 'who done it' plot. I'm glad she left the ending open and I hope we get a chance to revisit these characters soon.

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

“There was no closing my eyes and sliding back into that blissful dream of normal. This was my normal now.” 

The second book in the darkest powers trilogy, starts with Chloe being trapped in the research institute and trying to figure out a way to escape. For those who don't remember Chloe has recently discovered that she is a necromancer i.e. she can communicate with ghosts, except that she isn't just a normal necromancer, her and her friends have been genetically modified by the Edison group, meaning that in some their powers are amplified and in others they are weakened. Unfortunately for Chloe hers have been made stronger, which means that she can't control the necromancers powers and manages to raise the dead, by accident, a lot!

I have to say this was a superb book, full of drama and mystery. Chloe and her friends are out on the streets by themselves, they have no-one they can turn too. After being betrayed by her Aunt, Chloe knows that not everyone is who they seem.

The relationships between the characters are realistic, they may not like each other but they have to stick together in order to survive, there isn't anyone else who knows what they are going through. I have to say though my favourite relationship has to been between Chloe and Derrick  I know their isn't any overtly obvious romance within this book, but you can see the chemistry building between them and I'm hoping Armstrong continues the characters on this path. After reading Bitten in Armstrong's adult series and seeing the relationship between Elena and Clay, you know that the werewolf nature is fierce and protective. So every time Derrick makes a somewhat mean remark, I know that he is showing his feelings for Chloe, even though it doesn't seem that way. Not that I condone mean spirited men, I definitely think he needs to change his attitude and be a little bit nicer to Chloe.

It was well written and engaging, with a great balance of funny and light hearted moments mixed with the angst and horror that make this books such an interesting read. I know a lot of people don't think much happened in this book and that's not wrong. Instead of focusing on a fast pace plot, Armstrong builds on her characters and makes them more well-rounded.

Now I just want to know what is going on with that necklace of hers, it changes colour but why is this significant?

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

“That's what being crazy was, wasn't it? You thought you were fine. Everyone else knew better.” 

Chloe Saunders is a typical 15 year old girl, worrying about school, boys and now ghosts. When Chloe unexpectedly starts seeing ghosts she is shipped off to a group home called Lyle house, Chloe leaves behind everything she thought she knew about herself and enters a strange new world,where not everyone is what they seem.

(Side note: If you've read Armstrong's other series woman of the otherworld, then you'll probably have already guessed what Chloe and everyone else in this book is but if you haven't then I don't want to spoil the surprise.)

I really enjoyed this book, it was more than just a ghost story, full of mystery and suspense, the scene in the basement crawl space was terrifying realistic, as was Chloe's reaction. If I was stuck in a confined space with dead bodies that have been bought back to life I would definitely pee my pants too.

I loved Chloe's character, she was strong and independent and even when she had been 'diagnosed', she still questioned everything. Her relationship with Simon and Derek was one of my highlights, Derek who is moody, aggressive and creeps Chloe out, yet deep down all he is trying to do is help her discover who she is and Simon the handsome young boy who appears to have no reason to be at Lyle house.Everyone in this house is shrouded with mystery, you never know who to trust. Once again Armstrong has developed well rounded and believable characters.

The only down side to this book was the cliff hanger at the end, I'm eager to find out what happens next.

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

“The show's writers had peppered the piece with words like "savage," "wild," and "animalistic." What bullshit. Show me the animal that kills for the thrill of watching something die. Why does the stereotype of the animalistic killer persist?

Because humans like it. It neatly explains things for them, moving humans to the top of the evolutionary ladder and putting killers down among mythological man-beast monsters like werewolves.The truth is, if a werewolf behaved like this psychopath it wouldn't be because he was part animal, but because he was still too human. Only humans kill for sport.” 

Bitten is the first book from the woman of the otherworld series,right from the beginning I was hooked, the plot is fast moving and engaging and the characters are well defined and entertaining  I couldn't wait to keep reading to find out what would happen.
Elena is the only female werewolf in the world, she was turned by someone she loved and trusted against her will. It has taken Elena a lot to come to terms with her werewolf side and deal with her past. When we first meet her she has left her pack and is trying to live a normal human life with her human boyfriend, however when the pack needs her help she can't say no and she is thrown back into everything she tried to forget.

As I said before I was hooked from the first page, Elena is sexy, fierce and wonderfully funny, everything you want from a heroine. Clay is a cold hard killer with a charming personality  he'll do anything to protect the ones he loves, he's a loveable rouge.  The chemistry between her and Clay is hot and passionate, its definitely a love/hate relationship. Armstrong has created characters full of flaws and that connects you to them even more and makes you root for them throughout.

A book that is full of action and characters that will endear you to them, a real page turner that will keep you absorbed from start to finish.