Challenge Review: Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 2 by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 2
Titles Included: Facing Facts, Belonging
Series: The Darkest Powers #3.5, #3.6
Author: Kelley Armstrong

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Supernatural Fiction

Elements: Sorcerers, Werewolves, Necromancers, Witches, Ghosts
Setting Location: Unknown (they've gone incognito, remember?)

Publisher: Traverse Press
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B009H6XPV4
Release Date: September 25, 2012
Source: Amazon.com
Rating: 4/5

Purchase Here: Kindle

Tagline(s): ~NONE~ 

Summary: In Facing Facts (a short story set after The Reckoning) Tori discovers who her father is, and Chloe deals with a vengeful ghost. Narrated by Chloe. This was previously published in Enthralled.

In Belonging (a novella set after The Reckoning) Derek's werewolf family comes to claim him. Narrated by Derek.

Review:

This Bonus Pack has a short story from Chloe's POV that was originally published in the Enthralled anthology, and a novella from Derek's POV. Both take place after The Reckoning. So we get to see how their life is after the series main story ended.

Facing Facts - Chloe's POV

In Facing Facts, it's been a month since they were reunited with Kit and Lauren. Kit feels this is the time to inform Tori that she's his biological daughter. She doesn't take the news well and storms out of the house. Chloe volunteers to talk to her, but Tori is hurt that Chloe suspected the truth a didn't say anything to her. That friends don't keep that kind of thing from each other. She runs away from Chloe, but Chloe gives chase. Tori runs toward the one place she knows Chloe can't follow her: an abandoned house.

Derek tracks Chloe to the mall where she saw Tori run, but it turns out that Tori really did go into the abandoned house and it was the ghost of her mother, Diane, that lead Chloe to the mall.

Diane is still trying to control Chloe and knows that she still feels guilty for killing her and then using her zombified body to kill Dr. Davidoff.

What I loved most about this short story was how Chloe stood up to Diane, declaring that she will not be controlled and that she's not going to feel guilty anymore for killing her, because it had to be done and Chloe wouldn't want anyone else to shoulder the guilt that came with it. Then she gives Diane a big mental shove, sending her back to the other side. That moment was just really awesome and I liked seeing how strong Chloe's becoming.

Belonging - Derek's POV

In Belonging, we learn that Derek really is Zachary Cain's son and the Cain clan intends to claim Derek as he should have been when he was young. But their motives aren't all for Derek's benefit. They've been told how smart Derek is and how fast he is coming into his powers. If the Cain's have Derek, it would make them a serious threat to the Pack.

Back at the escapee camp, Derek and Chloe's three month anniversary is coming up! Chloe's off at the mall with Tori and Derek is feeling the anxiety of not being there to watch over her. And his anxiety isn't unwarranted this time, Carter Cain is moving in on Chloe!

Once a week, Derek and Chloe go into the woods so he can work on Changing on command. While he's trying to Change, Derek thinks back to the first time Chloe stayed with him when he first started Changing behind Lyle House. It was the first time he saw someone he could imagine as a friend, besides Simon. Now, though he's Changed around others before, it's never as comfortable as it is when it's only him and Chloe. Derek manages to Change, but it's during their hide and seek game that the Cains make their move.

In this novella we see how strong Derek and Chloe's relationship has become. I loved how Chloe didn't let the Cains take Derek without following them back to where they were staying. The only backup she had was Liz, and she's a ghost, although a pretty dangerous one. Derek and Chloe will do anything to protect each other. I was worried for a bit that Derek would want to stay with the Cains, but I was relieved to be wrong. I loved the anniversary gift Derek got for Chloe, although it was kind of disappointing that we weren't told what she got for him.

What I like about both Facing Facts and Belonging is that they take place after the end of the main story. We get to see what's going on with everyone after they escape together. I can only hope that Kelley Armstrong chooses to write novellas like these for the Darkness Rising series too.

About this Author:

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

 

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Challenge Review: Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 1 by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 1
Titles Included: Dangerous, Divided, Disenchanted
Series: The Darkest Powers #0.5, #1.5, #2.5
Author: Kelley Armstrong

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Supernatural Fiction

Elements: Sorcerers, Werewolves, Necromancers, Witches
Setting Location: Buffalo, New York

Publisher: Traverse Press
Format: Kindle Edition
ISBN: 9780987703149
Release Date: November 15, 2011
Source: Amazon.com
Rating: 4/5

Purchase Here: Kindle

Tagline(s): ~NONE~ 

Summary: Contains three companion stories to the #1 NYT bestselling Darkest Powers trilogy.

Dangerous (prequel to The Summoning) The story of how Derek and Simon came to Lyle House, told from Derek's point of view.

Divided (set between The Summoning and The Awakening) Derek and Simon's adventures while separated from Chloe and Rae in the factory. Also told from Derek's point of view.

Disenchanted (overlaps part of The Awakening) Simon and Tori continue their journey after Chloe and Derek are left at the truck stop. Told from Tori's point of view.

Review:

What I love about some novellas is that they can be from the POV of a character that you're just dying to know what they are thinking while you're reading the main storyline. In the Darkest Powers, Derek is that character for me, and most of the novellas are from his POV.

Dangerous - Derek's POV

This novella is the prequel to the main series and it starts 10 years before, when Derek was 5 years old and living in the lab with the other werewolf pups. I really liked being able to read about what Derek's life was like before Simon's dad took him. And even at 5 years old, Derek felt better being around Simon and was just as protective of him.

We read about why Simon and Derek ended up at Lyle House, but it was just a vague explanation given to Chloe. But in Dangerous, we get to read about what really happened. We see how Derek protected Simon from a bully with a knife, which resulted in that bully being put into a coma. We see how people judged Derek by how he looked, assuming he was up to no good. Then we see what happened when they arrived home one day to their dad missing and what they went through to try to find him. Which then led to them being caught an sent to Lyle House. I felt this was a pretty good lead up to the main story when Chloe arrives at Lyle House and meets Simon and Derek.

Divided - Derek's POV

This novella takes place between The Summoning and The Awakening when Derek, Simon, Chloe, and Rae escaped Lyle House and were being pursued in the factory. This is Derek and Simon's side of the story when they end up separated.

Derek is really not happy with Chloe not following the plan and having stayed with him while his Change began. We learn why Derek used Chloe to escape Lyle House: Simon had withdrawn into himself and Chloe was bringing him back to himself. Chloe needed their help and Derek used that to get Simon to leave Lyle House. It wasn't until Chloe confronted Derek about using her and still staying with the plan that he started seeing her as a person and feeling responsible for her.

So when he realizes that Chloe and Rae are nowhere in the factory and that she called her aunt, he begins to feel anxious. Derek and Simon go from library to library trying to find information on where Chloe could be, while still trying to find their dad. It's during this that he notices a paper with the reward notice of $500,000 that her dad is offering for her return. You can imagine this doesn't make Derek very happy. You can also imagine Derek's relief and annoyance when they return to the factory and Chloe's there, but with Tori in tow.

I really liked reading this novella because while Chloe and Rae are hiding in the warehouse and eventually recaptured, we get to see what is happening with the other half of their group. Derek is almost desperate to get to Chloe and you can see small changes in the way he sees and feels about her. While I believe that the true changing point in his feeling for Chloe was when she stayed with him when he started Changing again at the truck stop, I think the beginning of those changes started here.

Disenchanted - Tori's POV, partially Simon's

Now Disenchanted takes place during the time that Chloe and Derek were left behind at the truck stop, but this is the story of Tori and Simon's continued journey to Andrew's.

Simon wants to go back for Derek and Chloe, while Tori wants to continue on to Andrew's place. Tori gets her way and they eventually make it to Andrew's. But along the way, Simon doesn't bother to hide his dislike for her and Tori knows that they don't want her there. When they get to Andrew's house, he's just gone, like Simon's dad was just gone. It's while they are hiding out in the pool house waiting for Derek and Chloe to arrive that Simon tells Tori why he doesn't like her. She's inconsiderate and selfish, only thinking of herself.

I think the moment that really got Tori thinking was when Simon protected her from a perceived threat, someone he doesn't even like. It's after this point that Tori slowly begins to change. Although she can still be a brat sometimes.

About this Author:

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

 

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Challenge Review: Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Spell Bound

Series: Women of the Otherworld #12
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Urban Fantasy Fiction, Supernatural Fiction
Elements: Witches, Demons, Necromancers, Sorcerers, Ghosts, Shamans, Zombies, Vampires
Setting Location: Columbus, Washington // Los Angeles, California // Miami, Florida
Publisher: Dutton Books, Penguin Group
Format: Hardcover, 325 Pages
ISBN: 9780525952206
Release Date: July 26, 2011
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 5/5

Purchase Here: Kindle // Hardcover

Tagline(s): ~NONE~ 

Summary: Savannah Levine has grown up to become a paranormal-investigating knockout. As a witch endowed with an array of spells, she is a force to be reckoned with. But, in her last case, innocent lives were lost and a family was torn apart. To put right the mess she helped create, she swears she would give anything...even her powers. Little does she know that someone or something has taken her up on that.

Defenseless and on the run from the witch-hunting assassins who are following her every move, Savannah soon stumbles upon a gathering storm that may tear her entire world apart. The danger is real. The whole Otherworld will have to come together to fight the dark force that threatens its very existence.

Savannah has no idea how to restore her powers just when she needs them the most, facing a host of deadly enemies bent on destroying not only her, but the very fabric of the supernatural world. As dark forces gather, Savannah isn't just fighting for her life, but for everything and everyone she loves....

Review:

In Waking the Witch, Savannah lost her powers due to a poison that inhibits spell power, but she got them back after taking an antidote. In her grief and guilt over what happened to Paula and Kayla, she made a wish that she would gladly give up her powers if everything was put right again. Well, someone or something heard her, granted that wish, and Savannah is left without her powers once again. And it couldn't be a worse time to be powerless. Being hunted by a witch-hunter and trying to stop a supernatural rebellion are not easy when you can barely defend yourself. But Savannah needs to learn how...and fast.

Without her powers, Savannah feels useless and out of her element. This keeps her from doing what she actually can do, like when Clay came to help her and ended up having to fight a demon. She just stood there and watched! This upset Clay and Savannah knew she lost any respect he may have had for her. Clay gives her this advice: Grow up. She needs to grow up and be respectful and considerate to those she claims to care about. Because behavior that was okay at 16 is not okay at 21.

This is especially important where Adam is concerned. Everyone knows that Savannah has been in love with Adam since she was twelve years old, except Adam himself. Her lack of respect and consideration for Adam, according to Clay, is going to keep him from ever seeing her as anything more than a friend. I have to agree. The way she treated Adam in L.A. was horrible and it's understandable that he would want some space and take a step back. I'm glad that they were able to work out their differences, and I absolutely loved their little moment at the end of the book.

Savannah's power loss has drawn the attention of both the celestial and demonic. The Fates have Eve investigating who took Savannah's powers. Adam's father, Asmondai, and Savannah's grandfather, Balaam, are on opposing sides on the reveal issue of Savannah's missing powers. What she does learn is that powerful forces are behind what's happening and Savannah is a target. A powerful ally, a tool to be used. And immortality is only a part of a much bigger plan.

"If you want to find your spells, dig deeper. Too much power has made you lazy. Complacent. Dig deeper. Work harder. Fight smarter. A war is coming. Wars need champions."

There are many who believe that the events of the past 10 years are sign and portents of the Phalegian Prophecy coming true. Kate and Logan, Hope and her unborn baby, Jaz and Larsen (Adele's son), Savannah and another witch-sorcerer just coming into her powers (who I believe is Tori from the Darkest Powers) are the signs of something big coming. And the Supernatural Liberation Movement is trying to gather them all together.

Savannah has a lot of growing up to do in a very short amount of time. Will she be able to find her powers in time? With the build up over the past two books, Waking the Witch and Spell Bound, I sure hope she does, because what's coming isn't going to wait for her to be ready. The "end" is coming and it's bound to be explosive. I can't wait to read Thirteen, the conclusion of the Women of the Otherworld series, and see how it all ends.

About this Author:

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

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Tour Review: Touching Evil by Amber Garr (Giveaway)

Title: Touching Evil

Series: Leila Marx #1

Author(s): Amber Garr
Genre: New Adult Fiction, Supernatural Fiction

Elements: Psychic Abilities, Demons, Fae, Werewolves, Sorcerers, Witches, Vampires, Ghosts

Publisher: CreateSpace
Format: PDF, 134 Pages
ISBN: 9781480021594
Release Date: November 5, 2012
Source: Tour Host {iLuvTours}
Rating: 

Purchase Here: Kindle // Paperback

Tagline(s): With one touch she can see it all.

Summary: Leila Marx is trying to put her life back together after her fiancé is murdered. When Detective Garrick Pearson enlists her help with a difficult case, she is thankful for the distraction and the opportunity to use her talents as a touch clairvoyant. Leila and Garrick delve into the mystery behind a series of missing teenage girls and mummified corpses while discovering their own growing attraction to each other.

Conner Hoffman is an intriguing lawyer and striking half-demon who enters Leila’s life unexpectedly. Although her visions are terrifying, she is fascinated by his charm and his legacy. When it becomes evident that the murders are linked to a paranormal event, Conner introduces Leila to a world unbeknownst to ordinary society. She suddenly finds herself immersed in supernatural politics, sorcery, and danger as she becomes the killer’s next target.

Staying alive will mean relying on friends, accepting the unbelievable, and trusting in her heart again.

Short Review:

A must read! Touching Evil has a complex story that isn't complex. It's easy to understand and flows perfectly. This books features a lot of supernatural beings we all love, and mysteries to be solved. I can't wait for the next book!

About this Author:

Amber Garr spends her days conducting scientific experiments and wondering if her next door neighbor is secretly a vampire. Born in Pennsylvania, she lives in Florida with her husband and their furry kids. Her childhood imaginary friend was a witch, Halloween is sacred, and she is certain that she has a supernatural sense of smell. She writes both adult and young adult urban fantasies and when not obsessing over the unknown, she can be found dancing, reading, or enjoying a good movie.

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Challenge Review: Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Personal Demon

Series: Women of the Otherworld #8 
Author: Kelley Armstrong 
Genre: Urban Fantasy Fiction, Supernatural Fiction 
Elements: Demons, Sorcerers, Witches, Werewolves 
Publisher: Bantam Books, Random House Inc. 
Format: mass Market Paperback, 523 Pages 
ISBN: 978-0-553-58820-0 
Release Date: October 2008 
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library 
Rating: 4/5

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: Tabloid reporter Hope Adams appears to live the life of an ordinary working girl. But in addition to possessing the beauty of a Bollywood princess, Hope has other unique traits. For she is a half-demon--a human fathered by a demon. And she's inherited a hunger for chaos. Naturally, when she's chosen by a very dangerous group for a very dangerous mission that will take her through Miami's hot spots, she jumps at the chance. But Hope is a little too good at this job. And soon she's in a little too deep. To save herself, she'll have to unleash her most primal instincts--and open herself, mind and body, to everything she most fears...and desires.

Review: 
 

Being an Expisco half-demon, Hope Adams feels a pull toward chaos. She usually works for the Council to get her fix, but when Benicio Cortez presents her with an undercover job, she can't turn it down. The Cortez Cabal has been having trouble with a local gang of supernaturals and it's Hope's job to infiltrate and gather information on their plans.

When Karl Marsten learns that Hope is in Miami, he pays Lucas Cortez a visit, inquiring about what she's doing there. He had a deal with Benicio that he would call Karl first if he was calling in their debt, and Benicio never contacted him, using the fact that Hope and Karl are fighting to get Hope to do the job alone. So Karl travels to Miami to get Hope out before things get out of control.

But when two gang members are kidnapped, events quickly go down hill, and the Cabal is the number one suspect. But there is more to the kidnapping than anyone ever thought possible.

I loved reading Hope's story. We get deeper insight into her need (?), addiction (?) to chaos. We see her complicated relationship with werewolf jewel thief, Karl Marsten. And her struggle to be more than what her demon makes her.

To be honest, when we met Hope in No Humans Involved, I didn't really like her. She seemed too eager and tag-along-puppy-like, although by the end, a puppy with a potentially vicious side. But when I read Personal Demon, that behavior made more sense to me and I really grew to like Hope very much.

The same went for Karl. We met Karl in the very first book in this series, Bitten, as a member of the rogue group trying to take down the Pack. I didn't like how Karl just stood by and watched as Clay was being beaten. He was too self-absorbed and selfish then, but we see a very different side of him in Personal Demon.

Karl feels no attachment to anyone but Hope, not even the Pack, which he is now a member of. I never thought I'd see Karl Marsten unsure of himself, but when it comes to Hope he feels things he once laughed at others for feeling. The fact the he's feeling the mating instinct doesn't help matters.

Aside from his feelings for Hope, we also see how Karl felt about the Pack as he was growing up. Karl had actually wanted to be a part of the Pack, but his father forbade it. It also turns out that his father was killed by Jeremy's father, Malcolm. So he has mixed feelings about now being a part of the Pack.

Personal Demon actually has two POVs--one is Hope and the other is Lucas Cortez. Because Hope works for the Council and is doing a job for Benicio, Paige and Lucas were brought in as well. This gives insight into the Cortez family and the inner workings of the Cabal.

A family tragedy causes Lucas to be put in charge of the Cabal and the investigation--and, boy, is he good at it. Paige can sense that a change is going to come and I really loved how she reassured Lucas that she wasn't going to leave: "Whatever happens, whatever you decide, now, later...I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me, Cortez."

And finally there is the gang Hope investigates. They are totally anti-Cabal and basically do anything and everything to undermine its authority. I can't say much about the gang without giving something away, but I will say that I really liked the members of the gang. As Hope became attached to them, so did I. I was shocked by the cause of the gang's downfall. It was totally unexpected.

The next book, Living with the Dead, is from the POV of Robyn Peltier, a human, and Hope's BFF. So we'll get to see more of Hope and Karl, and meet a new character in the Women of the Otherworld series.

Book Trailer: 



About this Author:

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

 

 

 

 

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Challenge Review: Broken by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Broken
Series: Women of the Otherworld #6
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Supernatural Fiction, Urban Fantasy Fiction
Elements: Werewolves, Demons, Necromancers, Zombies, Sorcerers, Witches, Vampires
Publisher: Bantam Books, Random House Inc.
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 444Pages
ISBN: 978-0-553-58818-7
Release Date: April 25, 2006
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 5/5

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: Ever since she discovered she's pregnant, Elena Michaels has been on edge. After all, she's never heard of another living female werewolf, let alone one who's given birth. But, thankfully, her expertise is needed to retrieve a stolen letter allegedly written by Jack the Rippper. As a distraction, the job seems simple enough--only the letter contains a portal to Victorian London's underworld, which Elena inadvertently triggers--unleashing a vicious killer and a pair of zombie thugs.

Now Elena must find a way to seal the portal before the unwelcome visitors get what they're looking for--which, for some unknown reason, is Elena....

Review:

Who would have thought a mosquito could cause so much trouble?

Broken brings us back to my favorite narrator in the Women of the Otherworld series, werewolf Elena Michaels. She's pregnant and bored...never a good combination for a woman used to action. So when Xavier calls about the favor Elena owes him for getting her out of a sticky situation is Stolen, she couldn't be more excited.

But what seems like a simple B&E with a little theft quickly turns not-so-simple when a squished mosquito falls on the From Hell letter they stole and opens a portal to Victorian London. Now the famous killer, Jack the Ripper, is loose in Toronto with two zombie goons in tow. And for some reason they are targeting Elena.

What's a werewolf mama-to-be to do when she has to protect, not only her own life, but that of her unborn child? One thing is for sure: The portal needs to be closed, before it's too late.

Elena's fear of Changing while pregnant was very visceral. Any mother-to-be would fear doing anything that could cause their child harm, but it's more so for Elena. Changing is a very painful process, not to mention that her body is contorting to a new shape, so she fears and questions what that could do to the baby. And the fact that there has never been a pregnant werewolf before leaves the entire Pack cautious. But if you think about is in human terms, all new mothers and fathers stress over the new arrival, so for Elena and Clay I'd say their behavior is normal for new werewolf parents.

One of my favorite moments in Broken may not seem very significant, but for Elena and Clay's relationship it is. Nick notices Elena wearing both her engagement ring and her wedding band. The engagement ring isn't much of a surprise since she's been wearing it on and off for years and kept it on for the past five years as a sign to Clay that she's staying for good. But where Clay's wedding band has been on his finger for the past fifteen years, Elena's remained in it's original case, at least until she became pregnant. Nick can't believe that Elena is actually going to keep it on after the baby is born. I loved Elena's reply:

"What? You think I'm willing to have Clay's baby, but not wear his ring? We're even thinking of making it legal."

This small, seemingly insignificant moment really shows how much Elena has grown since Bitten. She's accepted herself as a werewolf, forgiven Clay for biting her, and finally committing herself to Clay completely.

And I say it's about time. Clay made one mistake (though it was a big, life-altering mistake) and suffered for it for fifteen years. It's about time he finally finds happiness, and I don't think anything could make him happier than his mate accepting him and bearing his child.

We reunite with previous characters and meet new additions in Broken. One new addition that really stood out for me was Zoe Takano. Zoe is a vampire and the original thief of the From Hell letter. She has a little crush on Elena that left Elena feeling awkward and me laughing. What is it with Elena and vampires anyway? One wants to be her BFF and the other wants to make out (or possibly more) with her.

I was all over the place while reading Broken. I was rooting one moment, then totally grossed out the next. And let's not forget completely terrified for different reasons, one of which included Clay's injury. And I thought that the birth was such a magical moment! It's one of my favorite moments in the entire series so far. I don't know much about Jack the Ripper, but Kelley Armstrong's use of the killer's story and knowledge of the time made for an interesting and compelling addition to this series. 

Book Trailer:



About this Author:

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

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Challenge Review: Haunted by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Haunted
Series: Women of the Otherworld #5
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Supernatural Fictions, Urban Fantasy Fiction
Elements: Angels, Deities, Witches, Sorcerers, Ghosts, Necromancers, Demons, Wraiths, Nymphs, Magicians
Publisher: Bantam Books, Random House Inc.
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 495 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-553-58708-1 
Release Date: May 31, 2005
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 4.5/5

Tagline(s): The afterlife isn't all it's cracked up to be....

Summary: Former supernatural superpower Eve Levine has broken all the rules. But she's never broken a promise--not even during the three years she's spent in the afterworld. So when the Fates call in a debt she gave her word she'd pay, she has no choice but to comply.

For centuries one of the ghost world's wickedest creatures has been loosed on humanity, thwarting every attempt to retrieve her. Now it has fallen to Eve to capture this demi-demon known as the Nix, who inhabits the bodies of would be killers, compelling them to complete their deadly acts. It's a mission that becomes all too personal when the Nix targets those Eve loves the most--including Savannah, the daughter she left on earth. But can a renegade witch succeed where a host of angels have failed? 

Review:

Eve Levine is used to breaking the rules, but she has never broken a promise once she's given it. The Fates are calling in the favor Eve promised in return for them returning Lucas and Paige to the living world. The demi-demon known as the Nix escaped her prison and has been roaming the world for about 100 years. After a number of failed attempts, the Fates are asking Eve to capture the Nix so she can be placed in an even stronger prison. The hunt becomes personal, though, when the Nix begins targeting those Eve loves the most--her daughter Savannah, and her guardians Lucas and Paige.

With the help of Kristof Nast, Jaime Vegas, and the angel Trsiel, Eve sets out to capture the Nix and protect her daughter. But with this mission being Eve's inaugural quest to angel-hood, Eve will need to choose between accepting angel status to better protect Savannah, or refuse and stay in the ghost world with Kristof. Whatever she chooses, it is forever and there will be no going back.

To be honest, I wasn't sure I would like Eve's story, or Eve herself. But I really liked Eve after reading Haunted. Eve really is a great mother and I can understand Savannah's love for her mother better now. Eve's dedication to Savannah, even in death, is so powerful, and her rage and frustration at not being about to protect and comfort her anymore is so heartbreaking.

Eve also brings out the better part of Kristof, Savannah's father. I even grew to like him a little. We get to see how Kristof really feels about Eve and Savannah, and his regret over missing so much in Savannah's life and what he missed out on with Eve before they both died shows a more caring side of Kristof that we didn't get to see when he was alive. I feel that if he had been given the chance, he would have made a pretty great father.

There were two tension breaking moments that I was really entertained by. The first was when Eve and Kristof scare Jaime's stalker ghost and the other haunters away. They definitely won't be bothering Jaime again. The second was when Jaime called Stonehaven to speak to Elena, but gets Jeremy on the line instead. Jaime is just too cute with how flustered she becomes just from talking to Jeremy over the phone.

If I hadn't been watching The Untouchables on MeTV for the past few months, I never would have noticed the reference to Eliot Ness in the Cleveland 1938 chapter when the Nix inhabits Agnes Miller. It's awesome when I notice references like that that others may overlook.

Anyway, I was glad that my first impression of Eve ended up being wrong. After reading Haunted, Eve has become one of my favorite characters in the Women of the Otherworld series. The next book, Broken, brings us back to Elena and the Pack where Elena has her own favor to uphold. 

About this Author:

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

PART OF....

Challenge Review: The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

Title: The Reckoning
Series: Darkest Powers Trilogy #3
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Supernatural Fictions, Young Adult Fiction
Elements: Necromancers, Werewolves, Sorcerers, Witches, Ghosts, Demons, Zombies
Publisher: Harper Teen, Harper Collins
Format: Hardcover, 391 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-06-166283-6
Release Date: April 6, 2010
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 5/5

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: My name is Chloe Saunders. I'm fifteen, and I would love to be normal.

But normal is on thing I'm not.

For one thing, I'm having these feelings for a certain antisocial werewolf and his sweet-tempered brother--who just happens to be a sorcerer--but, between you and me, I'm leaning toward the werewolf.

Not normal.

My friends and I are also on the run from an evil corporation that wants to get rid of us--permanently.

Definitely not normal.

And finally, I'm a genetically altered necromancer who can raise the dead, rotting corpses and all, without even trying.

As far away from normal as it gets.

Review:

Now that Chloe and her friends are safe with Andrew and his rebel group things seem to be settling down. They have a warm place to stay and tutors to help them control their abilities, but there are dangerous secrets roaming the halls of the old house and unrest is forming among members of the rebel group. When a member of the group witnesses Chloe's true power, fear and greed lead to betrayal as Chloe and her friends are forced to run again.

When their enemies begin to close in from all sides, help comes from an unexpected but very welcome ally. Chloe knows that life on the run won't be easy and nothing will ever be close to normal again, but she's come to accept this life and the person she has become.

In the very first chapter Chloe has a visit from the ghost of a Volo half-demon who lures her to the roof with the promise of information on the experiments. It is later found out that he was the nephew of Todd Banks, the founder of the Genesis Project. Royce and his cousin, Austin, were the first subjects if the very first Genesis Project (yes, there was more than one wave of testing), but even more disturbing is that there are also the Icarus and Phoenix Projects. What those entail, no one knows, but it can't be good. But back to Royce. He is a very disturbing ghost and not very nice (i.e. using his Volo powers to pelt objects at Chloe), even when he was alive. He's probably one of the most powerful ghosts that Chloe has had to deal with so far, and he's very persistent, in a twisted way.

I found the members of the rebel group so infuriating. They used to work for the Edison Group at one time, so they should very well know what EG is capable of, but when Chloe tells them all that has happened to them, they chalk it all up to her overactive imagination. Margaret, the necromancer, annoyed me the most. She took Chloe to a cemetery! How stupid can you be to take a genetically altered necromancer, with unknown abilities, to a cemetery full of corpses? Chloe even warns her that all she basically has to do is step into a cemetery and bodies start rising. But it's not until the ground cracks open in earthquake-like proportions, the dead start moving and moaning, and the living begin screaming, that she believes Chloe tell the truth.

One good thing came from Margaret though. I had been wondering about Chloe's necklace, what its function is and the reason for its color change. The necklace is supposed to reduce a necromancer's glow. That is what the ghosts see and Chloe's is really (and I mean REALLY) bright. But when Chloe asks why it changed color (from ruby to sapphire to amethyst), Margaret blanches and just says something about superstition. So I'm still left wondering about the reasoning for the color change.

I loved how defensive Chloe becomes of Derek. Andrew voices his concerns about how "attached" Derek seems to Chloe and how it's different for Derek with his wolf instincts than it is for Chloe. Chloe realizes that they don't see Derek, they only see the werewolf. Chloe can relate to Derek very well and understands his position better than anyone. They both have powerful abilities that can be quite dangerous, and because of that people only see what they are and not who they are.

I felt kind of bad for Simon in this book. Simon and Chloe went on their first date, but when he kisses her at the end of the night, he realizes that there is someone else. It looks like Chloe was leading him on all this time, but she didn't even realize the truth of his words until that kiss. This creates a wedge between Simon, Chloe, and Derek for a little while. After Derek completes his first Change (yay!), Simon gives Chloe a drawing of her crouching beside a black wolf with her arms around its neck, and a message for Derek saying "It's okay." This makes me wonder if Simon had walked out to the woods unawares when Derek was Changing. How else could he have known what Derek looked like as a wolf? Seeing Derek and Chloe together during his Change would definitely show Simon the bond forming between the two of them. But I liked that he bowed out in typical sweet Simon fashion by giving the drawing and message.

Another message that Chloe received is after she freed the demi-demon Diriel. Diriel's master demon tells Chloe to "Grow up strong, little one. Strong and powerful." I can't wait to see just how strong and powerful Chloe will become. 

Book Trailer:

The Reckoning Kelley Armstrong Book Trailer by cosproductions

Excerpt (Page 100):

"You're telling me you can raise the dead simply by summoning?"

"Yes."

"My God," she whispered, staring at me. "What have they done?"

Hearing her words and seeing her expression, I knew Derek had been right last night. I'd just done something worse than raising the dead--I'd confirmed her worst fears about us.

About this Author:

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

Challenge Review: Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Title: Blood Bound
Series: Mercy Thompson #2
Author: Patricia Briggs
Genre: Supernatural Fictions, Urban Fantasy Fiction
Elements: Werewolves, Vampires, Fae, Shapeshifters, Witches, Ghosts, Sorcerers, Demons
Publisher: Ace Books, Penguin Group
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 292 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-441-01473-6
Release Date: January 30, 2007  
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 4/5

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings. In return, the average law-abiding, solid citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen...

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places--and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary--and neither is the demon inside of him... 

Review:

In Blood Bound, Stefan calls in the favor Mercy owes him and asks her to accompany him (as a coyote) to act as a witness to his meeting with a vampire in town without permission. When they arrive at the vampire's hotel room the situation quickly deteriorates, leaving Stefan incapacitated and Mercy trapped. When the sun begins to rise, Mercy is left injured and Stefan has altered memories of what happened in the hotel room. The hunt is on for the vampire-sorcerer, and until he's caught, no one is safe.

Though Blood Bound is about the vampires and the sorcerer terrorizing the Tri-Cities, what really stood out for me was the relationships between the characters. Whether the relationship is romantic or just friendly, they seem to take more a front seat than the hunt for the evil vampire-sorcerer. This gives us more insight into the characters and even the reasons behind why they do what they do within these relationships.

Tensions within the Mercy, Adam, Samuel triangle are at an all time high with the arrival of the sorcerer. Mercy is avoiding Adam because the power he has over her makes her uncomfortable. What time she does spend with Adam is making Samuel jealous, especially when she comes home smelling like Adam. Samuel and Adam try to stay out of each others way except when it's necessary for them to be in the same place. And now it seems like this triangle may become a quadrangle when Stefan tells Mercy that she's "important" to him.

The sorcerer being in town is causing those beings with a volatile nature to lose control, especially the werewolves. Samuel seems to be affected the most but also he is showing signs of a werewolf that wants to die. It gets really bad when he has to care for an infant who was a victim on a car accident. It's well known how much Samuel loves children and this incident brought back to the forefront what happened to him in Texas before he returned to Montana. Samuel's painand heartache are so heartbreaking, especially when it's causing him to lose control and just want to give up. Also the fact that Mercy can't give Samuel what he wants adds to that heartbreak.

There was a moment that I found just as terrifying as Mercy did. I think it would terrify just about anyone to wake up and find that your creepy enemy has found you while he's outside slicing your trailer to ribbons trying to get in. It's definitely a good thing that vampires can't enter your home without permission or invitation.

It was interesting to see how much power Mercy actually has within the werewolf pack. Because Adam publicly claimed her as his mate in front of the entire pack in order to protect her, she now has his rank within the pack, and since Adam is the alpha Mercy is next in rank in the pack. It's easy to see how most of the pack would not be happy having a coyote dominant over them.

When Warren is brought back severely injured and Adam and Samuel go missing in search of the sorcerer, Mercy comes to the rescue (really, what would they do without her?). While one enemy is destroyed, another is given pardon. Mercy can't accept that and goes hunting. What this action will mean for the future we won't know until later books, but it's bound to be another adventure.

About this Author:

Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book seemed a natural choice. Patricia graduated from Montana State University with degrees in history and German and she worked for a while as a substitute teacher. Currently, she lives in Montana with her husband, children and six horses and writes full-time, much to the delight of her fans.

Challenge Review: The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

Title: The Awakening
Series: Darkest Powers Trilogy #2
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Supernatural Fictions, Young Adult Fiction
Elements: Necromancers, Werewolves, Sorcerers, Witches, Ghosts, Demons, Zombies
Publisher: Harper Teen, Harper Collins
Format: Hardcover, 360 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-06-166276-8
Release Date: May 4, 2009
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 4.5/5

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl--someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment--not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control: I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.

Not I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends--a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch--and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

Review:

Betrayed by her Aunt Lauren, Chloe and Rae are now locked up in some kind of lab, unable to escape and meet up with Simon and Derek. Worse yet, Dr. Davidoff and Mrs. Enright want Chloe to help them capture Simon and Derek, using  Simon's diabetes as a way to persuade her to give up their location before Simon dies. Unwilling to trap her friends, Chloe gives them false rendezvous points until she can come up with a plan of escape.

When trying to summon Liz, Chloe accidentally summoned Brady instead, who was then taken over by a demon who has been trapped by the Edison Group. The demon tells Chloe of the experiment that she and her friends are a part of. The Genesis II Project is genetic modification meant to suppress a supernatural's power, but not all subjects were successful. Unsuccessful subject's powers are uncontrollable and based on their emotions. Those who cannot be rehabilitated are "terminated." Simon was a success, Rae and Tori are in progress, but Chloe and Derek are left with "???" next to their names.

With an uncertain future and a half million dollar reward out for Chloe's safe return, Chloe's new normal is a dangerous and deadly life on the run, but there is no going back now.

Chloe has really grown since The Summoning. She's stronger, more courageous, and taking a more active part in their escape. She thinks logically and thinks of each scenario that could happen. She's still a little rash sometimes, especially when Derek annoys her. Chloe is even trying to be friends with Tori and trying to make her feel like part of the group, instead of a tag-a-long.

The triangle between Simon, Chloe, and Derek heats up in this book. Simon and Chloe start spending more time together when they begin a comic chronicling the events of their journey. But Chloe and Derek's connection grows as Chloe sits with Derek as he tries to go through his change again. It always seems like Derek and Chloe are being pushed together as their journey continues. I like Simon, but I always wanted Derek and Chloe to end up together. Even though they fight and bicker a lot, they also have a lot in common, and they both have uncertain futures.

I'm glad that I've started reading Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, otherwise I never would have noticed the references made to the series in The Awakening. One reference made is about how Tori's mother heard about another witch (Eve) bearing the child (Savannah) of a sorcerer (Kristof) and had to do the same. And mix-blood spellcasters are dangerous. And another reference I noticed was when Derek was anxious about being in Syracuse where the Pack lives. He definitely wouldn't want to run into Clay, Elena, and Jeremy. But Derek and Chloe did run into a couple werewolves who remarked that Derek looked like a Cain, in reference to Zachary Cain who was one of the werewolves who went against the Pack in the first book of the Women of the Otherworld series, Bitten.

When I read a series that is either a side story or spin-off of another series, I like seeing the characters of the main series, like with Women of the Otherworld and the Darkest Powers. It only makes sense since these two series take place in the same world.

I mentioned in my review for The Summoning that I was going to pay closer attention to Chloe's necklace. When I re-read The Summoning, I noticed that her ruby necklace was changing color. In the beginning of The Awakening, it was a purplish color, but by the end her necklace is almost blue. I really want to know what the deal is with the necklace. It must be important since focus is being put on how it's changing color.

The Darkest Powers Trilogy comes to a close with the next and final book, The Reckoning. As the title suggests, there's going to be a reckoning and not everyone will make it out alive. I can't wait to see what I notice when I re-read the conclusion to this amazing series that I didn't the first time through.

Book Trailer:


About this Author: 

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

Challenge Review: Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Industrial Magic
Series: Women of the Otherworld #4
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Supernatural Fictions, Urban Fantasy Fiction
Elements: Shamans, Demons, Witches, Sorcerers, Necromancers, Druids, Deities, Ghosts, Werewolves, Vampires, Clairvoyants
Publisher: Bantam Books, Random House Inc.
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 528 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-553-58707-4  
Release Date: October 26, 2004
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 4/5

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: In the aftermath of her mother's murder, Paige broke with the elite, ultraconservative American Coven of Witches. Now her goal is to start a new Coven for a new generation. But while Paige pitches her vision to uptight thirty-something witches in business suits, a more urgent matter commands her attention.

Something is murdering the teenage offspring of the underworld's most influential Cabals--a circle of families that makes the mob look like amateurs. And none is more powerful than the Cortez Cabal, a faction Paige is intimately acquainted with. Lucas Cortez, the rebel son and unwilling heir, is none other than her boyfriend. But love isn't blind, and Paige has her eyes wide open as she is drawn into a hunt for an unnatural-born killer. Pitted against shamans, demons, and goons, Paige finds herself in a battle chilling enough to make a wild young woman grow up in a hurry. If she gets the chance.

Review:

It has been four months since the fiasco with Kristof Nast and the fight for custody of Savannah, but Paige Winterbourne's life is anything but back to normal. With her business, private life, and reputation up in smoke, she had to relocate to Portland with her boyfriend, Lucas Cortez, and her ward, Savannah Levine; a place where no one knows her. Though life has moved on, Paige still feels like something is missing, and with each new failed attempt to start a new Coven, that emptiness grows bigger.

But when Lucas's father, Benicio, CEO of the Cortez Cabal, approaches Paige with an incident where a young witch was attacked and is now in a coma, she asks to discuss it with Lucas first. Lucas, knowing that Paige is worried about the girl, suggest checking up on her and seeing if there is anything they can do to help her. What starts as a simple inquiry quickly becomes a full-blown investigation when this attack is linked to a series of murders on teenagers of Cabal employees and families. Paige and Lucas know they are in it for the long run when the killer begins targeting the teens of the immediate families of the Cabal CEOs, and the only teen Cabal child not under 24-hour guard is Paige's ward, Savannah.

To help keep Savannah safe and stop this killer from taking the lives of more children, Paige calls in help from werewolves Elena, Clay and Jeremy; celebrity necromancer Jaime Vegas; and vampires Cassandra and Aaron.

From the gang-ridden streets of Miami to the many levels of the afterlife and back, Paige and Lucas only have so much time to catch the killer before he takes another life.

Out of the two books narrated by Paige so far, Industrial Magic is my favorite. We are thrown into a world terrorized by a killer who is taking his revenge by killing the children of Cabal employees and families. We are introduced to new characters and reunited with old friends. There is just so much excitement, action, mystery, and tension. Industrial Magic is fast-paced and gripping, I couldn't put this book down.

With all the Cabals as the target of the killer; the Nasts, St. Clouds, Boyds, and Cortezes are all in Miami, reluctantly working semi-together, and that's an explosive situation ready to go BOOM! But I really liked one of the young Nasts--Sean doesn't seem like any of the other members of his family. I liked that he wants a relationship with Savannah and that he dislikes how his family is treating his younger half-sister. It shows that maybe there's a better future for the Cabals with heirs like Sean and Lucas.

A great tension breaker that I found completely hilarious was the fountains outside the vampire, John's house. When Paige and Cassandra go there for a visit, they find a couple of fountains on either side of his walkway of a male version of Botticelli's "Birth of Venus." Trust me when I say that their discovery and reaction to the fountains will definitely make you crack a smile, at the very least.

SPOILER_DESCRIPTION_OF_JOHN'S_FOUNTAIN_HERE

There, flanking either side of the walkway, were a pair of raised fountains. The base of each was a shell-shaped bowl filled with water and lily pads. Standing in each bowl was a masculine version of Botticelli's famous "Birth of Venus." The man stood in the same pose as Venus, left hand coyly drawn up to cover his chest, right hand down by his genitals, yet instead of covering them, he held his optimistically endowed penis, pointing it upward. Water jetted from each penis and over the path into the basin of the twin statue opposite. The water didn't flow in a smooth stream, though. It spurted. "Please tell me there is something wrong with his water pressure," Cassandra said. "No, I believe that's the desired effect." I followed the path of the water over the walkway. "So are we suppposed to duck or run through between spurts?"

I'm not sure how I'll like the next book, Haunted, which is from Eve's POV, Savannah's mother. We met her in Industrial Magic, and I really liked her, so I hope I like her story as well.  

About this Author: 

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many  pets.

CHALLENGE: MONTH FOUR

INDUSTRIAL MAGIC BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

Challenge Review: The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Title: The Summoning
Series: Darkest Powers Trilogy #1
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Supernatural Fictions, Young Adult Fiction
Elements: Necromancers, Werewolves, Sorcerers, Witches, Ghosts, Demons, Zombies
Publisher: Harper Teen, Harper Collins
Format: Hardcover, 390 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-06-166269-0
Release Date: July 1, 2008
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 4.5/5

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.

All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don't even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost--and the ghost saw me.

Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a "special home" for troubled teens. Yet the home isn't what it seems. Don't tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It's up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House...before its skeletons come back to haunt me.

Review:

Chloe Saunders just wanted to be normal. But when she sees her first ghost, she knows nothing will be normal again--least of all herself. Now she's been sent to Lyle House, a home for troubled teens. There, the doctors tell her she's schizophrenic, while the other residents tell her she's a necromancer with the power to communicate with and raise the dead. Which is true, she doesn't know, but she does know that there is something not right about Lyle House and its residents are more than they seem...

Meet the younger generation of supernaturals residing in the world of Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld in her Young Adult trilogy, The Darkest Powers.

In The Summoning, Chloe is a 15-year-old high school sophomore with great ambitions of being a movie screenwriter and director. But that dream comes to a screeching halt when she starts see ghosts and has a total freakout in the hallway of her school. Now she's being sent to a home for troubled teens! Lyle House seems on the up-and-up, but Chloe has been hearing whispers that suggest otherwise.

With the help of housemates Simon and Derek, Chloe uses her abilities as a necromancer to learn from those who lived in Lyle House before them--and died, of course--that Lyle House was owned by Samuel Lyle. He did unspeakably evil and horrible experiments on other supernaturals. Samuel Lyle was a sorcerer using dark magic on those supernaturals he lured to him, offering them a better life. Most stayed far away from the sorcerer and his house, but there were those who were beguiled by his words of hope.

Once they realize that it's not a coincidence that Lyle House is full of supernatural teens, Derek, Simon, and Chloe plan to escape and search for Simon's father. But housemates Rae and Tori learn of the escape plan too. One wants to tag along and the other betrays them into the hands of those running Lyle House. Now the race to escape is on. Who can be trusted when your own family betrays you?

I loved Chloe as the heroine of this series. She starts off like a scared little girl, but quickly becomes a young woman who takes crap from no one. We get a glimpse of the kind of woman she'll become. I liked that she has dreams and ambitions--she's not a heroine who is just drifting along not knowing what she wants in life. Chloe is a smart girl and she shows it. I was most surprised by her great sense of humor and sarcastic wit. And finally, liked that though she was scared of Derek when she first met him, she quickly grows a backbone when it comes to him and doesn't back down when he gets in her face.

Chloe's power as a necromancer is more advanced than is normal for someone her age. When she communicated with one of the ghosts in Lyle House, he said that her power is too strong, too much, too soon, and unnatural. And when Chloe asked another of the Lyle House ghosts if she was in danger, she said, "You're a supernatural. You're always in danger." I'd say that Chloe has a lot to worry about, but at least she's not alone.

Simon and Derek are two of my other favorite characters besides Chloe. Simon is a sorcerer and Derek is a werewolf. Being foster brothers, and knowing the danger they are in, they are pretty tight and don't really trust anyone else. But for some reason Chloe is different--I would love to read their first meeting for the guys POV to see what they thought of her--and when they realize that she's in just as much danger, they let her in and protect her. There are definite signs of a love triangle forming.

The prologue to The Summoning sets the tone for the whole book. We have a young Chloe who is left with a babysitter who doesn't know that she's not allowed in the basement. Chloe knows that she's not to go down into the basement, but the babysitter is asking her to come down and help her look for the Coke. Chloe hopes that if she can get the Coke and run back upstairs before Mrs. Hobb sees her. No such luck. When Chloe turns around to go back upstairs, Mrs. Hobb is there, her death replaying over and over while she's standing there smiling at Chloe, all the while the babysitter is upstairs screaming Chloe's name, trying to find her. The first thing Mrs. Hobb says to her is, "Welcome back, Chloe."

How creepy is that? This prologue sets a dark undertone to the story. The foreboding just screams something bad is going to happen. The Summoning and the Darkest Powers is definitely one of the darker YA series out there.

Book Trailer: 

 
About this Author: 

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

PART OF....