Review: The Rising by Kelley Armstrong

Wow, another week that goes by without a post ^_^; Let's hope I put an end to this right now with this review! Yes, finally a review! LOL. And you won't believe how long it took me to write this one ^_^; However, I'm glad that I've finally managed to finish it because The Rising is a book I've really wanted to share with everyone :) Beware, it's not my best review. I think I'm a bit rusty...

By the way, in case you guys are wondering, no new books this week, so no Hauling Sunday post. Now, ready? Because here we go! :P


***Warning: This review contains spoilers. Read at your own risk***

The Rising by Kelley Armstrong
published by Harpercollins in April 2013

Things are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by the powerful St. Clouds and now a rival Cabal as well, they're quickly running out of places to hide. And with the whole world thinking they died in a helicopter crash, it's not like they can just go to the authorities for help.

All they have is the name and number of someone who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they're so valuable, and why their supernatural powers are getting more and more out of control.

But Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her. And now, like it or not, she'll have to face down some demons from her past if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because Maya can't keep running forever.

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Series: Darkness Rising, Book #3

The Story: The Rising basically picks up where The Calling left off. Maya, Daniel and Corey are on their own and trying to figure things out - where to go, what to do, whom to contact... and to trust, all the while staying ahead of the Cabals hunting for them. With most of their companions captive and the world thinking they have died in a helicopter crash, their options are scarce. One thing they know for sure; they cannot keep running all their lives nor do they want to... Is there a possibility that life could go back to the way it was? If there is, Maya and her friends will do everything and reach the necessary people for it to happen.

My Opinion: I love Ms Armstrong's writing, but to be honest, the Darkness Rising trilogy hasn't been my favorite work of hers so far. So when I got The Rising, my initial intent was to take a peek and put it aside for later. However, once I took that peek, I was completely hooked - simply couldn't put it down and ended up reading the whole thing LOL.

My enjoyment of The Rising is in large part due to Maya's gang finally meeting up with Chloe's group from the Darkest Powers trilogy. This is something I've been hoping for throughout the trilogy and it finally happening, well it made my day :) I just enjoyed the interactions between the two groups as their circumstances differed a lot. On one hand, you have Maya's gang who all grew in this community of experiment subjects, being monitored without really knowing it. Now on the run, they have to rely on themselves. While most of Chloe's group has been aware of being experiment subjects and have been trying to learn and control their powers. In addition, they can rely on Chloe's aunt and Derek and Simon's father. The contrasting idea between the two projects was also interesting to me. Project Genesis which Chloe stems from was to genetically enhance powers of supernaturals while Project Phoenix which includes Maya was  to revive supernatural beings that have been extincted. But quite honestly, at the end of the day, I just wanted updates of Chloe's group as I personally preferred them to Maya's ^_^; And LOL, let just say Derek's reaction didn't disappoint :)

What I also really liked in The Rising was the resolution at the end. Maya and Chloe's groups have been on the run for a while... Is that all their future holds for them? The answer is no :) I personally really wished that they had gone to the supernatural council. I think Paige and company need to know about them, about these projects... However, as they hadn't gone to the council, I think the person they went to make the best sense: Sean Nast. With Lucas and Sean taking leading positions in the Cabal clans and the emergence of the supernatural council, you can see that things are starting to change... and it's quite exciting to actually see Sean's position in the Cabals solidifying :) Perhaps I'm biased, but I feel Sean is someone that Maya and Chloe can trust. He's the one that going to be the most upfront with them. In any case, as I said, I liked the resolution at the end. Yes, they are still dependent on the Cabals, but at least, they are no longer on the run. They can live a "normal" life with their families. Also, they are now aware of their powers and the choices they will have to make in the future. It's not perfect, but it's better than what they could hope for at the beginning of The Rising.

Now, what about the story of The Rising itself? It was okay. To me, the scenes where Maya and her friends were on the run were a bit draggy. There were also some events that I felt were a bit too convenient such as Maya's twin Ash appearance. Still, there were some good twists and those kept the story going :) And finally, Maya realized her feelings for Daniel! Finally! I've been rooting for Daniel since the beginning and seriously, he's such a good guy... How could Maya not like him? This is one thing that Ms Armstrong hasn't handled really well in my opinion in both trilogies: love triangles. There haven't really been any in her adult books and I know YA books need a bit of drama, but she's just not very good at them ^_^; Perhaps because there is such an unbalance between the two potential love interests. In the Darkest Powers trilogy, she did a better job because Simon and Derek started on an equal footing - they both met Chloe at the same time and as brothers, they knew each other so well. But in Darkness Rising? I think everyone was rooting for Daniel.

At the end of the day, I'm glad the Darkness Rising trilogy is over. Ms Armstrong did her best with this trilogy; however, I think the odds were stacked against her... There were technically two huge flaws to this series. The first one is that being an avid fan of Ms Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, I knew so much more than the characters themselves... So waiting for the blocks to fall into place and the characters to figure things out was just agonizing! The second flaw was the similarities of what Maya and her friends were going through to the events from the Darkness Powers trilogy. Yes, circumstances were different, but in both cases, the heroines found out she was a supernatural and ended up being on the run, having to figure things out. It just took a lot of the thrills out. However, I'm really excited to see what Ms Armstrong has in store for Maya and Chloe in the future! The Women of the Otherworld series is now going on hiatus and so are the characters for these two trilogies... but I would love Ms Armstrong to pick up this world again in a few years and show us what have become of Maya and Chloe and mix them with our beloved characters from the Women of the Otherworld series :) That is going to be really exciting :)

My Grade: B+. This grade is a bit on the high side, but keep in mind that I'm really a fan of the Women of the Otherworld series :) For me, The Rising was definitively the best installment out of three books in this trilogy and it was in large part due to the cross-over and the resolution :) As I mentioned earlier, once I started the book, I was hooked and that deserves recognition, hence the B+. As a whole, the Darkness Rising trilogy might not have been Ms Armstrong's best work, but the doors it opens... I can't wait to explore that!

Review: The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

So my sister is in Australia right now and my co-worker, on vacation. It's only been a day and it's been so lonely!! Luckily, I came home to a nice new toy... the iPad2! Yes, I finally broke down and went to the dark side LOL. I think it'll take me a couple of days to figure it out, so it should keep me occupied :) The good news is that now, I can buy Crazy People by Jennifer Crusie! Yay!

In the meantime, I finally finished this review! I've started it a few weeks, but didn't want to bombard you with too much YA, so I wanted to space it out with other reviews/mini-reviews... And then, time just slipped away ^_^; Well now, it's finally done and I hope you guys enjoy it!


The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

published by Harpercollins Publisher/ DoubleDay Canada in April 2012

Maya Delaney’s paw-print birthmark is the sign of what she truly is—a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.

Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they’re kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home. Plentiful action and romance in this second installment in the Darkness Rising series will keep readers enthralled to the last page.

Genre: YA, UF
Series: Darkness Rising trilogy, Book #2

The Story: The Calling picks up right where The Gathering ended, as the town of Salmon Creek is burning and the kids are being evacuated according to plans in helicopters. So Maya and her dog, Kenji, find themselves in the same helicopter as her best friend Daniel, Mayor Tilson and his daughter, Nicole, and niece, Sam, as well as Hayley, Corey and Rafe. Quickly, they realize something is not right with the mayor being inert and the pilot, suspicious. One thing leads to another and the helicopter crashes...

Now, the group of teenagers find themselves stranded on a little island, east of Vancouver Island - their island. If they stay and wait to be rescued, there's no telling who will come for them. As a result, they decide to return home on their own... and thus their journey begins. As they make their way home, they start figuring things about, putting all their information together. They also must avoid the Cabals who are after them and other obstacles... and when they finally reach their destination, a big surprise is waiting for them.

My Opinion: It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Ms Armstrong :) However, it feels like I haven't been as excited for her new releases as I used to and I'm pretty sad this anticipation/excitement feeling is absent :( I know part of the reason is because I haven't read Savannah's books in the Women of the Otherworld series yet since I'm waiting for all three books of the trilogy to be out so I don't go crazy with the cliffhangers... and another is I was a bit disappointed by The Gathering. I think deep down, I'm just wondering where Ms Armstrong is going with all these series... I hope they will interconnect and it'll go back to how it used to be, but it seems like wishful thinking ^_^;

Okay, enough of the depressing stuff. Let's discuss The Calling! I admit I had some doubts going into it, but in the end, I'm happy that I read The Calling. No matter how I feel about the upcoming releases, I still love Ms Armstrong's writing and voice and reading this book reminded me of that. Really, it was like reuniting with a long-time friend :) Her writing is just smooth and familiar and her voice, comforting. And for added bonus, it turned out I enjoyed The Calling more than The Gathering! Yay!

Aside from the writing, one of reasons why I enjoyed The Calling more is because the story finally picked up and the kids started to figure things out - who and what they were, the project and who was after them. I remember when I read The Gathering, I was waiting for things to happen and it was so frustrating to see the characters being so clueless. At least in The Darkest Powers trilogy, Chloe, quickly figured out something was wrong... whereas in The Gathering, they have grown into that environment and so, it took forever. And in the end, the anticipation feeling just killed the book for me. In The Calling, it's different because pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall into place. It's actually even more exciting for readers who are familiar with Ms Armstrong's world, because it feels as if you have the upper hand on the characters! You pick up on things that are significant while the characters have no idea... Seriously, while reading, I was eagerly looking for any hints and clues and every time there was a mention of the Edison Group, the Cabals, the supernatural, I couldn't help but smiling and get excited LOL. So that definitively worked for me. Something else that I found interesting was the Project Phoenix itself which consists in reviving supernaturals which are extinct like skinwalkers, etc. Seriously, I'm really curious to find out what Corey is... At first, I thought he was a clairvoyant... but since we've met some throughout the series, it can't be. I definitively can't wait to find out. Finally, as usual, I find the in-fighting between the Cabals really interesting and it's good to get to know them more.

I haven't spoken too much of the characters so far and that's because I cannot make up my mind about them. Quite frankly, I have to say that as a heroine, Maya isn't really doing it for me. I just don't connect with her and I don't find her particular likable or easy to relate to. She gives off a superior vibe, although I'm not sure she does it consciously. It's simply that she is quick to judge sometimes and stubborn in her convictions. So I was happy to see that she realized in this book that her assessments of people could be faulty... and hopefully, she'll work on it. Still, it wouldn't be bad in her situation at the moment to keep an open mind ^_^; One thing about her that I'm really looking forward to is her background. I really hope we'll find out more in the last book, The Rising... My favorite character in the series is definitively Daniel. He is just a genuinely nice guy, considerate and caring. Seriously, Ms Armstrong knows how to write dreamy guys :P And overall, I did enjoy Maya and Daniel's friendship. The two of them have chemistry and they have each other's back. I also liked their interactions with Corey especially, and the other characters. Deep down, I wish Maya would choose Daniel - I really don't care for Rafe. I know the heart wants what it wants, but seriously, between Rafe and Daniel? Is there even a choice. But it seems Maya is really attracted towards Rafe, sigh... And if in the end, she chooses Daniel, it would feel a bit like it was by default. Unless something drastic would happen in The Rising. So I'm going to be crossing my fingers :) As for the other characters, they were likable to a point... but not developed enough to be sure.

Finally, here are the things I really didn't care about. First, I was really not fond of them all keeping secrets from each other ^_^; How do you expect to be ready, to prepare for what's coming if you don't have all the information? I know that at times, it was to avoid panic... but it really didn't sit well with me. It seemed to me as they were all involved, they all had a right to know. It would also explain so much of what was going on. Also, as a whole, the story was so-so. The beginning was really exciting and as I said above, I really liked that they were figuring things out. However, the whole trek from the crash site back to their town... while avoiding the Cabals? It didn't seem realistic to me. Yes, I know these teenagers are more skilled than the everyday teen you'll meet, but they're still just teenagers and most of them have not come into their powers yet. Sure, they haven't come out all scoff-free, but enough to wonder if the Cabals employees are competent ^_^; Also, the fact that everyone they ran into was either a Cabal or someone with bad intentions... It just didn't work for me ^_^;

My Grade: B-. As I said, I enjoyed The Calling better than The Gathering... but I still had some issues and unfortunately, they weighted heavy when it came to grading this book. Also, one thing that's not helping is that you can't help but comparing this trilogy to The Darkest Powers trilogy and unfortunately, I think that Chloe's story was more interesting. Still, there is no doubt in my mind that I will be picking up The Rising. I'm really curious to see what happens next.

Also, I was thinking of the book and the grade while writing this review... and I figured this is a trilogy which would work so much better if I read the three books at the same time, instead of one each year. So if you have not yet read these books and are patient, I advice you to wait till The Rising is out to embark in this trilogy :)

Review: The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Finally, I'm done with this review! I planned to have it up late April, early May... but for some reasons, just couldn't come up with anything. Hopefully, now that I've plowed through it, my reviewing muse will come home :P What do you think?


***Warning: There might be spoilers in this review. Read at your own risk!***

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

published by Harpercollins in April 2011

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.

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Series: Darkness Rising trilogy, Book #1

The Story: Hmmm, I've been trying to write a synopsis for The Gathering for weeks now and it's just not coming together ^_^; I think that the blurb has it right for the first half, but the second half is a bit melodramatic. That's why I'm going to give it another try, but don't expect too much ^_^;

Maya has lived in the little town of Salmon Creek on Vancouver Island with her adoptive parents since the age of five. Her father being the park warden, she grew up in the nature, surrounded by wilderness, and loving it. Maya definitively has an affinity with the animals, which comes in handy when taking care of them when they are injured.

Maya is about to celebrate her 16th birthday and is looking forward to it after a difficult year. She's still trying to figure out how her best friend, Serena, captain of the swimming team, drowned and what she could have done to save her. When a reporter comes into town asking questions about the teenagers and their hobbies, Maya starts to wonder if what happened to Serena didn't involve foul play... Then, there is Rafe Santiago, the newbie, who's been flirting with one girl after another and it seems Maya's number is up. Maya's determined not to get involved, but that's before she sees the cracks in Rafe's bad boy imagine... Finally, the cougars seem more agitated than usual and Maya seems to have developed some unusual abilities... What on earth is happening?

My Opinion: It's not a secret on this blog that I'm a big fan of Ms Armstrong and the Women of the Otherworld series. When Ms Armstrong jumped on the YA bandwagon, I followed and it was really worth it as I enjoyed the Darkest Powers trilogy a lot. I liked the idea and how it was connected to the Women of the Otherworld series... The Gathering is the start a new trilogy and I was quite disappointed that we'd start all over again with new characters and a slightly similar plot, i.e. the Genesis project where they are trying to "breed" superiors supernaturals. Still, it's Kelley Armstrong right? So I went ahead and picked it up :)

It's hard for me to describe my feelings concerning The Gathering, because I'm not exactly sure how I feel ^_^; But let me try, otherwise, why write this review, right? :P From the get-go, what I can say is The Gathering was not a wowzer to me. It didn't keep me on the edge of my seat, didn't make me jump up and down or bemoan the fact that the next book is only coming out next year. However, it isn't without merits. As usual, I enjoyed Ms Armstrong's writing and I liked the characters. I think Ms Armstrong did a good job developing them, especially Maya as she's the heroine. I like that Maya's voice is very different from Chloe's - I think that's really important when the books are first person POV. Maya was very confident and knew what she wanted and where she was going. I also liked the friendship between Maya and Daniel, as they have known each other since they were kids. They definitively know each other well and have each other's back and trust each other. I'm already rooting for their romance and really am crossing my fingers! I like the cast of secondary characters and am wondering how they will come into play.

For me, the downfall of The Gathering was the pacing and the storyline. The storyline was actually quite interesting, but things started to happen too late in the book for me to get engaged. I feel Ms Armstrong spent too much time introducing the characters and the environment to the readers through the characters' daily routines. This translated into a slow pacing and a lack of action that's quite uncommon to Ms Armstrong.

Something else that bothered me was the lack of connection between The Gathering and the world of the Women of the Otherworld series, or at least to me. I think the main reason for the disconnection feeling is that all the important characters were unaware of the supernaturals, but as a reader, I wasn't. While reading The Gathering, I kept looking for clues, mentions of the world that I know. The St. Clouds, the Nasts, the Cabals, etc. Anything I could get and I wonder if that didn't detract me from the story even more ^_^; Also, throughout the book, I kept wondering what supernatural beings Maya and her friends were. I was disappointed that we didn't find out about Daniel and cie, although I have a few guesses... At least, we found out what Maya was... and I have to say, I was quite disappointed at it too. It turns out that Maya is a skinwalker... I'm not thrilled at this turn of events because it increases the disconnection feeling as this race of supernaturals has never been mentioned in her books before. I know that Ms Armstrong likes to introduce and play with those rare races, so it doesn't come too much as a surprise, but it still burst my bubble a little... because I was really looking forward to something more related to what we've known. Something else that bothers me is that the skinwalkers will always make me think of the Mercy Thompson series by Ms Briggs ^_^; So it makes me a little uncomfortable.

Overall, I think The Gathering was an okay book.  It had nice characters and set the trilogy up quite well, especially near the end when the action finally picked up. The last quarter of the book was quite exciting and it feels like anything could happen in the second book! However, beware those who don't like cliffhangers!

My Grade: I was hesitating between a B- and C+ and in the end, I have to go with the lower grade, C+. The Gathering was just not engaging enough for me. Still, if Ms Armstrong plays her cards right, with the elements she put in place at the end of The Gathering, the next book could really be awesome!

Also, I'm throwing this out for those who have read the book... Do you think that the adults in Salmon Creek are all in on the project? Obviously, Daniel's "father" is... but what about Maya's parents, the director, the sheriff?