The Rising by Kelley Armstrong

Finishing a series is a weird feeling, it's both a sense of accomplishment and sometimes a bit of sadness too. I have really loved Kelley Armstrong's Darkness Rising Trilogy, which is the second Trilogy in the Darkest Powers Series, and recently I finished it up with The Rising, which was good, but I just didn't want it to be over. Luckily, it appears that Armstrong is writing a novella that takes place afterwards and I have a hope for more books.

I'm not going to provide much of a description because I don't want to give any spoilers, but basically this is a series about a group of teens with ancient supernatural powers that were resurrected in them as a part of a giant experiment. Now they are on the run, and so it is a pretty intense busy novel. As always, Armstrong's writing is easy to follow and enjoyable to read. However, there is a romantic shift that I found a bit abrupt, although eventually believable. A few familiar faces from the other trilogy also show up in The Rising and I really loved seeing Chloe and Derek again-- can never get enough of them!

Reading The Rising also really makes me want to pick up some of Armstrong's adult novels because they are all interconnected in the same world. That's both the wonderful thing and the problem with books like these, once you fall into them there is no way to get out. So much to read! Overall, The Rising wasn't my favourite book in the Trilogy (I think I prefer book 1 and 2) but it was a fun, adventure-filled read with lots of secrets revealed and lots of potential for more books that I can't wait to read as well. I don't read a ton of paranormal fiction, but I am a huge Kelley Armstrong fan and if you are at all interested in the genre I definitely recommend trying out some of her books!

Release Date: April 9th 2013 Pages: 400  Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher  Publisher: Doubleday Canada  Buy It: Book Depository

Mini Reviews: Divergent and The Gathering Tie-in Short Stories

Note: These reviews contain spoilers of the novels that the short stories tie into, Divergent and The Gathering.

I like to review every book I read, even the tiny ones, and so last time I read a couple short stories that tied into novels I'd loved I did some mini reviews on them (see here). Now I have stories from two other awesome authors, Veronica Roth with a tie-in for Divergent and Kelley Armstrong with two tie-ins for The Gathering. Although both novels have sequels I've read recently, and loved, it's been about a year since I picked up the originals and these stories were a great opportunity to revisit some crucial scenes from those novels.

Roth's Free Four and Armstrong's The Invitation retell scenes from the original novels from the perspective of the male love interest, which seems to be common in these free tie-in short stories, as that's what happened in both Miranda's Eleven Minutes and O'Brien's Tortured. But if that's a new thing for authors to do, I'm not complaining, as I loved the insight into what those moments would have been like for the guys, and it was great to get a chance to find out exactly what the character's voice was like.

In Free Four by Roth, she retells the Divergent scene that involves Four throwing knives at Tris, his future girlfriend. As a reader we get to see how Four feels about her, before any of the romance has had a chance to happen. Tris is such a strong narrator in the Divergent Trilogy that it was really cool to see what she is like from an outside perspective. Unsurprisingly, this is a really intense read– even though you know that Tris isn't going to get a knife into her face, I found myself anxious as things unfolded, because that's how Four feels. Overall, it was really cool to see the other side of the story, and I hope that Roth decides to do this again with an Insurgent scene in the future.

The New Guy and The Invitation are two bonus short stories available in a special e-book of  Kelley Armstrong's The Gathering, but she's also posted them on her website which is awesome. Like Free Four they really compliment the original novel and provide plenty of spoilers if you haven't already read it. If you have picked up The Gathering then these are both a great way to get a little more insight into the characters and the events that unfolded.

In The New Guy, Maya has to deal with her first day back at school, a day that used to be her best friend Serena's favourite day, and it includes some flashbacks into what life was like two years ago when Serena was still alive and gives the reader an even better idea of her personality. It also contains the first meeting between Rafe and Maya, which I thought was really interesting to read especially since I knew how things ended up between them.

The second bonus short story from The Gathering is The Invitation, which is written from Rafe's perspective and shares the scene when he goes to Maya's birthday party. It also showed some interaction between Annie and Rafe, which I found especially neat to read about because I got to see how Rafe felt about his sister, and how much he wanted the "real" Annie back. As a result, it was even more clear why Rafe was willing to use Maya to make that happen. Armstrong also did a great job of showing the complex dilemma going through Rafe's mind, even as he was happy that Maya might be the one he was looking for, he was already dreading having to tell her the truth about what he was doing there, already realizing that it would probably be impossible for her to trust him once she found out the truth.

Overall, I really enjoyed all three of these short stories. Free Four, The New Guy and The Invitation all give added insight and development to two amazing novels. It is especially neat to read scenes you already know from the perspective of another character, and I feel like Roth and Armstrong both did an awesome job with the new point-of-view and male voice. I don't think any of these short stories work on their own, but if you've read and loved Divergent and The Gathering like I have, you'll definitely want pick up these stories as well.

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

The Calling (Darkness Rising #2) by Kelley Armstrong  

Release Date: April 10th 2012
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Random House Canada
Also by this Author: The Summoning; The Awakening; The Reckoning; The Gathering
Buy It: Book Depository

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.

When I picked up The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong last year, I had no idea what kind of surprise I was in for. I hadn't read much paranormal literature in the past, and I wasn't sure I'd like it. It turned out it wasn't so much the paranormal aspect that blew me away as Armstrong's writing: so exciting and easy to read. And as much as I loved The Gathering, the first novel in the Darkness Rising trilogy, when I then read the Darkest Powers trilogy, which consists of the first three books in this Darkest Powers series, I was even more impressed. To me, The Calling reaches the same level as the Darkest Powers Trilogy and in that it surpasses The Gathering.

As great as The Gathering was, it had a lot of background to build on and so was fairly slow-paced until the ending. In contrast, The Calling is explosions and crashes and kidnappings from page one right until the heart-pounding ending. It's one of those books I devoured in a day, and when it ended I just wanted more. Unfortunately there's another year to wait until the final book in this trilogy, The Raising, is released.

Everything that was great and unique about The Gathering is still present in The Calling. I loved the Canadian setting, especially because so much of this novel takes place in the wilderness, which Armstrong expertly brings to life. I loved that the main character was a strong, powerful girl and that not only was Maya not white, but she was also adopted and happens to love her family. There are plenty more secrets that come to the surface in this novel, and Armstrong handles each plot twist in a page-turning and believable way; even the ones I wouldn't normally have believed (Rafe anyone?).

I really loved the way things came together in The Calling and the character growth and dimensions that developed. Sometimes animals get one-dimensional treatment in novels, but I thought Maya's dog, Kenji, had such a real personality for a canine and loved her role in the story.

Overall, The Calling is such a thrilling novel and I absolutely adored it.  It's not a book about complex issues, instead it's easy and enjoyable to read, the kind of story you can disappear into without thinking too hard. I really have nothing negative to say about The Calling, I'll just be desperately waiting for the final book next year because like always, Armstrong ends on an intense and riveting note.

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong takes place in a town so small it's not even on the map. Salmon Creek is located on Vancouver Island and almost entirely privately owned by a company that does medical research there. Maya moved there when her father became park ranger, and instantly bonded with Serena and Daniel. But recently, odd things have begun happening. Serena drowns in a calm lake despite being captain of the swim team, and a year later cougars begin appearing frequently surrounding Maya's house. At the same time, a new boy, Rafe, has moved to town and he shows a strong interest in Maya, but is it her, or just her paw-print birthmark he's wanting to know more about?

This was my first book by Armstrong who is quite popular when it comes to both YA and adult paranormal fiction. I pleasantly surprised by The Gathering which was really enjoyable to read. The main character, Maya, was authentic and I appreciated that even though she was adopted she was really happy with her family. Although she doesn't know which tribe she is from, she appears to be Native and it was also nice to have a non-white main character. Also, on a personal note, I really loved the Canadian setting and the fact that Armstrong incorporated it so well into the book, from the fact that she calls them cougars instead of mountain lions to a Canadian Idol joke. The Gathering is not the book to pick up if you are looking for some profound thoughts on life, but it is definitely fun and easy to read and a great way to spend some time.

As much as I enjoyed Armstrong's writing, and will definitely pick up the sequel, I didn't really feel like The Gathering was a complete book. Sometimes this happens when authors are writing series unfortunately, but really not much happened in this book, and basically nothing happened except near the very end. It ends on a cliff-hanger, but even in a series I expect books to offer some answers on their own and in The Gathering there are very few and a whole lot more questions. Although it was a slow start, I do appreciate how much time Armstrong took setting up the premise and the town where Maya lives. However I wish that following the slow start there had been more substance to the story and I have a feeling that The Gathering will work much better as one of three books in the Darkness Rising Trilogy than it does on its own. It has convinced me to pick up the Darkest Powers Trilogy which Darkness Rising is a spin off from, and luckily all three of those books are already published so I can read them in one-go rather than waiting for answers.
 
Although there is a romance in The Gathering the book doesn't center around it, it focuses more on the odd happenings going on. I did find the chemistry between Rafe and Maya believable, and all of the teenagers in Salmon Creek felt authentic although Maya may have been a bit too perfect. The great thing about the novel being set in such a small town is that the reader really gets a feel for the setting, as well as the fact that Armstrong can introduce you to everyone Maya's age, give them each distinct personalities, and it doesn't feel overwhelming. By the end of The Gathering I really felt like I could visit Salmon Creek and run into these characters and know who they are. Overall, even if I wished for a few more answers in The Gathering it is an enjoyable novel with a believable setting that has definitely hooked me into reading the rest of the Darkness Rising Trilogy.

Release Date: April 12th, 2011
Pages: 368
Source: ARC From Publisher
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