Book Review: The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: April 2010
ISBN: 9780061662836
Source: Library

Chloe was leading a normal life what seems like just weeks ago, but life is anything but normal for a necromancer on the run.  With her supernatural friends Derek, Simon, and Tori, she is attempting to escape from the people who gave them these powers.  Is the place they are hiding out really safe or will another trusted friend turn them in?  And will they be able to go back for those friends they left behind in time to save them too?

Things I Liked:
What an awesome story!  It's everything that I enjoy in a paranormal without so many of the cliches.  I loved how it had non-stop action and lots of crazy twists.  I love this series for its atypical paranormal stuff and atypical romance.  I liked how Chloe stood up for herself and also how she wasn't always the strongest one.  She had a good combination of smarts, strength, and vulnerability, which made her an interesting and more realistic person.  The atmosphere of the book was very creepy, but not so much to terrify wimpy old me.  Just enough to give you goose bumps or a tingling spine.  I loved the romance and Chloe's choice, as I said earlier, it was refreshingly different. 

I considered screaming.  I've always hated that in movies - heroines who scream for help when cornered - but right now, caught between a broken-bottle-wielding poltergeist and a two-story fall, I could survive the humiliation of being rescued. p 11

But there's a reason people do stupid things in movies - no one wants to watch a bunch of kids pace and bicker and angst as they wait for the adults to come up with a plan. p 197

Things I Didn't Like:
Near the end, things got a little confusing with so many convoluted twists and turns.  It was just enough to make me a touch annoyed.  I wanted to get to the end and see where everyone turned up.  It also didn't feel quite like the closure one wants in a last book of a trilogy.  Maybe just a touch too open-ended.  But still very satisfactory.

Read-alikes:
Midnighters series by Scott Westerfeld
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
some

mrg-factor: X
some minor stuff, kissing mostly

v-factor: ->->->
there is quite a bit of fighting and gore

Overall rating: ****

What books make you fall in love with paranormal again?

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Posted in 4 stars , darkest powers , Fantasy , paranormal , Young Adult

Book Review: The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: April 2009
ISBN: 9780061450556
Source: Library

This book picks up right where The Summoning left off.  Chloe is being held in an experimental institution, awaiting further tests or tortures, she's not certain.  With Derek and Simon still on the run, her captors are making every effort to bring them in.  When Chloe finds out a secret about her and her supernatural friends, she is desperate to escape.  When she does, they end up on the run again.  But, she's beginning to fear her own powers of necromancy might be out of control.  Can they find help in understanding and controlling their powers before they are terminated?

Things I Liked:
After being impressed with the first in the series, despite its seemingly everyday paranormal plot, I was hoping this book wouldn't disappoint.  But, I found it just ok.  I continued to like some of the character interactions, particularly Chloe and Derek.  I even started to like Tori a bit more, though not much.  There was action and adventure and a lot of running and raising of the dead.  I also liked (again) some of the insightful thoughts Chloe has regarding violence and death in real life versus what we see in movies.  An entertaining read, but not as good as the first for me.

Things I Didn't Like:
In general, however, the book felt flat.  There wasn't much of a plot, except run away and then run away again.  I didn't feel like they were going anywhere in particular.  It definitely felt like a middle book in a trilogy.  I guess the spark from the first book, whatever it was, was missing in this one.  I'm sure I'll read the third book, to know what happens, and I'm hoping it will be an improvement.

Read-alikes:
Read The Summoning first 
Reminded me of The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
Dull Boy by Sarah Cross

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
not a lot, surprisingly

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->->
some action and dead body raising

Overall rating: ***

What are some great middle-of-a-trilogy books?

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Posted in 3 stars , darkest powers , Fantasy , paranormal , Young Adult