The Awakening

Shipping was fast and only as a few dings but I blame the postage. I can't wait to read it.

Kelley Armstrong makes the best Darkest Powers series. I fell in love with all of her books. I love supernatural and romance books. This was a very good combination.

Honestly I wasn't expecting to love this series as much as I did. I was skeptical but I LOVE it. Very well written and the mystical elements were not cheaply done. I wish the series continued lol

it was nice to read about the relationship between Derek and Chloe. in the calling for their relationship was very strained because of the secret of what Derek was, but the ways that these two are so different makes them perfect friends.

I was lucky enough to win this book from J. Kaye's Book Blog through one of her many giveaways. The book I read was an ARC, and I have to say it is the first ARC I have touched, let alone read. One day...one day I will be sent an ARC by an author or publisher!! I was so pleasantly surprised with the first book in the series, The Summoning, when Chloe Saunders first begins her story and I personally think this book was better than the first...and I loved the first one. Spoilers for Book One, The Summoning ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There is no way to give a synopsis or summary without giving away part of the first book. Again we have zombies, ghosts, witches, sorcerers, werewolves...and much more. The only thing we are missing is vampires! One of the most endearing things about this book is the growing love triangle between Chloe, Derek, and Simon. Derek and Simon are foster brothers and best friends. All three teens have supernatural powers. Chloe is a necromancer and can not only talk to the dead, but can reanimate them (YES! There are ZOMBIES in this book for all of you zombie lovers out there!!!), Derek is a werewolf...er well...Derek is becominga werewolf, and Simon is a sorcerer. The budding romance between Chloe and Simon is much more obvious. He is a cute, sweet guy with tons of personality. Derek is not quite the obvious choice, but his affections are growing very apparent. The whole thing is done in such a sweet, innocent manner. Come to think of it, this is a very clean read. The only thing that might be questionable is running away, but it is from an institution that wants to kill them...Oh...and while they are on the streets, there is mention of shoplifting. The Awakening picks up right where The Summoning left off. I do have to say, I had to grab my copy of The Summoning to see if I had missed something in the last chapters. There seems to be a part missing where Chloe tells Liz she is a ghost. I loved the constant adventure and following along as the teens discover new twists and turns with their powers. I feel like this has been a very rambling review. I'm going to apologize and attribute it to being sick! My overall impressions; fantastic series! I can't wait for the 3rd book, The Reckoning, due out May 2010. If you haven't already, check out Kelley Armstrong's website. Funny enough, she mentions the same problem I had. How do you give a description of the second book in a trilogy without giving away too much information about the first! [...].

I seriously love the Darkest Powers books! I'm not sure what it is about them: the characters, the supernatural elements, or the tension between Chloe and Derek, but I suspect it is all those amazing aspects. I love the characters in The Summoning and The Awakening. Chloe is an awesome main character. I'm enjoying finding out more and more about her powers. I've read Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake novels, and Chloe is a bit like a younger version of Anita, which I love. Derek might be my favorite character though - I just love the brooding guys - plus I know that he's going to make it through puberty and be one of those guys that you wish you would have given a shot before the hotness kicked in! ;) The fact that he is smart just makes him even more appealing. The awkward, yet trusting relationship Derek and Chloe have definitely keeps me turning pages! They are one of those relationships that, as a reader, I want so badly to turn into a relationship. They'd be so amazing together... !! I'm liking the sinister Edison Group plot line that is starting to develop. The fact that the boys' father is missing reminds me of Supernatural, which is a definite PLUS (I know there are some Supernatural fans out there)! Kelley Armstrong found a way to weave all those different supernatural powers and creatures into one amazing story - there is never a boring moment and it all comes together perfectly!

Chloe Saunders is back in the second book of the Darkest Powers series. If you haven't read The Summoning yet read it before reading this review. SPOILERS. At the end of the first book Chloe and Rae go to Chloe's Aunt Lauren for help, not knowing that she is working for the very group that they are trying to escape from. As a result, Chloe and Rae end up locked in a high security warehouse that houses the Edison Groups many experiments. Luckily, Derek and Simon are still on the run and on the lookout for Chloe and Rae. After encountering ghosts of some of the former Lyle House occupants Chloe decides to take matters into her own hands and figure out a way to escape, this time for good. With the help of Liz's ghost and a trapped demi-demon Chloe manages to find more information about the Edison group and how she can possibly escape from them. Once away from the Edison group Chloe is forced to face the reality of living on the run with nowhere and nobody to turn to other than Tori, Derek, and Simon. Her father has posted a $500,000 reward for her safe return and the Edison group is no longer worried about keeping any of them alive. Will Chloe and the others be able to outrun the Edison group or will their luck finally run out? Will Chloe ever figure out what her true feelings are for Derek and Simon? The Darkest Powers series is full of paranormal happenings, betrayal, and budding romance. I highly recommend this series for any fans of the Twilight series. Definitely not the same story line but just as good.

Ok..so I was so excited for this book to come out after I finished The Summoning (Darkest Powers, Book 1). The description on the inside cover doesn't do much so this is a basic summary- Tori, Rae a demi demon, and Chloe, a necromancer, are in custody of the Edison Group, the people who ran the Lyle House. Tori turns out to be a witch, like her mother (note the "disgruntled witch" on the inside flap of the book"). After managing to escape, Tori and Chloe join Simon and Derek in search of their father. The book is awesome. I totally did not expect what happened to happen. But, I felt the book ended way too abruptly. I felt i needed a chapter or 2 more. The book picks up almost right after where the summoning ended, just a day or 2 after. If you've forgotten most of the book, i highly suggest re-reading or skim-reading The Summoning. It was an awesome book. Chloe is a relatable character and provides the perfect amount of detail. Also, Chloe focusses on the book and doesn't obsess over Simon and gush about how much she likes him and stuff. It's noticeable that they have a relationship between crush & dating, but ,like I said, Chloe isn't obsessed. You can definitely see how Derek and Chloe develop as characters. Tori does slightly change in the way that she lightens up on Chloe and gets over Simon. Simon, however, has a smaller part and does not change. He just stays the same Simon he was in The Summoning.

In the sequel to The Summoning, Chloe Saunders finds herself betrayed, and back in the hands of the Edison Group. There she discovers the truth: she's part of an experiment, her genes modified in an attempt to suppress her supernatural powers. But when she manages to get away--with the help of an unlikely ally--and join Simon and Derek again, she finds that the Edison Group is relentless and ruthless, and keeping away from them will be harder than they originally thought. In the meantime, Chloe learns that controlling her powers is a lot harder than she imagined, and there's too much she doesn't know... The Awakening is even more riveting and full of nonstop action than its prequel. Armstrong offers an unflinching and oftentimes grim look at what life on the streets is like for teens, with the added appeal of a perfectly sinister and powerful enemy and the suspense of unknown supernatural powers. Armstrong's teen characters are smart and resourceful, and each obstacle thrown their way requires them to use every bit of caution, wits, and intelligence they possess. Armstrong focuses a little more on the technical aspects of the teens' powers and abilities as Derek and Chloe especially explore their capabilities and restraints. Their difficulties and the tension that they face help them grow as characters and make them more appealing characters to the reader. This dark, gripping, and highly suspenseful read will have readers chomping at the bit for a sequel.