Kat

Darkest Powers #0.6

by Kelley Armstrong

Short story about another Edison Group subject. Originally published in The Eternal Kiss. Kat’s story continued in Hunting Kat, originally published in Kisses from Hell.

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Vampires, Urban Fantasy, Short Stories, Supernatural

20 pages, ebook

First published July 28, 2009

About the 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.

Reviews

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun addition to the series and reminded me why I had so much fun with the series to begin with!

[Cas ♛ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great short story from Kelley Armstrong, based in the Darkest Powers/ Darkness Rising universe.

[Koorihime-sama · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ ONLINE WHILE IT WAS STILL FREE.

Review/Rating:

5 out of 5

Kat, unknowing to her, is a genetically modified vampire as one of the Edison Group experiments. Though, when Marguerite, a vampire, feels sorry for Kat, she helps her escape from the Edison Group. However, what will happen when they finally catch her?

A very short story. According to The Darkest Powers website, this story was originally published in The Eternal Kiss anthology. Kat’s story is then continued in the anthology Kisses from Hell, which I will try to read later on.

Not really long enough to give enough details or events, but the glimpse at the characters got me interested in Kat’s stories. :) Even though it doesn’t have that much details or events, it was still enjoyable to read. This short story got me interested in reading the continuation. ;)

[alaska · Rating 2 out of 5]

this felt like the prequel to a spinoff story so while i’m certainly intrigued, i needed more!! luckily there is more in another prequel-ish thing so… brb

[Cisz Geverink - Strasters · Rating 4 out of 5]

te kort om er een goed beeld bij te krijgen. maar erg nieuwsgierig geworden naar Kat!!!

[Lexy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, im intrigued!

[gremlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short but enjoyable story that packed in a lot of background info on Kat.

Available as a freebie online now, it was first printed in the anthology The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire. Kat turns up again in Hunting Kat from Kisses From Hell.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good short connected to the world in the The Darkest Powers trilogy. I thought it would have an open ending, and wasn't sure how they would pull it off. But while there is certainly room to continue with these characters (which I hope they do), it was a well constructed short with a good solid for-now ending.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well developed tale. I don't usually get overly interested in short stories because I always feel it isn't long enough to tell a good well though oh story of someone, but Kat's story is different, exciting, action throughout an it doesn't leave you hanging. I enjoyed this one so much more than Derek's short story in Dangerous.. Recommend..

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice short story with plenty of action and contains a well developed character - Kat. It is set in the world of Darkest Powers and is a nice little opening to the atmosphere anfd dynamics of the world. I truly enjoyed this short little piece and now can't wait to read the novels of Darkest Powers.

[Book Sushi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice short story. We meet Kat and Margurite who are on the run from people who work for the Edison Group. Kat has been experimented on as a young child and then ran away with Margurite. But sometimes the best laid plans dont always work out how they are meant to...

[Melisa Esra✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy it, though it had some plot holes… Can someone explain why when Kat is woken up by Marguerite she says “I pushed her away, muttering that I’d skip the bus and jog to school”, and then later on she states that she is home-schooled? Is it like she imagined herself when she was in school, in her home-town? I don’t know. It left me kind of confused too, but I would really like to continue this series. Kinda reminded me of the “All Souls” series by Deborah Harkness.
💖

[Shay · Rating 1 out of 5]

The most pointless excerpt I've ever read.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***


Kat is a sixteen year old unknown supernatural being raised by a vampire. She’s been on the run for a long time, but when hunters arrive for Marguerite she’s more than happy to pick up and run again. If it means staying with Marguerite it’s worth it. Only when these hunters catch up to them they know her name, her real name the one she had before she met Marguerite and they’re not after Marguerite, they’re after her. Will she be able to escape them or will the return her to the Edison Group Lab she ran away from with Marguerite in the first place?

I gave this story a three star because I guess there’s nothing really wrong to it, it just doesn’t offer much of a story arc. Mostly what the story is, is a chase scene where Edison Group people chase Kat and Marguerite around shooting at them. I mean it does offer the discovery of what Kat is at the end of the story, but other than that there’s really not much to this story and I don’t honestly see the value of it for the series. It also contradicts some of the other things mentioned in the original series like werewolves being a part of Edison Group, since no werewolves actually worked for them in the original series that kind of bothered me. It’s a fast paced, first person story from Kat’s point of view but there’s really not much to it and I don’t really see how it does anything for the series. It’s kind of action intermingled with Kat’s internal monolog of her background and would have served nicely as the first chapter of a novel but as a standalone story, even a short one it fall very short.

Most of the characters in this story are nameless background characters. The only semi developed characters are Kat and Marguerite. Considering space they’re decently developed but over all I wouldn’t call them well developed. They’re interesting characters that I’d love to know more about but there’s not enough story here to offer that more I’m looking for.

Overall I guess it’s not a bad story, but then again with such a small story arc I can’t really call it a good one either. I don’t know if I’d recommend it to readers, but then again if they have the extra time they might enjoy the five minute read. I guess the decision about whether this is worth reading it really up to you as a reader.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would definitely not recommend it for readers unfamiliar with the Darkest Power series because, while it is a fun addition to the series and it feels a part of them, it doesn't do much as a story on its own.

It also doesn't add much to the story arc of the original Darkest Power stories except to show us other supernatural groups, which is something I enjoy and why I gave it a high rating. That being said, I wish there had been more about Kat and her powers, it was mostly her origin story and we know how those tend to be quick and easy.

Overall, just a fun addition to a very cool series.

[Kateblue · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a review of the following works by Kelley Armstrong. They are hard to tell apart because their names, and the names of the trilogies, are so generic and similar. They are also related to each other and similar to each other (all of which caused me trouble in writing this review.)

Darkest Powers Series
Darkest Powers Series https://www.goodreads.com/series/5485...

BOOK 0.4 Kat (in Led Astray) and BOOK 0.5 - Hunting Kat (solo Kindle short) Both of these can be skipped because they are not really connected to the other books except peripherally despite their inclusion in the series by GoodReads.

BOOK 0.6 Dangerous (in Darkest Powers Tales)
BOOK 1 The Summoning
BOOK 1.5 Divided (in Darkest Powers Tales)
BOOK 2 The Awakening
BOOK 2.5 Disenchanted (in Darkest Powers Tales)
BOOK 3 The Reckoning
post 3 Facing Facts (in Darkest Powers Tales)
Post 3 Belonging (in Darkest Powers Tales)

Darkness Rising Series https://www.goodreads.com/series/4848...

BOOK 1 The Gathering
BOOK 2 The Calling
BOOK 3.The Rising

There are also three shorts in the Darkness Rising series which I have not read,The New Guy and The Invitation which fall between Books 1 and 2 and Atoning, which follows the three books.

Despite their high ratings here on Goodreads, and my usual liking for Kelley Armstrong's books, I rate them all at an average of 2*. Why? Because I found these books to be aggravating for many reasons:

1) The teen protagonists are all "stuck protagonists." In other words, despite their best efforts, they cannot prevail and surmount the challenges facing them.
2) Except for the beginnings of each trilogy, the books are all one big chase scene. Kids trudging through cities and the countryside, fleeing the bad guys, getting double-crossed and/or getting caught, then getting away and running again. Snore.
3) The teens all rely upon adults to solve their problems. In both trilogies, the kids are just looking for their parents or other parental figures. Maybe some people want this in YA books, but I think it defeats the purpose of YA literature--to help kids learn how to take care of themselves. Compare these books, with, for example, Heinlein's juveniles, where sometimes the kids fail, but they keep trying and usually succeed on their own.
4) At the end of the last book, suddenly there are people from the Otherworld Series who are briefly brought in or are mentioned. This was totally unnecessary.
5) The end of the Rising, where the two groups come together, was contrived and then they all just gave up, so after all the struggle, they lose.
6) Many of the characters, particularly secondary, adult ones, acted in ways that defied explanation. One teen that acted acted strangely was Nicole. There was no groundwork for Nicole's actions. Suddenly in the second or third book of the trilogy, she suddenly was a bad guy. Somebody was just a normal kid with a mean mom and then-poof-she was magic too.
7) And the whole business of killing off kids seemed strange and unsupported. So many of the adults were just monster-like, and then some did an unexplained about face. And no-one told the kids anything. Nor did the author tell the readers. There were so many switcheroos that the books were confusing at times.
8) Some of the short stories in Darkest Powers Tales (the prequel and the ones in between the books, in particular) were not that interesting to read because you already read about what happened in the novels.

The only redeeming feature is the Kelley Armstrong can really write. Go read The Masked Truth, a YA novel of hers that is incredibly excellent, and skip all of these.

[Sangye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a fan of Kelly Armstrong from way back, just from reading her Otherworld series, but I was a little reluctant when it came to the Darkest Power/Darkness Rising books. Don’t ask me why. I’m not exactly sure, but having read this story, I’m intrigued enough to pick up where it left off, so I guess I will be giving these series a try. Anyway, I think others have addressed this, but for anyone wondering, this story is available to read and download for free from the author’s website. If you’re a fan of Kelley’s, it’s worth checking out the other freebies she offers on her site too. There’s some good stuff there.

You can get there directly by clicking here: https://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/free-...

Or go for this story alone by clicking here: https://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/PDFs/...

Enjoy and best wishes!

[Anna 'Bookbuyer' · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good if very short. I liked Kat. I was sad that she 'died' and found out she was a vampire. I'm not sure why being a vampire is so bad. But I can understand if she is now stuck at 16 forever.

I really like Marguerite. She was really nice and very protective. I'm glad that she took Kat away from those horrible people who were experimenting on her.

I'm sad for Kat that she isn't a werecat like she wanted to be. I want to read more about her. :)

[Shahna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this world Armstrong created. One of my all time favourite series. yay!

I just found out there's a whole pile of short stories, that take place in the timeline. So excuse me while I read them all.

[Sleepninja · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Amee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing! Action-packed. Answers a question that I had from The Summoning.
Would have liked if it was a bit longer, but I'll just read the next story.

[Zoha · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a lot like the previous girls except Kat is a workout type of girl. Its a nice little intro to her

[Kikiromao · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, wish it was longer so that I could get invested in the characters.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn’t mind seeing more of this series and these characters…

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story. I enjoyed reading it.

[Spira Virgo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kat tells the story of Kathy, Katiana or Kat for short.

Kat is a modified supernatural being who was experiment by the Edison Group the same group that are exprimenting on Chloe Sanders and the rest of the characters in Darkest Powers series.

The story is short, dosen't developed much, but gives us a depth of the relationship between Marqurite (I can't write her name correctly) and Kat. I love how close they are to each other and cared for one another.

Unfortunatlly the big suprise of what Kat is, wasn't a suprise. I wish Kelley whould have made her into something else other then a modified vampire that aged but keeps his abilitis.

Oh well, there's a sequal short story so hopefully maybe that one will out done this one :)

[Nathalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gusto aunque al principio estaba perdida respecto a que estaba pasando, quienes eran ellas y qué tenía que ver con el grupo Edison y los chicos genéticamente modificados y la respuesta llego y es que Kat es otro experimento genético, el cual pensé que no habían realizado por cosas dichas a en los libros que anteriormente leí, pero si no tuvieron moral o ética en modificar magos, brujos o nigromantes, después a hombres-lobo, que no están bien catalogados en la sociedad sobrenatural, debí haber imaginado que harían lo mismo con los vampiros. Ahora no sé si Kat es contemporánea a Chloe y los demás o corresponde a experimentos anteriores como es el caso de Royce y si es mayor o de la misma edad llegará a encontrarse y unir fuerza con Derek, Chloe y el resto???

[Lothfleur · Rating 2 out of 5]

KAT se passe avant Hunting Kat, Katiana n'est pas encore devenue un vampire, elle pense qu'elle est werecat et ça fait deux ans qu'elle dort habillée, un sac à dos sous son lit, prête à fuir avec son "ange gardien," Marguerite.
Il y des répétitions entre les nouvelles avec les requins et leur 6e sens, et exactement la même phrase pour parler de l'accent de Marguerite.
C'est un peu "coupé," rapide dans les explications du comment Kat en est arrivée là et en gros, c'est moins bien que Hunting Kat. C'est plus intéressant quand on cherche à nous embrouiller avec les deux garçons retenus avec Kat...

[°☆.。.:*・Nanna°☆.。.:*・ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was just too slow and boring to read. Ended up just skimming through the whole thing. This was kind of a let down because work that I did read by Kelley Armstrong was good. It was kind of shocking how slow and non-exciting this one was. I guess I shouldn't expect much from a short story and just got my hopes up because of her previous works. Do not let this story impede you from reading the rest of her work. Hell, you don't even have to read this one to understand the rest, so I just recommend that you guys skip this one.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short but enjoyable story set in the world from the Darkest Powers trilogy. Kat is - like Chloe, Simon, Derek, Tori and Liz - a subject from the Edison Group. She knows she is a supernatural, but doesn't know her specialty yet.. and while Kat thinks she and her guardian Margerite - a vampire - are on the run from vampire hunters, it's actually the Edison Group who is after her.

I enjoyed reading Kat, it was well-written but way too short.. Can't wait to read Hunting Kat as well!