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Darkness Rising #3
The Rising
The race for survival comes to a thrilling conclusion in the heart-stopping finale to the Darkness Rising trilogy, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.
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.
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 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.
With all the twists, thrills, and romance that have made Kelley Armstrong an international bestseller, plus the surprising return of some fan-favorite characters, The Rising will hold you under its spell long after its breathtaking end.
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.
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 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.
With all the twists, thrills, and romance that have made Kelley Armstrong an international bestseller, plus the surprising return of some fan-favorite characters, The Rising will hold you under its spell long after its breathtaking end.
406 pages, Hardcover
First published April 2, 2013
311 people are currently reading
17484 people want to read
About the author
Kelley Armstrong
303 books33.5k followersKelley 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,720 reviews
April 7, 2013
Woah woah woah that was awesome.
IT'S OVEEERRR *sobs*
What a great way to end such a great series. Kelley Armstrong, you're fantastic.
Just to get this out of the way: DEREK AND CHLOE AND SIMON AND TORI SHOWED UP AND EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL
The only reason why I did rate this book 4 stars instead of five was that it, surprisingly, started out slow for me. The first 70 or so pages were kind of lagging. The last half of the book, however, was everything I could've hoped for.
Add a cup of action, a tablespoon of suspense, a teaspoon of sadness, a dash of romance, a group of characters who were fascinatingly realistic, and you've got Darkness Rising. (all measures are approximated) (I don't know how to bake)
This book's ending, while somewhat bittersweet, was the best way it could have ended. All the characters seemed more or less happy, and the last chapter was beyond adorable. I have to admit, love triangles suck most of the time, and I was a little tentative about the choice Maya seemed to be making. But! I'm completely on board with the choice she made in the end and I couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend. For Maya to have a better boyfriend. NOT MINE. Because reaching into a book and grabbing the character you've fallen in love and making him marry you is impossible because they're fictional characters *sulks away*
In all seriousness, this was a great book. We met some new characters, we reunited with some old characters, and everything was wonderful. There was a sense of closure at the end, and while the circumstances might not have been completely ideal, the characters were happy which of course makes me happy and makes me want them to be my friends WHY CAN'T THEY BE MY FRIENDS
Love this book and love Kelley Armstrong. It was a crazy, wild ride while it lasted. Thank you for a lovely trilogy.
P.S. Where can I find a Daniel or a Rafe?
IT'S OVEEERRR *sobs*
What a great way to end such a great series. Kelley Armstrong, you're fantastic.
Just to get this out of the way: DEREK AND CHLOE AND SIMON AND TORI SHOWED UP AND EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL
The only reason why I did rate this book 4 stars instead of five was that it, surprisingly, started out slow for me. The first 70 or so pages were kind of lagging. The last half of the book, however, was everything I could've hoped for.
Add a cup of action, a tablespoon of suspense, a teaspoon of sadness, a dash of romance, a group of characters who were fascinatingly realistic, and you've got Darkness Rising. (all measures are approximated) (I don't know how to bake)
This book's ending, while somewhat bittersweet, was the best way it could have ended. All the characters seemed more or less happy, and the last chapter was beyond adorable. I have to admit, love triangles suck most of the time, and I was a little tentative about the choice Maya seemed to be making. But! I'm completely on board with the choice she made in the end and I couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend. For Maya to have a better boyfriend. NOT MINE. Because reaching into a book and grabbing the character you've fallen in love and making him marry you is impossible because they're fictional characters *sulks away*
In all seriousness, this was a great book. We met some new characters, we reunited with some old characters, and everything was wonderful. There was a sense of closure at the end, and while the circumstances might not have been completely ideal, the characters were happy which of course makes me happy and makes me want them to be my friends WHY CAN'T THEY BE MY FRIENDS
Love this book and love Kelley Armstrong. It was a crazy, wild ride while it lasted. Thank you for a lovely trilogy.
P.S. Where can I find a Daniel or a Rafe?
April 7, 2013
AFTER READING:
This book is most definitely the best book in the series!
So much happens in this book, many questions do get answered, and,yes, we get to see are friends from Darkest Powers again!
Was there anything I didn't like about this book? Not really, but there are some things that I wish we got to see more of.
1. Our friends from Darkest Powers.
They only appeared during the last 1/4 of the book. While I don't like how they weren't in the book as often as I hoped, I understand. We have already heard their story and it is now Maya's turn.
What I didn't like was how they were there but not mentioned, so you were left wondering if they were there or not (that probably didn't make sense...).
2. The powers.
We obviously got a grip on Maya's powers, but I din't see many examples of powers. The powers were explained rather than told. Sure, we saw Daniel's and Corey's powers, but not often. The major problem I had is that Haley's and Nicole's powers weren't really shown.
Those were the only problems I had in this book.
And now I must say goodbye to this series...
and Darkest Powers...
BEFORE READING:
One of my ultimate favorite series is The Darkest Powers Trilogy
But I felt that it ended way too soon
Then I heard rumors that in the new series Darkness Rising the two stories would merge...
So I read The Gathering
and got disappointed
Then I read The Calling...
and that's where the conflicting emotions come in
The Calling ended in a way that definitely hinted that our friends from Darkest Powers might make a return!
*crosses fingers*
I literally cried of happiness when I read the ending (no joke)
but then I realized....
THIS BOOK COMES OUT AFTER THE WORLD ENDS!
*cries tears of sadness*
EDIT: IT SHOWS CHLOE ON THE CHARACTERS LIST!!!!
*does happy dance*
EDIT: OH MY HOLY DONUTS!!!!!
THERE'S A COVER!!
AND A RELEASE DATE!!!
*faints*
This book is most definitely the best book in the series!
So much happens in this book, many questions do get answered, and,yes, we get to see are friends from Darkest Powers again!
Was there anything I didn't like about this book? Not really, but there are some things that I wish we got to see more of.
1. Our friends from Darkest Powers.
They only appeared during the last 1/4 of the book. While I don't like how they weren't in the book as often as I hoped, I understand. We have already heard their story and it is now Maya's turn.
What I didn't like was how they were there but not mentioned, so you were left wondering if they were there or not (that probably didn't make sense...).
2. The powers.
We obviously got a grip on Maya's powers, but I din't see many examples of powers. The powers were explained rather than told. Sure, we saw Daniel's and Corey's powers, but not often. The major problem I had is that Haley's and Nicole's powers weren't really shown.
Those were the only problems I had in this book.
And now I must say goodbye to this series...
and Darkest Powers...
BEFORE READING:
One of my ultimate favorite series is The Darkest Powers Trilogy
But I felt that it ended way too soon
Then I heard rumors that in the new series Darkness Rising the two stories would merge...
So I read The Gathering
and got disappointed
Then I read The Calling...
and that's where the conflicting emotions come in
The Calling ended in a way that definitely hinted that our friends from Darkest Powers might make a return!
*crosses fingers*
I literally cried of happiness when I read the ending (no joke)
but then I realized....
THIS BOOK COMES OUT AFTER THE WORLD ENDS!
*cries tears of sadness*
EDIT: IT SHOWS CHLOE ON THE CHARACTERS LIST!!!!
*does happy dance*
EDIT: OH MY HOLY DONUTS!!!!!
THERE'S A COVER!!
AND A RELEASE DATE!!!
*faints*
April 17, 2013
For the first time EVER I'm hoping for a love triangle in the third book.
I love Daniel :)
I love Daniel :)
April 10, 2017
Why am I being punished for being a loyal fan who reads books as soon as they come out?
2013:(
2013:(
April 19, 2013
Yep, you've seen that right. I gave 3 stars to the last book in one of my top fav trilogy of all time, and also to one of my fav authors. I also gave 3 stars to a book i have been anticipating and dying to read for about a year. Disappointment won't describe how i feel, more like shock. And i don't mean 'shock' in a good kind of way. My hopes and believe in the author went straight to hell. It was like being slapped in the face, man.
For those who don't know: The Rising is book 3 in the Darkness Rising Trilogy. You HAVE to read them in order, from 1-3, because they do relate and you won't know, and understand things if you read them separately.
The trilogy is about a group of supernatural teens who's life's are turned upside down. They find out they're experiments and try to escape after an incident happens. But the people who are after them, won't stop until they capture them again. And it's not just the guys who were experimenting on them, other scientists and similar groups, want them too.
I was expecting so much more from this book. I was expecting true awesomeness. But it turned out to be just enough enjoyable to keep on reading. It wasn't as gripping as the previous books. It didn't make me squeal in excitement every time i got to a knew page or chapter.
In my opinion the characters changed a bit. I can't believe i'm going to say this, but they were so stupid sometimes i wanted to punch them in the face. For example -
We have this scene where Maya is with, we will call him 'h', in a shop, and then these bunch of drunk people come inside. Things start to get hot, they offend Maya, and 'h' decides to protect her. So he's ready to take a swing at them, but then Maya is like "I'm going to grab some chocolate, do you want some too?" And i'm like 'Are you ACTUALLY kidding me?'
There were so many things i didn't like, i don't want to give to much away, so i will just mention a couple of things i kinda hated.
We have another situation where Maya finally meets this guy. He look familiar, and Daniel asks him questions that should give her a freaking big clue about who the hell he is. But no! Maya has to freaking have it written on a freaking piece of paper! *calm, deep breath*.
And the situation that ruined the whole book for me. I absolutely DESPISED it, and it got me so frustrated that i swear i couldn't even freaking see straight. In the previous books the teens actually run away from the bad guys, because they actually want to be free and not be locked up in a freaking cage like animals. But in this one? Some of them LIKED being captured. NONE of them fought back. They just gave in
I would have killed everyone if i had the powers they had, and if that was what it took. At least i wouldn't listen to them. I would say for them to go fuck themselves. Show a little dignity and rebellion kids!
With that said, there were some things i really liked too. I absolutely LOVED the suspense and action. And the thing i adored the most, was being able to read about Derek, Chloe and Simon again ( We first meet them in a different trilogy - The Summoning). I almost fainted when i first had a gimps of Derek in this book.
Let's talk about the ending. I have a question - What.The.Hell.Was.That?! Whilst the whole trilogy did have a nice conclusion, the love triangle between Maya, Daniel and Rafe sure as heck didn't! I wouldn't even call that a 'conclusion' more like 'rushing things and ruing readers lives'.
Overall, The Rising was definitely no what i was expecting and hoping for. It was the first time Kelley Armstrong disappointed me, and i hope it'll be the last if she decides to write a new series/trilogy and i decide to pick it up.
For those who don't know: The Rising is book 3 in the Darkness Rising Trilogy. You HAVE to read them in order, from 1-3, because they do relate and you won't know, and understand things if you read them separately.
The trilogy is about a group of supernatural teens who's life's are turned upside down. They find out they're experiments and try to escape after an incident happens. But the people who are after them, won't stop until they capture them again. And it's not just the guys who were experimenting on them, other scientists and similar groups, want them too.
I was expecting so much more from this book. I was expecting true awesomeness. But it turned out to be just enough enjoyable to keep on reading. It wasn't as gripping as the previous books. It didn't make me squeal in excitement every time i got to a knew page or chapter.
In my opinion the characters changed a bit. I can't believe i'm going to say this, but they were so stupid sometimes i wanted to punch them in the face. For example -
We have this scene where Maya is with, we will call him 'h', in a shop, and then these bunch of drunk people come inside. Things start to get hot, they offend Maya, and 'h' decides to protect her. So he's ready to take a swing at them, but then Maya is like "I'm going to grab some chocolate, do you want some too?" And i'm like 'Are you ACTUALLY kidding me?'
There were so many things i didn't like, i don't want to give to much away, so i will just mention a couple of things i kinda hated.
We have another situation where Maya finally meets this guy. He look familiar, and Daniel asks him questions that should give her a freaking big clue about who the hell he is. But no! Maya has to freaking have it written on a freaking piece of paper! *calm, deep breath*.
And the situation that ruined the whole book for me. I absolutely DESPISED it, and it got me so frustrated that i swear i couldn't even freaking see straight. In the previous books the teens actually run away from the bad guys, because they actually want to be free and not be locked up in a freaking cage like animals. But in this one? Some of them LIKED being captured. NONE of them fought back. They just gave in
I would have killed everyone if i had the powers they had, and if that was what it took. At least i wouldn't listen to them. I would say for them to go fuck themselves. Show a little dignity and rebellion kids!
With that said, there were some things i really liked too. I absolutely LOVED the suspense and action. And the thing i adored the most, was being able to read about Derek, Chloe and Simon again ( We first meet them in a different trilogy - The Summoning). I almost fainted when i first had a gimps of Derek in this book.
Let's talk about the ending. I have a question - What.The.Hell.Was.That?! Whilst the whole trilogy did have a nice conclusion, the love triangle between Maya, Daniel and Rafe sure as heck didn't! I wouldn't even call that a 'conclusion' more like 'rushing things and ruing readers lives'.
Overall, The Rising was definitely no what i was expecting and hoping for. It was the first time Kelley Armstrong disappointed me, and i hope it'll be the last if she decides to write a new series/trilogy and i decide to pick it up.
August 30, 2016
Bullet Review:
That was AWFUL. Running around for 400 billion pages, all the info dumping, all the prolonged action sequences, all the forced romance (because EVERYONE has to tell us about Team Daniel as the two have ZERO chemistry) for THAT SHIT ENDING?!
NO STARS.
Full review to come when I am done doing damage to this waste of paper.
Full Review:
After the events of "The Calling", Maya, Daniel and Corey are in Vancouver on the run. They try to track down help and end up accidentally in contact with Ashton "Ash", Maya's brother. They run around some more, then decide the best way to get help is to drag back the kids from Darkest Powers, in between going to visit her grandmother (for no reason), going to their funeral (amounts to nothing), getting captured, escaping and on and on and so forth.
At this point, I'm sure people are thinking that I just hate read this trilogy. I did not. I actually liked Darkest Powers. I liked Armstrong. But when I started reading "The Gathering", I was astounded at how paper-thin the plot was. How forced the character interactions were. How lame the romance was. And it never got better than what I saw in "The Gathering". Now that I've finished the trilogy, I don't know whether to laugh maniacally or burst into tears.
I was never a fan of the characters; I thought they were all pretty meh. Sure, I appreciate how Maya is way more independent than, say, Bella Swan or most other YA "heroines". But this book doesn't endear me more to any of the characters we've supposedly gotten to know better. All the characters seem to be variations of "snarky teen". Maya...Rafe...Corey...Hayley...Ashton. Oh god, Ashton! What an obnoxious p@#$%. I hated how he was so overprotective and creepy for a sister he just barely met. Stop policing Maya's actions, a-hole. What characters aren't "snarky teens" are just so boring: Daniel. Nicole. Even the reappearance of the Darkest Powers kids can't save the book (and if you are reading to see them: don't), as they seem to be merely caricatures of their former selves. (But even as caricatures, they are STILL better than the characters created for this trilogy.)
What was more obnoxious somehow than the characters themselves was how in this book, Armstrong gave up on Team Rafe and decided to have every character try to promote Team Daniel. Numerous times, from every character, we are told how intimate and close Maya and Daniel are, how they aren't friends, how they read as dating, "Hey, get your boyfriend off me - what do you mean he's not your boyfriend?" - and I'm just tilting my head in bewilderment. I never once read any sort of sexual chemistry between Maya and Daniel, and furthermore, why the flying frak do they have to be romantic partners in the first place? Why is it when a woman shows concern for a male friend, it has to be a romantic relationship? (This is not to say I was Team Rafe, BTW, just that I buy Team Rafe more than Team Daniel.)
But this "show don't tell" is pretty much systematic problem of the entire trilogy. Nothing is learned organically; no one investigates; the information just falls into people's laps like a cat who vomits on you. Need to have Corey find out about his superpower? He does it offscreen and then when there's no action, dumps all the information on Daniel and Maya. Need to fill the audience in on the Darkest Powers events? Infodump from Calvin Antone and Maya relating what she read from the convenient data the author gave her.
Then we have the constant movement, the constant action, as if Armstrong is trying desperately to hide the fact that there isn't enough story to necessitate a 3-book, 300+ page long series. I love action as much as the next girl, but geez, a good 3/4 of the events could have been omitted (such as the romp to visit Maya's grandma), and nothing would have been lost. For instance, the diversion to Grandma's house gave us nothing. They sneak to her house, meet her, learn nothing, meet no new people, get chased back to the mainland. All it does is stretch out the book so it could fill the page quota. That is all.
But the cherry of sorts on this pile of elephant excrement is the absolute crap ending. I can't detail how awful and painful it is, as it would probably be spoilery, but suffice to say: we spend 3 books building to this moment and end up almost exactly where we started. The negotations last one paragraph, and everything is suddenly hunky dory - except for that threat of another trilogy to wrap up what should have been wrapped up here. Meaning, I basically spent all the money on 3 books and the time reading for NOTHING.
No wonder people hate reading! No wonder people only read a book when they are on a plane - I would give up on reading if all I was doing was tuning into one massive infodump after another, with boring characters, forced interactions, endless action scenes, capped off by an ending that made the entire trilogy pointless. Hell, I'm so dejected at the end of this trilogy, I'm halfway to quitting reading myself. And I've basically been reading since second grade.
A while back, I read a book, Arclight, that kinda broke me and my love of reading. It wasn't "terrible", but it was just all the various things about reading that I despised that I kinda wanted to quit reading forever.
This book is worse than that. It's worse, because it was pointless. It's worse, because it tries to conceal its problems with plot and characters with endless action and chase sequences. It's worse because it sets up one relationship with actual chemistry but then uses its characters to TELL us how amazing another one - a virtually platonic one - is.
It's worse because after reading this book, I don't know that I can go back and read any of Armstrong's books.
I don't read to hate books; I don't write reviews to hate on books or authors. I write the above out of frustration and despair. Most of the books I was so sure I'd love, I seem to end up feeling "meh" about or hating. And who wants to do any hobby that they hate?
Please excuse me while I go cry into my pillow.
That was AWFUL. Running around for 400 billion pages, all the info dumping, all the prolonged action sequences, all the forced romance (because EVERYONE has to tell us about Team Daniel as the two have ZERO chemistry) for THAT SHIT ENDING?!
NO STARS.
Full review to come when I am done doing damage to this waste of paper.
Full Review:
After the events of "The Calling", Maya, Daniel and Corey are in Vancouver on the run. They try to track down help and end up accidentally in contact with Ashton "Ash", Maya's brother. They run around some more, then decide the best way to get help is to drag back the kids from Darkest Powers, in between going to visit her grandmother (for no reason), going to their funeral (amounts to nothing), getting captured, escaping and on and on and so forth.
At this point, I'm sure people are thinking that I just hate read this trilogy. I did not. I actually liked Darkest Powers. I liked Armstrong. But when I started reading "The Gathering", I was astounded at how paper-thin the plot was. How forced the character interactions were. How lame the romance was. And it never got better than what I saw in "The Gathering". Now that I've finished the trilogy, I don't know whether to laugh maniacally or burst into tears.
I was never a fan of the characters; I thought they were all pretty meh. Sure, I appreciate how Maya is way more independent than, say, Bella Swan or most other YA "heroines". But this book doesn't endear me more to any of the characters we've supposedly gotten to know better. All the characters seem to be variations of "snarky teen". Maya...Rafe...Corey...Hayley...Ashton. Oh god, Ashton! What an obnoxious p@#$%. I hated how he was so overprotective and creepy for a sister he just barely met. Stop policing Maya's actions, a-hole. What characters aren't "snarky teens" are just so boring: Daniel. Nicole. Even the reappearance of the Darkest Powers kids can't save the book (and if you are reading to see them: don't), as they seem to be merely caricatures of their former selves. (But even as caricatures, they are STILL better than the characters created for this trilogy.)
What was more obnoxious somehow than the characters themselves was how in this book, Armstrong gave up on Team Rafe and decided to have every character try to promote Team Daniel. Numerous times, from every character, we are told how intimate and close Maya and Daniel are, how they aren't friends, how they read as dating, "Hey, get your boyfriend off me - what do you mean he's not your boyfriend?" - and I'm just tilting my head in bewilderment. I never once read any sort of sexual chemistry between Maya and Daniel, and furthermore, why the flying frak do they have to be romantic partners in the first place? Why is it when a woman shows concern for a male friend, it has to be a romantic relationship? (This is not to say I was Team Rafe, BTW, just that I buy Team Rafe more than Team Daniel.)
But this "show don't tell" is pretty much systematic problem of the entire trilogy. Nothing is learned organically; no one investigates; the information just falls into people's laps like a cat who vomits on you. Need to have Corey find out about his superpower? He does it offscreen and then when there's no action, dumps all the information on Daniel and Maya. Need to fill the audience in on the Darkest Powers events? Infodump from Calvin Antone and Maya relating what she read from the convenient data the author gave her.
Then we have the constant movement, the constant action, as if Armstrong is trying desperately to hide the fact that there isn't enough story to necessitate a 3-book, 300+ page long series. I love action as much as the next girl, but geez, a good 3/4 of the events could have been omitted (such as the romp to visit Maya's grandma), and nothing would have been lost. For instance, the diversion to Grandma's house gave us nothing. They sneak to her house, meet her, learn nothing, meet no new people, get chased back to the mainland. All it does is stretch out the book so it could fill the page quota. That is all.
But the cherry of sorts on this pile of elephant excrement is the absolute crap ending. I can't detail how awful and painful it is, as it would probably be spoilery, but suffice to say: we spend 3 books building to this moment and end up almost exactly where we started. The negotations last one paragraph, and everything is suddenly hunky dory - except for that threat of another trilogy to wrap up what should have been wrapped up here. Meaning, I basically spent all the money on 3 books and the time reading for NOTHING.
No wonder people hate reading! No wonder people only read a book when they are on a plane - I would give up on reading if all I was doing was tuning into one massive infodump after another, with boring characters, forced interactions, endless action scenes, capped off by an ending that made the entire trilogy pointless. Hell, I'm so dejected at the end of this trilogy, I'm halfway to quitting reading myself. And I've basically been reading since second grade.
A while back, I read a book, Arclight, that kinda broke me and my love of reading. It wasn't "terrible", but it was just all the various things about reading that I despised that I kinda wanted to quit reading forever.
This book is worse than that. It's worse, because it was pointless. It's worse, because it tries to conceal its problems with plot and characters with endless action and chase sequences. It's worse because it sets up one relationship with actual chemistry but then uses its characters to TELL us how amazing another one - a virtually platonic one - is.
It's worse because after reading this book, I don't know that I can go back and read any of Armstrong's books.
I don't read to hate books; I don't write reviews to hate on books or authors. I write the above out of frustration and despair. Most of the books I was so sure I'd love, I seem to end up feeling "meh" about or hating. And who wants to do any hobby that they hate?
Please excuse me while I go cry into my pillow.
April 4, 2013
Whoop! Can't wait to see Chloe and Derek again :D Also, can't wait to see what happens next /yearlonganticipation.
Love this cover :o !
/justfinished. OMG THAT WAS AWESOME *A* KJDSAKJDDJHSKJDSJDHS <3 !
Love this cover :o !
/justfinished. OMG THAT WAS AWESOME *A* KJDSAKJDDJHSKJDSJDHS <3 !
April 16, 2013
I read this for Derek and Chloe. But even they couldn't resuscitate my interest in this series. Bleh.
August 28, 2013
I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK!!!!!!! If I had to choose only one book to read in 2013 it would have to be this one. I have waited two years to see Chloe, Derek, Simon, and Tori again. I loved those guys, and while I was happy with the ending, I was not satisfied.
Darkness Rising has been a good series. I love Rafe and Maya together and I love Daniel as well. I like the characters a lot in Darkness rising, but this trilogy doesn't have the amazing plots that Darkest Powers did. I loved those books from the first page, while in this trilogy it has definitely taken me longer to get into each book.
I have really really really high hopes for this book, and I know that Kelley Armstrong will not disappoint. Can't wait for April 2013!!
On a side note, I also absolutely love all of the covers for both trilogies. They are just plan awesome!:)
UPDATE: 11/16/12
THE SUMMARY!!!!! I WANT TO READ THIS SO BAD! "All they have is the name and number of somebody who can help them" That is totally going to lead them to Chloe and Derek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited, I can hardly wait for it to come out! Just five more months.........
UPDATE: 12/25/12
Slowly but surely the release date is approaching. Slowly but surely........
WHY IS IT NOT APRIL YET?!?!?!? I NEED THIS BOOK!
Darkness Rising has been a good series. I love Rafe and Maya together and I love Daniel as well. I like the characters a lot in Darkness rising, but this trilogy doesn't have the amazing plots that Darkest Powers did. I loved those books from the first page, while in this trilogy it has definitely taken me longer to get into each book.
I have really really really high hopes for this book, and I know that Kelley Armstrong will not disappoint. Can't wait for April 2013!!
On a side note, I also absolutely love all of the covers for both trilogies. They are just plan awesome!:)
UPDATE: 11/16/12
THE SUMMARY!!!!! I WANT TO READ THIS SO BAD! "All they have is the name and number of somebody who can help them" That is totally going to lead them to Chloe and Derek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited, I can hardly wait for it to come out! Just five more months.........
UPDATE: 12/25/12
Slowly but surely the release date is approaching. Slowly but surely........
WHY IS IT NOT APRIL YET?!?!?!? I NEED THIS BOOK!
November 3, 2016
Well... um. Yeah. I don't know how I feel about this.
First things first - I really truly honestly think that the Phoenix kids - and their story - could have been nixed. The whole lot. I did not like Maya... or Daniel... or the Nasts... meh. Give me 3 more books of Chloe, Derek and the St. Clouds, and I would be really happy. I just didn't connect with this storyline or these supernaturals. And I really just wanted to slap around Maya's stupid brother. So snappish. I get that he had a hard life, but he never toned it down. Never.
And then there's the ending... tsk, tsk, smh. I can't really see Simon... or Tori... or Kit... or Chloe and ESPECIALLY Derek just giving up like that. After everything they've lost, everything they've fought for? To just say, 'hey, let's live in a beautiful, lakeside prison run by a cabal'? Seriously? I'm supposed to believe that? Well, I don't!
My other problem with the ending. There's NO WAY IN HELL I believe the original gang would say, "Yes, let's ally with these kids that we just met. They seem trustworthy enough." Seriously??? I mean let's be honest. I wouldn't be surprised if Derek still doesn't trust Tori. And I am supposed to believe he'd trust Maya and everyone? Just let them come into their hideout and join them overnight? Especially when Derek's first impression of Maya is all erratic and growly? Uh, yeah right! (If you can't tell, Derek is my favorite character. No it's more than that. He's my most beloved male character in the entire YA literary world. So no, no, no, this doesn't work for me!).
Overall, the last book spent spend too much time on the run. It was just too similar to the Darkest Powers storyline, which for me, is so perfect it's practically untouchable.
Nothing really felt concluded for me either. The Daniel and Maya relationship felt too much like a rushed, easy happy ending. At least with Derek and Chloe you got to experience the evolution of the relationship. Derek went from seeming like an unaffected know-it-all to one of the sweetest, most well-developed characters I've ever met. And I loved all the novellas where you got to know him better... to really know how he was thing/feeling the whole time. Oh my god - especially Belonging. Swoon!
Oh, also Aunt Lauren still being bitchy to Derek... hate her. She needs to go!
I could go on and on, but I guess it's just boils down to Darkest Powers being better series. Better protagonists, better love story/interest, cooler antagonists and better powers... there I said it (drops the mike and jumps off my soapbox).
First things first - I really truly honestly think that the Phoenix kids - and their story - could have been nixed. The whole lot. I did not like Maya... or Daniel... or the Nasts... meh. Give me 3 more books of Chloe, Derek and the St. Clouds, and I would be really happy. I just didn't connect with this storyline or these supernaturals. And I really just wanted to slap around Maya's stupid brother. So snappish. I get that he had a hard life, but he never toned it down. Never.
And then there's the ending... tsk, tsk, smh. I can't really see Simon... or Tori... or Kit... or Chloe and ESPECIALLY Derek just giving up like that. After everything they've lost, everything they've fought for? To just say, 'hey, let's live in a beautiful, lakeside prison run by a cabal'? Seriously? I'm supposed to believe that? Well, I don't!
My other problem with the ending. There's NO WAY IN HELL I believe the original gang would say, "Yes, let's ally with these kids that we just met. They seem trustworthy enough." Seriously??? I mean let's be honest. I wouldn't be surprised if Derek still doesn't trust Tori. And I am supposed to believe he'd trust Maya and everyone? Just let them come into their hideout and join them overnight? Especially when Derek's first impression of Maya is all erratic and growly? Uh, yeah right! (If you can't tell, Derek is my favorite character. No it's more than that. He's my most beloved male character in the entire YA literary world. So no, no, no, this doesn't work for me!).
Overall, the last book spent spend too much time on the run. It was just too similar to the Darkest Powers storyline, which for me, is so perfect it's practically untouchable.
Nothing really felt concluded for me either. The Daniel and Maya relationship felt too much like a rushed, easy happy ending. At least with Derek and Chloe you got to experience the evolution of the relationship. Derek went from seeming like an unaffected know-it-all to one of the sweetest, most well-developed characters I've ever met. And I loved all the novellas where you got to know him better... to really know how he was thing/feeling the whole time. Oh my god - especially Belonging. Swoon!
Oh, also Aunt Lauren still being bitchy to Derek... hate her. She needs to go!
I could go on and on, but I guess it's just boils down to Darkest Powers being better series. Better protagonists, better love story/interest, cooler antagonists and better powers... there I said it (drops the mike and jumps off my soapbox).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2017
*2.75/5 stars*
Definitely better than book two. It took me some time to get into the plot, but I quite enjoyed the last part of this book. And the epilogue was so freaking sweet! I also liked how the ending was a more of a conclusion to The Darkest Powers series. We got to see the trio from that trilogy, I was especially glad about Chloe and Derek's comeback!
“We'll meet you here. Hopefully everyone will be in human form." A wry smile. "Though I'll warn you, he's not a whole lot more pleasant that way. At least as a wolf, he can't talk.”
There's one thing I really like about Kelley Armstrong's YA fantasy books. Both of her trilogies have love triangles, but I love how both of the not-endgame-guys are such a nice love interests - and characters overall - as well. Many authors, especially 2010-2012 paranormal ones tried to alienate the love interest they didn't want as an endgame, which happens still with some YA. There are many examples where they are made into jerks later on in the series, simply because the authors wanted readers to love the ones they themselves preferred. Such a thing never happened with Kelley Armstrong though.
In the Darkest Powers series, I had my one and ony ship and didn't want anynone else with the MC, even though the other guy was very sweet nonetheless. But here, I was basically torn in half, because I liked both of them. Not at all as much as in The Darkest Powers, just as I wasn't as interested in the character or plot overall here sadly. Here I felt like Maya could end up with either of them and I wouldn't mind, they were both great options for her, but since I read a few books by the author already, I had a feeling Maya woud end up with the one she did. In the end, I liked them equally as a characters, but I did prefer the one Maya ended up with as a love interest for her. My only complaint is that the romance aspect between them wasn't developed enough, they didn't get as much page time as a couple and compared to Chloe and Derek ship, they lacked the 'spark of something more' for me.
“If the Cabals want us, they’ll get us. That’s the way it works in the world, Maya. The good guys have ideals; the bad guys have cash and firepower. You can guess which one wins in a real battle.”
I also noticed that there wasn't much character development. And definitely not as much as in Darkest Powers. Mainly because, as I said in my review of the second book, the MC and even Daniel and Rafe already were more grown up characters from the beginning. They had some things to learn about themselves - especially Maya - but it didn't come nowhere near to the Darkest Powers.
“Was it a camp?" Daniel asked.
Sean nodded. "A naturist camp."
"Maya will feel right at home", Corey said from his spot on a wooden lawn chair.
Daniel sputtered a laugh and Sean tried to hide his.
"Naturist, not naturalist," I said. "It means nudist."
Corey leaped up and spun. "You mean old, naked butts sat on those chairs?”
Overall, easy and addictive paranormal read. Recommended for fans of Armstrong's Darkest Powers series.
Definitely better than book two. It took me some time to get into the plot, but I quite enjoyed the last part of this book. And the epilogue was so freaking sweet! I also liked how the ending was a more of a conclusion to The Darkest Powers series. We got to see the trio from that trilogy, I was especially glad about Chloe and Derek's comeback!
“We'll meet you here. Hopefully everyone will be in human form." A wry smile. "Though I'll warn you, he's not a whole lot more pleasant that way. At least as a wolf, he can't talk.”
There's one thing I really like about Kelley Armstrong's YA fantasy books. Both of her trilogies have love triangles, but I love how both of the not-endgame-guys are such a nice love interests - and characters overall - as well. Many authors, especially 2010-2012 paranormal ones tried to alienate the love interest they didn't want as an endgame, which happens still with some YA. There are many examples where they are made into jerks later on in the series, simply because the authors wanted readers to love the ones they themselves preferred. Such a thing never happened with Kelley Armstrong though.
In the Darkest Powers series, I had my one and ony ship and didn't want anynone else with the MC, even though the other guy was very sweet nonetheless. But here, I was basically torn in half, because I liked both of them. Not at all as much as in The Darkest Powers, just as I wasn't as interested in the character or plot overall here sadly. Here I felt like Maya could end up with either of them and I wouldn't mind, they were both great options for her, but since I read a few books by the author already, I had a feeling Maya woud end up with the one she did. In the end, I liked them equally as a characters, but I did prefer the one Maya ended up with as a love interest for her. My only complaint is that the romance aspect between them wasn't developed enough, they didn't get as much page time as a couple and compared to Chloe and Derek ship, they lacked the 'spark of something more' for me.
“If the Cabals want us, they’ll get us. That’s the way it works in the world, Maya. The good guys have ideals; the bad guys have cash and firepower. You can guess which one wins in a real battle.”
I also noticed that there wasn't much character development. And definitely not as much as in Darkest Powers. Mainly because, as I said in my review of the second book, the MC and even Daniel and Rafe already were more grown up characters from the beginning. They had some things to learn about themselves - especially Maya - but it didn't come nowhere near to the Darkest Powers.
“Was it a camp?" Daniel asked.
Sean nodded. "A naturist camp."
"Maya will feel right at home", Corey said from his spot on a wooden lawn chair.
Daniel sputtered a laugh and Sean tried to hide his.
"Naturist, not naturalist," I said. "It means nudist."
Corey leaped up and spun. "You mean old, naked butts sat on those chairs?”
Overall, easy and addictive paranormal read. Recommended for fans of Armstrong's Darkest Powers series.
May 31, 2012
These books are all amazeballs but can Maya stop lying/withholding info from Daniel. it's annoying and pointless. this is a spoiler if you haven't read the last book but...
Maya needs to tell Daniel and EVERYONE her suspicions about Nicole. Nicole can easily put them all in danger and could turn on them in a heartbeat and they all trust her. Maya needs to get over sparing Daniel's feelings and save their lives...yeah. It's not like Daniel can really blame himself because Nicole's a crazy person and Maya could've easily left out the part where Nicole was obsessed with him and just said she tried to turn me in when I saw her at the camp and she's crazy, Sam would've backed her up..but NO. LAMESAUCE.
On a lighter note, so excited for Chloe and the Gang!!
UPDATE:
So I read the book and all I can say is wow! Did not disappoint!!!!
Maya needs to tell Daniel and EVERYONE her suspicions about Nicole. Nicole can easily put them all in danger and could turn on them in a heartbeat and they all trust her. Maya needs to get over sparing Daniel's feelings and save their lives...yeah. It's not like Daniel can really blame himself because Nicole's a crazy person and Maya could've easily left out the part where Nicole was obsessed with him and just said she tried to turn me in when I saw her at the camp and she's crazy, Sam would've backed her up..but NO. LAMESAUCE.
On a lighter note, so excited for Chloe and the Gang!!
UPDATE:
So I read the book and all I can say is wow! Did not disappoint!!!!
April 7, 2013
Can't wait to read this book! Love the cover, I like the Darkness Rising Trilogy but I miss the characters from The Darkest Powers Trilogy, and now that they are coming back I'm even more excited to read this book. Just Oh my gosh, it's been like two years since I finished TDP but I still remember all of them, I can't wait to read more about Chloe & Derek & Simon and the rest of the gang. I hope something good happens for Simon because he just got kinda dumped in the third book and nothing really ever happened from there.
July 12, 2014
Looking forward to seeing Derek and Chloe again.
May 12, 2013
I did not like this at all. So anti-climactic. And there probably won't be a continuation with Projects Valhalla and Thunderbird. There seemed to be a hint for future adult books but if it's from Maya's POV I won't be reading it.
April 7, 2013
3.5 stars - Spoilers
This was the best book in the trilogy, that's not to say it was good, it was just okay for the most part. The main reason I gave it 3.5 stars was because The Darkest Power gang made an appearance and because I liked the ending… Not the romantic ending just the resolution between the bad guys (the Cabals/the Nasts/the St Clouds) and good guys (the teens - Maya, Chloe, Daniel…).
-I was disappointed that most of the story consisted of Maya and co running from the bad guys, getting captured, escaping and running away again. It was repetitive and dull. I wouldn't have minded so much if the events in the second book (The Calling) hadn't have been more or less exactly the same as The Rising.
-Maya was mostly boring and vanilla — she didn't have much of a personality. Her only major flaw was her judgmental attitude which didn't exactly endear me to her. I was pissed with Maya's attitude towards Rafe when he told her that Daniel had feelings for her — she was an unreasonable harpy and really harsh and unfair to him… And I don't even like Rafe!
Yea, Maya was kind of rubbish.
-I loved the addition of Ash (Maya's long lost twin brother)… His scowly, miserable personality was actually rather charming. It was sweet how protective he was of Maya when he hardly even knew her. I think his past made him relatable, even when he was acting like a douche, I still liked him.
-The love triangle was okay I guess. I've never been a fan of Rafe or Daniel, they both annoy me. Rafe's just a watered down version of the typical mysterious bad boy love interest and Daniel's plain boring.
I wasn't happy with Maya ending up with Daniel since he used to date Maya's dead BFF for over a year. I'm not a fan of couples where one has dated the other's close friend/relative — it's cringey.
I wouldn't have been pleased with Maya ending up with Rafe either, since their relationship wasn't believable — it was just insta-love/lust.
-I loved Chloe/Derek/Simon/Tori… Their trilogy was far better than Maya's. I didn't like how little they were in The Rising though — they only really had small, supporting roles and I wanted more because it was just as much their story and ending as it was Maya/Daniel/Rafe's.
-Tori was probably my favourite character, her little interaction with Ash was entertaining. I wish there was a spin off about Tori and Ash, I think they'd make quite an interesting couple.
-The reunion scene with the parents and kids at the end was great — it was just so sweet.
-I enjoyed Sean's short appearance. I liked him in the adult Otherworld series so it was good seeing him again.
-I was rather impressed with the dynamic between Maya/Ash and their biological father (Antone). I've read way too many YA books where characters instantly bond with a long lost parent and start calling them mum and dad straight away - I've always found that daft.
It was great that Maya and Ash were reluctant to start a relationship with Antone and even at the end they were all still awkward around each other. So points for a realistic long lost parent/child portrayal.
-The ending was done well. Nothing was wrapped up to neatly and things weren't perfect in regard to the Cabals using the kids for their own benefit but I guess things did end on a fairly positive note.
Overall, it was entertaining but I wasn't as taken with The Darkest Rising trilogy as I was with the The Darkest Powers series. I am sad to see it end though because there's so much potential with other side characters. I'll keep my fingers crossed that KA will release another YA Otherworld spin-off in the not to distant future.
This was the best book in the trilogy, that's not to say it was good, it was just okay for the most part. The main reason I gave it 3.5 stars was because The Darkest Power gang made an appearance and because I liked the ending… Not the romantic ending just the resolution between the bad guys (the Cabals/the Nasts/the St Clouds) and good guys (the teens - Maya, Chloe, Daniel…).
-I was disappointed that most of the story consisted of Maya and co running from the bad guys, getting captured, escaping and running away again. It was repetitive and dull. I wouldn't have minded so much if the events in the second book (The Calling) hadn't have been more or less exactly the same as The Rising.
-Maya was mostly boring and vanilla — she didn't have much of a personality. Her only major flaw was her judgmental attitude which didn't exactly endear me to her. I was pissed with Maya's attitude towards Rafe when he told her that Daniel had feelings for her — she was an unreasonable harpy and really harsh and unfair to him… And I don't even like Rafe!
Yea, Maya was kind of rubbish.
-I loved the addition of Ash (Maya's long lost twin brother)… His scowly, miserable personality was actually rather charming. It was sweet how protective he was of Maya when he hardly even knew her. I think his past made him relatable, even when he was acting like a douche, I still liked him.
-The love triangle was okay I guess. I've never been a fan of Rafe or Daniel, they both annoy me. Rafe's just a watered down version of the typical mysterious bad boy love interest and Daniel's plain boring.
I wasn't happy with Maya ending up with Daniel since he used to date Maya's dead BFF for over a year. I'm not a fan of couples where one has dated the other's close friend/relative — it's cringey.
I wouldn't have been pleased with Maya ending up with Rafe either, since their relationship wasn't believable — it was just insta-love/lust.
-I loved Chloe/Derek/Simon/Tori… Their trilogy was far better than Maya's. I didn't like how little they were in The Rising though — they only really had small, supporting roles and I wanted more because it was just as much their story and ending as it was Maya/Daniel/Rafe's.
-Tori was probably my favourite character, her little interaction with Ash was entertaining. I wish there was a spin off about Tori and Ash, I think they'd make quite an interesting couple.
-The reunion scene with the parents and kids at the end was great — it was just so sweet.
-I enjoyed Sean's short appearance. I liked him in the adult Otherworld series so it was good seeing him again.
-I was rather impressed with the dynamic between Maya/Ash and their biological father (Antone). I've read way too many YA books where characters instantly bond with a long lost parent and start calling them mum and dad straight away - I've always found that daft.
It was great that Maya and Ash were reluctant to start a relationship with Antone and even at the end they were all still awkward around each other. So points for a realistic long lost parent/child portrayal.
-The ending was done well. Nothing was wrapped up to neatly and things weren't perfect in regard to the Cabals using the kids for their own benefit but I guess things did end on a fairly positive note.
Overall, it was entertaining but I wasn't as taken with The Darkest Rising trilogy as I was with the The Darkest Powers series. I am sad to see it end though because there's so much potential with other side characters. I'll keep my fingers crossed that KA will release another YA Otherworld spin-off in the not to distant future.
Want to read
September 12, 2012OH MY FREAAAAKIING GOSSH!!!!!!!!!!!
A YEAR????? (I'm gonna faint...)
i mean can we fans can have a preview? sample..? anything???
shit the suspense is killing meee!!
CHLOE AND (SUPER HOT WEREWOLF GUY)DEREK ARE GONNA SHOW UP!!(finally..)
it was the only thing that I'm looking forward to in this series...:)
first reading the gathering, comment: "uh... its ok..."
the calling: " its getting better atleast.."
the rising: SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!! CHLOE AND DEREK ARE BAAAAAAAAAACK??? WTF!!!! YEEEEEEEEES!!!! AT LAST!!!
x))
A YEAR????? (I'm gonna faint...)
i mean can we fans can have a preview? sample..? anything???
shit the suspense is killing meee!!
CHLOE AND (SUPER HOT WEREWOLF GUY)DEREK ARE GONNA SHOW UP!!(finally..)
it was the only thing that I'm looking forward to in this series...:)
first reading the gathering, comment: "uh... its ok..."
the calling: " its getting better atleast.."
the rising: SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!! CHLOE AND DEREK ARE BAAAAAAAAAACK??? WTF!!!! YEEEEEEEEES!!!! AT LAST!!!
x))
May 20, 2013
Kelly Armstrong is a great writer. That's why I can't bring myself to give this anything less than 4 stars. I just can't. The story is so darn well written!
Guh.
But I was terribly disappointed in the ending. Talk about going out with a Whimper instead of a Bang! Wow. Did that really happen? All I can say is that she's forgiven if she writes about these kids again once they are adults, because...come on!...really?
Ok, ok. If you haven't read this yet, let me explain. Everything does get neatly tied up in the end. Really. And I don't care about the rest of you, Maya ended up with who I wanted her to end up with. So neener neener! And you get to see Chloe, Derrek, and the Gang again. Nicely. Tied. Up.
I also thought this was the most exciting of the Darkness Rising trilogy...right up till the end. And then? Not so much.
But if you've been following this story since
The Summoning, then you have to read this one to finish it out.
Do it. It's worth it, but don't expect a big explosion in the end.
Guh.
But I was terribly disappointed in the ending. Talk about going out with a Whimper instead of a Bang! Wow. Did that really happen? All I can say is that she's forgiven if she writes about these kids again once they are adults, because...come on!...really?
Ok, ok. If you haven't read this yet, let me explain. Everything does get neatly tied up in the end. Really. And I don't care about the rest of you, Maya ended up with who I wanted her to end up with. So neener neener! And you get to see Chloe, Derrek, and the Gang again. Nicely. Tied. Up.
I also thought this was the most exciting of the Darkness Rising trilogy...right up till the end. And then? Not so much.
But if you've been following this story since
The Summoning, then you have to read this one to finish it out.
Do it. It's worth it, but don't expect a big explosion in the end.
July 18, 2013
I took a bit of time to digest this last book before diving into a review, I had a few things to work out, namely my feelings and what I was going to write!!!
I enjoyed the previous trilogy to these books and I have additionally enjoyed these ones too. I have to say, part way through this book, I became a little bored with what was going on and then I kind of related the books to the previous trilogy and how things weren't so different... then the pages turned some more and I was pleasantly surprised to be re-introduced to the past characters of The Summoning, it was lovely to be re-acquainted with Derek and Chloe and Tori... it was strange but good to read about the Genesis project being incorporated with the Phoenix project... great stuff...
Then the incredible happened... but I can't say a word!
I adore Daniel and Maya, Rafe, Haley and Corey... I love the characters to bits...
What I thought was going to be a 4 star ending turned out to be a 5 star, the same as the previous two books... a trilogy worth reading and even better if you have read the previous trilogy first.
I look forward to reading more of Kelley Armstrong's books in the near future.
I enjoyed the previous trilogy to these books and I have additionally enjoyed these ones too. I have to say, part way through this book, I became a little bored with what was going on and then I kind of related the books to the previous trilogy and how things weren't so different... then the pages turned some more and I was pleasantly surprised to be re-introduced to the past characters of The Summoning, it was lovely to be re-acquainted with Derek and Chloe and Tori... it was strange but good to read about the Genesis project being incorporated with the Phoenix project... great stuff...
Then the incredible happened... but I can't say a word!
I adore Daniel and Maya, Rafe, Haley and Corey... I love the characters to bits...
What I thought was going to be a 4 star ending turned out to be a 5 star, the same as the previous two books... a trilogy worth reading and even better if you have read the previous trilogy first.
I look forward to reading more of Kelley Armstrong's books in the near future.
September 10, 2023
Decided to write a review for the whole trilogy in the last book cause I find it easier, so here it goes:
-Young Adult
-Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban
-A small group of friends realize that they have special abilities and for that exact reason, sum peeps want to kidnap them to submit them as slaves, so the group has to figure out what to do to, basically -There are themes like mystery, super-natural elements, and sense of foreboding
-Romance is not the main focus but it is one of the most slow-burn and wholesome things there is. Not to mention that the group of friends relationship is too amazing
-I read them super quickly because instead of being intriguing they were easy to read and simple unlike other fantasy books
-If you are looking for a story with action, humor and a group of friends in which all the characters are great, read this.
-Trilogy
-The protagonist is a goddess. A super strong woman both emotionally and physically.
-The truth is, if I had to put myself in the characters' situation, I wouldn't know what to do 💀 However, I think everything was resolved too easily. Too much drama for nuthin
-"I want you to have big dreams, big goals. I want you to strive to achieve them. But I don't want to see you punish yourself every time you make a mistake." ❤️ -Plot: 3/5
-Characters: 4/5
-Young Adult
-Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban
-A small group of friends realize that they have special abilities and for that exact reason, sum peeps want to kidnap them to submit them as slaves, so the group has to figure out what to do to, basically -There are themes like mystery, super-natural elements, and sense of foreboding
-Romance is not the main focus but it is one of the most slow-burn and wholesome things there is. Not to mention that the group of friends relationship is too amazing
-I read them super quickly because instead of being intriguing they were easy to read and simple unlike other fantasy books
-If you are looking for a story with action, humor and a group of friends in which all the characters are great, read this.
-Trilogy
-The protagonist is a goddess. A super strong woman both emotionally and physically.
-The truth is, if I had to put myself in the characters' situation, I wouldn't know what to do 💀 However, I think everything was resolved too easily. Too much drama for nuthin
-"I want you to have big dreams, big goals. I want you to strive to achieve them. But I don't want to see you punish yourself every time you make a mistake." ❤️ -Plot: 3/5
-Characters: 4/5
Read
July 3, 2012I can't wait for this book! I loved the darkest powers trilogy as well, even though I wanted there to be more then just three. I really like how she is mixing both of the stories... Can't wait for more Chloe and Derek! Perhaps both Maya and Chloe will both narrate? Hope so!
I feel as if Daniel actually loves Maya and that was part of the reason he wanted to break up with Serena. I guess we will find out. I really liked Rafe in the first, especially because he was all sexy and mysterious, but we didn't get to see a lot of him in the second. So far, I must say that I like Chloe and Derek more than Maya and Rafe, partly because you actually got to see their relationship grow, and partly because you were able to really get attached to the characters and I felt there was more development over all.
I don't know what it is, but I am just not a fan of Maya and her narrating. I just keep comparing it to the other trilogy and... Anyways, im not that big of fan of their powers, I think if they kept it to the original powers and maybe added one or two, that would be fine. I loved the darkest powers series from the beginning but I am still not sure about this one.
Can't wait for this book though, have a feeling it's going to be the best in this trilogy:)
I feel as if Daniel actually loves Maya and that was part of the reason he wanted to break up with Serena. I guess we will find out. I really liked Rafe in the first, especially because he was all sexy and mysterious, but we didn't get to see a lot of him in the second. So far, I must say that I like Chloe and Derek more than Maya and Rafe, partly because you actually got to see their relationship grow, and partly because you were able to really get attached to the characters and I felt there was more development over all.
I don't know what it is, but I am just not a fan of Maya and her narrating. I just keep comparing it to the other trilogy and... Anyways, im not that big of fan of their powers, I think if they kept it to the original powers and maybe added one or two, that would be fine. I loved the darkest powers series from the beginning but I am still not sure about this one.
Can't wait for this book though, have a feeling it's going to be the best in this trilogy:)
April 9, 2013
Didn't like it, didn't hate so : 2.5 Stars
Out of everyone who has read The Rising till now I am the only one who hasn't given it 4 or 5 Stars. Guess I'm in the minority here.
This book was a continuation of the previous one, everyone was on the run the whole time. I think Kelly Armstrong is really fond of camping trips because this 6-books series was filled with it. And even though it was all so repetitive I enjoyed this series, I don't know why..but I did.
I have nothing much to say about this book because there was nothing special in it, all the kids were running, getting captured and escaping again...just like in the previous books. The ending was unsatisfactory though.
The Rising wasn't worth a read. I wish I hadn't read it and someone had told me the ending because nothing much happened at the end anyway.
The reunion with the gang in from Darkest Powers series was okay, I was hoping to get more of Simon, he was my favorite but he had just 2 lines. Actually none of them had nothing much to say as their reunion was very short lived. It could have been extended, like, all of them could have escaped together, planned to take down the Cabals but no, Ms. Armstrong decided to end the book there.
I kind of enjoyed reading Darkest Powers & Darkness Rising series though, its kind of like a guilty pleasure for me. I am not supposed to like these books because of being so similar all the time but something pulled me their way.
But my love doesn't go much farther than this, no way in hell I'm going to read another spin-off trilogy (I've heard Kelly Armstrong is planning it).
Out of everyone who has read The Rising till now I am the only one who hasn't given it 4 or 5 Stars. Guess I'm in the minority here.
This book was a continuation of the previous one, everyone was on the run the whole time. I think Kelly Armstrong is really fond of camping trips because this 6-books series was filled with it. And even though it was all so repetitive I enjoyed this series, I don't know why..but I did.
I have nothing much to say about this book because there was nothing special in it, all the kids were running, getting captured and escaping again...just like in the previous books. The ending was unsatisfactory though.
The Rising wasn't worth a read. I wish I hadn't read it and someone had told me the ending because nothing much happened at the end anyway.
The reunion with the gang in from Darkest Powers series was okay, I was hoping to get more of Simon, he was my favorite but he had just 2 lines. Actually none of them had nothing much to say as their reunion was very short lived. It could have been extended, like, all of them could have escaped together, planned to take down the Cabals but no, Ms. Armstrong decided to end the book there.
I kind of enjoyed reading Darkest Powers & Darkness Rising series though, its kind of like a guilty pleasure for me. I am not supposed to like these books because of being so similar all the time but something pulled me their way.
But my love doesn't go much farther than this, no way in hell I'm going to read another spin-off trilogy (I've heard Kelly Armstrong is planning it).
August 7, 2013
I make no secret that I loved Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers Trilogy, Chloe was an engaging protagonist and Derek was awesome, the plot was creepy, and addictive, and fun. So when The Gathering (Darkness Rising #1) was published I couldn't get it fast enough.
While set in the same universe (most of Armstrong's books are) it lacked... something. While the first series was able to avoid annoying YA clichés, the second one seemed to rely on them too much. The Mary-Sue protagonist with her perfect best friend in love with her (obvious to everyone but her), then the love triangle with an underdeveloped character of a bad boy joining the plot so they could fall madly in... something. Then a transplant of the plot of the previous trilogy, so there would be little to keep the reader guessing. It didn't look good.The second of the series, The Calling, was an outright disappointment. There was a lot of running around, stupid decisions, revelations the reader had already guessed before even picking up the first book of the series, and an ending which left the characters exactly where they were at the beginning. Mediocre. Which is something I'd never thought to associate with Kelley Armstrong.
But believe me when I tell you that The Rising made up for all of it. Yes, even for the mediocre filler of a second book. Because The Rising ties up all the Darkest Powers and the Darkness Rising plots, and it has everything I could have wished for: a new protagonist which should have been there since the beginning, considering he brought with him all the race issues that should have been addressed throughout the series (I get that she lived in some idyllic compound, but if you're going to have a WOC protagonist, it's disappointing to have all the issues associated be brushed aside), real character development - I have to say Armstrong writes friendships beautifully! - that made the reader really care about what happened to the characters, tensions, action, romance and a satisfying resolution. Kelley Armstrong at her best!
November 4, 2012
Let me first start by saying that I won this ARC through Kelley Armstrong's news letter. If you have not read any of her books I strongly recommend you do. Especially her Darkest Powers Trilogy and her Darkness Rising Trilogy. They are wonderful to get into and read. They keep you wondering what will happen next.
I will not get into to many details about this book because it will just give away all the secrets and ruin much of the book. Which I feel is the reason why Kelley Armstrong does not post many previews to the book.
The third and final book in this series keeps you on your seat. I loved this book. I love how it differed from the Darkest Powers ending of that book. However the way it ended was not what I imagined and that is a great thing. The book makes you angry, sad, happy, anxious, love all when you need to feel those proper emotions. It also is fast paced when it needs to be keeping you on the edge of your seat. Then when it is slow is makes you wonder just what obstacle will happen next and what road block they will have to get by to complete the task they need to achieve.
This book is the perfect ending to this series. I don't think I would change it. However, besides the ending there was another I was not suspecting to happen but did. When the books is released it is a must buy!!!
Happy Reading!
I will not get into to many details about this book because it will just give away all the secrets and ruin much of the book. Which I feel is the reason why Kelley Armstrong does not post many previews to the book.
The third and final book in this series keeps you on your seat. I loved this book. I love how it differed from the Darkest Powers ending of that book. However the way it ended was not what I imagined and that is a great thing. The book makes you angry, sad, happy, anxious, love all when you need to feel those proper emotions. It also is fast paced when it needs to be keeping you on the edge of your seat. Then when it is slow is makes you wonder just what obstacle will happen next and what road block they will have to get by to complete the task they need to achieve.
This book is the perfect ending to this series. I don't think I would change it. However, besides the ending there was another I was not suspecting to happen but did. When the books is released it is a must buy!!!
Happy Reading!
July 21, 2015
Hopefully there's actually SOMETHING that happens in this book. All they did in the last one was just run around, get caught, escape, and then run around and get caught again. Oh wait, and then escape again.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
November 17, 2022
The Rising - 3 Stars Here lies my dilemma with this book: I don't think I'm being fair with it. I'd had such high hopes for Darkness Rising series because I absolutely loved Darkest Powers series. Normally, I try not to compare books like that, even if they are by the same author, because if you really like one book, the other just isn't going to rise to the challenge, especially reading them back to back. This goes back to my "the sequel is never quite as good" principle. It's just that this series was meant to be a continuation, so I thought I was justified in my comparing. This simply wasn't as good. I felt that the characters were carbon copies of the cast in Darkest Powers. I went over this in my reviews for the first two installments in this series, and the third was much of the same. You have the perfect female lead (Maya/Chloe), the funny initial love interest (Rafe/Simon), the responsible back burner love interest (Daniel/Derek), the bitchy side female who is soft under the surface (Hayley/Tori). You have the adult family member of the perfect female MC that you aren't sure if you can trust because they work for the Cabals but genuinely seem to want to help at the end (Lauren/Antone). It's just too much!The plot did pick up in the second half of this book, and I think we have the DP cast to thank for that. Our group wasn't just running around aimlessly like they were in the last book. They actually had a plan. If it weren't for the DP cast, they'd probably still be scrambling around in the forest, lost and starving. I wasn't overly impressed with the end.First, I really liked Maya and Rafe. I think he challenged her more than Daniel did. He made her think. Daniel was just the comfortable choice and she went with it.And I hate that they ended up right where they started in everything but location! They seriously went through all that just to go back to living in some quarantined town that's been staged by the people who tested on them and plan to control their lives. I mean, isn't that what they were running from. They should have just let the pilot take them wherever they were going and saved themselves all this trouble. I think my favorite part was the addition of Ash. He complements Maya well, which makes sense, since their twins. He's just as protective as Daniel, but he lets her take risks and doesn't sugarcoat for her. I'm glad that he finally got a family at the end. Of course, I'm sure that if Maya weren't there, he'd leave her parents, but it gives him some stability.
April 12, 2017
4 stars
This book came out in 2013. I bought it that year. And I haven't read it until recently. 4 years. 4 years of me having every opportunity to read it but haven't. I finally started it two days ago and am now finished.
Do you ever have those moments when you say, "I'm going to read that book." And then never read it until after a few years? That's me. I really don't have much of an excuse other than I had other books to read and I forgot what transpired in the last two books. But I told myself I would finally read this book and I did.
The Rising, in the best way I can describe it, is a good conclusion to a series. There wasn't that many loose ends and I did feel satisfied with how the plot went.
As much as I want to talk more about the plot, I can't really talk about it because it is the finale to a series and I don't want to spoil anything. So I'll just say my overall thoughts on the finale.
I really enjoyed this series as well as the Darkest Powers series. The Darkest Powers is what help me jumpstart into reading and the Darkness Rising only made me enjoy reading even more. And after reading The Rising, I'm glad I got to finish this series. Not only did I finish it, but I also completed one of my goals for 2017 to read both the Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising series!
The plot and characters improved a lot from the previous series and we get more action and revelations. When I started it, I was a little nervous about how the book will end, especially with what happened in the previous book. But thankfully the book went well.
Verdict
I feel so satisfied finishing this series after a long time. A good conclusion to a great series.
Thanks for reading my review!
-Cesar
May 7, 2013
After loving the first 2 books and recommending Kelley Armstrong to people as, "the best at YA supernatural romance," I was unhappily disappointed in this book.
To begin with, a lot of the dialogue was just dumb. "Did she just call me cute?" "Did you just flirt with my boyfriend?" Give me a break.
The whole conclusion where they decide to give in and surrender basically...it does seem like the smart thing to do but only because the scary enemies have been replaced by different family members that are much nicer and more accommodating. Well, isn't that convenient.
And the sadly attempted, dismal love triangle crashed and burned. Why is this Daniel stuff out of nowhere? And why not Rafe all of a sudden?
There weren't any twists besides that weakly attempted female doctor backstabber situation, which I didn't completely understand because there's so many different 'cabals' and lame characters we're expected to remember from the other books (which I don't).
Maya's brother was annoying as hell, and also chauvinistic which disappointed me greatly because I had thought Kelley Armstrong was more evolved than that. None of the characters were likeable in this. The end.
I'm extremely tired right now so I know this review isn't very well written, I might come back later, but probably not.
To begin with, a lot of the dialogue was just dumb. "Did she just call me cute?" "Did you just flirt with my boyfriend?" Give me a break.
The whole conclusion where they decide to give in and surrender basically...it does seem like the smart thing to do but only because the scary enemies have been replaced by different family members that are much nicer and more accommodating. Well, isn't that convenient.
And the sadly attempted, dismal love triangle crashed and burned. Why is this Daniel stuff out of nowhere? And why not Rafe all of a sudden?
There weren't any twists besides that weakly attempted female doctor backstabber situation, which I didn't completely understand because there's so many different 'cabals' and lame characters we're expected to remember from the other books (which I don't).
Maya's brother was annoying as hell, and also chauvinistic which disappointed me greatly because I had thought Kelley Armstrong was more evolved than that. None of the characters were likeable in this. The end.
I'm extremely tired right now so I know this review isn't very well written, I might come back later, but probably not.
September 16, 2013
so long to wait till Maya&Co meets Chloe&Co :(
And I'm wondering - will the real action (lets hope destruction of Cabal clan:) begin in this last instalment, or maybe Kelley has another YA trilogy in mind?
(my rating is based on The Darkest Powers trilogy and the first two of Darkness Rising trilogy, so, please, don't judge me for making assumptions ;)
P.S. I think it's unfair that Darkness Rising trilogy has cooler superpowers than the Darkest Powers....
After reading it:
it's definitely not worth 5 stars, more like 3,5. I really liked how it ended for supernatural kids, however I did not enjoy Maya's story at all: neither their adventures,nor the romance. I also hoped there would be more of Derek and Chloe, but their part in this book was very functional and rehearsed, if you know what I mean.
And I'm wondering - will the real action (lets hope destruction of Cabal clan:) begin in this last instalment, or maybe Kelley has another YA trilogy in mind?
(my rating is based on The Darkest Powers trilogy and the first two of Darkness Rising trilogy, so, please, don't judge me for making assumptions ;)
P.S. I think it's unfair that Darkness Rising trilogy has cooler superpowers than the Darkest Powers....
After reading it:
it's definitely not worth 5 stars, more like 3,5. I really liked how it ended for supernatural kids, however I did not enjoy Maya's story at all: neither their adventures,nor the romance. I also hoped there would be more of Derek and Chloe, but their part in this book was very functional and rehearsed, if you know what I mean.
August 5, 2013
I would just like to say Kelley Armstrong has been stringing me along since I read the second book of darkest powers and realized it didn't come out for another year. This series gives me a mild heart attack every time I finish each book.
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