Oooh boy. Okay, any regular readers of the Bibliophile Support Group will know that I am a HUGE fan of Kelley Armstrong’s Darkest Powers trilogy and really loved the first in the Darkness Rising trilogy The Gathering. Well, here we go again. Get ready for the love!
First of all, though, I strongly suggest that anyone who hasn’t read the The Gathering to stay away from this review! I actually would recommend you read the Darkest Powers series first, too – but that’s not as necessary for reading The Calling, just creates the best, in my opinion, overall experience.
Anyway, go read the other books! Do NOT spoil the awesome entertainment of them by reading this review first! You can read my review of The Gathering here.
Now, all you lucky ducks who have read The Gathering (and hopefully the Darkest Powers trilogy too), feel free to continue…
As you’ll recall, sixteen-year-old Maya Delaney had a lot of shocking information thrust on her by the end of The Gathering. She found out that her long admired paw-print birthmark is actually the sign of being a skin-walker – which comes with cool abilities like running faster, hearing better, seeing well in the dark, connecting with animals and nature, and eventually Shifting into a cougar and losing her more human mental capacities. Possibly for good.
That last one isn’t so cool. In fact, it was about ready to freak her out, except for the fact that so much else was going on to distract her. For one, there was a lot of evidence coming to light that the other kids she’d grown up with in this area of Vancouver Island also had surprising talents.
Also, by the end of The Gathering her beautiful home and the forests of Salmon Creek were enveloped in fire – which seemed to be purposeful – putting everything, and everyone, she cared about in danger.
Last we saw them, Maya and her fellow Salmon Creek friends were on a helicopter, including Rafe, the guy who is also a skin-walker and may have stolen her heart. It was all chaos as they lifted off to safety, hoping to return for her parents and others in the town.
And I’m not saying another word about the plot. The jacket does indeed say more, but I believe if you loved The Gathering like I did, you should be able to jump in with no idea where it’s going, like I did, and have a lot of fun! So, why know more?
I was able to reread The Gathering before bounding into The Calling, which was great. I found that I liked it even better the second time around.
Then, when I started The Calling – whoa! The breathless, explosive, action-packed thrill ride of an opener boldly defied the idea of a traditional “middle” book! And the insanity and excitement didn’t stop – ever!
While I still desperately want more of Chloe, Derek and the rest of the Darkest Powers crew, Maya, Daniel, and Co. continued to grow on me throughout The Calling. They are awesome in their own right.
The level of suspense and stakes has definitely been raised. Really, wowza! My mind was swirling with all the twists, romance, supernatural mystery and danger.
The Calling is involving, scary, funny, and delves deeper into the mythology of both of Kelley Armstrong’s YA trilogies. Maya’s confidence, humor, and love for animals (especially her dog Kenjii) make her an excellent heroine for me!
With the electrifying conclusion of The Calling I am just dying for book three!
For anybody who felt The Gathering was slower than they wished (and I felt that way a bit too, but still loved it – just didn’t feel like it was AS good as the Darkest Powers books) The Calling will change that. This is a fast-paced, crazy-good book!
The Calling set up the stage for what I think will be one of the best books of the year – hopefully no later than 2013!!!
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