Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: April 6, 2010
Pages: 391, Paperback
Rating: 3 Stars
Chloe Saunders is fifteen and would love to be normal. Unfortunately, Chloe happens to be a genetically engineered necromancer who can raise the dead without even trying. She and her equally gifted (or should that be 'cursed'?) friends are now running for their lives from the evil corporation that created them.
As if that's not enough, Chloe is struggling with her feelings for Simon, a sweet-tempered sorcerer, and his brother Derek, a not so sweet-tempered werewolf. And she has a horrible feeling she's leaning towards the werewolf...
Definitely not normal.
As if that's not enough, Chloe is struggling with her feelings for Simon, a sweet-tempered sorcerer, and his brother Derek, a not so sweet-tempered werewolf. And she has a horrible feeling she's leaning towards the werewolf...
Definitely not normal.
The Reckoning
is the third and last book in the Darkest Powers Trilogy. The book begins with the group taking refuge in Andrew’s house (a fellow supernatural and friend of Simon and Derek’s father).
The group is running away from an evil institution, The Edison Group, which held them against their will and ran experiments on supernatural children. A majority of the story takes place in Andrew’s home and its surrounding areas. Andrew, Margaret, and the rest of the adult ‘friends’ take Chloe and friends in under the premise that they will help them, train them, and protect them. Some of the decisions Margaret, a necromancer, makes cause Chloe and the group to question her intentions. There is a growing doubt that spreads through the group about whether they are really safe in their ‘safe house.’ After an attempt on Derek’s life by a pack of werewolves, the group decides they need to make an escape. Overall, The Reckoning was a solid 3 stars; there were parts I enjoyed and parts that I wasn’t as impressed with. I really enjoyed the first book in the series; there was a lot of potential in the plot that could be developed so I was eager to finish the series. The characters could have been further developed, even through three books, the characters still lacked something. Simon never really got a good grasp on his powers, and Chloe continually doubted herself and belittled her powers.
Although the plot had lots of action scenes, there seemed to lack some depth to the story. 80% of the story involved being in Andrew’s house, the woods behind the property, or the nearby ice-cream shop; it wasn’t until the last 40 pages when they planned and attempted to execute their escape, did the plot really pick up. There were loose ends to the story which left me wondering: Why exactly was the Edison Group created? What happened to the other children at the Edison group? Who is the creator/brains behind the Edison Group? It felt like some parts and answers to the questions were implied but never clearly stated. Though there were several ends left loose, the book as a whole was adequately wrapped up.
I did enjoy the love triangle between Chloe, Simon, and Derek, it did not take over the story but added a nice underlying element to the plot (with a good ending :-) ). The team of genetically altered supernatural friends with the occasional poltergeist around to help battling an evil corporation made for a fun read.
