Reviewer: Amy Lignor
Title: The Awakening - 2nd in the Darkest Powers series
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Harper Teen (Harper Collins)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-166276-8
Release Date: April 2009 (Hardcover)
Genre/Sub-genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher’s Age/Grade Recommendation: 12 and up
OUAR’s Age/Grade Recommendation: 12 and up
Year/Setting: New York State
Overall Rating: 4.5
Sexual Content Rating: None/Subtle
Language (Profanity/Slang) Content Rating: None/Mild
Violent Content Rating: Moderate
Kelley's Website: www.kelleyarmstrong.com
Dear Readers:
Yay, yay, and more yay. The first book in this series, The Summoning, had me but this one kept me riveted.
Our friend and local necromancer, Chloe Saunders and her friends: Simon, the spell-caster with style and looks; Derek, Simon’s brother who can toss a person into another country without a second glance; and Tori, the wannabe prom queen with a nasty "fire and brimstone" soul, are back.
They have escaped out of the wretched Lyle House and are trying to find Derek and Simon’s father - a man who knows all about the work of the Edison Group - a strange bunch of scientists who want to create their own little world of supernatural power. The kids need answers and they need to survive.
This second installment is a whirlwind ride. Just as something seems okay - something much more devilishly wonderful comes along to knock us out of our chair. We are introduced to werewolves, corpses coming back from the grave, shrieking demons who want nothing more than your soul, and past-life pictures that can scare you to your very core. The wolves are coming…the Cabal is mentioned…and the heart-stopping quest that these teens are on is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Yes, this review sounds a little more like a movie review than a book - but that’s just it. I see these on the big screen. Not only does Ms. Armstrong give to us things that "go bump in the night" but she also makes her characters experience all very human emotions while they battle a world that most humans know nothing about.
Well done. Again. I hope Ms. Armstrong writes Book III with the same compelling adventure and frightening consistency that she’s used in Books I and II. I am a huge fan and you will be too. Read it, give it to your teenager to read (which will also get them away from the X-Box for five minutes and increase their brain power) - and enjoy!
Until Next Time, Amy
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