Review : The Awakening

Posted by on May 14, 2010 11:40 am in 3.5 stars reads | 1 comment

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
Pages : 357
Genre : YA, Urban Fantasy
Series : The Darkest Powers, Book 2
My Rating :

What it’s about :

A few weeks ago, Chloe was nothing more than a normal teenage girl : thinking about school, boys, and her dreams of one day directing movies. But after discovering she was anything but normal, her life changed dramatically. Not only is she really seeing ghosts and raising the dead, she also discovered the truth about where her abilities come from. As a result, Chloe and her friends must now run for their life…

The Summoning was a mysterious novel, and The Awakening gives you that with even more action. With more ghosts, more creatures, more powers and definitely more romance, there is no doubt Chloe’s life has gotten infinitely more complicated!

I heard many positive reviews on this book, many readers having preferred it to the first. While I certainly thought it had a better pace, I still preferred the previous book. For me, The Awakening suffered the “curse of the second book of a series”. I felt like it was a bridge between book one and book three, and I didn’t get as many answers I wished for. There were also a few elements of the plot that seemed too far-fetched.

But enough with the negative points! I enjoyed the book and could hardly put it down, which is always a good sign! Scientific groups like the Edison Group always make for interesting stories, and this one didn’t fail. The Summoning having ended on a huge cliffhanger, I was glad I could know where this was going, but also glad to see that the story moved along fairly quickly.

I also loved to get to know the characters some more. I really like Tori, even though she was first portrayed as the “mean girl”. As for the guys, if I have to pick a side, it’s definitely Derek. He has his faults, yes, but Simon is just a little too bland for me, in a “kind-and-predictable-guy” type. The author still narrates with Chloe’s friendly voice, with a few hints of humor without it taking over the story. Another thing I love about Armstrong’s writings is that, even though there is some romance, the characters still mainly focus on the danger they’re in. This is how it should always be : stay alive, then think about love and such.

The Darkest Powers series is definitely a series that will be best appreciated if read in order. If you have read The Summoning though, this one should note disappoint!

Series Reading Order :

  1. The Summoning
  2. The Awakening
  3. The Reckoning

1 Comment

  1. I know this book has been pretty popular, but I don’t think it’s for me.

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