Pint-Sized 'Pinions: The Darkest Powers Edition

Since this series has almost been reviewed to death, mine are gonna be short and sweet.

The Summoning (Darkest Powers, 1) by Kelley Armstrong
Young Adult Urban Fantasy
HarperCollins (July 1, 2008)
ISBN-13: 978-0061662690
400 pages
Read Your Own Books Challenge

My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.

All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don't even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost—and the ghost saw me.

Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a "special home" for troubled teens. Yet the home isn't what it seems. Don't tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It's up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House . . . before its skeletons come back to haunt me.

My 'pinion: Chloe is a smart, creative and immensely relatable heroine. The premise of this novel is unique, as are the secondary characters and the predicaments that Chloe and her peers find themselves in. Fans of Armstrong's adult series will have no trouble enjoying her young adult debut. Her Otherworld and the action that fills it translates well into the YA genre.
Grade: A


The Awakening (Darkest Powers, 2) by Kelley Armstrong
HarperCollins (April 28, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0061662768
368 pages

If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl—someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment—not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control; I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.

Now I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

My 'pinion: All of the great hallmarks of the first book are back. Twists and turns galore. All of Chloe's relationships undergo a lot of change, for better and worse. And of course there's the Derek vs. Simon issue. My only problem here was that it seemed to suffer from the same pitfall that a lot of novels encounter with trip/travel stories - it lagged somewhat in the middle. But that didn't last long or hurt the story much.
Grade: B+


The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, 3) by Kelley Armstrong*
HarperCollins (April 6, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0061662836
Hardcover: 400 pages

My name is Chloe Saunders. I'm fifteen, and I would love to be normal.

But normal is one thing I'm not.

For one thing, I'm having these feelings for a certain antisocial werewolf and his sweet-tempered brother—who just happens to be a sorcerer—but, between you and me, I'm leaning toward the werewolf.

Not normal.

My friends and I are also on the run from an evil corporation that wants to get rid of us—permanently.

Definitely not normal.

And finally, I'm a genetically altered necro-mancer who can raise the dead, rotting corpses and all, without even trying.

As far away from normal as it gets.

My 'pinion: Great conclusion to the series! The action and intrigue never stopped. Chloe makes a choice between the boys and not without some heartache. The teens in this story have all grown throughout and it's most obvious here. The climax doesn't disappoint and I like how the tale's ending was a happily-ever-after type deal. It felt more realistic that way. Don't worry though, of course the heroes come out on top.
Grade: A+

*The ARC for The Reckoning was provided for review by the publisher


Each synopsis is from Amazon
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