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ktbuglt's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this series. It's one of the best things I've read in a while. However, I feel like the ending was seriously lacking. There could easily have been more books. I want to know what happens when they go to find the other supernatural kids, what happened to Rae, and what was the deal at the end with the demi-demon? She has the end set up like there are going to be more books and yet it's just a trilogy... What's up with that?
elliebit's review against another edition
4.0
Have to say Kelley Armstrong has done a pretty awesome super amazing job with this series and the Darkness Rising one. Cannot wait for more :)
Love the characterization, the growth of these lovely characters, and the maturity they display. Not everyone that age is solely worried about getting the latest cell phone model. She portrays a depth to these teenagers that's warmly reassuring. Of course there's teen drama - but face it, it wouldn't ring true of real teens if it wasn't mixture of almost-there-maturity and a leetle bit of drama.
Love the characterization, the growth of these lovely characters, and the maturity they display. Not everyone that age is solely worried about getting the latest cell phone model. She portrays a depth to these teenagers that's warmly reassuring. Of course there's teen drama - but face it, it wouldn't ring true of real teens if it wasn't mixture of almost-there-maturity and a leetle bit of drama.
crowinator's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, this series surprised me by using many conventions of the genre (group of teens with special powers, who are persecuted by shady organization run by amoral adults; politics among groups who regulate people with paranormal powers; an obligatory love triangle for the female protagonist; supernatural creatures like werewolves who are on the fringes even in regards to paranormal groups, etc.) without feeling like a retread of every other paranormal book I've recently read.
I found Chloe's powers as a necromancer and how they are presented to be fascinating. I haven't read a ton of necromancers in teen fiction -- seeing ghosts is a popular power, but actually raising the dead and dealing with grisly corpses is another. I liked that Chloe is extremely powerful but not always all that useful. Raising the dead may be a force to be reckoned with, but it takes time and mental preparation and only works under a set of specific circumstances (like having actual corpses around to reanimate, and having the corpses be in decent enough physical shape to be useful). Flinging spells like Tori and Simon, or having super strength and senses like Derek, come in more handy, and Chloe often laments that she can't be more use in defending herself and the others. Yet she is the one who gathers most of the information that the group needs (because the dead are always so informative) and she is the one who saves the day at the end, by using her powers to do something kind of terrible. I liked that whole ending scene and what it meant for Chloe's development; she's afraid of her powers (because who isn't afraid of reanimated corpses?) but she's working to control them.
This series also has one of the few love triangle I've felt was done right. It wasn't melodramatic and both boys -- Derek and Simon -- behaved well, not blaming each other or Chloe, not being whiny or mean or petty. I knew Chloe would end up with Derek because he was clearly the stronger personality in the book -- Simon was sweet but bland, and Derek and her had spark -- but I thought Chloe's kind of slow realization of her feelings was realistic. I like that Chloe and Derek end up as equals in the relationship, as well; it's not about her being weak and him protecting her. They take care of each other. Derek being initially a hulking, ugly brute with bad acne and greasy hair made him most interesting to me at first, though all his grosser features clearing up conveniently mirrors that whole trope where the plain girl takes off her glasses and lets loose her hair and is suddenly beautiful. For some reason it doesn't bother me here.
One of the things I also really like about this series are the adults. They are not absent; they're actually a major force in the book, and they're not all out to get Our Teen Heroes. They're like real adults. Some have good intentions and think they know what's best and are therefore condescending to Chloe and co. They mean well, and they're only trying to help, but they've made the mistake of listening to the wrong people (i.e., not the kids). Andrew, a friend of Derek's and Simon's dad, falls into this category. And for every adult that's totally evil (Tori's mom), you get one who is totally on their side (Chloe's aunt; Simon's dad). It's nice to see a teen series recognize that most teenagers in these situations would need -- and actually want -- adults at some point, and nice to present adults that the teens can actually trust. Do I think this because I'm an adult now? Scary.
The plot of all three of these books moves pretty fast but feels a bit sketchy. Eighty percent of it is the kids trapped or hiding out in a static location, like Andrew's house or the Edison lab, where it feels like nothing is happening except the slow gathering of information, and the other 20% is them on the run willy-nilly without much of a plan. Learning more about the Edison group made most of the information-gathering scenes worthwhile, though I feel like some important threads were dropped. For instance, we learn what Chloe's necklace does, but not why it changed colors (twice, right?). And what happened to Rae (did I just miss it)? Maybe some things have been left unresolved so that Armstrong can return to the series, which I'd like, since I think there's still plenty to tell about Chloe's (and the rest of the group's) continuing development.
I found Chloe's powers as a necromancer and how they are presented to be fascinating. I haven't read a ton of necromancers in teen fiction -- seeing ghosts is a popular power, but actually raising the dead and dealing with grisly corpses is another. I liked that Chloe is extremely powerful but not always all that useful. Raising the dead may be a force to be reckoned with, but it takes time and mental preparation and only works under a set of specific circumstances (like having actual corpses around to reanimate, and having the corpses be in decent enough physical shape to be useful). Flinging spells like Tori and Simon, or having super strength and senses like Derek, come in more handy, and Chloe often laments that she can't be more use in defending herself and the others. Yet she is the one who gathers most of the information that the group needs (because the dead are always so informative) and she is the one who saves the day at the end, by using her powers to do something kind of terrible. I liked that whole ending scene and what it meant for Chloe's development; she's afraid of her powers (because who isn't afraid of reanimated corpses?) but she's working to control them.
This series also has one of the few love triangle I've felt was done right. It wasn't melodramatic and both boys -- Derek and Simon -- behaved well, not blaming each other or Chloe, not being whiny or mean or petty. I knew Chloe would end up with Derek because he was clearly the stronger personality in the book -- Simon was sweet but bland, and Derek and her had spark -- but I thought Chloe's kind of slow realization of her feelings was realistic. I like that Chloe and Derek end up as equals in the relationship, as well; it's not about her being weak and him protecting her. They take care of each other. Derek being initially a hulking, ugly brute with bad acne and greasy hair made him most interesting to me at first, though all his grosser features clearing up conveniently mirrors that whole trope where the plain girl takes off her glasses and lets loose her hair and is suddenly beautiful. For some reason it doesn't bother me here.
One of the things I also really like about this series are the adults. They are not absent; they're actually a major force in the book, and they're not all out to get Our Teen Heroes. They're like real adults. Some have good intentions and think they know what's best and are therefore condescending to Chloe and co. They mean well, and they're only trying to help, but they've made the mistake of listening to the wrong people (i.e., not the kids). Andrew, a friend of Derek's and Simon's dad, falls into this category. And for every adult that's totally evil (Tori's mom), you get one who is totally on their side (Chloe's aunt; Simon's dad). It's nice to see a teen series recognize that most teenagers in these situations would need -- and actually want -- adults at some point, and nice to present adults that the teens can actually trust. Do I think this because I'm an adult now? Scary.
The plot of all three of these books moves pretty fast but feels a bit sketchy. Eighty percent of it is the kids trapped or hiding out in a static location, like Andrew's house or the Edison lab, where it feels like nothing is happening except the slow gathering of information, and the other 20% is them on the run willy-nilly without much of a plan. Learning more about the Edison group made most of the information-gathering scenes worthwhile, though I feel like some important threads were dropped. For instance, we learn what Chloe's necklace does, but not why it changed colors (twice, right?). And what happened to Rae (did I just miss it)? Maybe some things have been left unresolved so that Armstrong can return to the series, which I'd like, since I think there's still plenty to tell about Chloe's (and the rest of the group's) continuing development.
elidavis's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't realize this was the final installment. There were still a lot of unanswered plot lines and the ending felt rushed.
azhia's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly this could've been a 5 star book but there were just too many unaswered questions & this is the last book too, ridiculous -____- Otherwise I quite enjoyed the series
kitlovesmedia's review against another edition
5.0
This was a great final book to the series. I really enjoyed Chloe and Derek's development. When reading the first book, I really wasn't expecting their relationship to go the way it did, but I'm happy with how it turned out. I found the magic system surrounding the witches and sorcerers to be interesting. I've read this series multiple times and I always get just as mad at the situation these kids loved ones put them in.
spinmeyouryarns's review against another edition
4.0
Best book of the series, but I want more!!
Really loved seeing Chloe’s confidence and maturity grow and seeing her think and work to make her relationships with others worthy of her.
Kelley Armstrong never fails to spin a very engaging yarn!
Really loved seeing Chloe’s confidence and maturity grow and seeing her think and work to make her relationships with others worthy of her.
Kelley Armstrong never fails to spin a very engaging yarn!