The RisingDarkness Rising Series
Kelly Armstrong
April 2nd, 2013
HarperCollins
416 pages
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The race for survival comes to a thrilling conclusion in the heart-stopping finale to the Darkness Rising trilogy, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.
Things
are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by the powerful
St. Clouds and now a rival Cabal as well, they're quickly running out of
places to hide.
All they have is the name and number of someone
who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they're so
valuable, and why their supernatural powers are getting more and more
out of control. But Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her.
And like it or not, she'll have to face down some demons from her past
if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because Maya can't keep
running forever.
With all the twists, thrills, and romance that
have made Kelley Armstrong an international bestseller, plus the
surprising return of some fan-favorite characters, The Rising will hold you under its spell long after its breathtaking end.
This review is spoiler free.
Let
me get my fangirling out of the way by saying that Kelley Armstrong is
one of my favorite authors. I’ve read almost everything she has ever
published, including the multitude of short stories she’s written for
various anthologies. So when my friend was able to snag an advanced
reader’s copy of The Rising at ALA midwinter, I was ecstatic to say the
least. My exact reaction was something like this, but with more
screaming:
The
Rising is the third and final installment to the Darkness Rising
trilogy and also resolves the story arc of the Darkest Powers trilogy.
I’ve been waiting five years for this moment, so needless to say my
expectations were high, probably too high.
The
writing was everything I expect from Kelley Armstrong with lots of
action, witty dialogue, strong character development and surprising plot
twists. As always the world building is top notch and believable. That
being said this wasn’t anything like I expected which is both a good and
a not-so-good thing. After reading this and even after months of
thinking about it I’m still not quite sure how I feel about the
direction this book took or the ending.
I
felt like the resolution was too civilized. I suppose I felt like they
gave into “the man” and as anyone who has ever watched Empire Records
knows you should always “damn the man.” While part of me says it was the
practical thing to do, the other half of me is demanding a “give me
life or liberty” deathmatch. Maybe it’s the Texan in me, I don’t know.
I
also found myself in the weird position of being in agreement with
Maya’s brother Ash most of the time. Maya’s, Daniel’s and Corey’s
disregard of Ash for the first part of the book annoyed me a bit. Don’t
get me wrong Ash could be a little too paranoid and incredibly selfish,
but he was the only one of them who had ever had to fend for himself and
they really should have taken him more seriously. They finally started
to towards the end, but not soon enough for me. (It took an abduction
and recovery before they finally started paying him any attention.)
Corey
quickly became my favorite character in the series. He’s a more
prominent character in this book than he has been in the past and he
shined. His dialogue and reactions kept me laughing. This conversation
that Corey has with Maya early in the book when he’s discussing his
supernatural race showcases Corey’s personality and why I love him:
“...You remember those long stories we had to write in English last year? Mr. Parks accused me of having constancy errors?”
“Continuity errors,” I said.
“Whatever. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Your characters changed names. More than once.”
“Only by a few letters...”
I
realize that I probably laughed more than this dialogue warranted, but
you’ll have to forgive me. I’m a book nerd so the idea of characters’
names changing throughout a story and the chaos that would cause for the
reader had me in stitches. His casual disregard of the issue makes it
even more delightful. Another of my favorite scenes is when Corey has to
have “the talk” with Maya about Daniel’s feelings. It was kind of
amazing.
Speaking
of Maya, kind of, I thought she really came into her own during this
book as well. She started off as a strong character and just became more
so as the series progressed. Even if I’m not sure how I feel about all
of her decisions, I liked her confidence and her willingness to protect
herself and her friends. I also loved how she refused to let the drama
of her “love life” overwhelm her. She kept it in perspective, survival
first and then maybe she’ll worry about having a boyfriend.
My reaction when the Darkness Rising characters met up with the Darkest Powers characters:
It
was seriously one of my favorite parts of the book. I love these
characters and watching the two groups interact was pure fun (when they
weren’t fighting for their lives and freedom anyway). I loved all the
snark and only wished there were more scenes of them interacting with
each other. Even if I had hated this book, which I didn’t, the scenes
between these two groups would have made the book worth reading.
I
know a lot of people hate epilogues, but I am not one of them. I love a
good epilogue and Kelley Armstrong delivers. Even if I wasn’t a fan of
the final outcome I loved the epilogue scene. A sort of “where are they
now” snapshot. I like knowing what’s happening with my characters,
probably another reason I loved the Darkest Powers characters making an
appearance.
While
I didn’t love this book and could never marry it, I like it enough to
have a fling. It was good, my favorite of the Darkness Rising trilogy,
but I want more from an ending. (I’m demanding that way.) This ending
not only affects the characters from the Darkness Rising trilogy it also
has repercussions for the characters from the Darkest Powers trilogy.
That’s why the ending is so important and why it impacted my opinion of
the book so much. In the end I give this book 3.5 laser pistols.
