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crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
4.0
"You know children, always playing with the forces of darkness."
Last we left them, Chloe and her former roommates at Lloyd House--Derek, Simon, and Tori--were being transported to Andrew's safe house. Now that they are there, they desperately seek to save Aunt Lauren and Rae, who are still in the Edison Group Laboratory that Chloe and Tori had escaped from in "The Awakening". But there are strange occurrences, and Chloe isn't sure whom they can trust.
I Liked:
I've been waiting months to get my hands on the paperback copy of "The Reckoning" ever since I whipped through the amazing "The Summoning" and "The Awakening". And this is a decent sequel.
Our characters remain as brilliant and loveable as last time. Chloe is a resourceful girl, witty, brave, and yet sometimes awkward and not all powerful. She mostly relies on her brains to solve solutions, instead of her superpowers (which, while impressive, still aren't the most useful at times). Derek is still gruff, selflessly trying to ensure the safety of Chloe and Simon, while sometimes struggling with himself and his feelings. I really liked Chloe and Derek together. Chloe really puts Derek in his place when he goes overboard in the protection department, while Derek is truly trying to make sure she is safe in his own awkward way. Simon is still as funny and charming as ever. Tori is really fascinating; of all the characters, she is probably the most powerful and has some of the most useful abilities (at least, in a battle!). She is abrasive, sometimes rude, and sometimes selfish, but when she curls into a ball and cries, I want to cry with her. She definitely is not your stereotypical mean b!tch.
After about the halfway point, the action ramps up to the levels we saw in the previous books. Chloe is continuously learning more about her powers; Derek gets to learn more about his. We have some nice, intense fight scenes, some good chase scenes, and, of course, a few good escape scenes.
I Didn't Like:
Was it the fact I read it so long after the last two books? Was it the fact that I wasn't in the same "groove" when I read the last two books? I don't know, but I did find this book had a few hiccups.
Firstly, the Romantic Triangle. Yeah, you knew I was going to talk about it. There was one in the background of the earlier books, but it wasn't the primary focus, and I felt it was decently done. Here, however, the Romantic Plot Triangle takes up the first 150 or so pages. Not my cup of tea. I would much rather have had the team doing something than to have to watch Simon and Chloe go on a date and all the rigmarole that goes along with being a teen in love (apparently, I never experienced any such drama in my teenaged years, but that is a pathetic, miserable, boring story well out of the scope of this review).
But even when not discussing the Romantic Triangle, the first 200 pages go absolutely nowhere. The team hangs around the safe house. That is literally all that happens. Oh, there are points when you think something happens, but those end up being dropped or don't go anywhere. For instance, there is an interesting sequence in the opening with a ghost going after Chloe, but what the purpose of this was, I have no clue. There's also a scene where Chloe inadvertently shows off her extreme necromancy powers in a cemetery, but, again, not quite sure what this told that couldn't have been relayed elsewhere in a way that kept the plot moving forward. There was a point where Chloe and gang investigate the former owners of the house, but that goes nowhere (including that ghost that won't leave her alone). There was something about a Dr. Banks, but none of it really makes a whole lot of sense and I'm not sure why it was included.
In fact, there are a lot of places where I was confused beyond belief. Again, maybe it was because I hadn't read the previous books recently, but it almost seemed that Armstrong was changing her mind about who was the ultimate bad guy. First, it was the Edison Group, then Margaret, then Russell, then Gwen, then something about Cabals (perhaps this is included in her adult books, which I haven't read yet)...after a while, I gave up and just read.
Some of the fight scenes I found hard to visualize, such as the one between Derek and the werewolves. Of course, again, maybe this was because I wasn't in the "groove".
And the final complaint I have is about the ending. I had expected it to be somewhat open-ended (there is a new trilogy after all), but definitely not this open-ended. I won't spoil, but I had hoped for a bit more of a "happily ever after". Instead, it almost feels like this ending is just BEGGING for sequels. If they are good sequels, great, but if not...
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
The cursing is light, but expect a lot of b!tch's and a few da**'s.
Several adults think that Derek and Chloe are sneaking away to make out. Chloe goes on a date. A ghost makes some lecherous remarks.
Our main character is a necromancer, so expect a lot of zombies and rotting corpses. Several characters get bludgeoned, there are plenty of fights complete with nice, bloody wounds.
Overall:
It's a decent sequel, but, in my opinion, nowhere near as good as the first two. Our characters remain as great as ever, but Romantic Plot Triangle, a slow beginning, and confusing turn of events make this a bit harder to get through. Also, if you don't like your stories open-ended, you will probably not like this. I should probably rate this 3, but for the good memories of the previous book, I will round up to 4.
Last we left them, Chloe and her former roommates at Lloyd House--Derek, Simon, and Tori--were being transported to Andrew's safe house. Now that they are there, they desperately seek to save Aunt Lauren and Rae, who are still in the Edison Group Laboratory that Chloe and Tori had escaped from in "The Awakening". But there are strange occurrences, and Chloe isn't sure whom they can trust.
I Liked:
I've been waiting months to get my hands on the paperback copy of "The Reckoning" ever since I whipped through the amazing "The Summoning" and "The Awakening". And this is a decent sequel.
Our characters remain as brilliant and loveable as last time. Chloe is a resourceful girl, witty, brave, and yet sometimes awkward and not all powerful. She mostly relies on her brains to solve solutions, instead of her superpowers (which, while impressive, still aren't the most useful at times). Derek is still gruff, selflessly trying to ensure the safety of Chloe and Simon, while sometimes struggling with himself and his feelings. I really liked Chloe and Derek together. Chloe really puts Derek in his place when he goes overboard in the protection department, while Derek is truly trying to make sure she is safe in his own awkward way. Simon is still as funny and charming as ever. Tori is really fascinating; of all the characters, she is probably the most powerful and has some of the most useful abilities (at least, in a battle!). She is abrasive, sometimes rude, and sometimes selfish, but when she curls into a ball and cries, I want to cry with her. She definitely is not your stereotypical mean b!tch.
After about the halfway point, the action ramps up to the levels we saw in the previous books. Chloe is continuously learning more about her powers; Derek gets to learn more about his. We have some nice, intense fight scenes, some good chase scenes, and, of course, a few good escape scenes.
I Didn't Like:
Was it the fact I read it so long after the last two books? Was it the fact that I wasn't in the same "groove" when I read the last two books? I don't know, but I did find this book had a few hiccups.
Firstly, the Romantic Triangle. Yeah, you knew I was going to talk about it. There was one in the background of the earlier books, but it wasn't the primary focus, and I felt it was decently done. Here, however, the Romantic Plot Triangle takes up the first 150 or so pages. Not my cup of tea. I would much rather have had the team doing something than to have to watch Simon and Chloe go on a date and all the rigmarole that goes along with being a teen in love (apparently, I never experienced any such drama in my teenaged years, but that is a pathetic, miserable, boring story well out of the scope of this review).
But even when not discussing the Romantic Triangle, the first 200 pages go absolutely nowhere. The team hangs around the safe house. That is literally all that happens. Oh, there are points when you think something happens, but those end up being dropped or don't go anywhere. For instance, there is an interesting sequence in the opening with a ghost going after Chloe, but what the purpose of this was, I have no clue. There's also a scene where Chloe inadvertently shows off her extreme necromancy powers in a cemetery, but, again, not quite sure what this told that couldn't have been relayed elsewhere in a way that kept the plot moving forward. There was a point where Chloe and gang investigate the former owners of the house, but that goes nowhere (including that ghost that won't leave her alone). There was something about a Dr. Banks, but none of it really makes a whole lot of sense and I'm not sure why it was included.
In fact, there are a lot of places where I was confused beyond belief. Again, maybe it was because I hadn't read the previous books recently, but it almost seemed that Armstrong was changing her mind about who was the ultimate bad guy. First, it was the Edison Group, then Margaret, then Russell, then Gwen, then something about Cabals (perhaps this is included in her adult books, which I haven't read yet)...after a while, I gave up and just read.
Some of the fight scenes I found hard to visualize, such as the one between Derek and the werewolves. Of course, again, maybe this was because I wasn't in the "groove".
And the final complaint I have is about the ending. I had expected it to be somewhat open-ended (there is a new trilogy after all), but definitely not this open-ended. I won't spoil, but I had hoped for a bit more of a "happily ever after". Instead, it almost feels like this ending is just BEGGING for sequels. If they are good sequels, great, but if not...
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
The cursing is light, but expect a lot of b!tch's and a few da**'s.
Several adults think that Derek and Chloe are sneaking away to make out. Chloe goes on a date. A ghost makes some lecherous remarks.
Our main character is a necromancer, so expect a lot of zombies and rotting corpses. Several characters get bludgeoned, there are plenty of fights complete with nice, bloody wounds.
Overall:
It's a decent sequel, but, in my opinion, nowhere near as good as the first two. Our characters remain as great as ever, but Romantic Plot Triangle, a slow beginning, and confusing turn of events make this a bit harder to get through. Also, if you don't like your stories open-ended, you will probably not like this. I should probably rate this 3, but for the good memories of the previous book, I will round up to 4.
breezy610's review against another edition
5.0
So good. I am sooo glad that Derek and Chloe got together on this one. I feel bad for Simon thought. I love this book. I hope the group find the other people and make things right in the world.
jgurniak's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely the weakest book in the trilogy. Still good, just not the thrilling ending I was looking for.
cobycoyle's review against another edition
3.0
Okay but the fact that this is only a trilogy with this being the end book pisses me off because it left things unfinished. Also, the fact that Chloe summoned a whole ass demon at one point just completely goes unmentioned and unworried about. Like?????
At least I got my ChloexDerek ship to sail…hmph.
At least I got my ChloexDerek ship to sail…hmph.
vicky30312's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
So many unanswered questions T^T but overall the series was good and glad I finally got around to reading it.
shinemoore's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
eesh25's review against another edition
4.0
After a lot of running and fighting, Chloe and friends are finally away from the Edison Group and in a safe house. But that wasn't without cost. Chloe's aunt and Rae are both still being held captive and now the plan is to free them. If only they could get Andrew's team of adults to believe them.
Which wasn't happening.
I was quite infuriated on Chloe's behalf for how everyone seemed to be treated them. But that, sadly, is how it is in the world. Adults never listen because, to them, teenagers do nothing but overreact and exaggerate. And it was nice to see how well that was shown and that Chloe was smart enough to not let that stop her.
Chloe is honestly a great character. And so are the others. Derek is smart, even more than Chloe, and honest. Simon is the guy who breaks the tension and he's just... good. Tori is the one with the excessive amounts of attitude. I had my doubts about her at first but she grew on me.
The story was really good and so was the pace. I wasn't disappointed with the ending but I kinda wanted more of a conclusion. Things aren't resolved and there was definitely no happily ever after, but it was still good. As for the unresolved things, I think they will be addressed in the spin-off series. I'm glad it's a spin-off and not a sequel because as much as I love Chloe, I don't think I want another book with her.
You see, her powers are no longer very interesting. We've seen her summon ghosts, talk to them, banish then and put them back in their bodies. And when that happened in this book, it wasn't exciting, and I wondered if we really needed another few scenes of Chloe accidentally putting a ghost back into its body and then trying to release it, telling herself to 'focus' or 'concentrate' and not pay attention to the creepy sounds. I didn't think we did.
In fact, there's one chapter that has no purpose other than to add some creep factor; except it's not that creepy because something similar happened in the last two books. It was, to me, just a waste of however long it took to write the scene.
Overall though, this was a good conclusion to a good series (something that's uncommon with trilogies) and I definitely recommend checking it out not just because of that, but also because the series stands out in sea of YA series as a different approach. It was refreshing, interesting , smart and I'm very glad I read it.
kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
Third in the Darkest Powers urban fantasy series.
The Story
We open with Chloe, Simon, Derek, and Tori arriving with Andrew at a safe house having escaped an earlier attack. Shortly after their arrival, Andrew's fellows show up to meet the kids and hear their story. Only one of them actually believes them and she's too young to have much influence to push for the teens' deepest desire---an assault upon the Edison Group to rescue Rae and Aunt Lauren.
The primary task for the teens and their new allies is to teach the kids how to wield their powers. A task that backfires for Chloe when Margaret insists upon taking her to a cemetery. Chloe tries to tell Margaret that she can already raise the dead but Margaret, insecure in her own talent, insists that Chloe can't possibly do such a thing especially without the necessary herbs and such. Even with Tori's support as a witness, Margaret continues to insist that Chloe do as she is told leading to a massive upheaval in the graveyard.
There's even enough time for Chloe and Simon to have their first date. A disaster as it turns out. The night when Derek finally achieves his Change is also the night the kids uncover a major betrayal and find out who is behind the attempts to take out Derek. They also come across a very nasty ghost from whom they learn more about the beginnings of the Edison Group and the disastrous consequences of being a modified supernatural.
Chloe learns something startling about Tori and we also discover that Armstrong is tying this series in with her Women of the Otherworld series by pulling in the Cabals, which play such a nasty part there. Here the Edison Group is being run by the St. Clouds.
Hmmm, if we're in New York and there's a Pack trying to acquire Derek, what are the chances it's Jeremy's Pack? They could be good allies in this fight, especially if they bring in the Interracial Council with Paige and Lucas, which would then involve the Cortez Cabal. Ooh, the possibilities!
Armstrong also sets up a new antagonist: in trying to escape, yet again, Chloe makes a deal with the demi-demon we met in Awakening only to discover why it is never a good idea to deal with one when her master comes through. The master takes a very strong liking to Chloe…ewwww…
The Characters
All the kids have been genetically modified: Chloe is fifteen and a necromancer while Tori is a witch capable of casting spells without speaking. Derek and Simon are brothers [foster]; Derek is a werewolf, the only one of four whom the Edison Group has allowed to survive while Simon is a sorcerer. Both were placed in the foster care system when their father went on the run.
Andrew is one of Simon and Derek's dad's best friends and a former member of the Edison Group. He now works with a splinter group to modify or stop what they are doing…we/he thinks.
Aunt Lauren, Dr. Fellows to you and I, had a change of heart in the last book, Awakening, helped the kids escape the trap and was captured.
Dr. Davidoff is one of the bad guys; he heads up the Edison Group.
Liz is the ghost of one of the teens the Edison Group killed; she just wasn't working out the way they wanted. Fortunately, Chloe's necromancy contacted Liz and she helps Chloe and company by spying and her telekinetic abilities.
My Take
I am so enjoying this series. While aimed at Young Adults, Armstrong does not talk down to her audience although I did find in this installment that there is less attention paid to the fact that the kids are teens with all their issues and angst. Quite possibly because their current issues are so far removed from the norm!
The Cover
The cover is appropriate in a subtle way. It's a lower face and upper chest shot of a girl wearing a large purple jewel. It's the purple that is the misnomer. Supposedly, it protects Chloe from ghosts but it was red like a ruby when she first received it and it turns blue by this story.
The Story
We open with Chloe, Simon, Derek, and Tori arriving with Andrew at a safe house having escaped an earlier attack. Shortly after their arrival, Andrew's fellows show up to meet the kids and hear their story. Only one of them actually believes them and she's too young to have much influence to push for the teens' deepest desire---an assault upon the Edison Group to rescue Rae and Aunt Lauren.
The primary task for the teens and their new allies is to teach the kids how to wield their powers. A task that backfires for Chloe when Margaret insists upon taking her to a cemetery. Chloe tries to tell Margaret that she can already raise the dead but Margaret, insecure in her own talent, insists that Chloe can't possibly do such a thing especially without the necessary herbs and such. Even with Tori's support as a witness, Margaret continues to insist that Chloe do as she is told leading to a massive upheaval in the graveyard.
There's even enough time for Chloe and Simon to have their first date. A disaster as it turns out. The night when Derek finally achieves his Change is also the night the kids uncover a major betrayal and find out who is behind the attempts to take out Derek. They also come across a very nasty ghost from whom they learn more about the beginnings of the Edison Group and the disastrous consequences of being a modified supernatural.
Chloe learns something startling about Tori and we also discover that Armstrong is tying this series in with her Women of the Otherworld series by pulling in the Cabals, which play such a nasty part there. Here the Edison Group is being run by the St. Clouds.
Hmmm, if we're in New York and there's a Pack trying to acquire Derek, what are the chances it's Jeremy's Pack? They could be good allies in this fight, especially if they bring in the Interracial Council with Paige and Lucas, which would then involve the Cortez Cabal. Ooh, the possibilities!
Armstrong also sets up a new antagonist: in trying to escape, yet again, Chloe makes a deal with the demi-demon we met in Awakening only to discover why it is never a good idea to deal with one when her master comes through. The master takes a very strong liking to Chloe…ewwww…
The Characters
All the kids have been genetically modified: Chloe is fifteen and a necromancer while Tori is a witch capable of casting spells without speaking. Derek and Simon are brothers [foster]; Derek is a werewolf, the only one of four whom the Edison Group has allowed to survive while Simon is a sorcerer. Both were placed in the foster care system when their father went on the run.
Andrew is one of Simon and Derek's dad's best friends and a former member of the Edison Group. He now works with a splinter group to modify or stop what they are doing…we/he thinks.
Aunt Lauren, Dr. Fellows to you and I, had a change of heart in the last book, Awakening, helped the kids escape the trap and was captured.
Dr. Davidoff is one of the bad guys; he heads up the Edison Group.
Liz is the ghost of one of the teens the Edison Group killed; she just wasn't working out the way they wanted. Fortunately, Chloe's necromancy contacted Liz and she helps Chloe and company by spying and her telekinetic abilities.
My Take
I am so enjoying this series. While aimed at Young Adults, Armstrong does not talk down to her audience although I did find in this installment that there is less attention paid to the fact that the kids are teens with all their issues and angst. Quite possibly because their current issues are so far removed from the norm!
The Cover
The cover is appropriate in a subtle way. It's a lower face and upper chest shot of a girl wearing a large purple jewel. It's the purple that is the misnomer. Supposedly, it protects Chloe from ghosts but it was red like a ruby when she first received it and it turns blue by this story.