I like the storyline in the first Darkest Powers book but I didn't really like this book. Nothing really happened in the book. I realize it is a series but it was boring, with no real plot. It was like this books was nothing more than fluff to get to the next book.

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Reviewed by Breia "The Brain" Brickey for TeensReadToo.com

Not too long ago, Chloe Saunders was an ordinary teenage girl with dreams of making movies when she got older.

Today she is a necromancer who has no idea how to control her powers or even what all of her powers are.

In book one of the DARKEST POWERS series, THE SUMMONING, Chloe and several of her friends escaped from the group home they had been living in. Now, Chloe and Rae are recaptured by the Edison Group, a shady organization that has genetically altered them to try and make use of the powers that many of them were born with.

I found THE AWAKENING to be well-written, descriptive, and thoroughly engaging. This book had soul-searching, action, and even a little teen angst - although it only had a little to do with being a teen and a lot to do with being a supernatural with very little control over their lives or their powers.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. Kelley Armstrong already has two popular adult series under her belt, and this is well on its way to being her third, and hopefully only the first for teens! I hope to see much more from her in the future.

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I loved the first book in the series, however I felt that The Awakening was very slow and not much was accomplished. Chloe still has practically no idea what she can do with her powers and she hasn't met anyone who can help her. In #1 the kids run from a group home, in #2 they run from the bad guys' lair, and at the end they still haven't found a safe haven. They also don't seem any closer to wrapping up the mystery and/or defeating said bad guys.
If this is really going to be a trilogy, book three will have a ton to wrap up for me to find it satisfying. If it is really just the first trilogy in a longer series, I hope that the books don't continue to string the reader along.

I really enjoy her Women of the Otherworld series, and thought that the Darkest Powers trilogy started well, but The Awakening has hit the same second-in-series slump so many trilogies do. I only hope #3 wraps everything up well, or at least introduces a continuation of a larger YA series.

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I really LOVE this series so far! Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors and I love her adult series. I'm glad she stuck with the "otherworld" theme in these books. And I think she always does a great job writing her characters. I love Chloe and Simon but Derek is by far my favorite. I mean who doesn't love the tall, dark, and maybe not so handsome right now, brooding werewolf? I can't wait till May when The Reckoning comes out but at the same time I almost hate for the journey to end! Great books!

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It' a pretty cool idea -- a secret cabal devoted to genetically engineering and controlling supernatural creatures like witches and werewolves.

It's a solid novel that lags somewhat in the middle (when it seems like not much is happening beyond bickering). In this installment, there's no sense of plot other than running from the Edison Group, but it has plenty of suspense, a dash of necromantic horror, and likable characters with realistic flaws and self-doubts.

Definitely a good read, whether for teen or adult fans of werewolves, witches and zombies.

Despite these misgivings, I'm looking forward to the conclusion of the trilogy this spring with The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, Book 3).

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I really enjoyed this action packed series.

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The Awakening is even more riveting and full of nonstop action than book 1. Sequels make or break a trio in my opinion. This one doesn't disappoint! Had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

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This is the 2nd book in the Darkest Powers series. I enjoyed this book as much as I did the first. It continues from exactly where the first book leaves off. After Chloe is betrayed my her own aunt she is locked up by the Edison Group. There she learns about the experiments that were conducted and realizes she must escape. When she finally gets her chance, it's not as easy as she thought. Only with the help of Tori do they get away. That is what this book is mostly about... them running away. But with this there is still a lot going on. They come across a lot of challenges that they need to face, they learn more about each other and learn more about their powers as well. I really like the character development in this book. I feel attached to each one of those kids. I love the almost nonstop action and can't wait to read the third book. This one (as well as the 1st one) finishes abruptly. So you might want to make sure you have the 3rd book handy.

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This is the second book in the Darkest Powers trilogy by Kelley Armstrong. I liked this book slightly better than the first book in the series. I have read the first few books in Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series and liked those okay.

The beginning of this book finds Chloe and crew trapped in the medical facilities; while Simon and Derek are still at large...right where the first book left off. The medical team wants to get Chloe and her friends to help find the boys. A jailbreak ensues and most of the book deals with Chloe and friends living life on the run; trying to hunt down Simon's dad and figure out the bigger evil plot that is going on.

This is another story of genetic engineering gone arwy and leaving people (in this case supernaturals) with unpredictable power. The powers aren't well defined and the characters don't put a lot of effort into testing their abilities or trying to understand them...they just kind of stumble through the story. The story is still engaging because the characterse are constantly on the run and being hunted.

I am still not that into the characters in this series. I thought the first book was okay and this book is only slightly better than the first one. Chloe is still pretty helpless, although she tries to get a better handle on her powers in this book. Derek and Simon are by far the most interesting characters in this series. This book did move faster than the first one and overall, was paced much better. The story was engaging, but I am still not finding it all that exciting.

The characters and their problems seem kind of blah to me...maybe I just read too much paranormal. I feel like this plot has been done many times before. None of the characters really grabbed me and I didn't feel like there was great chemistry between any of them either. I am still trying to decide if I will even read the third book in this series "The Reckoning" because to be honest I have absolutely no interest in what happens to these characters. This book ends with another cliffhanger...and I always hate it when authors don't give any closure to the reader.

Overall an okay book. Nothing to write home about. I still think there are other better YA paranormal series out there. Try Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz, or Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz .

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