I have always loved Kelley's writing, and had high hopes for The Calling, after having read nearly all of her other books. Admittedly, I really was not very into the book at the beginning, partially because it had been a really long time since the last time I read anything for enjoyment (depressing, I know! School does that to you. Well, me.) and I could not figure out for the life of me what on earth was going on, being the second book in the Darkness Rising trilogy; and partially because I was distracted by the homework I was supposed to be doing. In any case, I put the book down for a couple of weeks until school ended, albeit a tad disappointed at the book since it did not draw my attention like Kelley's other books; but, when I picked the book up again, I actually began to pay attention to what was going on and I must say, Kelley did not disappoint. I finally remembered snippets of The Gathering, who on earth Daniel, Maya, Nicole, Sam, Corey, and Hailey were, though, to this day, I cannot remember who Rafe is; his sister Annie though, did leave an impression.
Long story short, I love how Kelley integrated the Darkest Powers trilogy into the Darkness Rises, it is not something that is often done by authors. She smoothly adds bits and pieces from the Darkest Powers that is rewarding to readers, like me, who have read both trilogies. Not to mention, reading her Otherworld series helps with understanding the plotline more deeply since all of these novels are set in the same world. In all honesty though, although I liked The Calling, Kelley's Otherworld series stand undefeated. On the other hand, the fact that the story was set on Vancouver Island was a source of much love for Kelley - a Canadian author. Call me biased, but I tend to be more forgiving with Canadian authors; though, this book did not require such feelings.
Bottom line, I would definitely recommend the book to a friend, but I suggest reading her previous YA trilogy first. For more of a thrill? I seriously recommend the Otherworld series, also by Kelley Armstrong. Speaking of other books by Kelley, I am ecstatic for her upcoming book (series?? :D) in collaboration with Melissa Marr. I cannot wait! Two of my favourite fantasy authors teaming up? It's a dream come true!
Great review! :) I love Kelley Armstrong, and this series is one of my favorites. I did like the Darkest Powers triology better and, as you said, was thrilled at the little bits of that series she integrated into the Darkness Rises series. One thing I wish she did with this book was tie up the loose ends from The Gathering. She may try and pull everything together in the lsat book, but I think it would have been more efficient to carry more of the storylines from the first book through to the second. The way she wrote this book was a bit messy and confusing, even if you read The Calling immediately after The Gathering (like I did).
ReplyDeleteThanks, and sorry for the late reply! Kelley Armstrong is an amazing author and one of my favourites but I'm glad I am not the only one confused. I am sure you're right about the loose ends, but it has been a really long time since I read The Gathering and I tend to mix books up (even if the plot lines and general ideas are completely different!) because it really is interesting to think of how a character from a different book would react in some situations, but that's besides the point. I'm sure (I hope!) Kelley Armstrong will address them in the next book though. What really excites me is that in the story she hints that she will integrate the Edison Group into the plot as well, and I would love to see how that turns out!
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