The Awakening (Darkest Powers Trilogy book 2) by Kelley Armstrong. pub: Orbit. 357 page paperback. Price: GBP 7.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84149-711-2.

check out websites: www.orbitbooks.net and www.kelleyarmstrong.com

‘The Awakening’ is the second in a series of novels aimed at young adults. ‘The Darkest Powers’ series is a trilogy about a group of teenagers who are cursed with special powers. In the previous book, ‘The Summoning’, they were trapped in a secure home by a mysterious group who had experimented on them. Now Chloe and her friends have escaped and must try to find the answers to their condition.

Chloe is a necromancer. She can raise the dead and not always deliberately. Her powers are untrained and could be dangerous to herself and others. She has the brothers Derek and Simon, a werewolf and a sorcerer, to cope with and Chloe doesn’t enjoy an easy relationship with either. Her attraction to Simon is obvious but she is troubled by Derek’s attitude. Derek's not a fully developed werewolf yet and he's alone and afraid. She has to help. Then there is Tori, a spoilt little rich girl who just can’t be trusted. She has the ability to shock anyone but maybe she, too, needs saving. It’s a big responsibility for Chloe. There’s treachery all around and it’s hard to know who is really on her side.



There’s plenty of anguish in this teen-age novel and it runs along pretty much similar lines to the last one. There is a lot about trust, appearances, lies and feelings. An ideal read then for the angst-ridden teenager out there. It’s not a challenging read and it doesn’t feel very dangerous but it’s what we expect from authors for teens and don’t expect too much depth.

Sue Davies