Children's Book Week Review of The Rising by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Harper
Series: Darkness Rising #3
Format Read: hardcover
Source: My local library
Release Date: April 2, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Blurb from goodreads: *May contain spoilers for earlier books*


 

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. And with the whole world thinking they died in a helicopter crash, it's not like they can just go to the authorities for help.

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 now, 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.

Old secrets are revealed and unexpected characters make a surprising return in this stunning conclusion to Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Darkness Rising trilogy. 

Bea's Thoughts:   *May contain spoilers for earlier books*



 
With this book, I feel as if the Otherworld books really are at an end. WAAH! I know that Kelley may do more novellas but I don't believe there are any full length books planned and while this book wraps up most of the loose ends in this series and the related YA series, Darkest Powers, the ending is also open-ended enough to leave the possibility of future stories. Please, Kelley, please? PLEASE! The ending is not too open-ended, there's a resolution, and it's a Happy For Now, not a definitive Happy Ending.

I should probably back up and start over. "The Rising" starts right after the end of the second book. Maya, Corey and Daniel are free; Hayley, Rafe, Annie, Sam and Nicole have been captured by a Cabal. Maya, Corey and Daniel are trying to rescue their friends, reunite with their families and avoid the Cabals. Things don't go according to plan. In fact they make mistakes, some poor decisions, and at one point I was ready to smack Maya for being so stubborn and single-minded and for her poor choices. I got frustrated with some of the bad decisions she and the others made in the first half of the book but I reminded myself that they were after all teenagers and their lives prior to these events had been pretty cushy. They may have been book smart but they weren't street smart. Fortunately they hook up with another teen, Ash, who is street smart and is disgusted with some of their decisions. With his appearance, the action, and tension, really picks up. Later, the kids meet up with the kids and adults from Project Genesis from the Darkest Powers trilogy. I really enjoyed seeing their interactions and their opinions of each other. Seeing Maya change over the books and become aware of her tendency to be judgmental and becoming a little less so was also wonderful. The relationships between Maya, Daniel, Corey, Rafe and Ash were beautifully, realistically done and added to the story, gave it depth. The ending, as I said, is a Happy For Now, with a door left open for more stories in the future for any or all of the characters in the two YA series. I wasn't sure how Kelley was going to pull off any sort of happy ending but she did it and while it's not perfect, Maya and the others had to accept compromises, it's a good ending for them and for us the readers. 

Armstrong gives us emotional twists, some angst, some romance, betrayal, unexpected allies, plot twists and one hell of an absorbing story. I stayed up until 3:30AM finishing the book and it was worth every minute. If you haven't started this series, go buy them now.