The Rising (Darkness Rising)

Like most of Armstrong's books, this story bolts out of the starting gate and never looks back. One of the things I enjoy about this author is that there is usually little to no time lag in between installments and the pace and storyline picks up right where you left it. This book is no different. Maya, a teenager with a newly discovered cougar shapeshifting ability, is on the run with friends Corey and Daniel. They are fleeing after finding out that the small, sheltered and remote community they grew up in was little more than a large experiment for breeding kids with special powers. The experiment was about to come to an abrupt end and their parents have been captured and told that the kids have died in a helicopter crash. They are on their own. Now two rival Cabals, powerful supernatural families set up like large corporations, are seeking them to find ways to exploit their abilities. Will they be able to trust someone from the outside world for help? Perhaps they will be retaken by the Cabal they escaped from or found by the rival group looking to seize an asset. Either way, they are in for some close calls and readers are going to get plenty of suspense! There is nary a break in the action in this whole series and it is hard to put this book down once you get started. One of the great world building techniques the Armstrong draws from is the ability to bring in supernaturals from her other books for guest appearances and weave them into the story. I was just dying for this to happen all throughout this trilogy and was finally rewarded for my wait in this final book. The characters are well written and likeable and leave you wanting to know more even at the end. I sure hope there are more adventures planned for these characters! Who knows, if we're lucky we'll see them pop up in somebody else's story in Armstrong's world. Don't hesitate to pick up a copy of The Rising...and then go back and explore her other works in this genre. Who says YA lit isn't for grown ups?

Another great adventure into the supernatural by Kelley Armstrong! Typically well-developed characters (nice, big cast), with a predominantly interesting and likeable protagonist!

~4.5/5 This was a very satisfying ending to this series, even more satisfying than I thought it would be. Some things happened in this book that I wasn't expecting, some of which I definitely should have thought about but hadn't. Pretty much all of which were good. The characters from Armstrong's first YA series, Darkest Powers, showed up, although they showed up later than I thought/hoped they would. Either way, it was very nice to see them again. And it was nice to see how all of the characters acted around each other. The ending for all of the subjects, the agreement that they all decided on, was something that I wasn't really expecting, but something that I'm very happy about. I don't want to spoil anything, but I thought that it worked really well, and fit very well for all of them. The romance also took a turn that I wasn't expecting. Usually it's very obvious from the beginning where the romance is going, who the main love interest is, but for me it wasn't here. And I really liked how it ended. It fits better, makes more sense, and is generally just very nice. From the first book, it looked like it was going to be one person, in the second book I was a little conflicted although still sure it was going toward one person, and then somewhere in this book, I was starting to think that maybe I was wrong. And I was. But it turned out even better than I was expecting, and I'm really happy with how that happened. I don't want to spoil anything, but I'm just really happy with how things turned out. For all of the characters, for the romance, for the parents. For everyone. I want to gush a bit about what happened, but I've decided not to spoil anything, so I'm just going to have to stop there. Now that this series is over, though, and this book had a pretty definite, non-cliffhanger ending, I'm really wondering what Armstrong has planned next. I hope she's working on something else YA, or at least planning to, sometime soon. Whatever it is, though, I'm sure to pick it up. Until then, I'm probably going to have to catch up on her Women of the Otherworld series, seeing as how I've only read two of the books, and there are a lot more than that out. [This review is also available on my blog, along with many others.]

The Rising: A Breathtaking YA Paranormal Romance and Fantasy – Totally addictive! Beautifully written, engaging characters, and great durability of hardcover edition. Perfect value for fans of YA fantasy.

Our daughter loves this author and said the book is worth reading.

Wie immer lässt sich Kelly Armstrong sehr leicht und fesselnd lesen. Ich habe die ganze Serie sehr schnell gelesen und war traurig als es zu ende war. Ich empfehle aber die Serie Darkest Powers von Ihr vorher zu lesen. Ich habe es leider andersherum gemacht und in Darkness Rising wird verraten wie Darkest Powers ausgeht.

Maya, Daniel and Corey are on the run and trying to stay that way whilst also trying to get their friends back. In order to so that they, at some point, have to confront the cabal that took them in the first place. Maya has to come to terms with her powers and the fact that they might make her revert (become more cat than person) like Annie, Rafe's sister. They all face their own memorial services and see what their "deaths" have done to their families - but Maya has family she was unaware of that she can deal with - a means to an end to help her get her real family back. So we finally see Maya and her friends meet up with Chloe and her friends in this book, it's not really that big a deal actually. They don't get up to much together, just running and then meeting with Sean Nast. I know a lot of people are constantly whining on Kelley's board about Chloe coming back so this will make them happy. Personally, I don't have a favourite but Maya does call to me a bit more than Chloe, perhaps due to the fact that she stand up for herself more than Chloe ever did. This is the finale in the Darkness Rising trilogy, also the finale to Kelley's YA series - unless she decides to revisit it at a later date (which I hope she will, I love this world and the secrets and the kids coming to terms with things). This was long awaited, anticipated and also feared - it was one of those books that arrived and I thought "Oooh, I can't wait to read this" but at the same time I also thought "If I read it, it means the series is over" but I can never bring myself to NOT read a book like this (even for a little while to make the fantasy last a little longer) from an author like Kelley. I adore both too much - I love Kelley, I love her books and I love her world and characters and the fact that both adult and YA Otherworld series are over is painful for me to write. Any longtime readers of my blog will know just HOW much I love Kelley and there will never be a bad word come out of my mouth (or fingers) about her. If you've never read her books - go do it. If you like YA, start with the Darkest Powers series - you don't technically HAVE to but it just helps set the story. If you like adult, try her Women of the Otherworld (or just Otherworld in the later books) series. As sad as I am about these 2 series ending, I'm looking forward to Omens coming out.

Kelly you did it again, this series had me holding my breathe till the very last page. I couldn't put it down! The twist at the end I'm still not sure if I'm happy about or sad. I loved Rafe and Maya. They were such a amazing couple. The thing is Daniel is also well good for her. I personally prefer Rafe, but with the way you ended it I think Daniel will do. Can I just say I love Chloe and Derek? Absolutely love them favourite YA couple ever!

❤ love this book a lot.. This is a perfect fictional book for teenagers.. The twist in the plot is well presented.

Great series, loved this book!