The Reckoning (Darkest Powers #3)
by Kelley Armstrong

I’ve been anxiously awaiting this third (and final) volume in the Darkest Powers Trilogy for some time now.  So as soon as I got my hands on it, I set aside my other books and dove right in. I love that feeling of being reunited with characters you’ve been missing and finally getting to learn the rest of their story.

Synopsis

The Reckoning picks up right where The Awakening left off, with Chloe and her group of genetically modified supernaturals safe from the clutches of the Edison Group at last. Once they get a chance to rest and stop running, the teens finally start learning how to use their powers. But it quickly becomes evident that no one is ready for what the Edison Group’s experiments have created. When their safe house suddenly doesn’t feel so safe, Chloe and her friends are forced to run again, and this time the stakes are even higher.

Review

The Darkest Powers trilogy does a wonderful job of building on the supernatural world created in Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series without ever leaning on those characters to propel the story. Like the first two books in the series, The Reckoning is an action packed adventure that will keep you guessing as the story unfolds and loyalties are put into question. Never knowing who to trust keeps the reader in the same mindset as the characters, and heightens the suspense as things progress to the high-stakes conclusion. I actually found this series to be scarier than the Women of the Otherworld books, and was often on the edge of my seat as Chloe battled her ghosts and demons.

The character development in The Reckoning is fantastic! As usual, Kelley Armstrong’s characters are so layered and authentic that you miss them when they’re not around. Chloe, Derek and Tori all really grow and change throughout the course of this novel. Simon’s role is reduced quite a bit in The Reckoning, but this makes sense as the other characters powers continue to grow.

Between the action, suspense and great characters, The Reckoning is a gripping adventure set in an amazing supernatural world that meshes seamlessly with our own.

Verdict

The Reckoning is a satisfying conclusion to the Darkest Powers trilogy, but it’s so well written that I really wish there were more stories about these young characters to look forward to in the future.

• If you’d like to learn a little more about The Reckoning, read an excerpt here, or check out the cool Browse & Search feature on randomhouse.ca.

*This book was provided for review by the publisher.

**The Reckoning is book #6 for the 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge.