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The Rising
by
Kelley Armstrong
It is part of the Darkness Rising #3 series and is a urban fantasy in Paperback edition that was published by HarperCollins on April 2, 2013 and has 406 pages.
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Other books in this series include [books_series]
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Broken, Personal Demon , Living with the Dead, Men of the Otherworld, Tales of the Otherworld, Frostbitten, Dates from Hell, Exit Strategy, Made to Be Broken, The Reckoning, Spell Bound, The Gathering, The Awakening, "Hidden", The Calling, Aftertaste, Kisses from Hell, Omens, Wild Justice, Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions, Visions, Deceptions, The Masked Truth, City of the Lost, Empire of Night, Forest of Ruin, Betrayals, A Darkness Absolute, Indigo, Rituals, The Unquiet Past, This Fallen Prey, Stolen, Rough Justice, Dime Store Magic, Industrial Magic, Haunted, Broken, Waking the Witch, Portents, Missing, Alone in the Wild, Watcher in the Woods, Otherworld Secrets, Wherever She Goes, "The Case of the Half-Demon Spy", "Escape", Otherworld Chills, A Stranger in Town, "Bargain", Hex on the Beach, "Recruit", "Checkmate", "Framed", Cursed Luck, High Jinx, Bitten, Driven, "Forsaken", The Deepest of Secrets, "Dead Letter Days", Men of the Otherworld, The Boy Who Cried Bear
Third and last in the Darkness Rising urban fantasy for Young Adults. The series has revolved around a small group of friends who were betrayed by a long-running conspiracy. Based in British Columbia in Canada.
It is loosely associated with Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series in that the cabals are involved and does follow the Darkest Powers series.
If you’re interested, there is a chronological listing of the Darkness Rising books on my website at Chronological Lists of Complex, Intersected Series.
My Take
Whew . . . there was no lack of action, drama, or tension in this one. And I really hate that Armstrong has ended this. Although . . . I do wonder if it’s merely the end of this particular trilogy. Maya’s plan to use the cabals seems to be setting us up for a new series.
This story was both irritating and fascinating. I loved the action, drama, and tension with all the chases, captures, and escapes. I also loved Maya’s reactions to the ego-ridden Cabal guys. I mean, what did they expect? Why on earth would they imagine any of the kids would be polite to them?? OR help them . . . get real. I did not love Maya’s stupid behaviors. Her insistence on attending the funeral. The lame “capture” to “save” Ash. The clumsy love triangle.
Oh, please “you forced us to tranquilize you”?? I hate it when the bad guys use this line.
I don’t like Ash, but he and the boys make perfect sense about Maya staying away from the funeral. And she’s acting like a stupid bint by forcing it. I just want to smack her!
The initial capture event was just too stiff with such obvious clues. My eyeballs rolled so much that I gave myself a headache from getting so dizzy.
Maya makes an excellent point with Mattias Nast that people joining the military do some from choice. Unlike the kids.
Go, Maya!
“I don’t do compliant.”
Okay, yes, I’m bloodthirsty. I’m all in favor of the death penalty. I know that punishing someone by killing them won’t bring back the person they killed, but it does ensure that they will never kill anyone else.
Ash has a very practical, rather terrifying approach to life: “the good guys have ideals, the bad guys win.”
The Story
The truth of Salmon Creek has been sinking in, and the kids are dismayed at the lies and their own worries about much their parents knew. It’s a catch-22, but Maya desperately wants her parents back. And because of what’s happening to Annie. Then a totally unexpected relative catches up with her.
And that’s not all that catches up with Maya. Love, truth, other experiments . . . cabals . . . eek . . .
The Characters
Maya Delaney is a skin-walker along with Rafe and Annie. Kenjii is Maya’s German shepherd. Rick Delaney is her adoptive father. She has been best friends with Daniel Bianchi, a benandanti — a demon-hunter, since kindergarten. Corey Carling is the one most likely to be goofing off, although he does suffer horribly from headaches.
Rafe Martinez was sent in to Salmon Creek to spy for the cabals, but he double-crossed them when he fell in love. Annie is his sister, and he’s desperate to find help for her.
The rest of the kids include Hayley Morris (xana), Sam Russo, and Nicole (xana), the one who killed Maya’s best friend and Daniel’s girlfriend, Serena (see The Gathering, 1). Brendan Hajek is at the funeral with his mother, Dr. Hajek.
Mrs. Tillson is the widow of the mayor (see The Calling, 2); Nicole is her daughter and Sam is her niece. Chief Carling is Corey’s mom; his brother Travis is with her. Mr. Bianchi is Daniel’s father, and his older brothers are with him.
Cyril Mitchell, used to work for the Edison Group, and he’s an emergency contact number Maya got from another skin-walker. Sylvia Mitchell is his bitter daughter. Ashton is Maya’s twin brother.
The Genesis Project (from the Darkest Powers series)
Derek Bae is a scary, off-the-charts-smart werewolf, Kit Bae is his adoptive dad, and Simon is Kit’s son; Chloe is a necromancer and Dr. Lauren Fellows is her aunt; Victoria (Tori) is a witch; and, Liz Delaney was one of the experiments until she “died”.
Rachelle Rodgers, a fire half-demon, is one of the new kids who shows up.
Men who work for the Nast cabal include:
The trigger-happy Moreno. Calvin Antone is Maya’s biological father. Mattias Nast is the CEO’s nephew and incredibly clueless. Sean Nast is probably their best hope (Savannah just turned twenty at the end of this story). Dr. Maggie Inglis was head of the lab at Salmon Creek with a series of secrets. Dr. Wiley is another medical doctor.
Bill Wilson is the city idiot.
Project Phoenix, based in Salmon Creek, was a genetic experiment to resurrect extinct, supernatural types. Project Genesis was about experimenting with supernatural children as guinea pigs. Cabals are corporations of witches and supernaturals, each at war with the other: the St. Clouds had founded Salmon Creek and the Project; the Nasts thought the kids were valuable commodities; the Cortezes are considered the most powerful — the one to which Lucas Cortez is heir; and, the Boyds are the smallest.
Xana are a “kind of Spanish mermaid-siren cross”; sileni have visions and charm; skin-walkers change into animals and have healing powers; and, benandanti are the demon-hunters with the power of persuasion.
The Cover and Title
The cover is dark with a close-up of Maya’s head and shoulders — her head is turned toward us while her eyes look over her shoulders, shoulders that are in profile. A beautiful girl with long, dark, wavy hair wearing a silver and pearl drop earring.
The title is a salute to their escape and their successes in The Rising.
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