Review: The Calling by Kelley Armstrong (Darkness Rising #2)

Title: The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

Published: April 10^th, 2012 by Harper

Format: Audio book

Source: Library

Challenge(s): Support your Library

Grade rate: B

Maya Delaney's paw-print birthmark is the mark of what she truly is -a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly everyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it's only a matter of time before she's able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.

Now Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they're kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home.

My Review

The Calling is the second installment in the Darkness Rising series, which is a spin-off of the Darkest Powers series, which I adore.  You can find by review of The Gathering, book one of the series here.

I felt that this book was more about discovery than anything else.

The Calling picks up right where the previous book ended; the group of teens is evacuating the island after the forest fire.  What comes after is a series of mishaps, chases, escapes, and other misfortunes.  This book is more about the discovery of what they are, the reasons for being raised isolated and where they come from.  The most amazing part is that most of their discovery arises from their own experiences and they little research they have been able to do.  It’s not like anyone is getting out of their way to help them.

A lot happens to the group of teens in a very short period of time (I think the book spans for about four days?), and it is actually mind blowing.  I won’t share with you the details, but let me just say that they seem to ‘drop’ like flies, and at the end only three remain to find a way to rescue the rest, to get more answers, and hopefully someone they can actually trust.   However, it seems that although a lot happened in the book, they didn’t actually make much progress on their situation.  

I have to confess to being a bit confused about Maya and Daniel’s relationship.  They are the very best of friends and very protective of each other, but it seems to me that Daniel wants something more (not sure…) and that Maya’s interests lie elsewhere.  Rafe did not make a lengthy appearance in this book, so I am still debating if I like him or not.   Corey was a surprising character and I actually like him a lot (what is he, btw?!), Sam was forthcoming with the little information that she had and other characters where more ‘present’ this time around.

I really love Kelley Armstrong’s writing and this book didn’t disappoint.  The plot is fast paced and full of twists and turns, even though we already knew or suspected some of them.  The Calling didn’t end up in a cliffhanger, so I guess I will patiently wait for book #3. (*sigh*)

The best part is that at the end, Maya and company goes in search of our friends from the Darkest Powers series, and I do hope they find them.  I can’t wait to see how Chloe, Derek and Simon are doing!  I’m so excited for the last book in the series, check out the cover for The Rising, it’s really pretty.

About the cover:  I really like these covers, Maya is portrait on them and it seems like the farther along we get in the series the ‘lighter’ the cover gets.