Review: The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

Synopsis from Kelley Armstrong's website:

If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl—someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment—not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control; I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.

Now I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

Review:
The second book in the Darkest Powers Series was better than I expected it would be. It was a thrilling ride full of action and adventure. Chloe Saunders is on the run from the Edison Group with her supernatural friends Simon (a sorcerer), Derek (a werewolf), and surprisingly, Tori (a witch).

I enjoyed the fact that Chloe grew more as a character, and for that I found her more likable. She continues to learn more about herself especially the necromancer side of her. She discovers that she has to be more careful with her powers because she is more powerful than she originally thought. There are instances where she accidentally raises a corpse from the dead while she is sleeping to accidentally reanimating dead animals. Through these sticky situations, Chloe learns that her powers are broader than she thought because she finds out that she can actually control the zombies that she raises (whether they want to be controlled or not).

I enjoyed following Chloe through this book. She finds out some tough truths like her friend, Liz, being killed at the hands of the Edison group and discovering some shocking truths about her aunt, the Edison Group and even herself. The only character that truly annoyed me at times was Derek. I hate how angry he can get, but I guess that just comes with being a werewolf. I especially hated it when he took his anger out on Chloe. When Derek was not angry or upset, I could tolerate him. In fact, he seems like a pretty decent guy, but his anger kind of pissed me off.

Overall, I liked The Awakening better than The Summoning, but it is still not my favorite series out there. Although, I am looking forward to seeing where Kelley Armstrong takes this story in the next installment in the series, The Reckoning.

Rating: 3.5/5

Swords are for fighting,