Review: The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

Title: The Calling

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Series: Darkness Rising #2

Release Date: April 10^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 326

Publisher: Doubleday Canada

Source: Bought

On the heels of the wildly popular The Gathering comes the second in the "Darkness Rising" YA trilogy from NYT bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

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.

Kelley Armstrong never fails to impress me. Every one of her books has captivated me from page one, and this one is no exception. I have been craving for this book since I read The Gathering when it first came out. This made me excited for the sequel in the series Darkness Rising, yet it also raised my expectations.

The story starts right where we were left off in The Gathering. Rereading it may be a good idea before reading the Calling, if you don’t really remember what happened. The Calling is really a chase. Maya, Daniel and company are trying to get back home after being caught by the bad guys. They are trying to escape, and to survive in the wild.

This sequel doesn’t bore us. It is fast-paced and keeps you in the story until the ends. The amazing thing about this book is that it brings the story forward, without feeling like it’s just an in-between. Things are happening, but also being resolved. The only thing I was slightly disappointed with was the number of scene featuring Rafe. I really like him as a character, which make me sad that he wasn’t there much. I do like Daniel, simply not as much. Maya is simply amazing as a main character. She is strong, she is wise and she is driven to find the truth. I simply adore her. I love it when novels have strong female character, a girl that can think for herself.

If you love Kelley Armstrong’s books as much as I do, you probably realized that most of her work is interconnected. It is the world of the Darkest Power and Women of the Otherworld. Chances are that the Darkest Power’s character (Chloe, Derek) will meet Maya and company (which would be totally awesome).

Again, this book was far from disappointing. I read it in a matter of hours, being unable to put it down. It was that good. That’s something Kelley Armstrong is amazing at doing, writing novels that you simply need to read. Absolutely a must read for anyone fan of hers.