The Calling Review

The Calling

Kelley Armstrong

Doubleday Canada (HarperTeen)

April 10th 2012

* A copy was provided for review by Random House Canada. Thanks!

Summary:

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

Review:

Kelley Armstrong wasted no time in getting right back into the story where we were left off with a cliffhanger in The Gathering. The plot line is very fast paced right from the first chapter, there a deaths, injuries, and many more chaotic things that occur with this book. In other words there is never a dull moment. Readers will be satisfied with character development, revelations revealed, and of course the fastness of the plot.

There were two things I was really looking forward to discovering when I finally got my hands on a copy of The Calling. 1) Who/what killed Serena, and 2) What powers do Maya's friends have. I am both pleased and disappointed in what happened or didn't happen with these two things. There is a suspect to who/what killed Serena in the lake, but no finalised answer which I am dying to figure out. Only two of Maya's friends, Daniel and Sam, supernatural abilities are revealed in The Calling. I'm still curious to see what Cory, Hayley and Nicole are, but I guess we'll have to see in the last book in the trilogy. I have some suspicions but again I would like to have those finalised.

As always Kelley delivers a well written, and well thoughout and exicuted read. I don't think I've read a book of hers that Í haven't loved (I've read all but one). All the characters are likable expecially Maya and Daniel, and Rafe depending on who you ask. I really love how in this trilogy that the experiment is trying to revived extinct supernatural creatures rather than just enhancing their abilities like in The Darkest Powers series.Of course the Canadian setting and mix on native american culture also peaks my interest. For me I could not put down this book until I was finished, but now sadly I have to wait over a year to see what happens...

Of course I miss that characters from The Darkest Powers trilogy *cough* Derek *cough* but from what I see we'll be seeing our fare share of Chloe and the gang in the next insallment. I hope to see more Rafe since he wasn't a huge character in The Calling. Overall this is a truely amazing read that you must read or at least try out . Action non stop and an amazingly written story is what awaits you in The Calling.