Review: The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 5 of 5 stars  

Source: Bought


Synopsis from Goodreads:
In The Calling, the sizzling second book in the Darkness Rising trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong pumps up the romance, danger, and suspense that left readers of The Gathering clamoring for more.

Maya Delaney’s paw-print birthmark is the sign of what she truly is—a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone 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. Plentiful action and romance in this second installment in the Darkness Rising series will keep readers enthralled to the very last page!

Book 2 in the Darkness Rising series


The Calling has Kelley Armstrong's typical page-turning, attention-grabbing magic, with full-on action and drama right from the start that doesn't let up. Right from the start Maya and her friends are fleeing a forest fire, only to be in a terrifying helicopter crash, and are then hunted through a forest by an evil corporation with guns, who want to capture them.

I love Kelley Armstrong's writing- the way the characters feel like they are someone you know, and the emotion behind the story. I also just love these characters, and their small-town lives filled with all these memories and backstory. Maya and Daniel have been best friends since they were 5 years old, and have supported each other each other through tragedy and everything that has happened to them in the past few years. They trust each other completely, and their protection of each other is so sweet.  They always have each other's back.

The beautiful Canadian rainforest setting, with all the wonderfully described flora and fauna feels like another character of the book as well. It is so easy to picture the places and scenes, and I would love to visit there.

In this book the teens are starting to realise the true extent of their powers, to discover what they are capable of, and exactly how much danger they are in from the organisation that wants to capture them. They start to piece together the clues from what they have each found out, to work out what is going on. There are a range of supernaturals in this series, and also a subtle link to the characters from her other YA series- The Darkest Powers series (which you should also read BTW- it's amazing!).

It is a quintessential middle book, a "bridge" story with another cliff hanger at the end, but it was definitely worth the wait, and it filled my itch for a Kelley Armstrong book for a little while. Now I have another long wait until book 3 comes out!


Read my review of Book 1 The Gathering here. (5 of 5 stars)