The Reckoning

A couple notes first: I totally veered off reading "Fahrenheit 451" for a couple reasons. One, I was informed that the third (and final) book in a series I was reading was in, so of course this post is actually about that. Two, it's very "1984", in that its an older, dystopia-style book that takes a while to wrap my brain around. Three, I may be able to get back into it now that I've started reading "Twilight". I'm really not digging that book so much.

Now onto my real post.

The Reckoning, as I said earlier, is the third and final book in a young adult series by Kelley Armstrong. First, a quick recap, since I didn't review these books. This series features Chloe Saunders, a teenage girl who can see ghosts. Unfortunately, she became brutally aware of this fact after she was traumatized at school by the ghost of a formal janitor. After being sent to the psych ward, it was suggested that she go to a special school where she could be treated for schizophrenia. While there she meets other teenagers being treated for various mental disorders. One of the guys suggests that she isn't schizophrenia...she's a necromancer.

After that, things get interesting. The teenagers break out, get caught, escape, and finally meet up a contact that can help them. And that's where book three comes in.

This review is a little harder to do since it is in the middle of the story and it'll be a little harder to explain without going back to everything and I can't avoid spoiling at least a little of the story for those who haven't read it yet.

Chloe, Derek, Simon & Tori are being housed in a safe house from the Edison group with a friend of Kit's (Derek & Simon's father), by the name of Andrew. However, despite knowing that they're genetically modified supernaturals, Andrew & his fellow rebels can't help but be afraid of the powers that the teens are displaying. A freak encounter between Chloe, Derek & a couple of werewolves turns out to have been a staged event by someone claiming to help them. And that someone doesn't care if they end up dead.

A betrayal at the safe house causes the teenagers to end up back at the Edison group hospital, where Chloe learns her aunt is still alive, but held captive. Chloe frees a demi-demon to save herself and Kit finally makes an appearance.

This review probably makes no sense, and probably sounds super anti-climatic. Which, in fact, it was. I liked the story overall, especially how it ended between Derek & Chloe, but it really felt unfinished. The story ended with them being on the run. A story can't end like that since there's always the chance of them getting caught - either by the bad guys or by the good guys.

This story had a lot of the same threads as her other series, The Women of the Otherworld: werewolves, witches, sorcerors & necromancers. I kept expecting to read about Paige or Elena showing up as a mentor. Especially with the book feeling unfinished, maybe they'll cross paths in a future book.

With Chloe being a necromancer, this book was pretty spooky & gory at times. She really grew stronger and more self-confident through the series and it's really apparent when she meets up with her aunt again. In fact, Chloe mourns her own loss of innocence for her aunt's sake.

Overall? I think if you like The Women of the Otherworld series, you'd like this. It's very cute & innocent when it comes to teenage love. It's about self-sufficiency and the bonds of friendship to overcome obstacles.

I also need to get better at writing endings for my reviews. :)