Another Thing Not to Trust

The Rising is the final book in Kelley Armstrong's Darkness Rising trilogy.  Both this and her Darkest Power trilogy are YA books that take part in the same universe as her Otherworld books.  In fact, a couple of characters from there get a reference, and at least one gets an appearance in the series.

Maya, Daniel, and Corey make into the city in their efforts to escape the Nast and St. Cloud Cabals.  They are trying desperately to figure out how to evade the Cabals and let their families know they're still alive.  First, they try Maya's grandmother, but that does not turn out like planned.  Their next brilliant idea is to go to their own memorial service in hopes of getting one of their parents alone.  Lucky for them, Maya's long lost twin brother shows up and helps out.  Ash is a street smart teen with a major attitude problem.

The group gets split up and Maya ends up in the Nast's hands.  She is taken to a "safe house" where she is reunited with Rafe, Hayley, Sam, Annie, and most importantly her dog, Kenjii.  Oh, and crazy Nicole is also there, and Maya lowers the bomb that Nicole killed Serena.  With Maya's birth father's (Antone) help, Maya, Rafe, and Hayley escape and meet back up with Ash, Daniel, and Corey.  On the advice Antone, they set out in search of the Project Genesis group in order to have leverage to negotiate with the Cabals, which by the way, lead to a happy dance from me on some more Chloe and Derek time.

Maya learns that sometimes you have to dance to the pipers tune to get what you want, and maybe her feelings for Daniel and Rafe are not so clear cut.

I was so excited for this book, and once again Ms. Armstrong did not disappoint, mostly.  There was some talk of the kids contacting Lucas Cortez, who I love in the Otherworld series, but alas it never came to be. I just love the world of supernaturals that Ms. Armstrong has created, and being one kind of supernatural does put you into a category of good or bad, but it is about the individual's choices that make them hero or villain. At times, you really get the sense that the characters easily fall into the scheme of choatic, neutral, and lawful of good and evil.

I love that her characters are strong women that don't need the man to rescue them, and in fact, sometimes they are the ones rescuing the men.  While these women do not need a man to be complete, their partners are excellent matches for them.  Maya is a wonderfully strong girl, who is super loyal to her friends and family, and bonus points for being an animal lover.  She can be rash at times, but she will quickly see reason when someone talks to her about it.

This was a wonderful completion for the both Darkness Rising and the Darkest Powers trilogies.  I thought she wrapped up questions nicely, but did leave it open for more possible books. Fingers crossed, maybe a meeting with these characters and the rest of her Otherworld regulars. Oh, and it teaches us that you can't trust the Cabals either.

Currently Reading:
Bones of the Lost
by Kathy Reichs