The Awakening (Darkest Powers, 2) Paperback – March 23, 2010

One of the things that sticks out in my mind from the first time I read this series (and it has nothing to do with anything that happened IN the story, weirdly enough) is how obsessively crazy I got after reading book 1. Seriously, guys, I had to have books 2 and 3 IMMEDIATELY. I'm pleased to say that hasn't changed during the reread. Except, well, now I don't have to wait for the books to be delivered, I just have to grab them off my shelf. *bliss*I love how hard Derek's trying in this book. Not that he wasn't before, but he's using that big, ole brain of his and he's attempting to explain himself a little better instead of just laying down the law. Chloe is unequivocally one of his to protect at this point. He tells her more than once that there's no way he could hurt her and he wouldn't leave her. He shows her that he'd rather put himself in danger than let something happen to her. I LOVE this side of him. He's still dictatorial at times and he can be a grump when he's working things out in his head, but he's the alpha of his little pack and he'll do ANYTHING to keep them safe.Meanwhile, the twists and turns of who to trust, the bone deep betrayals some of their group experience, and the utterly frightening way their powers appear to be growing make for a fast-paced, completely engrossing read. I loooooove this series. Love it. There's no one thing I can pinpoint as drawing me in, either. It's the characters and their issues and the things that have been done to them and the fact that I love this world to pieces. It's EVERYTHING! It's how things we know about the world from reading the Women of the Otherworld series are just the tiniest bit off kilter because these kids don't have anyone to teach them and they're cobbling together what they think is the truth from bits and pieces that they're picking up. LOVE THAT!Yes, I am stupidly enamored of the series. What gave it away?-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

The Awakening is a delightful continuation of the Dark Powers Series. The characters develop a little more in this installment too. This series is a little like a teen soap opera, which would probably translate well into a mini television series.Chloe: A young girl with the supernatural power to communicate with and raise the dead. As she struggles with her new abilities, and runs from the Edison Group, a group of individuals set on destroying Chloe and the rest of her supernatural friends, because they broke out of Lyle House and later the lab, after discovering they were all part of an experiment,also, Chloe faces an internal emotional struggle....the way she feels pulled toward Derek, but also finds Simon appealing because he is nice, sweet and cute.Simon: A young wizard who broke out of Lyle House in the first installment. He is the adopted brother of Derek and he has a crush on Chloe. They have only gotten to the stages of hand holding in their relationship. He is a comic book artist, and is in the process of creating a graphic novel about the groups adventures. He is looking for his father, Kit, who he believes can help him & his friends find safety, and put a stop to the Edison Group. Simon really doesn't change that much in this book. He is still the same old Simon.Derek: A young Werewolf, who hasn't experienced a complete Change yet. He is very protective of his adopted brother Simon, and Chloe. He is very strong, and has amazing hearing & sense of smell. Derek is the one Chloe also seems to be rescued by every time she has an issue. Chloe and Derek seem to have the beginnings of a romantic relationship starting. They can depend on each other, and talk to each other about things they couldn't with the others. We find out a little bit about Derek's background in this portion of the series.Victoria (Tori): A young witch with attitude. She has a smart remark for everything, and is the most disliked character in the book. Tori is a young girl trying to act tough, but she really isn't. .She has (or had) a crush on Simon, in the first installment of the series, but now seems to be over it, at the end of this book. She and Chloe have bonded a little, but I wouldn't call them friends. She gives the group what it most needs, which is diversity. If Chloe, Simon, & Derek didn't have her then the book would really be missing something. They would all get along, and by the end of book one, the reader would be gagging because it would be so sickening sweet. I have a suspicion that Simon is Tori's brother...but who knows.Rachelle (Rea): She is half-demon, and burn people with her hands. She doesn't come along on this journey in book two, instead she stays back at the lab, happily buying into the lies the lab is feeding her.Liz: Tori's best friend/roommate, who has been killed by the Edison Group, in book one of the series. She helps Chloe and the group find their way out of sticky situations.The Awakening is the continuation of the groups struggle to be free. After some debating, and hanging around in allies, the four of them decide to go in search of Andrew, a friend of Simon's dad. Simon's dad always told them that if he or Derek every needed help, and he wasn't around to call on Andrew. That is the objective of this book: stay out of the clutches of the Edison Group and find Andrew. If you enjoyed The Summoning, and want to see what has happened to our young group of supernaturals, then continue the journey, and read The Awakening.I cannot wait to read the next installment of this series. The last installment of the series really has to be something spectacular to bring all this to a close in a satisfying manner...here's hoping I'm not disappointed.

The Awakening was a great sequel to the Summoning. Chloe, who learns in the first book that she can talk to and summon the dead, starts to work on the skill of talking with and helping the ghosts surrounding her. Some of the work she does for practice, some by accident and others out of necessity. Chloe, and the others, find themselves in need of help escaping from the clutches of The Edison Group. A collaborative group of people who have taken people with supernatural powers and amped up their powers in their offspring to see what would happen. Some of these children were taught how to deal with their powers, some are in the process of being rehabilitated and others were termed unable to be rehabilitated and were terminated. One such girl, Liz, through the help of Chloe's supernatural power helps the group of kids out of the clutches of the Edison Group and helps them on their journey to find a way back to "normal" life. Of course, when you're talking about werewolves, witches, necromancers and the like nothing is ever going to be normal.In truth, this series is not the typical book I would read, but it has kept me turning the pages and wanting to read more. I do find some of the book redundant and needs to move along a little faster. I do plan to read the third book to see how it ends. I'm not sure if it is trully a sequal or more of a to be continued type of senario. Don't start reading unless you can commit to the whole series.By Kerri J. BusteedAuthor of Will's First Hunt Will's First Hunt