FICTION

The Calling

by Kelley ARMSTRONG
Bk. 2. 326p. (Darkness Rising Series). HarperCollins/Harper. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-179705-7; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-211386-3.
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Gr 8 Up—The Calling picks up where The Gathering (HarperCollins, 2011) leaves off. Maya Delaney and her friends are rescued by helicopter while escaping from a suspicious forest fire. In flight, they realize that they are being kidnapped and take action. When the helicopter crashes, they narrowly escape and find themselves alone in the Vancouver wilderness being pursued by their kidnappers. The teens piece together what little information they have and now realize that they all possess supernatural powers. Not knowing whom to trust, they try to find answers by going home. But instead of safety and answers, they are faced with possible betrayal. This engaging read is plot-driven and action-packed, but the many unexpected twists and turns sometimes leave readers with more questions than answers. Armstrong also drops small hints that relate this series to her "Darkest Powers" series (HarperCollins), which is intriguing. Fans of the supernatural will look forward to seeing how the next installment ties all of these loose ends together.—Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY
Shapeshifters Maya and Rafe (The Gathering) become separated while escaping the scientists who genetically engineered them. When Maya's helicopter crashes in the wilderness, she and other teen survivors must elude the lab's search party and warn their families. Slowly her friends' own powers emerge. Though this installment is more survival story than paranormal romance, the dangers of Maya's situation are underwhelming.
A quick-paced thrill ride. From the opening scene, it is clear that Kelley Armstrong won’t be pulling punches. Everything that could go wrong does, in quick succession. As Maya and her friends struggle to survive in the wilderness—with a cache of mysterious armed men, including Maya’s biological father, in hot pursuit—the friends begin to question one another’s loyalty. Genuinely surprising twists prove them right to question. Maya is a deeply appealing heroine—smart, strong willed, and grounded, with little of the self-doubt that plagues many YA heroines. Armstrong’s introduction of demons is a promising start to who and what the St. Cloud Corporation—which housed and fed Maya’s entire town—might be. As more is slowly revealed about Maya’s friends’ abilities, questions pile up that will have readers anxiously awaiting the final book in the Darkness Rising trilogy.

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