All they have is the name and number of someone who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they're so valuable, and why their supernatural powers are getting more and more out of control.
But Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her. And now, like it or not, she'll have to face down some demons from her past if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because Maya can't keep running forever.
My Thoughts:
This is going to sound incredibly mean but oh-so-true, but the more books I read by Kelley Armstrong the less I like the way she writes. Let me explain:
This series was pretty much exactly like the Darkest Powers series (except DP was a little bit better IMHO). There was a girl and bunch of other kids who suddenly found out that they were supernaturals. These girls and their friends were taken in by people claiming to help but then got scary so the girls and their friends escape. And are recaptured. And escape. And find other people who sort-of double cross them, then they escape. And are recaptured. And all the while there's a fun little crush going on but not exactly a love triangle. And then, finally, after all the escaping and recapturing, a whole bunch of people die and we reach an end that's not really an end because Armstrong keeps hinting that something more is going to happen. It's extremely circular. It got a bit boring to read.
And not only was the format irritating but as the books progressed I felt like everything was waaaaaaayyyyy over-eplained. I mean everything. Like how the trees in the new forest differed from the trees in the old forest (coniferous, Ms. Armstrong? Are you trying to teach us some SAT words here?). Actually, that probably would have been an interesting thing to read about if it had been handled differently and I wasn't so sick of everything else being way over-explained. Like the time at the end when the Dr. monologued and revealed all her secret ways of deception to the silly little teenagers, "Bwa, ha, ha! You thought I was naive doctor just doing what I was told when, really, I had all these secret plans that I will now divulge to you great detail! Nothing left to imagination! Bwa, ha! Ha! Ha! H--" I had to cut off her evil laugh/rant. She probably would have kept going. And everyone in this series was really quick to adapt to the new vocabulary. I still don't really get why they call the supernatural corporations a Cabal. Why wouldn't they just call it a corporation? And why does everyone just accept these weird new terms? Like Ash being, "ok, there, sileni," or "shut-up, benandanti," or whatever. Does anyone talk like that? To anyone? That's like the equivalent of me going around saying, "ok, there, caucasian," or "shut-up, American," which, actually I've heard people say that last one but it's extremely rude.
And then all the feelings-searching. Just blah. I can't handle too much of that crap. "I really like him, but he's right and he's doing something selfless and brave and I want to be with him but I know I should search my feelings because at 17 there's no room to just date some guy for fun, it's got to be extra, super, life-long serious and we'll be together forever." I don't know why most YA are so serious about relationships. Just once (or maybe a lot) I'd like to read a YA book (or 50) that doesn't end in true love. Why can't it just end in dating for fun? Or maybe a nice noncommittal make out session? That sounds a lot more realistic to me at 17.
So there was all that stuff. And then there was the fact that it was an entire series about kids that can shift into cougars. Just like kids that can shift into wolves. Changing the animal does not make it any more original. That's all I will say about that.
But the books were very fast-paced and easy to read. Armstrong does have a very readable style of writing. I may go back and read some of her earlier work to compare it to this stuff but I make no promises. I don't know if I can handle much more of the back-and-forth plot or information-dump writing.
Sexual Content: Mild
Language: Moderate
Violence: Moderate
Drugs/Alcohol: Moderate (teenage drinking)
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