Darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong
So, we're about to see what a series overview for a trilogy I did not enjoy looks like. I'm sure you're just as curious as I am. I'm also being very up front about this because, well, no real need to hide my distaste for this trilogy. I'm sure I didn't do so in my reviews, so why the heck would I do it here?
Anyway, let's talk Darkest Powers. I think the trilogy title makes this trilogy sound a lot more... hmm... grandiose than it is. And I do mean a LOT more. Darkest Powers is about a down-to-earth as a supernatural trilogy can be. It's so down-to-earth and moment-to-moment that I was bored through most of it. Armstrong can -- and has done -- better than this. Of course, she can also do a lot worse (see my review of Living with the Dead) so I guess that's something. But really, this almost blow-by-blow account of Chloe Saunders' adventure is quite boring. I will concede that it might be an age-gap issue, but, as I have previously stated elsewhere, adults should be able to enjoy books for younger audiences just as much as those younger audiences.
The Good
There were a few ties back to Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series that I largely enjoyed. Most of those having to do with mentions of the werewolf Pack. As Darkest Powers takes place in the same world, there is familiarity of place and the "normal" powers of the secondary characters.
I liked Tori's character arc. I've never had an issue with the popular girl who turns out to be more down-to-earth kind of thing. She did take a couple books to get there, but it was enjoyable. I think it definitely helps that she was getting away from a, uh, frankly crazy mother. Mrs. Enright has some SERIOUS issues that she throws onto Tori. I really hate her.
Simon was chill. Probably too chill, honestly, but I'm just glad he didn't get in on any of the toxic male behaviors he could have. I'm not exactly pleased that he and Derek thought Derek needed Simon's blessing to date Chloe, but that's really the worst thing about Simon.
The writing wasn't bad. Honestly, if it had been bad, I would have stopped after The Summoning. The writing itself is not the issue here.
The Rest
I have a very big issue with Chloe's characterization. At first, she was literally a blank slate. She even sticks a nice lampshade on it. Chloe starts to grow a spine as she's on the run with the others. Mainly in regards to Derek's constant put downs and Tori's apparent need to bicker at any given moment. However, that spine crumples in The Reckoning when Chloe realizes she's got a crush on Derek and not Simon. This coincides with her "lesson" with Margaret (who I hate, but we'll get to her). Tori does all the standing up for Chloe while Chloe just sits in the background feeling sorry for herself. Chloe does sort of get her spine back as she starts to actually explore what a relationship with Derek will look like and through the ending of the The Reckoning. She kind of becomes more secure in her powers, but also doesn't like using them in the ways she has to. I guess as a necromancer, that makes sense, but it's a tad annoying as she doesn't really have much of a choice. Anyway, I found this back and forth on Chloe's characterization annoying.
Derek and Chloe's relationship. Hmmm... it's toxic. It reminds me somewhat of Elena and Clay from Women of the Otherworld, only Derek and Chloe aren't anywhere near self-assured enough to be anything but toxic. Chloe kind of pushes back against Derek's overbearing thing but he doesn't really take it to heart. There are very few times (mostly those when Liam and Ramon are involved) when Derek's overbearing control thing is actually useful. And even then, Chloe just kind of runs off to do her own thing, manages to survive, and then gets yelled at by Derek because he didn't agree with her method of handling herself. Chloe then turns into a spiral of self-doubt because teenage girls gotta teenage girl and have their personalities tied into what the boyfriends think. This happens a few times in the trilogy and it just makes me want to smack Derek and send him off to the Pack to get some proper socialization.
Speaking of the Pack: I really hope Chloe and the gang end up meeting them at some point. I feel like Elena would get them in touch with The Interracial Council which I feel would really help them out. I have a feeling that most likely wouldn't happen, though, as Kit is probably really wary of anything having to do with Cabals... not without reason, really, but yeah. That's my wish for the ultimate fate of the "Genesis II" kids. Get in touch with the Pack and the Interracial Council. Probably actually help you out as opposed to just being on the run for the rest of your lives.
Hmmm... well, now I gotta talk about The Edison Group and the Former Edison Group. The Edison Group is really ridiculous in how they decided to handle their research/research subjects. It's like none of them have ever read any media involving people with powers. You don't EVER make them think they're mentally unstable, especially when it's very clear their powers went the opposite direction you wanted them to. The best way to improve their lives would be to teach them about their powers and teach them control of those powers so they don't end up outing your super-secret supernatural community on accident. But no, The Edison Group went the "we're going to straight up lie to you, medicate you, and when that fails, kill you." Just... it's really no wonder these kids, who are barely kids, straight up mistrusted everyone they came into contact with in The Edison Group and after. No one was truthful with them, so of course they're going to learn that none of you can be trusted. Heck, it took barely half a book for Andrew's little Former-Edison Group gang to be mistrusted. Honestly, if Andrew had been straight with the kids from the start, he probably wouldn't have ended up dead.
And that brings me to Margaret and Russell. Those two both really screwed the pooch and freaked the fuck out to a frankly crazy degree. Margaret, because she's Ms. Holier-Than-Thou-I-Know-Your-Powers-Better-Than-You and then gets shown that she definitely doesn't... like, clearly Chloe's not going to end up raising an entire cemetery unless some idiot (Margaret) pushes her past where she's comfortable. CLEARLY. But no, let's decide that Chloe -- and therefore Tori and Simon by extension -- need constant supervision otherwise they'll end up outing the supernaturals all on their lonesome. Which, by the way, Ms. Margaret, they hadn't until you showed up and started pushing Chloe. Oh, and it's a little hilarious to me how quickly Margaret ends up turning to murder after all her bitching about Chloe's powers. Excuse me, one does not just commit multiple murders and then get to stand on a pedestal. That's not how morality works. Russell... I don't really have much to say about him other than he's a bigoted idiot. Bigoted against werewolves to the point where he's willing to call in a hit on a teenage one who's done nothing but be overprotective of his own little pack. That's literally all Russell's seen. Well, I guess that and the other baby werewolves acting like heathens when they were much younger. Derek's a heck of a lot more well adjusted to human society than the other baby werewolves ever got the chance to be. Werewolf kids apparently need a much firmer hand than the one ya'll gave them in The Edison Group but they're not inherently bad.
The End
No, really, the ending of The Reckoning was fairly convenient. You've got the demi-demon Diriel somehow managing to bring the building down around their ears due to Chloe releasing her. I am aware that Diriel was whispering to Chloe during the first part of The Awakening buuuuut... I'm not sure what exactly about releasing her would rip open a tear to Hell. That is not explained at all and then she just gets dragged back to Hell by Unnamed Demon Dude. And then Derek and Liz and Kit show up out of basically nowhere. It took the kids several days via hitchhiking and bus to get to Andrew's and it suddenly takes less than a day to get back to The Edison Group's HQ? I realize the modes of transport are different, but the timing of the ending was just... well, it's the only point in which the timing is not meticulous and this bugs me. Everything just fell all at once and everyone had really good timing to get where they needed to be. Great.
In Conclusion
So, I know I've managed to talk about portions of the Darkest Powers trilogy a lot. Those were honestly the highlights. This trilogy reminded me a lot of the middle portion of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with all the traveling and camping and NOTHING HAPPENING. Chloe and the gang spend a lot of time wandering around, trying not to get caught and then a lot of time wandering around a Victorian manor doing nothing. It's frustrating. I have a feeling I may have skimmed parts of The Reckoning because I was just so over it. I also feel like I would have a better stance on this trilogy if it had been presented in Omnibus form, but that might just be wishful thinking on my part.
It is kind of nice to see other sides to a world outside of the main series. There's bound to be stuff going on in the wider world that have zero bearing on the mains story's plot. I will say, if you liked Darkest Powers and haven't read Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld, you should definitely do so. It's a lot better than this.
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