“Kelley Armstrong - The Darkest Powers trilogy [The Awakening, The Summoning, The Reckoning]
I just finished Armstrong's Darkest Powers trilogy, in which the ugly guy gets the girl, courage is expressed in actions rather than words, and liking someone - even at age 15 - is about far more than simple attraction. I've always really admired Armstrong's writing ever since I read Bitten for the first time. I like her other characters and novels, but I still like Elena and Clay most, and especially from Bitten. The writing is so...flawlessly executed! Maybe I'm just not at the level yet where I can see the flaws, but the action, plot, characterization, pacing, romance, and just about everything makes it one of my favorite novels. I've read at least a half dozen times.
Despite that, I was wary of reading Armstrong's YA trilogy, even though it's been out since 2009. It just seems like all my favorite adult urban fantasy authors are doing these YA series now, probably because the money in the publishing industry is all in YA books right now. When Borders is potentially going to file for bankruptcy, you know the industry is in trouble.
So, what is it about this particular YA trilogy that makes it special? You can read the synopsis of the series somewhere else and I'm not even going to bother focusing on plot here, although it certainly is a good one. This is almost all going to be character analysis, just because that was what impressed me most throughout the trilogy. Armstrong has a gift for creating these characters that are all too normal and human, but oh so admirable.
First of all, the heroine is as real as any teenage heroine is going to get. It's such a refreshing change from 90% of the heroines out there, in teen and adult lit combined. I'm not even really making up that statistic, because I can honestly list 10 different series and point out how most of the heroines in 9 series out of 10 are completely predictable. Chloe, on the other hand, never really gains a cool superpower...actually, the one she has sort of majorly sucks most of the time and probably isn't something anyone would wish for. Mainly, she's resourceful. She's not dramatic, she consciously keeps the whine to a minimum, she's too compassionate but in a way that is both her strength and her weakness, and she's got a bunch of personal flaws and issues that, like everyone else in the world, she just has to cope with. Sure, this is a magical world, but she still stutters when she's nervous or under pressure - and more importantly, it's okay. As she states at one point, she has a speech impediment and she's working on correcting it. She's not incredibly brave or courageous, but she has the guts to stick around when she can't run. She's a self-described average girl, the kind of person people will consider and say 'oh, Chloe? she's okay" but never think of much. But she's a kind of no nonsense girl who just tries what she cans and sometimes fails, but also sometimes succeeds, because above all, she's proactive.
Enough about Chloe. What's really interesting about this series is Armstrong's characterization of Derek, the guy who starts out as a complete jerk - and not a charming one, a rich one, or a hot one. In fact, when Chloe meets him, he's violent and scary and (presumably) mentally ill. Oh, and his introductory physical description? I kid you not: "his face could be used as the 'before' picture for acne cream. Dark hair hung in his eyes, lank and dull." (50)
In a normal YA series, Chloe would go for his much cuter, friendlier, cleaner, and more popular foster brother,, Simon, who is introduced at the same time. That's just the way these novels work, and to be honest, that's just how life works. So unsurprisingly, Chloe actually does like the cute brother and at different points in the book, several people (including herself) point out that she would never go for someone like Derek, who in the words of the narrator/author, is getting the "puberty smackdown." That's just what's expected by everyone - the reader, the characters within the book, and even Chloe herself. Why would a rich, decent looking blonde, blue-eyed girl go for someone like that?
Especially for 15 year olds, it's some unwritten social rule out there that's along the lines of - well, if you're a solid 8, you don't date people who are 3s or 4s on the attractiveness scale. That kind of thing, where her friends would probably give her a "what? why? what on earth are you thinking?" look. In fact, she can't even bring herself to pretend that she's interested in him when they're caught together doing something they shouldn't be doing, even though it would be a good cover excuse that would get them out of bigger trouble.
But see, here's the interesting part. With everything else that happens, Chloe eventually realizes that she's not actually interested in the cute but bland other brother. The novel's written in first person narrative, so the transformation takes place in her and in you, the reader. It's an absolutely fascinating process. First of all, romance isn't the focus of the trilogy to begin with, which makes it all the more interesting, since there's no see-through predetermined couple and what relationships do exist are built through trust, courage, and time. Time, in this case, meaning shared experiences, serious talking, and sticking with each other even when things get ugly and uglier. It isn't even until the third book in the trilogy that there are clear hints that there even is something going on, but at that point it doesn't matter, because the feelings involved are really strong.
With respect to characterization and ideals of love, you can really call this the anti-Twilight trilogy. Derek's just about as far from perfect as you can imagine, and while he's a beast (haha...inner joke for those who have read it) he's not going to suddenly transform into a prince just because Beauty loves him. Their relationship is built not on beautiful looks, but on being there for each other at critical times, and the way it unfolds just amazes me. You, along with Chloe, gradually change your mind about him as the trilogy progresses. In other words, wow, someone has written a romance dependent on the ongoing process of character development. If you really think about it, it's rare you find that in anything, books or movies alike. Armstrong took the reader from a state of 'oh, that's kind of repulsive' to 'who even cares what other people think or what he looks like?' Even if that kind of thing doesn't happen in real life, that's precisely why it's more appealing. It's the reverse Mr. Darcy.
After all, what other author out there takes that kind of risk? Especially with a teen series, when the writing that teens have come to expect consist of beautiful, shallow people along the lines of the Gossip Girl, House of Night, or Twilight series? If you claim the romance in Twilight isn't shallow in comparison to what I've just described, I can shut you up with just ONE ridiculous quote from Meyer: "Our gazes locked for a moment; his golden eyes were so deep that I imagined I could see all the way into his soul. It seemed silly that this fact--the existence of his soul--had ever been in question, even if he was a vampire. He had the most beautiful soul, more beautiful than his brilliant mind or his incomparable face or his glorious body." (Breaking Dawn, pg. 24)
Sure, Meyer's prose all sounds good - if very purple - until you realize that this actually describes nothing at all. Is this really why you love him, Bella? Because his soul sparkles (or is pretty, or whatever), he looks like a model, can probably be an underwear model, and has a "brilliant mind" (whatever that means, anyway...)? I suppose you can say this is the voice of someone in love, not someone falling in love, but let's face it - this is what Bella sounded like from the very beginning. Her own character is almost wiped out in favor of Edward's perfection and protectiveness. She's clumsy, she's vulnerable, and she's lovesick...and that's actually about it.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not really trying to rip at Meyer here or the Twilight fans. But for certain people are are sick of that and want to actually read about a relationship that has developed meaningfully without relying on a foundation of gorgeous looks, then I think the Darkest Powers trilogy is for those people of discerning tastes.
This is what I got off a review by "Heather" at goodreads: "And I’ll admit, I think Armstrong might lace her books with a bit of magic, cause she made me lust after someone, who upon first description, is very physically unattractive. That is simply unprecedented."
http://bloodredrosez.xanga.com/738423855/kelley-armstrong---t/”
