THE RISING by Kelley Armstrong

The Rising
Kelley Armstrong

Rating: A+
Synopsis:
Things are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by the powerful St. Clouds and now a rival Cabal as well, they're quickly running out of places to hide. And with the whole world thinking they died in a helicopter crash, it's not like they can just go to the authorities for help.

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.

Old secrets are revealed and unexpected characters make a surprising return in this stunning conclusion to Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Darkness Rising trilogy.

My thoughts on the book:
I went into this book with super high expectations because Kelley Armstrong is my favorite author. The Rising somehow exceeded those expectations. This is one of the best books I've read all year. Armstrong takes on some difficult, yet important, social issues in the final novel of this trilogy. Additionally the plot is intense and captivating, the writing is spectacular, and the character growth is fantastic. I couldn't put this book down. The Rising reminded me why Kelley Armstrong is my favorite author. 

Maya grows up a lot in this novel. She becomes self-aware and even more responsible. She is honest and open and just an all around likable character. Daniel really grew on me in this installment as well, and by the end, I absolutely loved him. Rafe surprised me... in a good way, and I am glad that Armstrong painted him in this light. Additionally, I got to see all of my favorite characters from the Darkest Powers trilogy, and it was good to see how Derek, Chloe, Simon, Tori, Kit, and Lauren are doing. Derek also grew since the last book in the Darkest Powers trilogy, and I was impressed by how he's changed. There is also a surprise cameo that I was super excited about. I don't want to spoil things, though, so I'll leave that one alone. 

Armstrong surprised me with her social statements, but I was extremely pleased by them. She acknowledges and creates a dialogue about the dangers of stereotyping American Indians and First Nations peoples and illustrates how that leads to racism. Eventually, as she exemplifies, the racism leads to hateful violence against indigenous peoples. Armstrong handled this issue very gracefully and made an important contribution to the decolonizing movement without having her characters preach at people. Thank you for that, Kelley. 

The plot itself isn't extremely action-packed, though there are action scenes. It is intense and will keep you on the edge of your seat, though. Armstrong handles the love triangle with grace, and things seem to work themselves out naturally. The ending itself surprised me a bit, but I like how it ended. I think the characters handled things extremely well and made terrific decisions. I was happy with how things wrapped up, even though I was sad to see the ending of this trilogy. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book and trilogy to anyone who loves good books. Armstrong is a fantastic writer, and if you haven't had the pleasure of reading her work yet, then you're missing out. 

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