Series: The Darkest Powers Trilogy #3.5, #3.6
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Age Group: Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Romance
Elements: Sorcerers, Werewolves, Necromancers, Witches, Ghosts
Setting Location: Unknown (they've gone incognito, remember?)
Publisher: Traverse Press
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B009H6XPV4
Published: September 25th, 2012
Source: Amazon
Events: Kelley Armstrong YA Challenge
Rating: 4/5 STARS
Series Reviews: The Summoning | The Awakening | The Reckoning | Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 1
Purchase: Amazon
In Facing Facts (a short story set after The Reckoning) Tori discovers who her father is, and Chloe deals with a vengeful ghost. Narrated by Chloe. This was previously published in Enthralled.
In Belonging (a novella set after The Reckoning) Derek's werewolf family comes to claim him. Narrated by Derek.
Facing Facts - Chloe's POV
In Facing Facts, it's been a month since they were reunited with Kit and Lauren. Kit feels this is the time to inform Tori that she's his biological daughter. She doesn't take the news well and storms out of the house. Chloe volunteers to talk to her, but Tori is hurt that Chloe suspected the truth a didn't say anything to her. That friends don't keep that kind of thing from each other. She runs away from Chloe, but Chloe gives chase. Tori runs toward the one place she knows Chloe can't follow her: an abandoned house.
Derek tracks Chloe to the mall where she saw Tori run, but it turns out that Tori really did go into the abandoned house and it was the ghost of her mother, Diane, that lead Chloe to the mall.
Diane is still trying to control Chloe and knows that she still feels guilty for killing her and then using her zombified body to kill Dr. Davidoff.
What I loved most about this short story was how Chloe stood up to Diane, declaring that she will not be controlled and that she's not going to feel guilty anymore for killing her, because it had to be done and Chloe wouldn't want anyone else to shoulder the guilt that came with it. Then she gives Diane a big mental shove, sending her back to the other side. That moment was just really awesome and I liked seeing how strong Chloe's becoming.
Belonging - Derek's POV
In Belonging, we learn that Derek really is Zachary Cain's son and the Cain clan intends to claim Derek as he should have been when he was young. But their motives aren't all for Derek's benefit. They've been told how smart Derek is and how fast he is coming into his powers. If the Cain's have Derek, it would make them a serious threat to the Pack.
Back at the escapee camp, Derek and Chloe's three month anniversary is coming up! Chloe's off at the mall with Tori and Derek is feeling the anxiety of not being there to watch over her. And his anxiety isn't unwarranted this time, Carter Cain is moving in on Chloe!
Once a week, Derek and Chloe go into the woods so he can work on Changing on command. While he's trying to Change, Derek thinks back to the first time Chloe stayed with him when he first started Changing behind Lyle House. It was the first time he saw someone he could imagine as a friend, besides Simon. Now, though he's Changed around others before, it's never as comfortable as it is when it's only him and Chloe. Derek manages to Change, but it's during their hide and seek game that the Cains make their move.
In this novella we see how strong Derek and Chloe's relationship has become. I loved how Chloe didn't let the Cains take Derek without following them back to where they were staying. The only backup she had was Liz, and she's a ghost, although a pretty dangerous one. Derek and Chloe will do anything to protect each other. I was worried for a bit that Derek would want to stay with the Cains, but I was relieved to be wrong. I loved the anniversary gift Derek got for Chloe, although it was kind of disappointing that we weren't told what she got for him.
What I like about both Facing Facts and Belonging is that they take place after the end of the main story. We get to see what's going on with everyone after they escape together. I can only hope that Kelley Armstrong chooses to write novellas like these for the Darkness Rising series too.
Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.
Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.
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