The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong - Review

We met Chloe Saunders in The Summoning, a girl who has seen ghosts since she was a child but was told they were imaginary friends. As she hits puberty, they visit her again, scaring her so completely that she is taken away to a home for troubled teens to get "better". But the ghosts follow her, forcing her to believe she is actually a necromancer. But can you imagine a life where even in sleep you can’t escape your abilities, can’t control your powers?

The Awakening starts where The Summoning left off. Chloe find out that she’s a “living science experiment,” genetically altered by an organization called the Edison Group when she was young. Recaptured after attempting to run away, Chloe is now held under lockdown. And, of course, the doctors want her to tell them where Simon and Derek can be found. She gets a chance to run again - this time with an unexpected ally - hoping to find their way to Simon and Derek’s father, the one man who may have some answers. But life on the run is difficult, the world is dangerous, and there is much to fear.

This is a nail-biter of an adventure, action-packed, with twists and turns at every path, unexpected pairings, a hint of romance, and big, big problems for the characters. And it has everything a good paranormal adventure should have: ghosts, zombies, half-demons, magic, and superpowers. Oh my! This is certainly a middle book – it takes us so much further into Chloe’s life, develops – and complicates – their relationships, but leaves much unanswered. Now how long do I have to wait for Book 3 (The Reckoning)? Really?