"Armstrong's first foray into the YA arena a success"
Chloe Saunders has always seen ghosts. Of course, she
didn't know they were ghosts. After another particularly
frightening episode, Chloe's mom decides it's time to move,
and that is the last Chloe sees of them. Fast forward to age 15. Chloe is now living with her maid
because her mother has died and her father is too busy
working all over the world. She's attending yet another
school, but at least this time it's an art school and she's
managed to be there for more than one year. It's nice not
being the new girl for once. She's your average teenage
girl just trying to get through the typical trials of high
school -- exams, friends, and boys. When Chloe officially
hits puberty and finally starts her period at school and
kind of gets asked on a date to the school dance, she
thinks life couldn't get any better. Evidently, she's
wrong because with the onset of her period, the ghosts come
rushing back at her. After having a breakdown at school,
Chloe finds herself admitted to Lyle House -- a group home
for troubled teens. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, Chloe vows to the doctors and
her family that she's determined to get better. She
dutifully takes the medications they give her and tries to
ignore the strange phantoms talking to her. After all, if
she's schizo, hearing voices isn't all that uncommon --
right? As Chloe slowly gets to know the rest of the teens
at Lyle House she begins to question that reasoning. After
one of the girls is taken from Lyle House, Chloe begins to
have doubts about the group home. Chloe and the rest of
the group slowly come to realize that Chloe really isn't
crazy -- and neither are they. But why are they all here
and who are these doctors that claim they just want to help
them to get better? And most importantly, can they really
be trusted? While Kelley Armstrong is a huge presence in the urban
fantasy genre, this is her first foray into the YA arena
and I must say she does a fine job of it, too. The story
is set in the same world as Armstrong's adult urban fantasy
series, Women of the Otherworld. I thoroughly enjoyed
reading about Chloe and riding along while she begins
discovering who -- and what -- she really is. Up until
she's
placed in Lyle House, Chloe had lived a very sheltered, but
pampered lifestyle. When she ends up teaming up with some
of the residents at Lyle House she's exposed to more than
she could imagine is really out in the real world. While
there are times that I have to remind myself that Chloe is
just a teenager and there's a reason she acts/reacts in
certain ways, overall I really enjoyed the book. By the
end of the book there is a lot of action happening and I
found myself not wanting the story to end, knowing I'd have
to wait for the 2nd book, The Awakening, to release
months from now. If you are a fan of the ever-growing YA
paranormal genre, I recommend this book.
Reviewed by Mippy Carlson
Posted July 19, 2008
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This is the first novel in a new young adult trilogy ("The Darkest Powers") set in the Otherworld universe, but with all new characters. Chloe Saunders sees dead people. Yes, like in the films. The problem is, in real life saying you see ghosts gets you a one-way ticket to the psych ward. And at 15, all Chloe wants to do is fit in at school and maybe get a boy to notice her. But when a particularly violent ghost haunts her, she gets noticed for all the wrong reasons. Her seemingly crazed behaviour earns her a trip to Lyle House, a centre for 'disturbed teens'. At first Chloe is determined to keep her head down. But then her room mate disappears after confessing she has a poltergeist, and some of the other patients also seem to be manifesting paranormal behaviour. Could that be a coincidence? Or is Lyle House not quite what it seems...? Chloe realizes that if she doesn't uncover the truth, she could be destined for a lifetime in a psychiatric hospital. Or could her fate be even worse...? Can she trust her fellow students, and does she dare reveal her dark secret? Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult, Teen
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