THE RISING

This final book in the Darkness Rising trilogy resolves the issues introduced in the first two and continues to expand the large cast of characters.

Sixteen-year-old Maya can turn into a mountain lion, although not at will. Stress and anger cause the change, which can come at inconvenient times, and the more time she spends as a cat, the harder it is to control her anger. Nearly every time seems inconvenient while Maya and her friend Daniel and boyfriend Rafe, both also endowed with paranormal gifts, are on the run from a wealthy cabal that wants to capture them. In an earlier installment, the cabal faked the teens’ deaths in a helicopter crash, severing them from their families and the small Canadian town that had sheltered them for years. Maya wants her former happy life and family back. The plot thickens when Maya learns that her own biological father runs the cabal and that other, rival cabals have entered the picture. Can Maya continue her romance with Rafe when he becomes jealous of her deep friendship with Daniel? How will Maya’s newfound twin brother Ash fit in? Armstrong delivers, although only those who have read the previous books will understand everything that’s going on. Maya’s confusion over her romance and friendship resolves with some maturity, breaking with conventions in a nicely effective way.

A satisfying conclusion for those following the series.