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darianyoung's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
toriedawn1's review
5.0
This was a really good novella, it was good to see the story in more depth and see why later choices were made.
jscarpa14's review
3.0
Derek is a werewolf who spent the first five years of his life in a research facility. He started out with three other werewolves but when the others attacked a nurse they disappeared. The only other child he sees is Simon and when Simon’s dad offer to take him home Derek jumps at the chance. Ten years later Derek, Simon and Simon’s Dad have lived under various aliases, always hiding from Simon’s Dad’s former employers for reasons they don’t understand. When Derek severely injures a boy attacking Simon with a knife and makes the news it’s time to move again. But Simon’s Dad doesn’t arrive to pick them up at the appointed time and when they return home he’s nowhere to be found. Strangers are tracking them and they need to leave, will they find his Dad or will the strangers catch them first?
The short story is a mix of a distant third person and a first person narrative from Derek’s point of view. I’m not a big fan of short stories because there’s just not enough there for me which is a lot of the reason I didn’t give this the best rating. Despite its length the way the points of views are divided, the first portion told in the distant third person portraying Derek’s childhood in the research facility followed by the first person narrative then years later, actually works well. The beginning is distant but chilling and you can’t help but feel for the little boy. The second half you feel bad for Derek and how he’s treated in the school environment, but events after that happen so face it’s hard to read become attached to the characters or the story. One issue I did have with this store is that the description of the fight scene doesn’t match up with Simon’s description of the same events in The Summoning and I personally feel Armstrong is an experienced enough writer that she should be making attention to detail mistakes. However the story is definitely fast paced and combined with other series novels it does enhance understanding of the character in the series, but by its self because it’s so short it’s a little lacking.
Derek is decently developed as a character in this story, but secondary characters are mostly told about rather than having their character traits shown due to space. You know enough about the character for them to be distinctive, but not enough to become attached. Derek’s character however shows some decent development in the story offering pieces of him that we didn’t get to see in the series.
Overall if you’re planning to read the Darkest Powers Trilogy I’d definitely recommend this short story, but if you’re not there’s not enough of the short story to hold interest as a standalone title.
The short story is a mix of a distant third person and a first person narrative from Derek’s point of view. I’m not a big fan of short stories because there’s just not enough there for me which is a lot of the reason I didn’t give this the best rating. Despite its length the way the points of views are divided, the first portion told in the distant third person portraying Derek’s childhood in the research facility followed by the first person narrative then years later, actually works well. The beginning is distant but chilling and you can’t help but feel for the little boy. The second half you feel bad for Derek and how he’s treated in the school environment, but events after that happen so face it’s hard to read become attached to the characters or the story. One issue I did have with this store is that the description of the fight scene doesn’t match up with Simon’s description of the same events in The Summoning and I personally feel Armstrong is an experienced enough writer that she should be making attention to detail mistakes. However the story is definitely fast paced and combined with other series novels it does enhance understanding of the character in the series, but by its self because it’s so short it’s a little lacking.
Derek is decently developed as a character in this story, but secondary characters are mostly told about rather than having their character traits shown due to space. You know enough about the character for them to be distinctive, but not enough to become attached. Derek’s character however shows some decent development in the story offering pieces of him that we didn’t get to see in the series.
Overall if you’re planning to read the Darkest Powers Trilogy I’d definitely recommend this short story, but if you’re not there’s not enough of the short story to hold interest as a standalone title.
michaela95c's review
5.0
I loved this story. I love reading from Derek's PoV, he's one of my most favorite characters from the Darkest Powers series. I really liked getting the back-story of how Derek and Simon came to be at the Lyle House.
nagia's review
4.0
"He knew they were talking about him. But he wasn’t dangerous. He’d never done more than shove the other boys and only when they came after him or Simon. He’d never gotten in trouble for that, no matter how much the other boys fake-cried and pretended to be hurt. And he’d never hurt any of the grown-ups. Never even yelled or snarled or growled at them. He was a good boy—everyone said so"
Heart-wrenching!
I love Derek's voice, I love his voice & I love his story!
This is the first time, I think, I read a story dealing with human experimentation that dares to narrate even one chapter from the point of view of a child. Armstrong capture's beautifully all the fear, confusion and innocence with which a child would experience such a situation.
The way Derek is seen embodies almost every known stereotype & who he truly is proves why stereotypes suck!! I loved his relationship with Simon, it shone how differently they perceive the world around them, how differently they think and react and yet how they still manage to be a close knit team!
lpcoolgirl's review
5.0
Oh, so good! And the great story of how Derek and Simon ended up at the house!
*First read January 1st 2011*
Loved it! Loved the wolves!! Yep :)
*First read January 1st 2011*
Loved it! Loved the wolves!! Yep :)
witheykd's review
5.0
the short stories can be found at http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/darkest-powers-bonus-pack/ only $.99 :) go buy them they are good.
bethcaley's review
4.0
I definetly want more. I think kelley armstrong should redo the darkest powers series in the point of view of Derek. He is such a misunderstood character in the series!!
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