The Reckoning – Book Review

Heavy spoilers throughout this review.

Much like the previous two books, I got a little bit obsessed and finished this finale very quickly.

Is It Really The End?

This was the question I was asking myself through most of the novel, and it’s my main criticism—I wasn’t ready for it to end! Now, whether that’s a criticism of me or the book… I can’t surely say. I did want something more conclusive for the ending, and I know that if I thought there’d been another book, my experience here would have been more positive.

As one example, Rachelle was so important in book one, The Summoning, so it’s a little sad to have lost her entirely from early in book two, The Awakening. I also felt like Kit Bae had been very built up, but got very little screen time.

I know some of these characters turn up in another of Armstrong’s series, but all I really want is to see more of this cast. Unfortunately, The Reckoning was published in 2010, making it fairly unlikely that a sequel will be published now that over a decade has passed.

I’m also aware that the unanswered questions might be intentional. Armstrong writes a lot of adult fiction, and it’s possible that her YA series are intended to function as a gateway to her older titles. It’s not that I’m entirely dissatisfied by the end of the The Reckoning, but those questions are going to play on my mind, which makes me think that I should buy her other books… which also makes me not want to do that. If I feel the grasp of a marketing ploy, I want to evade it.

It’s a tough line to walk. But also, what was going on with Diriel? Am I going to be left feeling so confused at the end of each of Armstrong’s series? Is this like Brandon Sanderson’s cosmere, where I might only achieve an ultimate understanding of Armstrong’s worlds if I consume every book penned by her hand?

It’s not my favourite thing.

Best Scenes in The Reckoning

Every scene between Chloe and Derek successfully captured every shred of my attention, but if I had to pick just one it’d be the scene where they fight Liam and Ramon, the werewolves from book two. This scene was the culmination of a lot of the series’ best moments, bringing back some of the scariest villains in the series whilst uniting our lovers in murder (self defence) and romance.

The image of Chloe leaning out of the tree and shouting for Derek to go for Liam’s flank was very evocative, but it did also remind me of the Pokémon anime… which detracted from my appreciation just a bit.

I especially enjoyed how Chloe and Derek are so much more at ease with one another when he’s in wolf form.

As I’d hoped for, Tori seems to fully be part of the team by the end. I loved her journey, and while I’m not certain that her future is locked into good actions, I choose to have faith.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this series. I’ll be returning to my reviews of Sanderson’s Wind and Truth, but I might be tempted to take another Armstrong break before the end.