Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 1

Darkest Powers #0.5, 1.5, 2.5

by Kelley Armstrong

Contains three companion stories to the Darkest Powers trilogy.

Dangerous (prequel to The Summoning)
The story of how Derek and Simon came to Lyle House, told from Derek’s point-of-view

Divided (set between The Summoning and The Awakening)
Derek and Simon’s adventures while separated from Chloe and Rae in the factory. Also told from Derek’s point of view.

Disenchanted (overlaps part of The Awakening)
Simon and Tori continue their journey after Chloe and Derek are left at the truck stop. Told from Tori’s point of view.


Please these are stories, not novels. Combined, they equal half the length of a Darkest Powers novel.

Genres: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Short Stories, Romance, Werewolves

155 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2011

About the author

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

Reviews

[Lexy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say? I love this story, I love this characters, and I love reading about them.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

STILL NOT ENOUGH MAKEOUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really liked seeing things from Derek's POV. I think sometimes the allure of the dark, brooding guy can overwhelm the reality that dudes are only dark and brooding because they're SHY. The good ones, anyway. Poor Derek, what a shitload he has to carry on his shoulders. I really liked the parts where he said he WANTED to talk, but didn't know how, and the parts where Simon called him on it. Their relationship is GREAT and I loved seeing it from an insider perspective. I also liked seeing Derek with his dad. I guess it goes hand in hand with Derek not being talkative, but it didn't really sink in while reading the trilogy that Simon's dad was also DEREK'S. It was good to see their relationship a little bit more. I also enjoyed the part when Derek finds Chloe and Tori at the warehouse and is like OH THANK GOD SHE'S OKAY LET ME YELL AT HER TO HIGH HEAVEN!!!!!!!! Ahhhh, love.

I liked Tori's story a lot too, it's always great to hear how people view themselves versus how they're seen, and basically now all I want is Simon and Tori reluctant bro/sis team. SIBLINGS!!!!!!!!! Also how much would Derek angst to high heaven about Simon having a "real" sibling now?? A MILLION? I think the answer is a million. I also feel kind of weird about briefly shipping Simon/Tori during the real books. IT'S NOT MY FAULT, I'VE BEEN CONDITIONED TO BELIEVE THAT BICKERING = TRUE LOVE. I've got some real Luke/Leia flashbacks going on.

[Micheline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating Clarification 3.5 stars...

I only discovered that Kelley Armstrong had written extra material for the Darkest Powers Trilogy. Naturally, as soon as I made said discovery I hurried over to my Kobo & Kindle to check out the prices. Both bonus packs were initially released on Kelley's website as they were completed and once they were all released they were removed from her site and sold as bonus packs. Each bonus pack contains 2 or 3 short stories, so I'll be first reviewing them individually story by story and then I'll combine them for each bonus pack review.

Dangerous is the first story in the first bonus pack. It is told from Derek's POV and deals with the events leading up to him & Simon arriving at Lyle House. As soon as I saw that Bonus Pack number 1 was entirely Derek's POV I was thrilled - I really liked his character right away even though I felt like I was in the minority and most girls would probably prefer Simon. Derek tends to have a hard time saying the right thing...or even saying it in a way people expect so I knew that being inside his head was going to be fun. The story starts off with a mini-prologue of Derek when he was only 5 years old!! OMG guys, it was so sweet & sad at the same time <3.

The rest of the story follows Derek & Simon while they were still with their dad and offers the complete tale of how they managed to end up in Lyle House. It's a fairly short read but it holds your interest easily and quickly. It really does of nice job of establishing Derek's character but more than that it really cool to see how his mind works first hand. And the way he describes Simon & their dad...I think it made me like Simon more that I already did too. Derek has a great way of focusing on what the people he love are good at...and what their not - it made them all seem more real to me. Kelley Armstrong is just as gifted with her male characters as I found her with Chloe in the Darkest Powers series.

Speaking of Chloe - I really liked the contrast between Chloe, who only discovers she's a supernatural in her teens as opposed to Derek & Simon who were aware from an early age and who grew up with a dad involved in the supernatural world. Often times, series focus on the discovery of powers or gifts and it felt refreshing to read a story from an MC who already knew what he was and in what kind of world he & his kind live in.

Divided in the 2nd story in this bonus pack and again this one s told from Derek's POV. This one follows Derek & Simon during their escape with Chloe & Rae at the end of The Summoning. Since the 4 separate, we only got to see Chloe's take on things during this scene in The Summoning. Once again, it was fun to see Derek's take on the same events...especially since they reveal some evolution on his part regarding his feelings with Chloe. That was fun to witness :) Not much of the plot was really new in this one but it was still really interesting. Derek's voice manages to keep everything fresh & I love the little hints Kelley Armstrong wove in there for future events.

Disenchanted is the final short story in this bonus pack. It starts off from Simon's POV but quickly switches to Tori. Again, this isn't a particularly long story but it was cool to get a little bit of Simon's voice into the mix, especially after reading so much of Derek's. I was a bit disappointed when it switched to Tori. In the original trilogy, she did manage to grow on me somewhat but I never really liked her. I don't think we were really supposed to in any event & maybe inserting her voice was a way to make her a bit more likable, which it did. The story feels like a chance for readers to hear her side of things so it was definitely worth the read and it was fun to see what Simon & Tori were up to on their end while Derek & Chloe were off.

All in all, this was a quick and fun addition to the Darkest Powers story arc! A must-read for fans of the series and more specifically,of Derek ;)

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now, I had read all three of these short stories when they were posted on Kelley Armstrong's website and, yes, they really were awesome enough for me to purchase when the opportunity presented itself. I mean, I love love love the Darkest Powers trilogy. I love the glimpses we get into Derek's head in the two stories he narrates. I love the snippets we learn by diving back into this world. In fact, these stories have made me want to re-read the entire series again. Well played, stories. Well played.

Dangerous (#0.5) - The look into Derek's early life was heartbreaking. His acceptance of his place in the world as a child makes me weepy. Being taken in by Simon and his dad... Oh, Derek. I really do love that he was given a chance and managed to make a good life for himself. Probably my favorite of the three stories because we did get so much insight into the way Derek thinks and how protective he is of Simon.

Divided (#1.5) - Derek's deepening feeling for Chloe begin to make themselves known, although he is still blind to what his sudden protectiveness toward her might mean. Once again, Derek is so terribly protective of Simon, almost to the point on smothering him. I just find it so interesting that some of the things that others perceive as arrogance or surliness in Derek is just his way of taking care of those around him.

Disenchanted (#2.5) - Tori's turn at storytelling. She was another one who showed surprising depth when we climbed into her head. I did like that we got her rationalization for some of her actions toward Chloe and that we got to see how apart from the others she feels.

Final Thoughts: Fans of the Darkest Powers series will enjoy the depth these stories add to the books. Personally, I LOVED them. I am such a sucker for anything Kelley Armstrong writes, though. *heads off to go hunt down The Summoning*

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

While the stories did not add entirely new and/or enlightening information, I still found them enjoyable. You are able to get inside Derek's head in two of the three stories, a character which is somewhat illusive and misunderstood in the series. The first story, Dangerous, was my favorite and featured Derek from a very young child witnessing his "pack" doing violent things to "current" events of his father disappearing etc.. I thought this story in particular was a nice addition to the Darkest Powers trilogy. The other two stories, one told by Derek and one told by Tori were entertaining but to a lesser degree. I did however like hearing Tori's thoughts on things since she does some disagreeable things and is not trusted in large part.

[Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is definitely only for fans of the 'Darkest Powers'-series and even with those tight premises it's not that good.
You get a bit more insight into Derek and Tori as characters, but not much more than what you get out of the books.
Don't expect any new stories as this is only snippets and different perspectives of already published events, so not much new.
I can understand the desire to want to publish what was previously web-stories, complementary to the novels, but I question the value to the readers paying for this books. I'd say you can save your money and buy one of the full novels instead.

[Susana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think, i'll probably never, EVER get tired of this author's world and of its characters.
So, yes! I really liked reading these short stories.
I especially liked the ones, that were told from Derek's point of view.
Oh, and i also liked the brotherly bickering between....two of the characters. :)

[Molly Mortensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon never really felt three dimensional in the books, (too nice and perfect) but the shorts flesh him out nicely. Also, I'm convinced that Derek should've been the narrator for this whole series. (It's such fun finally being in his head!) Some short stories feel unnecessary, but I enjoyed all of these. Disenchanted was my favorite.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***


The Darkest Powers Bonus Pack is a collection of short novellas that occur before and during The Darkest Powers Trilogy. I’ll review each story separately, but offer an overall rating for the collection

Dangerous

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.

Divided

Derek, Simon, Chloe and Rae may have escaped Lyle House but when they’re separated at the factory yard they realize they’re not out of danger just yet. Derek and Simon manage to escape, but when they arrive to meet Chloe at the rendezvous point she’s not there. Will they be able to find Chloe before it’s too late?

This is a first person short story told from Derek’s point of view which allows us to relive the warehouse scene through his eyes. The actions of the initial scene are almost identical except for the thought patterns of course and that definitely started this piece off on a good note for me. The plot offers a fast pace and some action, though not a lot. One of the reason I like this story better than the first in this book is that it’s much more emotionally invested than Dangerous was. Or maybe that would be better phrased as emotionally engaging or involved, not sure. My point is that I felt a lot more connected to Derek’s character in this novella than I did in the first. Much of the story offers repeat background to those who’ve read The Awakening, but current happenings are shown, not just told about. Though it’s not meant to be a standalone novella, it does offer a nice additional depth to the main series novels by offering readers insight into Derek’s mind as he views events from the novel.

Other than Derek most of the character development is done by Derek telling the reader about the other characters and his impressions of them. They’re distinctive character, but not really fleshed out. Derek’s character however is nicely molded through a mixture of observing his actions and listening to him tell the reader about himself.

Overall if you’re reading or have read the Darkest Powers series you’ll appreciate and enjoy this companion novella, if you’re not reading the main series books though it will probably fall short since it wasn’t written to be a standalone novel.

Disenchanted

When Victoria and Simon wake up on the bus without Chloe and Derek they must decide what to do now. Do they have a chance of finding their missing companions before Edison groups finds them?

This first person narrative begins in Simon’s point of view before switching to Tori’s for the majority of the story. To be honest other than maybe offering a little more insight into that characters of Tori and Simon this story adds nothing to the series. It doesn’t even quite fit with the books. First both Chloe and Derek left their bags and money on the bus in the books. Even if Derek wasn’t sitting with Tori, Chloe was sitting right next to Simon so they should have both seen their things and at minimum picked them up. However this story makes no mention of their belongings. Second the dream sequence in this story where Tori vaguely remembers the conversation with Chloe seems like an afterthought on the part of the writer. Beyond this pretty much nothing happens in this short story. There’s no action, adventure or excitement, just a couple of teenagers traveling who spend most of their time fighting.

Character development is pretty much the only thing this story has going for it. We get a little more insight into Simon and his interest in Chloe at the beginning of the story and learn more about him through his conversation with Tori later in the story. We gain a lot of insight into Tori’s character in this tale because for once we see things from her point of view. This is probably the first time in the series we can see Tori as something other than a bitch and that her actions actually start to make sense. So for character development the story actually does really well adding depth to Tori and Simon’s characters that we haven’t seen in other Darkest Powers works.

Overall if you have the time it’s a nice insight into Simon and Tori, but otherwise it offers nothing to the series and I can’t really recommend it.

As far as the overall work The Darkest Powers Bonus Pack goes I would actually recommend the ebook to those reading the Darkest Powers series because it does go a long way for enhancing the secondary Darkest Powers characters.

[the judgy reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three reasons to read Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 1:

1) Two of these stories are from Derek's POV, which is an immediate plus in my book. The third starts off as Simon's POV but humorously turns into Tori's a couple of pages in. It's always interesting getting to see into the characters' heads because Kelley Armstrong never fails to make them complex human beings.

2) The prologue is amazing. It shows 5-year-old Derek still living in the lab.

3) The second and third story relate events that happened during the trilogy but from different POVs, so there's no new plot information. There is, however, character evolution. I especially enjoyed Derek's growing feelings for Chloe and Tori's need for independence.

[PilesOfPages · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puntuación general: 3.7* / 5*

Como muchos dicen en sus reseñas, a pesar de que estas tres historias no agregan nada que no sepamos, si le dan profundidad a la historia general, entretienen mucho y te permiten leer un poco más de esos personajes con los que uno se encariña.

Puntuaciones según las historias:

- Dangerous 4*/5* - Me encantó leer desde la perspectiva de Derek, me gustaría un libro completo narrado por él.
- Divided 3*/5* - Meh.
- Disenchanted 4*/5* - Definitivamente, Tori fue mi personaje favorito de estos libros y con esta historia le agarré aún más cariño.

[annapi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three novellas based on the Darkest Powers trilogy - a prequel that tells the story of Simon and Derek before they came to Lyle House, and two shorts detailing portions of the trilogy from another character's point of view. Nice for any fan of the series, but not meant to be read on its own, though if someone came across these before reading the trilogy, they would probably pique interest enough to lead them to the trilogy.

[Zoha · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good. I forgot it was a love triangle because they really didn't make it one as hard as the others did. It helped that Derek is not a normal attractive guy. It is abundantly clear. He isn't attractive, he's average and people seem to have a problem with him, and yet she saw past that and she loves him.

[Emmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these little short stories :)

[Debra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frankly these feel like they were just edited out and then made into a book. I would have prefered if they would have been just left in

[Emilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these little short stories :)

[Boo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the extra little bonuses. This book was awesome. I just love Chloe and Derrick. I wish we had more of them.

[Stina Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review here: http://zodiacbookreviews.blogspot.com...

What I love about some novellas is that they can be from the POV of a character that you're just dying to know what they are thinking while you're reading the main storyline. In the Darkest Powers, Derek is that character for me, and most of the novellas are from his POV.

Dangerous - Derek's POV

This novella is the prequel to the main series and it starts 10 years before, when Derek was 5 years old and living in the lab with the other werewolf pups. I really liked being able to read about what Derek's life was like before Simon's dad took him. And even at 5 years old, Derek felt better being around Simon and was just as protective of him.

We read about why Simon and Derek ended up at Lyle House, but it was just a vague explanation given to Chloe. But in Dangerous, we get to read about what really happened. We see how Derek protected Simon from a bully with a knife, which resulted in that bully being put into a coma. We see how people judged Derek by how he looked, assuming he was up to no good. Then we see what happened when they arrived home one day to their dad missing and what they went through to try to find him. Which then led to them being caught an sent to Lyle House. I felt this was a pretty good lead up to the main story when Chloe arrives at Lyle House and meets Simon and Derek.

Divided - Derek's POV

This novella takes place between The Summoning and The Awakening when Derek, Simon, Chloe, and Rae escaped Lyle House and were being pursued in the factory. This is Derek and Simon's side of the story when they end up separated.

Derek is really not happy with Chloe not following the plan and having stayed with him while his Change began. We learn why Derek used Chloe to escape Lyle House: Simon had withdrawn into himself and Chloe was bringing him back to himself. Chloe needed their help and Derek used that to get Simon to leave Lyle House. It wasn't until Chloe confronted Derek about using her and still staying with the plan that he started seeing her as a person and feeling responsible for her.

So when he realizes that Chloe and Rae are nowhere in the factory and that she called her aunt, he begins to feel anxious. Derek and Simon go from library to library trying to find information on where Chloe could be, while still trying to find their dad. It's during this that he notices a paper with the reward notice of $500,000 that her dad is offering for her return. You can imagine this doesn't make Derek very happy. You can also imagine Derek's relief and annoyance when they return to the factory and Chloe's there, but with Tori in tow.

I really liked reading this novella because while Chloe and Rae are hiding in the warehouse and eventually recaptured, we get to see what is happening with the other half of their group. Derek is almost desperate to get to Chloe and you can see small changes in the way he sees and feels about her. While I believe that the true changing point in his feeling for Chloe was when she stayed with him when he started Changing again at the truck stop, I think the beginning of those changes started here.

Disenchanted - Tori's POV, partially Simon's

Now Disenchanted takes place during the time that Chloe and Derek were left behind at the truck stop, but this is the story of Tori and Simon's continued journey to Andrew's.

Simon wants to go back for Derek and Chloe, while Tori wants to continue on to Andrew's place. Tori gets her way and they eventually make it to Andrew's. But along the way, Simon doesn't bother to hide his dislike for her and Tori knows that they don't want her there. When they get to Andrew's house, he's just gone, like Simon's dad was just gone. It's while they are hiding out in the pool house waiting for Derek and Chloe to arrive that Simon tells Tori why he doesn't like her. She's inconsiderate and selfish, only thinking of herself.

I think the moment that really got Tori thinking was when Simon protected her from a perceived threat, someone he doesn't even like. It's after this point that Tori slowly begins to change. Although she can still be a brat sometimes.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, so anyone who knows me or Bending The Spine knows that I loved the Darkest Powers series! When I heard about Kelley Armstrong releasing this bonus pack of in between stories I was so excited. Honestly I will read anything to get more Derek!

If you haven’t read the Darkest Powers series yet (Um...why?!?!) then hold off on this. But if you love the series like I do then I think you will enjoy this as much as I did.

Dangerous was be far the largest of the three novellas. Dangerous tells the story of how Derek and Simon came to Lyle House. I liked seeing them with their dad in this, also it was great to see how resourceful the brothers are as a team when their dad goes missing. It was interesting to see the brothers dynamic before the rest of the cast come onto the scene.

I think Divided was my favorite of the three stories. Divided is told from Derek’s POV. In Divided I really started to get a sense of Derek's inner battle of how he was starting to feel for Chloe, but also all those protective instincts he has toward his brother. Divided just made me fall in love with Derek even more if that’s possible.

Disenchanted starts out in Simon’s POV then switches to Tori’s after the first chapter. Disenchanted almost had me liking Tori for a scene or two, and that’s saying something as I generally can’t sand her. It is sort of hard to not feel sorry for someone that no one likes and they know it… OK, I don’t feel sorry for Tori, how people feel toward her is her own fault.

I totally enjoyed this it made me want to go back an reread the series! It was well worth my $0.99 I spent at Amazon. I love it when authors release bonus materiel so that you can revisit the world you love. I highly recommend The Darkest Powers series and its sister series Darkness Rising.

Happy Reading,
Rebecca
www.bendingthespine.blogspot.com

[Larissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first one, Dangerous , is a short story of Derek’s past (Ten Years Earlier), with Derek’s POV. Dangerous is the prequel to The Summoning, when Derek and Simon end up in Lyle House. It shows the circumstances, what they went through, what they found out, and many other stuff you were definitely curious about these two. You will also learn why Derek ended up with Kit and Simon (yeah, you might know it already, but the details…. You don’t)

The second, Divided , is Derek’s POV after they get away from the Lyle House. Their whole adventure till they find Chloe once again, and that’s how it ends. You will also learn Derek’s true feelings for Chloe, and Simon’s partnership with his brother on a small true run for freedom.

The third and last story, Disenchanted , is surprisingly not Derek’s POV… and if you are like me, easy to drift to your own imagination whilst reading a book, you might actually think it’s Simon’s turn to tell a little tale… but, nope, Tori does pretty much the heavy-lifting on this one. So, Disenchanted, happens when Derek has to shift/change and leave the bus, and Chloe goes after him… and with that, Simon and Tori are left alone. Since with the original book Derek was with Chloe, and their relationship developed, I think Kelley, the author, decided to explore [Tori and Simon’s] time together.

The downside for all of this, is that they are very short-stories… and well, they will make you want more new content, and yet, I’m pretty sure, that now it is the true end to this series. C’mom.. they did have a happy ending.

Full review can be found here with their snapshots.
For any reviews of Kelley Armstrong books, click here.

[Bridget's Quiet Corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This e-book has 3 novellas...And it's basically just the story of the main books but in other P.O.V.'s...First, it starts off with Derek {1st two stories}, then Simon, but it switches to Tori's P.O.V {in the 3rd story}...

I gave it a three, not because they were bad, but because it was pretty much already the stories all over again...With maybe a little bit added to it...How the person 'speaking' saw it...Or a little bit of their history.

It does give an explanation in the beginning of each story and who's P.O.V. it's in and where it [the story] starts from and/or the story it goes into.

If you are just starting on the series, then these would be perfect to read because it gives you an idea of what's going on in the story...But I guess you don't necessarily have to read them...but they're nice to have...

I didn't find these stories until recently and I read the books in about Dec. 2011 and early 2012. So I picked these up not quite sure what they were about...Thinking it may have been a little different than the stories themselves, and to a degree, they were..but basically, just told from what the other person saw...

I am not sure when I am going to get to the second bonus pack book, but I will get to it as soon as I feel the need to read it or want a quick read.


And seeing that I am repeating myself...I will hush here! :-)

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Founding out Kelley Armstrong wrote some extra stories about the characters from the darkest powers trilogy made me very happy. And Armstrong didn't disappoint!

Dangerous tells how Simon and Derek came at Lyle House. The prologue is very cute, as it is written when Derek was still little and living at the research facility. The rest of this novella gives you an inside of Dereks thoughts and makes you understand him better. It's exciting and fun to read. And even though you know the brothers will end up at Lyle House, I kept hoping for them to escape..

Divided shows us what Derek and Simon experienced while Chloe and Rae went to see Aunt Lauren. I was surprised at the amount of things that happened in this story. What I especially love about this one is that you can see Dereks feelings for Chloe develop.

Disenchanted was the shortest story of this pack, but fun to read as well. It was nice to get to know Tori better and I thought it was interesting to read about the way those two act around each other.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 1 contains three stories that show the events of the The Summoning and the Awakening from the viewpoint of Derek and Tori.

The first story starts with a 5 year old Derek at the Eddison Group lab. It begins shortly after the other werewolf children were terminated and Kit Bae had decided to bring Derek home to live with Simon and him. We fast-forward 10 years to the incident when Derek broke a boy's back while defending Simon. Shortly after, Kit disappears and the boys go on the run only to be caught and sent to the Lyle House in Buffalo.

The second and third stories are told from Derek and Tori's viewpoints as the characters are separated in their adventures.

The first story was my favorite. Derek is my favorite character in the the Darkest Powers trilogy so I enjoyed getting inside his head. He often reminds me of a young Clay with a bit of Jeremy in the mix.

The next two stories were okay but not as informative as the first.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

OVERALL: 2.5 stars

Dangerous (Darkest Powers 0.5) - 2.5 stars
It was interesting to see the progression of the story in how Derek and Simon came to be at the Lyle house but other than the little bit of filler in on a basic plot I did not find the overall story to be that interesting. Not a story or perspective that I was absolutely dying to read about.

Divided (Darkest Powers #1.5) - 3 stars
Derek was an interesting character, I thought his thought process was pretty cute. Not sensational overwhelmed with this short story but it was not too bad.

Disenchanted (Darkest Powers #2.5) - 2 stars
I liked how Tori and Simon's characters worked off of one another. It was not a necessary read for me though, it did not bring anything more into the series.

[Richard Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was torn between giving this 5 stars or 4 stars. 5 stars because Ms Armstrong continues her usual excellent form of writing and 4 stars because if you haven't read, at the very least, the first book in the Darkest Powers series you would be lost as to why the characters are doing what they are doing, the feeling each have for the others and their powers.

Having said that, the novella (it's not a full book) is a fun read and does expand on the Darkest Powers books. It expands on two of the characters (the two boys)back story but and this is also a fault, not the girls.

Over all it is a good quick read and good if you have read the series or very confusing and disjointed if you haven't.

[Lorena · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of 3 short stories...or really, more like missing chapters...from the Darkest Powers novels. Only you're not really missing much. The stories cover Derek and Simon's past immediately before they came to Lyle House, what Derek and Simon were up to when they were separated from Chloe at the warehouse, and what Simon and Tori did after they discovered Chloe and Derek missing from the bus. Only none of it is remotely enlightening...everything you learn was already summed up elsewhere in the novels, and there's no real character development or important insights from characters whose viewpoints you weren't following at those points in the novels. Skip it.

[Shona Booky Ramblings of a Neurotic Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are NOT standalone books, these are designed to be read after, or at the same time as reading the darkest powers trilogy.

These stories give you glimpses of whats going on at various points in the story away from Chloe, including the events leading up to Simon and Derek's dad disappearing and how they ended up at Lyle house. What happened to Simon and Derek after they got separated from Chloe and Rae after escaping. Then what happened to Simon and Tori after they were separated from Derek and Chloe.

With the exception of Dangerous, there isnt a lot of plot, it is mostly filler, but if you have enjoyed the trilogy so far you will enjoy these too.

[Chester · Rating 4 out of 5]

How come it took me 3 books to love these characters? Now I can't get enough of them!

I'm happy 2 of these stories are from Derek's POV. More so that 1 of those was a story where Chloe's already in the picture. I've always wondered what goes on in Derek's mind whenever he shouts at Chloe. It didn't make me like him when I was reading The Darkest Powers, you know.

Simon and Derek's bromance is A+. Nice to see a story from Tori's POV, too. I'd been wanting to know what's going on in that bitchy mind of hers. Don't get me wrong, I love her. I know she's that way because of the way she was raised. Her story confirmed my thoughts.

[Kelly Oram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little tidbit. If you love the Darkest Powers trilogy (and I do. I love everything I've read by Kelley. SHe's one of my favorites!) then I think you'll really enjoy this collection of stories. I thought it was nice to get a peek into Derek's mind. Of course, It really just made me wish I could read the whole series from his perspective. He's one of my favorites characters out there and I would love to read him and Chloe's story from his perspective. It could be so interesting. Anyway, it's only a buck on Amazon and definitely worth it. Fun times Thanks Kelley for the extras!

[Venessaa ♡☮♫ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm D-O-N-E reading it!!


And what I'd like to say is, I miss reading the Darkest Powers Trilogy.


Maybe after reading The Gathering, I'll start with The Summoning again :))


Anyways, the book is divided into three stories: Dangerous, Divided and Disenchanted,
It was in the Darkest Powers blog some years ago ( and I confess, I've read it already ;p) and
Kelly Armstrong put it together to form voilà: Darkest Powers Bonus Pack.


This is genius Kelly, really.


Okay so now, I'd quit the babbling and start with Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 2:)