The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

Okay, so I was very, very reluctant to read this book.  I read the first one and was not impressed by it at all.  In fact, I gave it one star.  Only one star.  I didn't like The Gathering at all.  Nothing really happened on it and nothing even remotely was resolved.  So as you can see, I was not exactly excited to read The Calling.  In case I didn't happen to like this one, I borrowed it from the library and read it.

Maya Delaney’s paw-print birthmark is the sign of what she truly is—a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.
Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they’re kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home. Plentiful action and romance in this second installment in the Darkness Rising series will keep readers enthralled to the last page.

Let me first start off by saying that The Calling was a HUGE improvement from the first book.  I was pleasantly surprised.  The story had more dimension and content to it.  I hated giving The Gathering only one star.  I truly hate not liking a book, but it's just what my opinion thinks.  So, I was very happy to read and enjoy this book.  Very happy.
Maya grows as a character and so does Daniel.  Honestly, I think they need to hook up.  It's not that I don't like Rafe--because I do--but I just feel that Maya and Daniel have more of a history and it's not all about lust and stuff.  But, of course, Maya is still head over heels for Rafe.  Go away, Rafe!
This was all adventure, which I absolutely loved!  The gang get trapped on an island after a helicopter crash and have to try to find their way home.  In the first ten pages, I'm pretty sure, like, three people die.  It was pretty intense.  I happen to like intense.
And going on with how Maya grows as a character.  She really didn't believe in herself and what the kind of potential she could have if she did.  It really annoyed me in the first book, but I guess that's a common problem with teens.  But in The Calling, she gained more confidence.  She's a true born leader and it shows.
So here it comes....my rating of this book......Can you guess what it is?...No?..Well, I won't bother wasting your time, then......My rating is......drum roll, please....Four out of five shiny and golden stars!  I was very pleased with this book.  Extremely so.  And here is the time where I tell you all after this review to go out and read this book, if you've read The Gathering already.  Don't read this book if you haven't read The Gathering.  That is all. :)
Happy reading, all!