Coming back from the dead to say that CHLOE AND DEREK APPEAR IN ONE OF KELLEY ARMSTRONGâS NEW OTHERWORLD NOVELS!!!
To recap... besides a few references to the group in Kelleyâs Otherworld stories, the last we saw of the Darkest Powers gang was in Atoning. The novella came out in 2015, but was only set a year after the DP series left off. (Chloe was 16, Derek was 17.)Â In the last book of the Darkness Rising series, the two groups merged and, tired of being hunted down and on the run, decided to negotiate with one of the Cabals - the Nasts. They live under their jurisdiction, in a hidden camp in Ontario. The kids receive their protection and even get to have their families with them, but thereâs an unspoken expectation that they will grow up to work for the Cabal. Atoning checks in on the gang a year into them living there. Rae makes an appearance and eventually joins the group, too. The kids are not totally free, and donât fully trust everyone around them, but are ultimately comfortable with their circumstances.
Kelley has two books that are written from the POV of Elena and Clayâs children, Kate and Logan Danvers. (Wolfâs Bane and Wolfâs Curse) Wolfâs Curse - thatâs the one where Chloe and Derek show up. Kate and Logan are teenagers, which means Chloe and Derek are much older now. I thought theyâd be 25-ish, but the dialogue implies that they are still in college, possibly their final year... so 22, maybe? I havenât read much in the Otherworld series so Iâm unsure how that timeline correlates with the Darkest Powers one.
ANYWAY Iâll try not to be too spoilerish, but Chloe and Derek were supposed to be advisors at this teen supernatural camp, but when they show up, things have gone horribly wrong. (Of course.) They talk with Kate about their circumstances (side-note: the Edison Group kids are like legends to Kate). I donât want to give much away, but Chloe and Derek are on their own now (well, they do reference teaming up with Maya and Daniel). They independently investigate supernatural happenings, which is why they showed up to the camp. (Supernatural teens being monitored in one place?! Oof, brings back memories.) They make reference to the other Project Genesis and Project Phoenix kids, but ultimately we donât know what happened to the majority of them. (We do hear about Simon and Tori! And Liz is still with Chloe!) But... when Chloe and Derek are asked about them, they seem very despondent. In fact, they make reference to there being a fall-out with some of the group joining darker, antagonistic organizations... and maybe some of them have DIED?! WHAT?!
I definitely recommend checking out Wolfâs Curse if you want an update on Chloe and Derek. Donât expect to know too much, but they do feature a good amount, considering theyâre just cameo-ing in someone elseâs story. I actually really loved their characterization here. They seemed sad and wistful - but I think thatâs a good change. As teens they got comfortable with their situation and how they fit into their little group. Well, that doesnât exist anymore. Weâve been wondering what it would be like when they broke into the adult world... well, this is it. Or at least an introduction to it. Like I said, there are hints towards complicated and hugely consequential things that happened... and I sorely hope Kelley decides to fill in that gap and give us another story directly from Chloe and Derek. For now, it was just so lovely to see them again.