I heard about the
Darkest Powers series by Canadian author
Kelley Armstrong, but I did not think much of it at the time. Later on, I read a great review of
The Summoning from
NotNessie at
Today's Adventure. I kept the title in mind. In September, I learned from
Cindy at
Cindy's Love of Books that
Kelley Armstrong would be in town to sign books and talk about her new book called
Frostbitten which is part of her Otherworld series.
That was it. I had to buy myself a copy of
The Summoning and I just had to get it signed.
About the Book:After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home. At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either… (
amazon.com)
Review:There is always something happening in this story. At first, I wasn't sure what pieces of information were significant and which ones were not, but it all fits quite well. I will have to admit that this book has one heck of a cliffhanger; I've never felt so helpless by the end of a read. There are just so many loose ends and because of this, I didn't feel any sense of closure. This book left me begging for the sequel.
Chloe seems to be a typical teen, albeit somewhat of a late boomer. Chloe can see ghosts and communicate with them. Specifically, she can raise the dead. If I were seeing ghosts right after having had my first period, I'd be freaking out too. I'd probably even try to postpone as much of the teenage growing phase if I knew what was coming. She's believable and I didn't mind following along on the journey. The characters are pretty well written and the dialogue is great, but I felt something was missing, and I'm not sure what that is. Perhaps it's because so much of the action happens in or around the Lyle house that the setting of the story is pretty much "contained" except for the beginning and the end. This is just what I think. I guess I'm just one of those people who don't like staying in the same place too long. Still, I wanted to read on to find out what happens next.
Chloe is not the only one considered as a supernatural; there are others in the Lyle house. I won't reveal what their powers are. There's Simon, Derek, Rae . . . I like Derek the most though. He doesn't come off as likeable at the beginning and he keeps much about himself hidden, but as the story progressed, I grew to like him. I like how Simon is Asian, or more like half Asian. When I got to the part where he's talking about stereotypes and such, he's absolutely right.
All in all, The Summoning is a good read. I like the premise of the book. I haven't read a book quite like this before. I probably would have enjoyed the book more had I read it in one sitting or over consecutive days, but those options weren't available to me. I bet this book is a great setup for the sequel. (Shhh! Don't tell me what happens next!) I'm just going to have to read The Awakening, and then
The Reckoning which is coming out in April 2010. The author sure knows how to keep readers on the edge. Oh, and about that massive cliffhanger, I think it's cruel.
Cindy recommended in her review of
The Summoning that if you're planning on reading this, you might as well get the second book too, entitled
The Awakening. I kept her suggestion in mind, bought myself a copy, and I'm glad I listened to her. =)
To read Cindy's review of The Summoning, click
here. To read NotNessie's, click
here.
Title: The Summoning, Author: Kelley Armstrong, Published: DoubleDay Canada (July 1st, 2008),
Genre: YA, Fantasy, 390 pages
It's December! The holiday season is approaching and we're going into the fourth month of the Middle Grade Book Challenge.
