The Summoning (Darkest Powers #1) in YA and Beyond

Dec 23, 2008 Brigid ✩ rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, romance, ghosts, werewolves, paranormal

Not bad. In fact, pretty good. It started off kinda weird, and it had a few parts that were a little strange and/or predictable. Over all, though, the plot developed nicely, and I liked the characters ... I got kind of addicted to it, and I'm eager to read the sequel when it comes out. :)
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Apr 13, 2010 Cinnamon rated it it was amazing

Curtains fluttering in the breeze, the dark pressing down like a blanket. You turn the pages slowly, absorbing every word and detail as the soft sent of the paper fills your nose. The tension in the book is at a max and you glance over your shoulder to make sure that the sliding shadows behind you are really just that: shadows. Back to the book, you dive in, completely immersed in the terror that's overcoming the main character.

Suddenly your husband walks into the room with a loud creak of the f Curtains fluttering in the breeze, the dark pressing down like a blanket. You turn the pages slowly, absorbing every word and detail as the soft sent of the paper fills your nose. The tension in the book is at a max and you glance over your shoulder to make sure that the sliding shadows behind you are really just that: shadows. Back to the book, you dive in, completely immersed in the terror that's overcoming the main character.

Suddenly your husband walks into the room with a loud creak of the floor boards and very ungraceful clomping. You leap out of bed, just about pee your pants and threaten to throw your book at his head if he ever dares to scare the living crud out of you again.

Yep. Been there.

THE SUMMONING by Kelley Armstrong taught me a few things. One is to never read a book at night, by yourself, in a house that you are not 100% convinced is empty of ghosts. The other is to tie a stinking bell on your husband, parents, siblings, small children, pets, and any other moving critters in your house lest you wind up in the situation I described above.

Seriously - I need some more bells.

We all know I'm not one to get creeped out by the normal monsters; werewolves, vamps, and zombies just aren't that scary. In fact, they can be pretty hot at times (Edward, Jacob, Jasper, Marc, The Black Dagger Brotherhood, Kenyon's men, etc.). What does scare me is ghosts. Something about the there, but not really there nature of them is just not cool. If I can't lock them out with a good steel door and a deadbolt, they're going to give me nightmares.

Why Ms. Armstrong? Why?

Even as I ask, I know the answer. For a really great story, that's why. Combining some great characters, a few lighthearted moments, a good deal of suspense, and a few scenes that should be rated PG-AAAAHHHHH!!!!!, she has managed to create one killer book. In fact, despite the whole almost peeing my pants thing, I've got the second book, The Awakening, cued up and ready to go, that's how much I loved the first.

THE SUMMONING is the story of Chloe Saunders, a teen who has been practically orphaned. With her mother long since passed away and her father inaccessible due to his work, Chloe has grown up pretty much under the hand of hired help. When things start to go a little crazy for her, they really go crazy. Beginning to see some strange things, it's the man with the half-melted face chasing after her that really sets her off. Sent to the Lyle House for her own protection, Chloe has to figure out how to survive in this home for troubled teens while at the same time keeping her sanity. That's not easy to do when the house holds secrets and someone wants her to unearth them.

Don't like scary stories? It's possible that I'm a wuss and you won't find the scary parts as frightening as I did. Then again, it's also possible that you will and we'll have to go out and buy stock in bells and motion detector lights. The parts that truly creeped me out were few in number but intense. They truly added to the story and gave it that edge that signifies a really great read. Would I read THE SUMMONING again? You betcha!

My favorite aspect of the first in The Darkest Powers trilogy was probably the character development. I loved how we got to learn right alongside Chloe. As you meet each character, Ms. Armstrong gives you enough to get an inkling that something other might be going on. As the story progresses, you get to learn the whole story. Her way of leading you through the book, enticing you with little niblets here and there is masterful. To me, that is the one aspect that takes this book from being one that young adults might love, to a book that anyone can get into.

I highly suggest THE SUMMONING to any lovers of creepy books, suspenseful books, or anything paranormal. Don't let my observation that there are creepy parts discourage you from picking it up. Even though the book gets the adrenaline pumping at times, the story is such that there was never a question that I would continue reading it. The only question was how quickly I could get everything required of me done so I could dive back into the story. ...more

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Apr 19, 2010 Celina rated it liked it · review of another edition

I'm a scaredy-cat with anything that concerns ghosts, so I was reluctant to read this book and was waiting to have time to read it during daytime.

I thought the concept was promising, as it was the first book I've read about a necromancer. But the story was a bit dragging for me, and mid-way through the book I was still wondering where the whole thing was leading to.

I wasn't quite drawn to any of the characters and no one really stood out for me. The story seemed to come to an abrupt end just as ...more

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Apr 07, 2010 Brittany (finally graduated and can once again read for fun) rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2010, ya-my-first-love

Okay, let me start off by saying that I actually enjoy the premise of this book. The characters seem interesting, the plot is okay (so far), and you can tell there is a story to be told.

Here is my major problem with this book. It's NOT a BOOK! It is part of a book, it's part of a story. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of sequels. Sometimes books are so good you crave to see characters return and want to know what has happened in their world, because they're important to you. Sometimes you have to ...more

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Aug 12, 2010 Heidi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010

Ok. What to say about this book? Taking in mind that I have decided while reading this book that paranormal YA books are one of my least favorite genres, I will give it 3 stars. Perhaps if I liked this genre I may have thought this was "the best book ever", as many young people on GR tend to say about books.

Side question - how can multiple books be "the best book ever"? If it is the best, shouldn't that mean it is the best in the singular sense???

Ok back to the review. One of my problems with ...more

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Feb 22, 2010 Elizabeth *Swords for Fighting* rated it liked it

OK...I read this book a while back, so this will be a quick review as I try to remember what I thought. Look for reviews of the rest of the books in the Darkest Powers Trilogy in the future.

The Summoning was definitely an interesting book with a storyline being something that I never read before. Before reading this book, I have never read a book about a necromancer, so it was nice to explore that aspect of the supernatural world. I had fun spending time with Chloe as she tried to figure out wha ...more

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