The Summoning (Darkest Powers #1) in Once Upon a Twilight blog

Sep 18, 2010 Vicki Keire rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-paranormal

I picked up "The Summoning" when I met Ms. Armstrong at a book signing. I really enjoyed meeting her and hearing about her series. And I must have an honest, shallow moment: the cover is stunning. It was the first actual hard copy of a book I bought since... since... when did I get my Kindle? Since then. The beautiful cover seduced me, ok? And if that wasn't bad enough, then the book had its wicked way with me too. Not that I'm complaining.

I'm always wary of teenage paranormal books that blur t I picked up "The Summoning" when I met Ms. Armstrong at a book signing. I really enjoyed meeting her and hearing about her series. And I must have an honest, shallow moment: the cover is stunning. It was the first actual hard copy of a book I bought since... since... when did I get my Kindle? Since then. The beautiful cover seduced me, ok? And if that wasn't bad enough, then the book had its wicked way with me too. Not that I'm complaining.

I'm always wary of teenage paranormal books that blur the lines between mental illness and so-called emerging psychic powers. It's a dangerous line to navigate. Mental illness does often manifest in adolescence. How much more compelling would it be for a teen with emerging symptoms to decide he or she was "special" in some way? But then, what an even more compelling "what if" on which to base a YA paranormal?

Armstrong goes there, playing on this most deep-seated of fears, and many more, in her "Darkest Powers" series. Not only do we have ghosts and rotting corpses, gothic mansions and absent gods, but also taut play with the most deeply buried aspect of the human psyche: not just fear of monsters, but fear that we are the monsters. Armstrong's teenage protagonists interrogate the line between diagnosis and "special power" until it becomes clear their lives actually stand in the balance. It's like a wonderfully frightening movie when you just want to scream that someone's coming to kill them, run away, run away, but they don't listen. (Chloe would approve.)

If I had only one word to describe this book, it would be "tension." Dark, delicious tension. It's more grounded in horror and adventure than a lot of the YA paranormal I've been reading, which I found refreshing. It's nice to have a change from the standard mystery-romance YA fare. There is romance, however. I loved the way Armstrong handled it: well-built and grounded in reality. It happened so gradually, in fact, that I was genuinely shocked. Like Chloe, I turned the page one day and this guy who'd been...um...not dreamboat material, was suddenly almost perfect. And he'd been there all along. Wow. ...more

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Feb 06, 2011 Shelby rated it it was amazing

Wonderful YA book!!! Loved the story and the characters!!!! Can't wait to read The Awakening!!! ...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Misha Fitt rated it really liked it

It was really not what I thought, In a good way!

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Sep 08, 2010 Cesya rated it it was amazing

Oh my God. Just . . . wow! This was one of those books where you just kept reading and couldn't put it down. Atleast, that's what it was like for me. And the ending left off at the best spot. There's no way any who reads this can just put the book down after and be all like "it was okay." Hands down, I give it 5 stars! ...more

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Sep 01, 2010 Joyce (The book worm) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya, werewolves, dark-fantasy, urban-fantasy, pretty-covers, shifters, supernatural, romance-paranormal, necromancer

I liked this alot

It's really good

Derek is so hot

It's got a little suspence ghosts werewolf witches wizards and more

I can't wait for the next one awakening
...more

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