Saturday, August 23, 2008

Review - The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong


The Summoning
Dark Powers Trilogy, Book 1
Kelley Armstrong
Harper Teen
July 1, 2008
ISBN# 978-0-06-166269-0

From the publisher’s website:
My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.

All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don't even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost—and the ghost saw me.

Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a "special home" for troubled teens. Yet the home isn't what it seems. Don't tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It's up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House . . . before its skeletons come back to haunt me.

My thoughts:
Chloe Saunders is your average teen until her school’s hallway becomes the scene of an extreme episode with a ghost. The adults in her life, her dad and aunt, decide it’s best to send her to Lyle House, a place where she can work on recovering from whatever has caused her hallucinations. The doctors quickly diagnose her as a schizophrenic and add medication to help her deal. Chloe assures them that she’s going to get better and attempts to ignore her ghostly visitors.

Lyle House has other residents, each with a surprising tale of their own and it’s clear that the group home is more than a half-way house for troubled teens. The house has its own share of ghosts, and some are willing to share its secrets with Chloe. It’s a dangerous risk, but if she and her new friends don’t dig up the truth soon, they could all be calling Lyle House their permanent home.

This is the first book in the new Dark Powers Trilogy, a young adult urban fantasy featuring Chloe Saunders. The plot is filled with paranormal elements, intriguing characters, and action that keeps up a fast pace. Ms. Armstrong is an all-around fabulous storyteller and The Summoning is no exception. This is a story that’s easy to follow, well-detailed as events unfold and easily enjoyable by both teens and adults alike.

To learn more about the Dark Powers Trilogy, please visit Ms. Armstrong’s website: Here

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

9 comments:

Wendy said...

I'm not big on reading YA but this one sounds good so I want to read it.

Dammit, Kimberly stop making me add to my Must Have list! lol.

Kimberly Swan said...

I love her Women of the Otherworld series and Nadia Stafford which are not YA. I was just thrilled that The Summoning is just as well written. The teens in the story are in a very difficult situation and while not all of their choices are the right ones I think Ms. Armstrong keeps it realistic in their reactions. I'd probably choose Derek as my favorite character in the story, and he's the one that will make most people cringe. lol

It's good to have a wish list Wendy, and this one has already released! *grin*

Wendy said...

I've only read one of her Otherworld series books and it was good. I might give this one a try. :)

Kimberly Swan said...

Ahha....more for the wish list! I do hope you get a chance to give The Summoning a try. :)

Unknown said...

I loved this book and can't wait for more. I also see she has a men of the otherworld book coming out early next year!

Kimberly Swan said...

I expected to like it because she's an excellent writer, but she surprised me in how creative and different it was. There were even scenes that were creepy! *grin*

Don't forget 'Living with the Dead' comes out first...in October. :)

Christine said...

This novel looks great. I've heard a lot of praise for Ms. Armstrong's story telling and writing talent on her Otherworld series and on this new novel. I'm going to check if my library has it.

Kimberly Swan said...

Hi Christine...Definitely check it out. It's the first book and very hard to put down. :)

Jill said...

I just finished listening to the audio version of this one. It was hard to turn it off - I was very antisocial till I got to the end! :-)