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Book Review: The Summoning – Kelley Armstrong


thesummoningThe Summoning
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Darkest Powers Trilogy #1
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy
Release Date: July 1, 2008
Publisher: HarperCollins

Goodreads | Amazon | TBD

Summary:

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.

 
First Sentence: Mommy forgot to warn the new babysitter about the basement.

My Review:

It is no secret that Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors. (For proof, check out this and my comments in this post.) I’ve read every single one of Kelley Armstrong’s young adult books (yes, that includes The Summoning too – this is my fourth re-read of it in fact) and will read her adult books as soon as I have the time to (which might as well be after I graduate college). Kelley Armstrong’s books just have a special place in my heart.

The Summoning is the first book in the Darkest Powers trilogy and it grabs your attention right from the very start. A creepy basement, a mysterious past, an evil babysitter, and it all took place in a flashback? Hell yes, I’m in. The first few pages sets the atmosphere for the book and is absolutely perfect.

“Come on, Chloe. You aren’t afraid of the dark, are you?” Emily laughed. “I guess you’re still a little baby after all.” (4)

The main reason why I love The Summoning is because Kelley Armstrong writes about some paranormals that I haven’t read about or even heard of before anywhere else. Kelley Armstrong’s Darkness Rising series is a good example of that too. I mean, have you ever heard of a “skin-walker” before? I bet not (unless you’ve already read one of Kelley Armstrong’s books).

The main problem other people had with The Summoning is that the book is very predictable. Like, very predictable (like the summary of the book doesn’t tell you enough about the plot already). However, even though The Summoning was really predictable, I enjoyed every single moment I was reading it. The Summoning just pulled me into the story and kept my interest right to the very last page. Honestly, I couldn’t get enough of the book because of the one reason below.

The thing raised its head. A skull stared at me, strips of blackened flesh and dirty encrusted hair hanging from it. Empty eye sockets turned my way. The jaw opened, teeth clacking as it tried to speak, uttering only that horrible, guttural groan. (238)

Kelley Armstrong is the master of drawing up fear. She creates these tense, panicking moments where you can’t help but be scared for the characters, fearing that they would be hurt, betrayed, or injured in any way, shape, or form. Kelley Armstrong manages to pull up such strong emotions from me, making me jump up and down in my chair or flail my arms, or even yell at the book, making me look totally crazy and not sane. Every time I read one of her young adult books, I know that I would definitely be gripping her book tightly, maybe wrinkling those pages forever.

Overall, I know a lot of people don’t like The Summoning or this series, but that’s fine, it’s just not the book/series for them. I personally loved every minute of The Summoning and every moment of this series. It was one fun ride that I can re-read over and over again without getting tired of it.

four

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-Kelly

Posted by Kelly on 12-15-13 · 20 Comments
Categories: 2008 book, book review Tagged: 4 star

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Speak Your Mind

  1. Mel@thedailyprophecy says

    12-15-13 at 10:26 AM

    I’ve read this book ages ago and I know that I found it quite decent. Not the best book ever, but it was a fun introduction to the YA paranormal genre for me :)
    Mel@thedailyprophecy recently posted…Life of a blogger: Career.My Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      12-20-13 at 2:25 PM

      Ha ha, for some reason I totally LOVE this series Mel. :D
      But yeah, it isn’t the best book ever, but I can reread it again and again without getting bored of it.
      Kelly recently posted…Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway HopMy Profile

      Reply
  2. Chantelle says

    12-15-13 at 11:20 AM

    I read this one a while ago and really enjoyed it, it didn’t wow me but I was intrigued because it was really promising as a series, and DEREK, I want to know more about him!!! Definitely not your conventional love interest… but exams happened and I forgot to continue the series, seems like I will definitely need to! Great review! Regrettably The Summoning is the only Kelley Armstrong book I’ve read, something I’ll be rectifying these holidays I think :)
    Chantelle recently posted…Review: How to Keep a Boy from Kissing You by Tara EglingtonMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      12-20-13 at 2:50 PM

      OMG Chantelle, Derek! <3<3<3<3
      Ha ha, I go absolutely CRAZY when anyone mentions Derek from this series. He is just SO swoon-worthy in The Reckoning and that scene with him and Chloe in Darkness Rising made me go nuts.
      You'l definitely have to read the rest of the series Chantelle, but I'm warning you, I call dibs on Derek. ;D
      Kelly recently posted…Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway HopMy Profile

      Reply
  3. P.E. @ The Sirenic Codex says

    12-15-13 at 12:48 PM

    The Summoning is definitely a fun read and I liked it a lot. I think you’re right- it wasn’t that the story was so new. It was just that it was entertaining and drew me in really well. I also love the way it introduces other paranormals. :) I
    P.E. @ The Sirenic Codex recently posted…The Weekly Progress: It’s All Starting to Make Sense EditionMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      12-20-13 at 2:53 PM

      Of course I’m right. ;D
      Ha ha, kidding. Sort of.
      Kelley Armstrong is the master of drawing your attention into the book. You literally can’t put the book down.
      Kelly recently posted…Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway HopMy Profile

      Reply
  4. Kimberly says

    12-15-13 at 1:19 PM

    I love this series!! It was one of my first YA series I’ve ever read and I fell in love with it and I’ve probably read the series like 5 times. I just love it so much!!! And I agree with you, I love it how Kelly Armstrong wrote about some paranormal creatures that I have either never heard of before or I just vaguely know of. That made the series all the more interesting for me!
    Great review :D
    Kimberly recently posted…Holiday Giveaway!! Throne of Glass Edition.My Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      12-20-13 at 2:59 PM

      Yay, I’m glad you also love this series Kimberly! :D<3
      I can reread this series again and again, just like you, ESPECIALLY the Derek parts. <3
      I wonder what new sort of paranormal creatures Kelley Armstrong will come up with next in Sea of Shadows.
      Thank you! (:
      Kelly recently posted…Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway HopMy Profile

      Reply
  5. Jenea @ Books Live Forever says

    12-15-13 at 1:26 PM

    This is a really good series! I hope you enjoy the others in the series too. Great review.
    Jenea @ Books Live Forever recently posted…The Sunday Post #81My Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      12-20-13 at 3:01 PM

      Ha ha, I read the entire series 3 times so far and I love every single reread I do.
      Thank you! (:
      Kelly recently posted…Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway HopMy Profile

      Reply
  6. Kristen@My Friends Are Fiction says

    12-15-13 at 4:34 PM

    I’ve not heard of this book! I will be adding it to my TBR list because you’ve re-read it 4 times. That speaks volumes! Thank you for sharing! :-)
    Kristen@My Friends Are Fiction recently posted…12 Days of ARCs + International GiveawayMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      12-20-13 at 3:11 PM

      Ahh, I hope you’ll like this one as much as I do Kristen! -am feeling the pressure-
      Kelly recently posted…Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway HopMy Profile

      Reply
  7. Miranda @ Tempest Books says

    12-16-13 at 5:49 PM

    I read The Summoning in October and I’m hoping to read the rest of the books in the series next month. I was really surprised by how much I liked it…it was SO creepy, and I wasn’t expecting that. I also liked how the paranormal stuff she focuses on isn’t your “everyday” vampires/werewolves/etc. It’s unique and different. I can’t wait to find out what happens!
    Miranda @ Tempest Books recently posted…Marly’s Ghost by David Levithan {Book Review}My Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      12-20-13 at 3:14 PM

      You do not know how happy I am to hear that you loved The Summoning as much as I do Miranda! I promise you, you’ll definitely LOVE The Reckoning too, but remember, Derek is MINE. ;D<3
      Kelly recently posted…Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway HopMy Profile

      Reply
  8. Joanna V says

    12-17-13 at 7:52 PM

    I remember not liking this book the first time I read it. I have no idea why. I think I found Chloe really annoying and the other characters not convincing. But something made me pick up the second book and suddenly my perspective changed. I haven’t reread The Summoning completely, but I have skimmed through it a few times. Read my favorite scenes and such. I fell for Derek pretty hard in The Awakening and so it’s nice to see how much things changed haha.
    I doo agree, Kelley Armstrong certainly uses imagery to her advantage. And her paranormal creatures were different. It’s such a relief, I have to admit. And it made for a fun read. I’m glad I didn’t give up on it. Especially because I can’t remember why I didn’t like it. I think I just got tired of hearing my friend rant about it, so I agreed o.o
    Joanna V recently posted…TOUR STOP AND GIVEAWAY: Clan by Realm LovejoyMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      12-20-13 at 3:17 PM

      I’m glad you gave The Awakening a chance and loved it Joanna! But remember, I call dibs on Derek first. ;D
      Whaat?! Your friend didn’t enjoy reading The Summoning? Well, I can understand why, but still, how can you not like it?
      Kelly recently posted…Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway HopMy Profile

      Reply
  9. Cali W. says

    12-22-13 at 5:48 PM

    Great review! I love Kelley Armstrong books and I love this series. I have all the books in this series except for the last book and that’s my favorite in the series! ;)

    Reply
  10. Ashleigh Swerdfeger says

    12-25-13 at 1:07 AM

    Predictability may make a book seem slow, but I think it has an interesting premise. I have never heard of a skin walker before. I also love paranormals, so I am would be interested in trying out a paranormal ya book. It sounds like she is a good author.
    Ashleigh Swerdfeger recently posted…Natural Birth Stories by Shannon Brown-Review and giveawayMy Profile

    Reply
  11. Neysa Kristanti says

    12-29-13 at 9:38 PM

    Ooh, I’ve actually tried this book once but ended up DNF-ed it (at the point where Chloe and Derek were in laundry room and discover a secret room and there zombie or whatever it is grabbing Chloe’s feet, I think?)
    You review somehow convinced me to give it a try again though. I’ll probably pick this one up on 2014. Hopefully this time I’ll love it :D

    Neysa @ [B.O.O.K.L.I.F.E]
    Neysa Kristanti recently posted…The Burning Sky by Sherry ThomasMy Profile

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Review: The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong | Brianna's Bookish Confessions says:
    1-03-14 at 11:28 AM

    […] just.. wow… Kelly @Effortlessly Reading had an amazing review and Kelley Armstrong is one her favorite […]

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