The Summoning (The Darkest Powers 1)

Oh, wow-zah!
The Summoning is all sorts of good!
This book kept me up at night. Partially because I really wanted to read to find out what would happen next, and the other part was that I was so damn creeped out! (I’m scared of the dark too, Chloe!)
Oh, and is it weird that I have a crush on Derek? ;)

I'm going to be honest. I didn't want to like this book. It's about a fifteen year old girl who can see ghosts. The premise is great but starting it I had so many reasons to doubt it. But alas, Kelley Armstrong wrote characters that made me flip page after page. Sometimes it's hard to find main characters that I like. They're either whiney, snobbish, or make stupid decisions. However, I actually liked the main character in The Summoning. She was bold and brazen in all the right places.

The twist of the book wasn't too surprising, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I liked that this wasn't a paranormal romance. The plot takes center stage and is what drives the book. It did leave off at a cliff hanger, so I've already bought the sequel. The only criticism I have is that at some points it was rather difficult to picture the action, but it never held me back from reading it. We didn't get many answers in the book, so hopefully the sequel will start to clear things up. It was a good, fast read that had nice pacing and some worthy characters.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes good story telling, mysteries, and short (as in not tall) female characters :)

As a little girl Chloe Saunders was afraid of the basement, not because of imagined monsters or the dark, but because of the ghosts she saw there.

As a 15 year-old Chloe has attributed the memories of the ghosts she saw as a little girl, to the an overactive imagination. Until one day at school she is terrorized by the ghost of a janitor that is horribly burned, and the whole school witnesses the event. The school officials have Chloe sent to Lyle House, a place where teens like her learn to live with their pyschiatric diagnoses. At Lyle House, the staff encourages her to accept that she has schizophrenia, and their she meets others who have similar problems;Rae, a girl who likes to start fires; Derek,a boy who is supposed to be increduibly volatile and dangerous; Tori, a girl with severe and sudden mood changes; Liz, who destroys things when she is angry; and Simon, who is apparently placed at Lyle house for no reason.

Intially Chloe is somewhat willing to accept her diagnosis, she takes her meds, goes to therapy, but the ghosts still plague her. She eventually begins to question the motives of the staff at Lyle House and her diagnosis , after one of the teens is taken away to be relocated, and she sees what she begins to believe might be the teen's ghost, a prank by another shows her how strong her powers are, and a dark secrect under Lyle house is uncovered.

The beginning of the book is slow , but towards the middle it definitely gains momentum. By the end of the book the reader is thrown into a interesting situation with promises for an intriguing sequel. Readers suspecting a paranormal romance, based on the book's cover will be suprised if they read this book. Although The Summoning has elements of romance infused throughout , and several of the charcters have relationships, this book is also an excellent read for those who like ghost stories,fantasy, an intriguing plot, and a brillant start to a series.

Ages Group: 13 and up

Content: References to ghosts, references to people dying in fires and after experiments, an unfounded suggestion that charcters may have been engaging in sexual activity, references to mental illness,suggestions that one charcter may have been killed, curse words bi...

Reader reviewed by Lia

Chloe Saunders is placed at Lyle House after an encounter with a ghost, that led everyone to believing she is crazy. But Lyle House isn't what it seems, and the other kids are different also. Chloe doesn't know who to trust as she tries to deal with the ghost that keep popping up, and strange ocurrences that keep happening around her.

This was a really good book; I enjoyed it a lot. Chloe's character was wonderful and realistic. I thought it was a nice touch that the author gave her a stutter when she talked, it made Chloe more relatable to the readers. The novel was well written, and made you want to keep reading to figure out the mystery of Lyle House. I liked all the characters: Derek, Simon, Liz, Rae and yes even Tori. This book had it all: ghosts, witches, werewolves and more. Fans of paranormal fiction will love this book.

Reader reviewed by The Bookshelf Sophisticate

Kelley Armstrong took her creativity to new heights if you ask me, with her series opener, The Summoning (Darkest Powers, #1). I'm not sure what I was expecting and I know I'm late to join the fan club for this series, but I'm joining all the same. The Summoning is chalk full of mystery, paranormal events, suspense, budding romances, and bite your nails because you can't stand it tension and of course tons of fun in between.

Chloe is our main character and narrator in this series and the poor thing can't have her dreams come true for a normal life. No, normal is not how you would describe someone who can see ghosts, now is it? She's sent to a group home following a pretty scary incident at school revolving around, you guessed it...ghosts, and Lyle House is not your typical "rehabilitation" facility for troubled teens. She's introduced to her "house mates" and although reluctant to make friends and trust her "crazy" fellow inmates, Chloe quickly learns to befriend some of her co-residents.

Along the way Armstrong unfolds a mystery that still has me thinking. This is a mega-mystery, a conspiracy and an all out complex puzzle that will keep all readers guessing and questioning everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) the whole way through. The ending was also a turn of events I did not see coming for all the world, whoa! is all I can say! I love when an author can keep me entertained and not frustrated with the lack of answers, but instead has me chomping at the bit and flying through the pages to know more, more, more. I'm officially a Kelley Armstrong fan and I'm going straight to the bookstore to pick up The Awakening (Darkest Powers, #2) to see where the fun and mystery goes from here.

Reader reviewed by JG

Chloe Saunders is fifteen and going to a fine arts school, when one day she sees the ghost of a man with his face burned off. She screams causing a fit and ends up being sent to a group home for troubled teens called Lyle house. When she sees another ghost there she goes to  the phyciatrist at lyle house and he diagnoses her with schizophrenia. But when things start happening with herself, and other students that just isnt right, she begins to wonder if somethings up with lyle house....
I absolutly LOVED this book! it was amazing to just see how the story unravelled. I would recomend this book to anyone who loves urban fantasy, like talking to ghosts, wherewolves, half demons,etc. The twists and turns in this book are unbelievable! You will never want to put it down. The second book in the series was amazing to and you will really learn to love the characters. The third book is coming out soon and i can hardly wait! if you want to learn more, kelley armstrong has a website so check it out! Im sixteen and i love these books so im sure they would be good for a lot of teens too

Reader reviewed by Jenn M.

The first thing I have to say is, NOOOOOOOOOOoOOooooooOOO!  You cant stop there!  This book ended too soon for me!  From just reading the back cover, I wasn't sure I wanted to read this book.  The whole "I see dead people" thing didn't really appeal to me.  I'm SO glad I did pick it up! 

Chloe Saunders is seeing ghosts. Everyone, including Chloe herself, thinks she is crazy, schizophrenic to be exact. She is sent to live in a group home for teenagers with mental illness. She begins to believe she isnt so crazy after all.  There is something strange happening to her, and in the group home in general.  While she is there, she befriends other teens with odd symptoms as well and makes an enemy of one moody, disturbed girl.

I loved Chloes inner monologue (dialogue?!?! Not sure which word I want to use there!). It read with lots of sarcasm and self-doubt. It made Chloe very likable as a character. Her comments and her unwillingness to accept that she is actually seeing ghosts makes her believable. I hate when you read a story and someone just accepts something paranormal without doubt. Would anyone really do that in real life? I think not! You would think you are crazy, dreaming, drinking too much coffee&.anything before you believed it was ghosts or werewolves or zombies!

I really am looking forward to reading the second book in the series, The Awakening. I hope it is as action-packed as the first book.  It feels good to be back in my normal reading routine!

~Jenn

ISBN 978-0-06-145054-9

390 Pages Paperback Edition (Really!?!?!  It didnt seem that long at all!  I thought it was much shorter)

Published 2008 by Harper Collins (Harper Teen)

Reader reviewed by Lizzy

The past few books that I've read have had paranormal themes, and this
book was no exception. Despite that, however, this story felt very
refreshing and unique. Chloe has moved in with her aunt Lauren, and
after being "attacked" by a ghost (and struggling with a teacher), she
is sent to the Lyle home. I find places that seem perfect are usually
anything but (i.e evil teachers, killer neighbors, Stepford Wives,
etc.). So, of course this "home" was filled with secrets (and...the
description on the back of the book gave it away). As a psychology
student I found this place really interesting (and suspicious). A place
that is really quick to diagnose and prescribe medication? Chloe was
there a day before they labeled her with mild schizophrenia and gave
her drugs to stop the hallucinations.

At first I thought the
story was going to be predictable, but I never could have guessed how
the book would end. In fact, I ended up finishing the book in the early
hours of the morning because I had
to know what was going to happen. I'm looking forward to Book 2: The
Awakening (I almost gave in and bought it last week, despite the fact
that I am trying not to buy anything until I finish my huge TBR pile).
I'm hoping to get a little bit more information on Chloe's parents, and
also to see the characters again (hopefully exacting revenge on a few,
less savory, characters).

Reader reviewed by Sara

From the back cover: She sees dead people and they see her. Chloe Saunders used to have a pretty normal life. But that changed on the day and she met her first ghost. Locked up in Lyle House, a group home for troubled teens, she finds out theres more to the homes teen residents than meets the eye. Will Chloe be able to uncover the dangerous secrets of Lyle House& or will its skeletons come back to haunt her?

Favorite characters, quotes/lines: Chloe: I liked her, but sometimes I was disappointed in her (like her judging Derek by his unconventional looks), but she got much, much better towards the end; Derek: I liked that he had surprising depths, definitely one of my favorite characters; Simon: he was definitely the lighter character in the book he wasnt as intense as the other characters, like Derek

When I finished this book I felt: At first, I wasnt sure if I liked it, but then I got further into it and I didnt want to put it down. It left me wanting to go out right away and get The Awakening, the next book in the series. The characters, all in their young teens (15 and 16) were a bit of a negative for me at first, but they didnt really act that young most of the time and I liked that. It just would have been better if the author made them 17 and older. I liked the mystery aspect of the book. And it reminded me of one of my absolute favorite shows: Supernatural! Derek and Simon are brothers, just like the main characters Sam and Dean in the show and the first season was spent looking for their father in both the book and the show.

Other books to read by this author: The Awakening (Darkest Powers bk 2)

I would recommend this book to: Fans of Supernatural Young Adult fiction

Reader reviewed by Erica

The Summoning
Kelley Armstrong

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 ghostand 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.

The Summoning was an amazing start to the Darkest Powers series. You see Chloe Saunders (the main character) go through all sorts of twists and turns without ever really going ok, I know what's going to happen next. I found myself reading straight through, so captivated by the story. Kelley Armstrong really draws you into the book, and keeps you there.  
All the characters are definately relatable, which adds so much more to a book. With every character there's a piece that you can say, that's me or that's so and so.  This is a book where you really grow attached to characters.
 
I think the ending of the book is my favorite part. Kelley Armstrong leaves you with this amazing cliffhanger that I thought was just the perfect ending.

This is definately a must read!