The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Title: The Summoning

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Genre: Young Adult; Urban Fantasy

Published: 3rd of July 2008

Pages: 390 (U.K. edition)

How did I get it? Picked it up while staying in Dublin last year.

Plot (From the back of the book):

All Chloe Saunders wants is a life like any other normal teenager – the chance to get through school, make friends, and maybe meet a boy. But when she starts seeing ghosts, she knows that life will never be normal again.

Soon the ghosts are everywhere, demanding her attention. When Chloe finally breaks down, she’s admitted to a group home for disturbed kids. At first Lyle House seems okay, but as she gets to know the other patients – charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek; obnoxious Tori; and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire – Chloe begins to realise that something strange and sinister binds them all together and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour.

And they are about to discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home, either…

As you may, or may not, have noticed I got this book quite awhile ago. And I also read it quite awhile ago, however I’m not actually writing a review of a book I read awhile ago, in fact, I wrote a review of the book on Goodreads just a day after I got it from the bookstore and read it the summer when me and my father travelled through Ireland. I was thinking about which book I was going to choose as the first book to review to kick this blog off, and then I remembered; I’d written one review on Goodreads, my first review there in fact, about a book while I really loved. Why not start off with that? Especially if I planned to review it’s sequel at any rate?


Which is why I dug up, and dusted off (i.e. corrected a bit of grammar) the review I wrote back in 2008. It’s not the most glorious or most detailed, which is why I’ll be going a bit more in-depth this time around, but first, I’m going to start off by showing you the review I wrote back then;

Reading this book made me clench my jaw so much it’s still hurting several hours later. Although the story is not a standalone, it really left me with a bone chilling feeling and I truly can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Chloe’s a young girl struggling with her new found power, Lyle House and her housemates, the setting itself is filled with teenage hormones and jealousy. It’s filled with mysteries and no one seems to be what they appear,this is especially true for her housemates. We join Chloe as she uncovers the secrets of Lyle House as well as a few secrets belonging to her housemates.

I read this book in one sitting because it sucked me in and left me whimpering for more at the end. It really is an amazing book and I truly recommend it, especially if you’re read books such as Tithe by Holly Black, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Vampire Academy by Rachelle Mead or Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. It may also appeal to readers who’ve enjoyed the Twilight series although this book is a bit tougher and probably not suited for younger readers. (Although that’s a decision the parent’s have to make I guess)

It will most likely also appears to fan of horror, even if the horror-element is less in-your-face in The Summoning than it is in No Humans Involved.

It’s not necessarily the most descriptive of reviews, but I do stand by what I wrote then. The Summoning is a fast-paced young adult novel with a dash of speculative fiction, a big spoonful of urban fantasy, a tea-spoon of horror and a whole lot of fun.

It is about the young girl Chloe, who’s trying to fit in at school and do as much movie-stuff as she can manage. Chloe, you see, is a huge movie buff and occasionally she tries to describe her life as it would have been shown in a movie. She’s quirky, she’s funny and she sees ghosts. Yeah, that’d probably ruin anyone’s teen years, bad hair days, acne, stupid boys? Try ghosts creeping up on you out of nowhere and finding yourself put into a home for “disturbed kids” because your dad, your friends and your school think you’re a nutcase.

And you thought finding out that you had spinach stuck between your teeth while on a date with that hot hunk was bad?

Chloe arrives to a houseful of strange kids. Really strange kids. Kids who’re there for all sort of reasons (that aren’t always very clear). There’s the fun and outgoing Simon, and the quirky and amusing (albeit also creepy) Rae, the spoiled and brattish Tori and the quiet, mean and quite nasty Derek. However, they’re not all what they seem. Derek for example, might be a very nasty guy to most, but he’s without doubt 100% dedicated to his brother’s safety and will do anything (including manipulating and using others) to keep him safe and out of danger. Rae is an odd one because she doesn’t have a gift, at least, she doesn’t have one clearly apparent. She does however have a “thing” for fire and she does tell Chloe that she has fire-related abilities. However, few believe Rae because there’s no real proof of it.

This crowd of misfits are stuck with a bunch of adults who’re apparently quite convinced that these teens are off their rocker, insane, they belong to the loony bin. At least, that’s how it appears at first. Very quickly Chloe begins to realise that something isn’t quite right, one of the girls who were there when she first arrived called Liz, suddenly disappears and no one will tell her why. She discovers that Liz isn’t the only “patient” who’ve disappeared without a clue. The staff tells the “patients” that Liz has been sent home, but when Liz suddenly appears one night, Chloe realises that something is awfully wrong with Lyle house.

And so Chloe’s journey for answers begin, a journey that will lead her into even more danger than before and end up dragging Derek, Rae, Simon and Tori with her. As Chloe searched for answers, more and more clues appear as to what might have happened to previous inhabitants of Lyle House.

The Summoning is the sort of book that make you clench your teeth together so hard it’ll hurt afterwards. From start to end the novel carries an ominous feel to it, a feeling of danger and creepiness that lies just outside Chloe’s perception and it makes you turn page after page trying to discover what is going on. As Chloe tries to piece together what is going on, you’ll find yourself doing the exact same thing, using the clues and hints to try and piece together what is going on and while your mind struggles with that your pulse begin to rise as you realise what is going on.

It’s creepy, it’s fast-paced (but nicely so, it does not feel like half the novel is missing), it’s humorous and it’s clever – in short; it’s a really amazing book similar to Armstrong’s adult series, Women of the Otherworld. While some might think it’s an adult Urban Fantasy(and/or Paranormal Romance) masquerading as a young adult novel, Chloe’s voice, thoughts and concerns is that of a teenager, a teenager caught in a mess that’s scary and big. The same goes for the other characters, they’re all teenagers and they’re believable teenagers which teenage concerns (Tori demanding presents for doing well) and thoughts (cute guys, anyone?) as well as a real dose of something else. They’re teens with powers, but they’re also very real characters with their own opinions, concerns and feelings. They’re not merely aged-down Urban Fantasy heroines and heroes but strong and independent characters with their own goals and struggles.

While some might feel that The Summoning is more of a “girl” type of book, I do think male readers (teenagers or adults) will like it as well. There’s enough action in it to make it worth the read at least. Readers who enjoy crime, speculative fiction, Urban Fantasy and darker stories will probably find something enjoyable in this book. I personally loved it, from beginning to end it was an amazing read and a book that I’ve re-read since I first read it.

If you’ve read The Summoning and enjoyed it and you’re wondering whether or not to pick up Armstrong’s other books; do so, trust me, you’ll thank me for that later. Personally my first encounter with Armstrong was through Bitten which I got from London Dungeon in the summer of 2004. I quickly got the subsequent books (you don’t have to read these books in order, the main character switches, though it might be a good idea to try and read the first novel that the character starred in first, to get familiar with them) and at present my favourite books written by Armstrong are; No Humans Involved, Bitten, The Summoning and Dime Store Magic, in that order.

If you enjoy Kim Harrison, Melissa Marr, Karen Chance, Carrie Vaughn, Laruell K. Hamilton, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan or Patricia Briggs (I could list even more authors, but this is getting long), chances are you’ll love Kelley Armstrongs books as well. I can’t vouch for the Nadia Stafford books, but I can promise you that her Women of the Otherworld series is well worth a read!

Five notes.