The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong


Hi there, everyone!
I chose to start off with this book because I think this (together with it's sequel, The Awakening,) is an incredible book, and it needs some more love.
The story starts off with a girl, Chloe Saunders, who attends a special theatre-oriented school, as she wants to be a movie director. But, things start to get different when a janitor, horribly burned and destroyed yet still walking, tries to strike up a conversation with her; however, Chloe is the only one who can see him.
She's sent to Lyle House, a home for 'mentally ill' children who need counseling, but after being at the house for not long, Chloe starts to realize that it's not the kind of home that she (and her 'inmates') thought it would be.

First off, the plot.
Honestly, this plot is one of few nowadays that are completely unique and can house so many plot twists and turns, it makes you excited. For example, who's Dr. Davidoff? How did all of these kids with so much in common get sent to the same place? What about Liz and Tori, what are they?
In my opinion, the storyline is amazing.

Next, the characters.
Now, when we think of a book like this, we think of the lead character being the damsel in distress all the time, with beautiful, flowing locks of BLAH BLAH BLAH.
Chloe, on the other hand, is a shorter-than-average teenager with strawberry blonde hair and a haircut that she thought would make her look older, but which only makes her look younger. She also has tomato-red streaks in her hair, aspires to be a movie director, and relates everything to a movie dialogue.
I don't think she fits the 'damsel in distress' role too well, except maybe when Derek's around, but that's not on purpose.
Now, her other 'pals' in the home. Derek, Simon, Liz, Rae, and Tori. Each with their own interesting abilities, much like Chloe and seeing... things.
If ever one would find a more diverse cast, please tell me, mmk?
Let's see here... Derek, the huge, slightly-emo one with a bad case of puberty all over his face and his body odour. Simon, his foster brother, the half-Asian half-Swedish one with naturally blonde hair. Liz, the blonde-yet-not-blonde one with a poltergeist. Rae, the slightly overweight anime-crazed pyromaniac. And finally, Tori, the rich and snobby one who doesn't have blonde hair, or long hair for that matter, or is exceptionally pretty/skinny anyways.
I have to admit, I was slightly dissappointed that there was the classic 'cute guy that the main character likes', aka Simon, or that there was a rich snobby girl, but we can't have everything perfect, can we, now?

And finally, the writing style.
Now, the style is first-person, in Chloe's POV throughout the whole thing.
Normally, first-persons kinda make me think that they may not be as good as other POVs, but this one changed my mind.
I found the writing style... really colourful. Now, I'm an online text-based roleplayer, so I know the difference between a really interesting post and a really dull one.
This book woulc be a really interesting post. It's kinda hard to explain to non-RPers, but I found it really fun and interesting and made me finish it in about a day.

I think the only cons of the book would be the few character flaws and some points that kind of droned a bit (well, then again, I'm a Derek fan, so anything with Simon was like that for me... heh), so I'm gonna give the book an 8.9/10.
I thought it was incredible, but not quite a 9, just cos I think it's sequel takes that spot fair and square.
:)

Pip pip,
-sami

Next Book: The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

Thought it would be fitting to introduce myself :)
Hello!
I'm Sami.
But you can call me Sami.

I love books a LOT, which is why I created this journal, to review books.

I also love anime and manga, and also art, which is why I'll also sometimes be reviewing these as well as rising artists I've met on dA.
Hope you guys read my reviews, and please tell me if they made you want to go and pick up one of the books! If I can get at least one person to be able to enjoy a book because of me, then my job here will be done.
I won't leave, though, so don't worry! Lol.

See you guys soon!

(Oh, and at the end of each review, I'll hopefully post the title of my upcoming review. If you want me to review a book, I'll read just about anything that's under $50 and isn't the rarest thing on earth. Well, maybe I would. Lol. So, without further ado...)

Next Review: The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Ciao,
-sami