The Summoning

Darkest Powers, Book 1

By: Kelley Armstrong

Narrated by: Cassandra Morris

Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's 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."

©2008 KLA Fricke, Inc. (P)2008 HarperCollins Publishers

Suspense!

As all Armstrongs books, this story is well written with plot twists and surprises. It is created for the YA market but it can be enjoyed by adults as well. It is the most suspenseful of all the authors books that I have read. The story is fast paced and the characters are multifaceted and appealing. Chloe is a very likeable and sassy heroine. I was only disappointed by the major cliffhanger ending. Now I have to wait until May for the next step in the story. It is too long to wait!

Good but what was up with that ending?

I like the promise of this series and, although the reader sounded so young, it was well read. But, man, that ending. It was very end of season cliffhanger. "the next season is so far away!" I wailed, and then realized that I hadn't been watching television.

Good start

Since I love Kelley's "woman of the otherworld" series, I have been interested in this book, her new YA novel. I decided to try it in Audio books before reading it. Sometimes I found the narrator annoying, but that is because she DOES sound like what I imagine a teenager might sound like. Thus the main character's fear and confusion in finding out her supernatural talents sounded more genuine.
If you like supernatural YA novel but want a book without overly girly romanticism, you will enjoy the series. I wish I had series like this when I was in junior high!

Great pre-teen book

The story is great for kids in the pre-teen to 14 age range, but not so much for older teens. The character development is pretty limited and the protagonist is a bit of a wuss. This would work well for kids who are in their awkward stages, but too shallow for kids who are ready to face any challenge.

Impressive

I have read all of Kelley Armstrong's adult books and have to say that I almost enjoyed this a little more. The narration was good and the book kept you on your toes. Her characters were, as always, very intriguing. This is a good listen and I can't wait for the second installment next year.

a new take on "teen-supernatural angst"

This trilogy was a fun listen. It moved along quickly, but there was plenty of explanation for new developments and enough plot to hold everything together. Ms. Armstrong is quite a skilled writer.

I liked the characters. I am a parent and taught middle school and high school for a number of years and these characters acted like real teens, rather than cardboard imitations. They all had likeable, but human characters with believable flaws. The idea of teens with out of control supernatural powers worked really well as a metaphor for the intense feelings that young people go through as they become adults.

The reader was an excellent choice for this story. Her voice is high, like that of a young girl, but expressive. She did a good job of differentiating between the various voices in the story.

Potential buyers should be aware that this trilogy feels more like one long book that has been broken into a trilogy in order fit into the current trend. The books really don't stand alone and I would have been frustrated if they were not all available.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys supernatural fiction or a good story about how hard it is to grow up and figure out who you are.

one of my fav's

this may be a young adult series, but i like it better than a lot of the adult series in this genre. it's even a pretty good mystery too. if you like paranormal fiction (witches, werewolves, ect.) then you will most likely love this book. i also love the narrator. one of my top 5 narrator/story combos

Great Narrator

Good book, great narrator!

Good Start To The Series

Entertaining story. It took some time for me to get used to the narrator's voice. Too "child-like" for me and it didn't seem to match the character's age in the story. It would have been better if the narrator was actually in the 16-18 yr. age range

pleasent surprise

I have a system of picking books it's simply I look at the cover and if it appeals to me I get it..I rearly read the back of a book for fear i'll decide it's no good or predict the ending. After buying the book I found out it was for YA(young adult) meaning no sex...but I was pleasently suspried...I enjoyed the book now I can't wait for book 3. It reminds me a little of twilight which I also enjoyed. My system still works:)