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A review by queer_bookwyrm
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3 ⭐ CW: suicide, mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc.), Youth group home/force hospitalization, descriptions of corpses, descriptions of blood and gore, emotional abuse, Harry Potter references
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong is the first book in the Darkest Powers series. I went in knowing nothing about this book, which is why I mistakenly included this book in my witch stack. Instead we have necromancy. This book was released in 2008 so there are some dated references. This was a good read for Spooky season, but I think I would have enjoyed this more when it came out when I was actually in high school (holy sh*t I'm old).
We follow Chloe Saunders as she realizes she sees ghosts and can talk to them, but has been sent to a group home for teens with mental illnesses. She finds out that her diagnosis is wrong and that she is actually a necromancer, and she's not the only one at Lyle House with peculiar abilities. Lyle House is more than it seems.
The premise is certainly interesting and I like the different take from magic school to magic mental institution (although I feel like this could be problematic). The pacing in places was a bit weird. The beginning was slow then everything happened all at once and we end on a cliffhanger. I also found Chloe to be kind of annoying, I get that she's a late bloomer and sheltered a bit, but she still read younger than 15 to me. We do get an MC with a stutter.
This was a good read for Spooky season, but I don't think I'm interested enough to read the rest of the series.
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong is the first book in the Darkest Powers series. I went in knowing nothing about this book, which is why I mistakenly included this book in my witch stack. Instead we have necromancy. This book was released in 2008 so there are some dated references. This was a good read for Spooky season, but I think I would have enjoyed this more when it came out when I was actually in high school (holy sh*t I'm old).
We follow Chloe Saunders as she realizes she sees ghosts and can talk to them, but has been sent to a group home for teens with mental illnesses. She finds out that her diagnosis is wrong and that she is actually a necromancer, and she's not the only one at Lyle House with peculiar abilities. Lyle House is more than it seems.
The premise is certainly interesting and I like the different take from magic school to magic mental institution (although I feel like this could be problematic). The pacing in places was a bit weird. The beginning was slow then everything happened all at once and we end on a cliffhanger. I also found Chloe to be kind of annoying, I get that she's a late bloomer and sheltered a bit, but she still read younger than 15 to me. We do get an MC with a stutter.
This was a good read for Spooky season, but I don't think I'm interested enough to read the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Mental illness, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Blood
Minor: Child abuse