Review: The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Book one in the Darkest Powers Trilogy

About The Summoning

After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.

At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either…

Source: Goodreads

Review

I'd considered starting this series for awhile but I just didn't get around to it before now.
I finally read book one The Summoning and I'm really happy that I did. It's a good book.

As it often is with a first book in a series there's a lot of background information and I felt that the first 2/3 of the book moved very slow, but the last 1/3 was great, really tense and with a lot of suspense.

In the beginning of the book I felt like the langueid was a little to young for me and I was afraid that I couldn’t get into the story when the main character Chloe Saunder acted in a way I had a hard time following but it approved through the book and the characters grow on me over time and I ended up liking the story and the characters.

I feel like this book left a lot of unanswered questions, I know that's what series do but I don't feel like I got enough from this book.

The book ends with a big cliff hanger and I'm very interested to know what happens in the next book.

I give The Summoning 3 out of 5.

Next in the series:
2# The Awakening
3# The Reckoning

100+ Fantastic Followers!

 


I made it! 100 followers’ wow that's a big milestone for me.
When I started this blog a little over a month and a half ago I never thought that people would be interested in what I had to say.

You have all been so sweet and supportive and I really feel welcome in the book blogging community and it sometimes feels like being a part of one big family.

I can't thank you enough for being here and making my life a little better each day, it's so wonderful to log on and find a comment from someone.

I have found so many fantastic blogs, great authors, awesome books and more because of you.
It has been a great experience for me and I look forward to all the great people and blogs I'm sure I will meet/find in the future.

Thank you!

Cover art (8)

This cover looks great and I really look forward to this anthology some of my favourite authors have a story in this book.
I like how the colours are used on this cover. The title and the mist around the girl makes this book look very mysterious.

List of stories and authors:
Giovanni’s Farewell by Claudia Gray
Scenic Route by Carrie Ryan
IV League by Margaret Stohl
Red Run by Kami Garcia
Things About Love by Jackson Pearce
Niederwald by Rachel Vincent
--- by Melissa Marr
Facing Facts by Kelley Armstrong
Let’s Get This Undead Show on the Road by Sarah Rees Brennan
Bridge by Jeri Smith-Ready
Skin Contact by Kimberly Derting
Leaving by Ally Condie
At the Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show by Jessica Verday
Gargouille by Mary E. Pearson
The Third Kind by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Automatic by Rachel Caine

The release date is September 20, 2011

New cover from Nalini Singh, Lord of the Abyss this is book 4 in the Royal House of Shadows series.

I like purple in a cover great colour and the model....need I say more;-)

Expected publication: December 2012

About Lord of the Abyss
Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out.…

As the dark Lord who condemns souls to damnation in the Abyss, Micah is nothing but a feared monster wrapped in impenetrable black armor. He has no idea he is the last heir of Elden, its last hope. Only one woman knows—the daughter of his enemy.

Liliana is nothing like her father, the Blood Sorcerer who'd cursed Micah. She sees past Micah’s armor to the prince inside. A prince whose sinful touch she craves. But first she has to brave his dark, dangerous lair and help him remember. Because they only have till midnight to save Elden.

What do you think about these covers?
Do you look forward to these?

"Waiting On" Wednesday (4) Lover Unleashed and City of Fallen Angels

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


My picks this week are:

Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward
(Black Dagger Brotherhood #9)
Expected publication: March 29th 2011

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, warrior cloth as her brother: A fighter by nature, and a maverick when it comes to the traditional role of Chosen females, there is no place for her on the Far Side… and no role for her on the front lines of the war, either.

When she suffers a paralyzing injury, human surgeon Dr. Manuel Manello is called in to treat her as only he can- and he soon gets sucked into her dangerous, secret world. Although he never before believed in things that go bump in the night- like vampires- he finds himself more than willing to be seduced by the powerful female who marks both his body and his soul.

As the two find so much more than an erotic connection, the human and vampire worlds collide … just as a centuries old score catches up with Payne and puts both her love and her life in deadly jeopardy.


City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
(The Mortal Instruments #4)
Expected publication: April 5th 2011

City of Fallen Angels is the fourth book in the bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.

“City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever. Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.


What are you waiting for this week?
Leave your links and I will check them out:-)

Teaser Tuesday (5)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!
Read more about Teaser Tuesdays HERE. 

Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This weeks teasers:

"He didn't have to call me here. I'm honor-bound to fight - for the House and for him - and I will."
P. 311 "Some Girls Bite" by Chloe Neill.

He looked straight at her and in the depths of those green irises she saw an unspoken comfirmation: he knew.
P. 210 "The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance" story: Grace of Small Magics by Ilona Andrews.

Fast Forward (5)

This week I'm going to get a visit from Adrian Phoenix the author of the Maker's Song series on wednesday, It's my first interview and I hope you will stop by and say hi.

I also hope to get my reviews up of Hunger and Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler.

I started a reread of the Chicagoland Vampires so I'm ready to review Hard Bitten, I love this series!

What are you going to read this week?

In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created and hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren for bloggers to show all of the great books or book related things that you have gotten over the past week!  It can be books bought, gotten from the library, received for review ect.
Go HERE to read more about IMM.


Won

Hard Bitten ARC, thank you so much Chloe Neill for writing such amazing books I love that it's signed and I can't wait to read it!

Hellforged by Nancy Holzner
Thank you so much Rob (RK Charron) from Fictionall I'm so excited to read this one and I need to get my fingers on book one soon.


Brought

Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill
Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill
(Now I can reread all of them and review them on my blog)

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
(I hope to get a review up of this one soon)

Firelight by Sophie Jordan
(I have heard a lot of great things about this series and I look forward to read this book)

What did you get in your mailbox this week?