48 Hrs - The Summoning
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
Fifteen year old Chloe, five foot nothing and still being given the kiddie menu in restaurants, would like to shake her life up a bit. But she's thinking more along the lines of dying red streaks in her hair than of starting to see ghosts.
A particularly horrific vision lands her in the hospital, and then a group home for mentally disturbed teenagers, with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. As Chloe gets to know the other kids in the home, particularly the seemingly normal Simon and his frighteningly large, hostile foster brother Derek, it becomes harder to believe that what's happening to her--and perhaps to all of them--is really mental illness. And having supernatural powers might turn out to be far more dangerous.
Narrated by Chloe, The Summoning smoothly blends the everyday and the paranormal as it sets up its supernatural world, with time for reflection and character growth as well as action and horror. Although it has both sad and frightening moments, it isn't particularly emotionally powerful, which makes it harder to ignore that it's also somewhat derivative. (With Chloe a devout Hollywood film buff, the lack of any reference to The Sixth Sense is really an elephant in the room.) But it's an absorbing, increasingly exciting read; even before I reached the cliffhanger ending, I was looking forward to the sequel. (13 & up)
R: 2 hours, 35 minutes
B: 1 hour
RB: 2 minutes
running totals
R: 7 hours
B: 1 hour, 16 minutes
RB: 2 minutes
Fifteen year old Chloe, five foot nothing and still being given the kiddie menu in restaurants, would like to shake her life up a bit. But she's thinking more along the lines of dying red streaks in her hair than of starting to see ghosts.
A particularly horrific vision lands her in the hospital, and then a group home for mentally disturbed teenagers, with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. As Chloe gets to know the other kids in the home, particularly the seemingly normal Simon and his frighteningly large, hostile foster brother Derek, it becomes harder to believe that what's happening to her--and perhaps to all of them--is really mental illness. And having supernatural powers might turn out to be far more dangerous.
Narrated by Chloe, The Summoning smoothly blends the everyday and the paranormal as it sets up its supernatural world, with time for reflection and character growth as well as action and horror. Although it has both sad and frightening moments, it isn't particularly emotionally powerful, which makes it harder to ignore that it's also somewhat derivative. (With Chloe a devout Hollywood film buff, the lack of any reference to The Sixth Sense is really an elephant in the room.) But it's an absorbing, increasingly exciting read; even before I reached the cliffhanger ending, I was looking forward to the sequel. (13 & up)
R: 2 hours, 35 minutes
B: 1 hour
RB: 2 minutes
running totals
R: 7 hours
B: 1 hour, 16 minutes
RB: 2 minutes
Labels: book challenge, YA fantasy
posted by web at 10:48 PM
2Bligs:
I nagged my library to buy it, and am waiting for it to come in. Sounds like an easy sell to paranormal lovers. Doesn't this author also do adult paranormal romance as well?
Yes, though I don't think I've read anything by her. A fair number of adult paranormal authors seem to be branching out into YA right now, I have a Kim Harrison ARC too.
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