Review: The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

The Summoning (Darkest Powers #1) by Kelley Armstrong
Format: paperback
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: January 8, 2013

Darkest Powers
1. The Summoning - Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle
2. The Awakening
3. The Reckoning
Bonus Pack 1 (#0.5, 1.5, 2.5)
Bonus Pack 2 (#3.5, 3.6)

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
Darkness Rising
1. The Gathering

Kelley Armstrong
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

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.

My Thoughts: Oh, my GLOB! I love this series so hard! SO HARD! It's been ages since I read it and now all these feelings are coming back to me. Chloe! Derek! Simon! Evil Tori! LIZ! If we can calculate my love for this series by the number of exclamation points I just threw down, I LOVE IT TONS! *throws in some fangirl flail for good measure*

I want to start with the characters... Chloe is very appealing to me. She's not over-the-top brave when the book starts. She's a sweet girl who likes movies and isn't very remarkable. Then THINGS HAPPEN. Suddenly she's thrown into a situation that is very, very, VERY different from anything she's ever had to deal with. She blossoms as she comes to terms with what's happening to her. For the love of small furry animals, she stands up to Derek -- and he's a little rough around the edges at first glance.

Derek... I kinda love the guy. I love that he's not the most sociable. He's smart enough to find the answers but he doesn't know when to stop pushing and let people come to grips with things in their own time. He's fiercely protective, which comes across as dangerous and surly to people who don't know him. When Chloe takes a chance and begins to trust him, he adds her to his pack. It's really kind of sweet.

Simon... I like the guy, don't get me wrong, but he's a pale shadow next to Derek. Simon is charming and funny. He has some magical skill and he's as protective of Derek as Derek is of him. But... I'm smitten with Derek and his surly attitude and Simon just doesn't measure up.

I (honest to gosh and all sorts of other things) ADORE this series. I love the twists and the turns, the betrayals and the bonds that are forged. I love that Chloe has to face some hard truths and that the boys are there to give her a bit of guidance.

I will be rereading the rest of this series soooooon.