The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Synopsis:
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 Review:
This book was good! I was not sure what to expect because I had not heard anything about the story, only that it was a popular series. I was surprised to discover what it was about because the cover is somewhat misleading making me expect something along the lines of a “Beautiful Creatures” story line. It was more like X-Men and or a comic strip with kids dealing with supernatural powers and an opposing group trying to experiment on them and bring them down. I really loved it and it was leaps and bounds better than another book I finished.

Although Chloe is only 15 she considers the impact her actions will make and explores the conflict raging inside her because of her supernatural abilities. I like the way Chloe thinks by picturing different scenarios from a film director’s point of view which adds a creative flare and imaginative element to her character. While the story itself slowly builds up to the climax at the end, I enjoyed that aspect because too many times I feel the plot is rushed to get to the action sequences which I think does a disservice to the characters and their development.

The romantic relationship between Derek and Chloe was not as obvious in this book and that’s a real change because many times I am easily able to pick it out and I liked not knowing. I also appreciated the author not making these characters seem perfect because they have supernatural abilities. These teenagers deal with real teenage issues like acne and seeking approval from not only their peers but their parents while dealing with having a “mental illness” and having to cope with that truth or in these case, that lie. This one was a page turner for me and I can’t wait for the next one!