Customer Reviews

Echoes in the Dark (The Summoning, Book 5)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This series has a great concept that seemed to get weaker in execution with each book. I found myself disliking the characters I loved in earlier books and uninvolved with the four main characters in this book. Plus it jumped back and forth between the two story lines awkwardly, as soon as you'd get drawn into one it'd switch to the other.

Altogether I gave it three stars since it still wrapped thing up nicely but made me glad this series ended now since each book seems to lose more and more steam from the initial strong, enjoyable book.

I loved the first two books of the series. I hated the third book, disliked the 4th book and didn't like this one either. Why did I read it? Just to find out what happened.

I think the series was supposed to be 6 books but the publisher cut Ms. Owens down to 5. Or at least that's how it felt to me. The book was supposed to be about Jikata and the final battle. Instead the book was 60% Raine, 20% Jikata and 20% everyon/thing else. It just felt like two books were crammed into one. Jikata was the lynchpin of the entire series and we never really got to know her. Instead we had more interaction with Raine and her relationship with Faucon. A relationship that felt cobbled together just to give a popular character a love interest. I didn't root for this pairing. I couldn't understand why Raine was so different from every other Exotique that he was attracted to. I thought Koz would've been a much better match for Raine.

As for the Jikata and Luthan....what the hell? We always knew Luthan was going to end up with an Exotique because of his repulsion to them. But instead of exploring how he was going to overcome that, we had a rushed couple of pages where he felt about hurting Jikata with his revulsion and then he apologized and everyone was happy again.

The relationship between the women got sillier with each new member. They all had cowboy hats, and each woman had to say she felt blessed to have these amazing friends in her life (even after only knowing them a short time), and Alexa and Marion (whom I loved) got annoying with this book. Since when was Alexa always barging in on people? And Marion being so pompous? These were not the characters I got to know in the first two books.

And the repetition! How many times were we told that Jaquar was Marion's husband? So many times I was beginning to wonder if Ms. Owens needed reminding of who all her characters were. It's the 5th book! Readers already know all the main characters and anyone picking up series with the last book is going to expect to not know every character and if they need to be told who each character is every second chapter....they're too stupid for the book and should try something simpler. I just found this took up precious space where we could be getting to know Jikata better.

Spoilers ahead...

As for the final battle....All that build up and...it was ridiculous. Sliding down the mountain on a gong? The men getting a sled and going behind the women? What was that???? Obviously the author lost interest in the plot of her novel and had more interest in the lackluster relationship of Faucan and Raine.

End Spoilers

All in all, I can't believe such a promising series ended so poorly. I guess the author felt the pressure to make her series more "romancy" to fit in with the subgenre of Harlequin. Such a shame. Luna puts out a lot of books that don't fall victim to that trend but I guess this series needed the boost. But I can see from all the positive reviews that I'm in the minority on this one.

Based on the rest of the series, this book fell pretty flat for me. Yes, it resolved. Yes, the characters grew (I guess). But I couldn't help but feel that either the author or her editor just wanted it "done". The other books were detailed and developed sooo well, I had much higher expectations for this one that just weren't met.

Really nice ending to a very interesting series. The last couple of books were definitely lacking in character development. I'm so glad Owens took the time with this novel to really build up her characters. She focused on two characters and their additions to help the cause. I think doing that helped the book keep up the speed to the climax instead of lagging. I think anyone who has been reading this series will find this one very satisfying.

I thought this book was realy great and the writter doese an excelent job tying all of the previouse books together to make for one hell of a final showdown. And might I just add that the end almost made ME want to go sledding....down the side of a volcano actually :o)

I've loved this series ever since I picked it up as a fluke in the bookstore. I've gone back and re-read each book time and again, just getting lost in the stories. I waited - rather impatiently - each time I knew the next in the series was coming out.

I have to say though, that while I enjoyed this book, I do wish that the author had split it into two novels. It seemed to me that it was a bit too cramped and rushed splitting the storyline between the characters of Raine & Jikata. The flow of the book is a bit choppy in places as the reader jumps back and forth between the two plots.

More than worth a read, but I couldn't help but be slightly disappointed.

This book was a great ending to a terrific series. The only this is, I will miss the characters and this other great planet of Lladrana. Can't wait for another new series from this great author.

Four stars for the entire series, overall, it is wonderful. Once you start the first book (Guardian of Honor) you will not be able stop until the end of the story. Three stars for this installment-overall the new Exotiques were unfocused and rushed.

On to the newest Exotique.

Jikata, is a singing sensation from Earth on her way to the very top of her craft. The Singer summons her to Llandra to fight the dark, wrenching her away from all she knows. Her personal story is not very in-depth, but we do learn more about The Singer, her arrogance and her power. Jikata is originally kept separate from the other Exotiques while in training. She treats her summoning to Llandra as a sort of working holiday, then escapes the Singer's Abby to learn more about this new world and her reasons for being in it. When she does meet the other Exotiques, she instantly (and too easily) bonds with them as the sisters she never knew. An obvious love interest evolves that has problems, but is resolved without a great deal of drama.

Pretty much that's it for Jikata. Her task is to defeat the dark and, if she lives, she can return home with the snap. Her decision is left in flux until the end. There was simply not enough detail about her for me to care one way or another.

This novel also gets around to telling the unfinished story of Raine, the exotique who was summoned by the Sea Masters (introduced in the last book). Her task is to build the ship that will take all the combatants to the nest of The Dark. Her "Snap" will come when the boat is finished, then she can decide whether or not she will stay and fight (possibly die), or go back to the family she loves. (No spoilers, folks, her decision is the most difficult among all the Exotiques, and to divulge her choice would be a disservice to other readers who are hooked on this series). Raine gets a better and more intricate story than Jikata, but again not as in-depth as I would have liked.

The real importance of this novel is the final fight of the dark, finding out who will live, who will die. War is hell, Ms. Owens does not stint on the details of the battle, or make it easy. Some of the main characters do not survive. Most questions remaining from the previous novels are answered in full.

Recommended - The final to a good series.

I eagerly awaited the conclusion to this enjoyable series, however I must admit that I was less than satisfied. The first 400 pages of the novel dragged. Perhaps it was because the reader was toggled between the two couples, neither of which I was particularly inspired by. I would have preferred to hear more on the lead characters in the first two books of the series. I finally got involved when they finally began their battle against the dark, but that was short lived and the whole series was completed. I really would have liked to give the book only 3 and one half stars but obviously that option doesn't exist.

In this final book of the Summoning Series, the author does a wonderful job of including all the Exotiques summoned from Earth, including the one who decided not to stay and returned home. Faucon and Raine's relationship is especially touching. Readers will discover the tragic explanation for why the mysterious Singer acts the way she does, and how Jikata's joy of singing is combined with her magical talent in the fascinating country of Lladrana. Making the planet a sentient being who is an integral part of the final confrontation with the Dark made the story particularly enchanting. A very satisfactory ending to a very exciting series.