The Summoning (Darkest Powers, Book 1) [Hardcover]

Kelley Armstrong (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2008

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up—A well-written opening to a paranormal series. Chloe, 15, has the ability to see dead people, but before she can figure out what is happening, she has a breakdown, is diagnosed with schizophrenia, and placed in a group home. She befriends some of the teens at Lyle House and tries to accept her treatment. However, two of her more mysterious housemates suggest that maybe she isn't crazy. Derek tells her to look up necromancy on the Internet, and she finds out that it's the ability to communicate with the spirits of the dead. He appears to have superstrength, and his foster brother has magical powers. Chloe's roommate, who causes things to fly around the room when she becomes angry, is taken away to a hospital and never heard from again. When she returns in Chloe's visions, Chloe suspects foul play, a misgiving confirmed when the dead speak to her again and reveal that they were "supernaturals" who were experimented on, killed, and buried in the home's basement many years before. Together with her new friends, Chloe escapes Lyle House, only to be betrayed. This suspenseful novel sets up a secret underworld where some people support and help supernaturals, while others persecute them. Armstrong combines bits of horror, teen relationships, and a dash of mystery to create a page-turner. Readers will look forward to the next installment.—Corinda J. Humphrey, Los Angeles Public Library
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Review

“Teen readers might scream loud enough to raise the dead. ” (Kirkus Reviews (Starred review) )

“Suspenseful, well-written and engaging.” (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) )

“...splendidly haunting, with hair-raising suspense, disturbing effects, and a running undercurrent of unease.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st Printing edition (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061662690
• ISBN-13: 978-0061662690
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (202 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm married with three kids and live in rural Ontario, Canada. After graduating with a degree in psychology, I switched gears and studied computer programming. Currently, I'm a full-time writer and parent. Could I make this section any more dull? Probably not.