Review: The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Goodreads Summary:
 
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 strated on the say 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.
 
Publication Date: July 1, 2008
 
I've had this book in my TBR pile for awhile now and finally had a chance to get to it. I'm really glad I did because although I have other books waiting for review, I started the sequel immediately after finishing it. Armstrong created a group of great characters and a plot with plenty of twists and turns.

It's very rare for a paranormal book to freak me out. I usually can read them into the wee hours and sleep soundly. However, this book gave me the chills and I had to switch to lighter reading at night. Armstrong is very talented at writing descriptions that bring you into the scene. I certainly felt as though I could see the same ghosts as Chloe and understand her terror.

After her breakdown, the the first half of the novel is a little slow as we get to know the other residents of Lyle House. This book was mostly focused on Chloe coming to grips with her power and finding out what supernatural abilities the others in the house possess. By far, my favorite characters were Chloe and Derek. Is it weird that I want them together? Although his physical description wasn't appealing, their chemistry was phenomenal. The secondary cast of characters weren't one note and really added to the plot.

The second half was excellent. The pacing picked up and readers become embroiled in the mystery surrounding Lyle House and why a home that's supposed to be for mentally ill teens has so many supernatural residents. A certain betrayal towards the end completely shocked me.

The ending sort of left you hanging and that was one of the reasons I had to keep up with the series. Can't wait to see what happens.

Rating: Five out of five stars