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The Summoning (Darkest Powers Series #1)

The Summoning - Kelley Armstrong The Summoning: It summoned my interest and held it until the end http://www.smashattackreads.com/2011/10/summoning-it-summoned-my-interest-and.htmlMy Synopsis: Chloe Saunders lost her mother at a young age, and is finally finding some semblance of normality with her way-too-busy-for-her father and very involved aunt. Chloe is enjoying life at art school where she is pursuing her dreams of directing movies, and making friends. However, when puberty brings way more than one girl can handle, Chloe finds herself at Lyle House, a group home for unusual kids.Lyle House is pretty straightforward. You’ve got your fairly normal kids, your I-wouldn’t-want-to-meet-him-in-a-dark-alley types and then you’ve got your serious wackadoos. And then there’s Chloe, someone who really believes that she is sane yet does her best to buy into her diagnosis: schizophrenia. You see, it’s highly frowned upon when one goes about complaining that ghosts are following her and asking for her assistance.However, as the story progresses, and with the help of her housemates, Chloe buys more and more into her ghostly problem. In fact, she’s pretty sure that she’s not crazy, especially after she uncovers some ugly secrets about Lyle House…My interest in the book: I will be honest and state I had no interest in these books, mainly because I just had not taken the time to read about them. I‘ve enjoyed the few books of the author’s Otherworld series that I’ve read, so when Ruby shoved this book down my throat, I was pretty sure it would be great. And great it was.Characters: Chloe was not a very remarkable character in my eyes. I did admire her determination, bravery and compassion for others, though. Simon was a young man who I wanted to get to know immediately, and his brother Derek had my interest piqued from the start. I will state that my guess about him was correct, though I was still shocked. There are other characters that are interesting and play a pivotal role in propelling the story forward.Worldbuilding: I loved this world! The setting of Lyle House was epic. Of course, this is coming from a social worker who works with kids suffering for all kinds of mental health disorders. I was really intrigued by the setting, and I only wish residential homes were as nice to live in. Lyle House is all hunky dory on the outside, but as the story progresses, the characters dig their way through Lyle House’s façade, and those secrets continue to leave me wondering!Lasting Impressions: I really went into this book blindly, as I tend to do with highly recommended or #bookbully books. I’m glad I did because I had no expectations, and the story was able to build and surprise me at every turn. It was fun, interesting and surprised me a time or two. I definitely want to read the next book in the series, because this one ended at a very serious scene!