The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

A Spoiler Free Review

The Summoning was definitely a book. It wasn't slow but it also wasn't the best thing ever. It was just kind of there... like, literally the tension in the book starts around the 75% mark aaand then it just ends abruptly. I'm sitting here thinking I've got 10 more pages left in this book and I'm going to finish before bed only to have less than a page. I'm not confused by this, just kind of like "what?"

I didn't not enjoy The Summoning. It was alright. I probably would have actually enjoyed it when I was younger. Right now, though, it's a just kind of "meh" book. Armstrong's writing definitely gets better later on in her career, but that just isn't here. Chloe is definitely no Elena.

Speaking of Chloe (the main character, if you weren't already aware), she is a blank slate. It's lamp-shaded at one point, even. Chloe is self-aware about her lack of actual personality. While it does allow the reader to kind of map their own personality onto Chloe, it really doesn't help flavor the story. There are points where Chloe is clever, but those are few and far between. She's also a complete novice at her powers, not even knowing she had them until, ya know, the inciting incident. I'm not real sure what to think of her, really.

The side characters aren't really fleshed out much better. Liz is barely there, Rae is vaguely puppy-ish, Simon's hard to get an actual read on, and Derek reminds me some of Clay Danvers from Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. A little. Tori gets a little more characterization, but it's through a mother-daughter spat thing that happens later in the book... basically no one really has an actual personality, in my opinion. I really hope that changes later in the series. Yes, I do intend to continue on.

Like I said, not really a stunning piece of work, but not entirely bad, either. The Summoning didn't really offend me and I do have hopes Darkest Powers will get better. I do enjoy Armstrong's other work, the world of which is clearly getting ground work in this series. (EDIT) And of course I do my research after posting this... The Summoning was apparently published around the same time as Personal Demon and Living with the Dead. So, yeah, still really hoping Darkest Powers gets better than this first outing, cuz I know Armstrong does better than this.