The Summoning by Kelley Arstrong, Doubleday Canada, 2008

To say Kelley Armstrong is my favorite supernatural writer would be like saying chocolate tastes ok. I love Kelley and was thrilled beyond to discover that she has embarked on a YA trilogy called The Darkest Powers. The first book, The Summoning, was everything I have come to expect from Armstrong: well written with great characters, wonderful elements of the supernatural and only a touch of romance.

The book takes place in a home for mentality unstable teens and Chloe Saunders is sent there after she starts seeing dead people. But all is not quite what it seems and maybe the teens at Lyle House aren't all that crazy.

This book has all the typical elements of a good YA book. There is the good girl protagonist, the bad girl antagonist, a potential love interest and distrustful adults. But Armstrong writes in a slightly darker and more ominous tone than some of her contemporaries and that makes The Summoning stand out. Also, Chloe does not come off as a “Why me?” constantly whining lead as some other heroines in other series, which is one of the many reasons that I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy.