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The Summoner Series #1
Summon
Killewycke Academy holds a dark, dangerous secret—especially for smart, small-town Electra Vance, away from home for the first time. In the Young Adult paranormal romance, Summon, first of The Summoner Series, mystery and love collide when Elle, starting her Senior year at Killewycke, meets beautiful but secretive Sam, who seems inexplicably drawn to her. As their relationship deepens, Elle is haunted by dark nightmares—often involving Sam and one of Killewycke’s more menacing instructors, Marcello Solis. Despite managing school’s tremendous workload, Elle’s safe, rational world begins to crumble when she and Sam discover that an antique box, belonging to her dead father, might be key to a strange ability she’d never known he had. Threatening faculty behavior escalates, as does Sam’s protective devotion, and Elle can’t help wondering if there really are secrets in her family’s past—secrets that would change her life, and her world, forever. And, when her dark dreams begin to come true, Sam fights Killewycke’s secrets—as well as his own—Fate, and Elle’s own stubborn rationality to convince her of her mysterious, inherited power before it’s too late.
Join Elle in Summon as she learns more about love, Sam, her world, her family—even about herself, than only her wildest dreams dared foretell.
Join Elle in Summon as she learns more about love, Sam, her world, her family—even about herself, than only her wildest dreams dared foretell.
304 pages, Paperback
First published November 26, 2013
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 2, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review!
4 Stars!
Hmmm... I certainly didn't know what I was getting myself into with this one.
I guess I'll start off by saying I obviously enjoyed it, hence the four star rating.
I enjoyed the story line. I thought it was original and well written! It definitely had me wanting more.
PROS:
The Imagery was AMAZING! I think my favorite thing about it was the way Meredith described the scenery. I could picture it in my head, and it was breathtakingly beautiful.
The Characters were obviously great. I loved them all! We get to see all of their personalities and how they develop over time. Sam and Elle are phenomenal characters. The author makes sure we fall in love with everything about them.
The Story itself was really really good. Meredith KNOWS HOW TO WRITE! It is very refreshing. I always go into R4R's worrying that I'll have to sit and read something that is just... well... bad. Thank you, Meredith, for not having me go through that.
Like I said earlier, the story is original! It's kind of fast paced. One minute it's the beginning of the year, the next it's four months later. But I will say that it flowed quite nicely! :) I wasn't troubled by it at all.
The story was captivating and will definitely draw you in. Some say it's very slow until the end of the book but I enjoyed the relaxing pace of the novel.
CONS:
The Imagery was not perfect in all areas. There were three things that annoyed me the most.
1. White people in the book are called, "Pale".
The main character is part African American, and part white. Why she insists on calling everyone with white skin "pale", I do not know.
2. I had to hear how beautiful Sam was at least 100 times... pretty much every time we saw him actually.
3. Sam has a growling issue, or so it seems. I get it... he has a rough voice. Sometimes it came across as sexy, but most of the time it was annoying. It was said almost every time Sam spoke. It got to the point where I hated reading that word... growled
There were also some times when I feel like the main character should have cared about things more than she did. It irked me. Like, when someone went missing, I didn't like how it was simply brushed off and almost forgotten.
If you can put the few cons aside, this really is a great book. I mean, I'm the one who listed the cons and i still enjoyed it! :) I can't wait to read book two!
4 Stars!
Hmmm... I certainly didn't know what I was getting myself into with this one.
I guess I'll start off by saying I obviously enjoyed it, hence the four star rating.
I enjoyed the story line. I thought it was original and well written! It definitely had me wanting more.
PROS:
The Imagery was AMAZING! I think my favorite thing about it was the way Meredith described the scenery. I could picture it in my head, and it was breathtakingly beautiful.
The Characters were obviously great. I loved them all! We get to see all of their personalities and how they develop over time. Sam and Elle are phenomenal characters. The author makes sure we fall in love with everything about them.
The Story itself was really really good. Meredith KNOWS HOW TO WRITE! It is very refreshing. I always go into R4R's worrying that I'll have to sit and read something that is just... well... bad. Thank you, Meredith, for not having me go through that.
Like I said earlier, the story is original! It's kind of fast paced. One minute it's the beginning of the year, the next it's four months later. But I will say that it flowed quite nicely! :) I wasn't troubled by it at all.
The story was captivating and will definitely draw you in. Some say it's very slow until the end of the book but I enjoyed the relaxing pace of the novel.
CONS:
The Imagery was not perfect in all areas. There were three things that annoyed me the most.
1. White people in the book are called, "Pale".
The main character is part African American, and part white. Why she insists on calling everyone with white skin "pale", I do not know.
2. I had to hear how beautiful Sam was at least 100 times... pretty much every time we saw him actually.
3. Sam has a growling issue, or so it seems. I get it... he has a rough voice. Sometimes it came across as sexy, but most of the time it was annoying. It was said almost every time Sam spoke. It got to the point where I hated reading that word... growled
There were also some times when I feel like the main character should have cared about things more than she did. It irked me. Like, when someone went missing, I didn't like how it was simply brushed off and almost forgotten.
If you can put the few cons aside, this really is a great book. I mean, I'm the one who listed the cons and i still enjoyed it! :) I can't wait to read book two!
June 6, 2014
*A free copy of this book was sent to me to read for an honest review*
I think I should explain why this book only received three stars and try my utter best to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible. It's not that I disliked Summon, or found it boring, but much of the meat of the book was okay... bearable... However, the last 20 or so pages were completely amazing!
The writing style is passive, you read about the characters doing things instead of them actually doing things, which I really liked. After reading multiple action-packed, fast-paced books, Summon was a breath of fresh air - the reader is allowed to mull over the mysteries uncovered in the book, process them and form theories in their own time without copious amounts of information being thrown at them. I suppose this would just be a matter of preference - some people may prefer to have plot points revealed earlier, others may enjoy the mystery. However, in this book, the mystery is worth the wait. The paranormal aspect was a nice change from the usual vampire/werewolf stuff, and even though it took a while to reveal, it was original and well-thought out.
The tone switches effortlessly from romantic sweetness to dark, gritty tension. The antagonists were creepy, dark and feral. It was actually kind of scary at times. The side characters were fun to read, though their relationships to the protagonist were underdeveloped so some side characters just like they were a means to an end.
However, I LOVED the diversity! Any book gets brownie points for having mixed-race/biracial/POC/etc characters whose struggle with their POC-ness is not the main point of the book.
So I've liked a lot about this book so far, why the three stars? The romance in this story was just so so so unbelievably irksome to read. There was no build up to the relationship, the romance was unrealistic, the power dynamics were skewed and the 'rival' for Elle's affections was laughable.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read, I'm curious about how the paranormal aspect of the book will be developed in the sequel, but the romance was just a bit too heavy handed for my liking.
I think I should explain why this book only received three stars and try my utter best to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible. It's not that I disliked Summon, or found it boring, but much of the meat of the book was okay... bearable... However, the last 20 or so pages were completely amazing!
The writing style is passive, you read about the characters doing things instead of them actually doing things, which I really liked. After reading multiple action-packed, fast-paced books, Summon was a breath of fresh air - the reader is allowed to mull over the mysteries uncovered in the book, process them and form theories in their own time without copious amounts of information being thrown at them. I suppose this would just be a matter of preference - some people may prefer to have plot points revealed earlier, others may enjoy the mystery. However, in this book, the mystery is worth the wait. The paranormal aspect was a nice change from the usual vampire/werewolf stuff, and even though it took a while to reveal, it was original and well-thought out.
The tone switches effortlessly from romantic sweetness to dark, gritty tension. The antagonists were creepy, dark and feral. It was actually kind of scary at times. The side characters were fun to read, though their relationships to the protagonist were underdeveloped so some side characters just like they were a means to an end.
However, I LOVED the diversity! Any book gets brownie points for having mixed-race/biracial/POC/etc characters whose struggle with their POC-ness is not the main point of the book.
So I've liked a lot about this book so far, why the three stars? The romance in this story was just so so so unbelievably irksome to read. There was no build up to the relationship, the romance was unrealistic, the power dynamics were skewed and the 'rival' for Elle's affections was laughable.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read, I'm curious about how the paranormal aspect of the book will be developed in the sequel, but the romance was just a bit too heavy handed for my liking.
May 14, 2015
I received a free copy from the author through the Read4Review program
This is one hard book to review for me. The reason is that the plot would garner a 4 rating from me but the way it's been written (explained later in the review) gets a 3 star rating.
I will divide my views into my likes and dislikes :
Likes :
1. The plot was unique. Only the bare bones of the theme has been introduced in this book. This creates an air of mystery about the story itself.
2. The description was pretty good. It was easy to imagine the goings on at the academy.
3. The cast of characters were not spectacular but okay. The female protagonist, Elle is a normal teenager with her likeable snarkiness and her gushing crush on Sam and the male one, Sam is an unknown quarter. I have my doubts about his humanity. The side characters were more of a filler than an integral part of the tale.
4. The ending was the only part which kept my attention and my heart pumping with adrenaline.
Dislikes :
1. The slow pace of the story tested my patience. There had been a few times that I was tempted to stop reading but the curiosity kept me going.
2. The way Sam was described was a definite turn off. He might be handsome and wonderful but it needn't be informed every time Sam enters the scene. The way Elle gushed over him was also a sour point.
3. Few phrases and words were repetitive and this impacted the story flow.
4. The book cover didn't fit the plot of the book.
So in conclusion, I will say that I might read the next book for the sole purpose of learning more about summoners, guardians and venetors. This could have been a better read in my opinion.
My rating : 3/5
My reread factor : 2/5
Floryie @ http://thebookdrealms.blogspot.com
This is one hard book to review for me. The reason is that the plot would garner a 4 rating from me but the way it's been written (explained later in the review) gets a 3 star rating.
I will divide my views into my likes and dislikes :
Likes :
1. The plot was unique. Only the bare bones of the theme has been introduced in this book. This creates an air of mystery about the story itself.
2. The description was pretty good. It was easy to imagine the goings on at the academy.
3. The cast of characters were not spectacular but okay. The female protagonist, Elle is a normal teenager with her likeable snarkiness and her gushing crush on Sam and the male one, Sam is an unknown quarter. I have my doubts about his humanity. The side characters were more of a filler than an integral part of the tale.
4. The ending was the only part which kept my attention and my heart pumping with adrenaline.
Dislikes :
1. The slow pace of the story tested my patience. There had been a few times that I was tempted to stop reading but the curiosity kept me going.
2. The way Sam was described was a definite turn off. He might be handsome and wonderful but it needn't be informed every time Sam enters the scene. The way Elle gushed over him was also a sour point.
3. Few phrases and words were repetitive and this impacted the story flow.
4. The book cover didn't fit the plot of the book.
So in conclusion, I will say that I might read the next book for the sole purpose of learning more about summoners, guardians and venetors. This could have been a better read in my opinion.
My rating : 3/5
My reread factor : 2/5
Floryie @ http://thebookdrealms.blogspot.com
April 28, 2015
The spacing was a bit too slow for me. The action or the more interesting part did not happen till the end.
Electra "Elle" Vance was given an opprtumity to study at Killewycke Academy with a full scholarship. Before she left, her grandmother gave her a box that was from her father. There she meets Sam Adams, another student who seems to mysteriously know where Elle's always at. now, straight to the point. She has a professor who told her about the summoner after seeing the box she owned. She started researching about them when the professor gave her books to research with the help of Sam. As both Sam and Elle spends time together they've began to develop feelings for each other. Although all is not well with Elle especially rhe dreams she's been having and learning about the enemy of the summoner.
This has an intriguing plot despite the slow space of the story. It's shrouded with mysteries including Sam. He's very secretive about himself but very protective of Elle. For me, I can't judge Elle yet. I only find that she's sweet and has some backbone but overall I have yet to see her character. Like I mentiond, nothing mych happens in this book and the only interesting thing that happens beside the relationship between Sam and Elle and the history of the summomer is at the ending. I won't spoil that of course but now I have some questions that needs answering and I for one never saw that coming although I kind of got an inkling about Solis. I wonder what happened to the other professor as well.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Electra "Elle" Vance was given an opprtumity to study at Killewycke Academy with a full scholarship. Before she left, her grandmother gave her a box that was from her father. There she meets Sam Adams, another student who seems to mysteriously know where Elle's always at. now, straight to the point. She has a professor who told her about the summoner after seeing the box she owned. She started researching about them when the professor gave her books to research with the help of Sam. As both Sam and Elle spends time together they've began to develop feelings for each other. Although all is not well with Elle especially rhe dreams she's been having and learning about the enemy of the summoner.
This has an intriguing plot despite the slow space of the story. It's shrouded with mysteries including Sam. He's very secretive about himself but very protective of Elle. For me, I can't judge Elle yet. I only find that she's sweet and has some backbone but overall I have yet to see her character. Like I mentiond, nothing mych happens in this book and the only interesting thing that happens beside the relationship between Sam and Elle and the history of the summomer is at the ending. I won't spoil that of course but now I have some questions that needs answering and I for one never saw that coming although I kind of got an inkling about Solis. I wonder what happened to the other professor as well.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 8, 2014
I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I don't even know what to say about this book. The story was intriguing and I couldn't wait to get to each next chapter. Throughout the entire story I wasn't sure what was going on and how the story was going to play out but it kept me intrigued. There were so many indications of danger that Elle didn't seem to notice. Right from the very beginning when Augustus Cyril, the Headmaster of the Killewycke showed up at her home Mischa, her dog, gave her the first warning. She should have paid attention! I thought that I had figured out who/what Sam was but it wasn't until the very end that I found out I was wrong. He displayed so many abilities and he was so attuned to Elle that I was absolutely sure what he was, nope, I was wrong. To tell you the truth I still have no idea where this story is going but I loved it and it looks like I will have to wait until the next installment to find out!
I don't even know what to say about this book. The story was intriguing and I couldn't wait to get to each next chapter. Throughout the entire story I wasn't sure what was going on and how the story was going to play out but it kept me intrigued. There were so many indications of danger that Elle didn't seem to notice. Right from the very beginning when Augustus Cyril, the Headmaster of the Killewycke showed up at her home Mischa, her dog, gave her the first warning. She should have paid attention! I thought that I had figured out who/what Sam was but it wasn't until the very end that I found out I was wrong. He displayed so many abilities and he was so attuned to Elle that I was absolutely sure what he was, nope, I was wrong. To tell you the truth I still have no idea where this story is going but I loved it and it looks like I will have to wait until the next installment to find out!
June 4, 2015
*I was given this book for an honest review*
I liked this book. It has it's interesting parts and is mostly about Elle or Electra who is a senior in high school and attends a new boarding school. There she meets Sam who has an important role in the rest of the story.
The things I liked about the book are that our first impressions as readers is wrong about what we think Sam is. 2) I like the slow build and then the last chapter just goes full speed ahead. Yes at times it is a little bit to slow, but the fact that the mystery remains throughout the novel is really intriguing to me. 3)I gave it a four because I just want more and I think the next book may help some of the pieces come together.
Who do I recommend this to? I recommend it to young adults and new adults.
I liked this book. It has it's interesting parts and is mostly about Elle or Electra who is a senior in high school and attends a new boarding school. There she meets Sam who has an important role in the rest of the story.
The things I liked about the book are that our first impressions as readers is wrong about what we think Sam is. 2) I like the slow build and then the last chapter just goes full speed ahead. Yes at times it is a little bit to slow, but the fact that the mystery remains throughout the novel is really intriguing to me. 3)I gave it a four because I just want more and I think the next book may help some of the pieces come together.
Who do I recommend this to? I recommend it to young adults and new adults.
May 14, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. In no way does this affect either my rating or my review.
I don't know why, but I absolutely love books that are set in school, especially boarding schools. And this one was very good. It had all the things you need for a great book; romance, adventure, boarding schools :-), romance and, probably best of all, magic. I look forward to starting the second one. I have no doubt that it will be just as fun, adventurous and entertaining as this first book was!
I don't know why, but I absolutely love books that are set in school, especially boarding schools. And this one was very good. It had all the things you need for a great book; romance, adventure, boarding schools :-), romance and, probably best of all, magic. I look forward to starting the second one. I have no doubt that it will be just as fun, adventurous and entertaining as this first book was!
February 2, 2015
**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review**
It really took me a while to the read this book, partly because I'm doing an essay at the same time but partly because I really couldn't wrap my head around the characters or the relationship between them. I'm not saying I didn't like this book because I did I just suspect I won't carry on with the rest in the series.
The main characters Elle and Sam meet when they are at a boarding school far away from their normal life and family. Elle is a fairly self conscious a bit of a nerdy teenager really who can't believe her luck when the hottest guy in school befriends her,what's even worse is that he seems to know where she is every second of the day. Sam is altogether mysterious giving no real information about himself until the very last minute and then leaves us on a massive cliff hanger. I didn't really feel any connection to the couple as I felt the relationship was very one sided and I didn't really understand the reasoning behind the couple being together.
The secondary characters were mostly the other people going to the same School, I felt that there was no real description of them or reason for them being there.
I also felt as though they didn't add a great deal to the storyline or the progression of the relationship between characters. The pacing was good creating a good build up to the main issue in t story and allowing us to become submerged in the story.
The storyline was original and offers a new fantasy/ paranormal species and their enemies which I found highly interesting.
I'm really sorry, not my kind of book 2 stars.
It really took me a while to the read this book, partly because I'm doing an essay at the same time but partly because I really couldn't wrap my head around the characters or the relationship between them. I'm not saying I didn't like this book because I did I just suspect I won't carry on with the rest in the series.
The main characters Elle and Sam meet when they are at a boarding school far away from their normal life and family. Elle is a fairly self conscious a bit of a nerdy teenager really who can't believe her luck when the hottest guy in school befriends her,what's even worse is that he seems to know where she is every second of the day. Sam is altogether mysterious giving no real information about himself until the very last minute and then leaves us on a massive cliff hanger. I didn't really feel any connection to the couple as I felt the relationship was very one sided and I didn't really understand the reasoning behind the couple being together.
The secondary characters were mostly the other people going to the same School, I felt that there was no real description of them or reason for them being there.
I also felt as though they didn't add a great deal to the storyline or the progression of the relationship between characters. The pacing was good creating a good build up to the main issue in t story and allowing us to become submerged in the story.
The storyline was original and offers a new fantasy/ paranormal species and their enemies which I found highly interesting.
I'm really sorry, not my kind of book 2 stars.
March 25, 2014
Full Review!!
I began reading this book right after the Unwind Dystology, so right off the bat it was difficult for me to really delve into the characters and plot of the book. But once I got into it, the plot was pretty interesting, and by the end, the book was moving so fast, I didn't even realize when it had ended. The book leaves off on a horrible cliffhanger, leaving the reader dying to know how it all ends. If you enjoy books like Twilight or the Lux Series, I recommend picking this book up!
I began reading this book right after the Unwind Dystology, so right off the bat it was difficult for me to really delve into the characters and plot of the book. But once I got into it, the plot was pretty interesting, and by the end, the book was moving so fast, I didn't even realize when it had ended. The book leaves off on a horrible cliffhanger, leaving the reader dying to know how it all ends. If you enjoy books like Twilight or the Lux Series, I recommend picking this book up!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews