Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Book #Review: The Summoner

Book Title: Summoner
Author:  S.D. Grimm|WebsiteTwitter| Facebook|
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Genre: Paranormal YA, Mystery
Series/Standalone: 
Format: ebook 
Cost: $2.99
Pages: 330
How I got it: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: Sept 04, 2017
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Synopsis:
When Allie’s best friend dares their group to play a game in a cemetery—something she calls “witching”—Allie never expects what it might mean for her. When she plays, she doesn’t just find bodies, she summons their souls. But one soul wants more than Allie is willing to give.

And the boy next door could be the key to saving her.

Cody Burkhart. Straight from Montana, cowboy hat wearing, and smoking hot, he’s just the thing to help Allie become “normal” again after the death of her mother. And as her newly appointed Guardian, he’s also just the thing to help Allie ward off the vengeful spirit who’s after her soul. Except Cody has his own demons to slay that keep him closed off. But as the full moon approaches, so does their only chance to break the curse, and Cody will have to make the biggest sacrifice of all.
I went into this one kind of blind, I pre-ordered based on watching a fellow booktuber's highly anticipated book-list and this was on there.  I ordered and when it came out I dived right in.  I figured this would be perfect for the season and I was right. This was a young adult to mature YA read about a young woman learning to cope with a recent tragedy in her life. She's trying to reconnect to her friends after such a huge change and she doesn't want them to treat her differently, so despite her fear she goes on a dare with them to the local cemetery and from there a whole new world opens up for her.

This unfolded slowly at first then once the world got established it just flew by, I found myself trying to find ways to sneak and read it when I was supposed to be paying attention to other things.  I really enjoyed the voice of the character as she shared this journey she was on.  This was very well written. I enjoyed the exploration of grief they were both feeling while learning to move on at this crucial time in their lives. 

While the novel explores the mystery of how she's able to summon, they also go on a journey to learn to move beyond their grief while trying to explore their attraction to each other. One of my favorite moments between them is the horseback riding scene where they just got to be a couple learning about each other without the world or their pasts intruding.  As the novel progressed and the mystery unfolded we learn more about what it means to be a summoner, how the 'gift' is bestowed and watch as Allie struggles to accept what it now means.  I loved her girlfriends in this tale, they were so supportive and at times pushed her to accept things about her new circumstances that she was hesitant to accept or to even see  I enjoyed how it was a paranormal tale and yet you felt like it could almost take place in this town as well. 

I did enjoy the story especially because of the minor twists and smaller mysteries that were being dealt with.  I loved the development of the characters and how the situations came about.  There is a love story within, and yet it never takes over the main focus of the story, it's a part of how she grows as a character and how she confronts changes.  I especially loved that it as slow build up to mystery and the love story.. Another bonus of the novel was the presence as well as the great relationships the characters had with their parents. From Allie with her Dad to Cody with his parents, the family units within the novel worked well together. Cody even had extended family he was close to that Allie got to meet and hang out with.  I enjoyed that the adults were adults who were present while still maintaining enough distance that their teens could explore without being watched all the time. 

I did however have a bone to pick with the author, now I have mentioned before that the healthcare field is my wheelhouse, this is my career, while I may not work in the field of prosthetic/robotics, I do have patients who have them and I can tell you they are built way better than the author made it appear in this novel.  Even on the cheapest end of the spectrum the prosthetic for hands are built in such a way that they won't just fall off because someone hit you, they are generally built with some suction capabilities to help it remain on.  I wasn't a fan of that part as it isn't an accurate depiction, considering there are prosthesis that appear almost life like that is now available. 

Other than that one con I really enjoyed this novel and the fact that it's a stand alone made me love it more.  I recommend if you want an interesting new take on ghosts.
 ★★★★1/2☆
If you have any ghost stories you think I should check out can you please share in the comments down below?? Thank you my loves and as always
Happy Reading 

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