Cover Image: Summoner

Summoner

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Member Reviews

Omg omg omg .......... this book was amazing I could not put it down I read every word on the edge of my seat I loved the story line, i loved the way the story just kept us guessing all the way threw I loved all the twists and turns and would defiantly recommend this book it was so believable and kept the reader engaged I love it

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I'm arriving pretty late with this review. At the beginning of the book I thought, oh this is going to be definitely something I already read about. But then, by continuing, I saw that this story has it's own particular parts and potential, and it's worth reading.
I liked the way the story of the two main characters intertwine, in a certain way they are connected, but at the same time they have to face different challenges, dependent on one another.
I've found this very smooth, very nice. I definitely would recommend it. I never would have thought to give this book four stars, but here I am. I know my review was brief, but I feel that for understanding better this story, and live it fully, you should read it yourself.
I loved a lot the witchery parts, fondamental, and that gave a whole new face to this book.

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Oh wow, this book was really something. I wast not sure what to expect and I am glad that I did not look into reviews and just dived into it.

I had some minor issues with it, but overall I really did like it and It really did scare me where it had to.

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This was well written paranormal romance novel. It was cute, but also dark and scary. The characters were likeable and I enjoyed being on his journey with them. It exactly what I needed to read. It's not just a love story, it has it's characters dealing with grief, loss and friendship.

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Although the paranormal is not my typical genre, I enjoyed the change of scenery. Summoner was fast-paced, interesting and I loved the main characters quirky sense of humour. 

When I first started reading Summoner it was about 1am and the opening scene in the graveyard set my teeth on edge. I am familiar with the shenanigans that a group of teenagers can get up to so I know how exciting a fear induced adrenaline rush can be. However, this particular rush turned into something much more sinister when a soul attaches to Allie.

Allie Billings is quirky and funny. With her as the narrator, the novel is filled with strange little sayings like "Heat hit my cheeks faster than if I'd eaten a jalapeno...". Even though she is confused and scared at the prospects of being able to summon spirits, Allie never loses herself or her quirky humour. Allie was different from most teenage protagonist as she is not shallow and no matter what happened she did not let other opinions of Cody deter her from her affection. 

Cody is often described as shy and self-conscious. However, there are moments where Allie see's the confident and strong-willed guy who is trying to find his place in the world. Cody is also not our typical love interest. He is realistic as his past has a major impact on how he relates to present situations. The loss that the characters have suffered hit home because the way that Grimm described the pain and the after effects of that loss was true to my own experiences. This made the characters and their actions relatable and added to the realism of the novel.

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What can I say about this book?

Well first off, I absolutely loved it. It was a great read. It had me on the edge of my seat, my heart thumping in anticipation, and wanting to know what happened next…

Allie was your average teen. One who was struggling to find her normal after her mom died. Cody was the cute new boy next door, who had his own secrets that he kept guarded. But both needed the other- even more so after Allie becomes haunted by a ghost who was making promises she didn’t intend to keep.

Will either Allie or Cody find normalcy again? Or will the ghost get what she is after, Allie’s soul?

I give this book 4 ⭐ out of 5 ⭐. I was so completely drawn into this story, and with Allie and Cody. I stayed up until 1 am (Aug 26) to finish this book- because i couldn’t sleep not knowing what happened. I would definitely recommend this book.

I received this ARC for an honest review.

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Ixve seen YA urban/paranormal fantasy used to explore tgenes of grief and loss before but this seemed a particularly good execution. The two MCs were bother engaging and likeable and the supernatural plot was interesting working along side the romantic subplot. An enjoyable YA fantasy.

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I wasn't a fan of this book. It was a slow read for me.

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I wasn’t really into this. I think it just wasn’t my type of book.

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I wasn't a fan of this book. It was a slow read for me.

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Thanks to S.D Grimm and NetGalley for the ARC copy of Summoner for my honest review.

I fell in love with this novel from the very beginning. The whole idea of the witching and summoning is so interesting to me, but the way that Grimm incorporated it into her storyline was flawless. I loved the idea of the Guardians and how she was cursed.

Overall, the whole novel was well written, the characters were relatable, and the emotional appeal was off the charts. The ending...I'm not even going to comment on because of spoilers...just trust me, read it!

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Allie has a pretty clear understanding of what it feels like to grieve - she recently lost her mother to cancer and isn't feeling very positive about life. She is finding it hard to connect with her friends which is probably why she agrees to go 'witching' with them. A silly prank, playing with dowsing rods, to find souls becomes a little too real when Allie realizes she really can summon ghosts and has awakened a soul that should have been left alone.
Fortunately, she has got someone on her side, her neighbour, Cody, new to town and rather delicious. They begin developing a strong friendship that starts to change into something a little more romantic as the story progresses. Allie also discovers that Cody is her guardian, someone who can help her defeat the soul who would like nothing more than to take Allie's body for herself.
This is a well-developed ghost story that had some really nice moments of 'don't turn out the lights'. The characters were convincing and worked well together. I believed in Allie's friends and thought many of their actions and reactions were fairly natural under the circumstances. I really wanted to yell at them on the way to the graveyard - honestly, did they think this was going to be a good idea.
I really liked the way the background of the summoner history was revealed - the library, the book and Lawson (an old guardian - been there done that - have the t-shirt) gradually shaped the situation for Allie and Cody. It was a little dramatic the who will die for who situation which is probably was stops me from five stars but then again they are teenagers so life is pretty dramatic on a good day.
Great book if you like a bit of romance, a whole lot of ghosts and a side of will they make it out alive.

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Received from NetGalley

Allie and friends go witching on the cemetery, on a dare. For Allie is more than that, she start to hear and see the ghost.

She is sweet girl, living with her father and her dog. Her mother died few months ago and she is still mourning her death. One night she wakes up by the sound of basketball. A boy moved next door and is playing in the middle of the night. She joins him and they form a friendship. His name is Cody, he moved from Montana, and has a part too.

He will become her guarding, protecting her from the ghost she summoned.

I really like the ghost part, I love paranormal and this was interesting take on it. The romance was nice too, developing slowly over time. I just wish there was more paranormal, more ghosts and summoning.

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I received an Advanced Review Copy of this book from Entangled Teen Publishing and Netgalley.

Let me start off by saying that I nearly passed this one up because of the title. I have read far too many books with some variation of the same title, and honestly, they are all pretty similar. The main character is able to summon or communicate with the dead and then there are a few variations from one book to another. This story won’t get points from me for being original, but I did happen to enjoy it a lot, so whatever.

I found that I basically tore through this novel in one sitting. There were times where I could set it down, but then the pacing would pick right back up. For a novel of this type, I feel that fast pacing is pretty important. It kind of falls under paranormal thriller, with a romance in there. Honestly though, it really isn’t too often that I read a book without a touch of romance.

The thing I found myself enjoying the most out of this novel, was in fact, the romance. I love when grief and the shared understanding of loss brings two people together. There were some very raw moments in this book where I found myself close to tears. But in my opinion Cody held his walls up just a bit too long.

I enjoyed the writing quite a lot actually. This book had many redeeming qualities even though I found the overall premise very unoriginal. Which is why the rating is a four out of five stars. The romance was really cute and idealistic. I really loved all the dates they went on and the heartfelt gifts that they bought one another.

I would read something else by S.D. Grimm, but I’m glad that there wasn’t an attempt to try and turn this one into a series. It is a good book, but I will continue on my search for the next great fantasy novel.

My review can also be found on my blog:
https://devouringbooks2017.wordpress....

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I was looking forward to reading this book and I was not disappointed! I loved this book! I thought it was a really unique, especially for a horror novel. By that I mean there was a lot of romance in it too, which I really liked. And it covered the grief process as well. I also loved the characters! Allie and Cody were my favorites! This book also had a very eerie feel throughout, as a horror novel should.Overall I really enjoyed Summoner and I really think you should read this book!

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Oh wow, this book was really something. I wast not sure what to expect and I am glad that I did not look into reviews and just dived into it.

I had some minor issues with it, but overall I really did like it and It really did scare me where it had to.

Anyway let me tell you about the things that I liked!

*GHOSTS OH yeah!! I am all about ghosts and witching and all that stuff so this was a BIG HUGE YES!!
*Labradors
*The writing style, it was fluent and I did like the voice of Allie
*Diverse character!! I always appreciate books more when they have diverse characters and when I found out about Cody I was all hearts and love for him! I won’t spoil so you better read and find out about him!!
*The scary vibe, ok it wasn’t THAT scary but it was well placed and thought and I really did like it, but I would not recommend you reading at night home alone… Do not make my mistake !!! I was scared to do to the toilet o.o
*The ending!


Things I did not like

*There were some parts of the book where Allie did annoy me especially her decisions and the reason behind them… I cannot tell more as of now, but this was one of the biggest issues I had. Like WHY would you do that when you know what is going to happen and you even said it yourself???

*The ”romance” was wayyyy tooo fastttt it struck me light lightning and left me a bit speechless


So yep these are the few things I wanted to say and overall I gave it 3.5 stars rounded to 4 the story was refreshing and I totally liked it!

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I have been on the lookout for a great paranormal read that would suck me in and not let me go. I have found that in this book!

The story intrigued me and it was so unique to the genre that I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by it. I adored the characters and all of their flaws and loved what the author did with the male character in particular. And how he was introduced with the special part he played in the story line.

This book is one part paranormal, one part mystery and a lot of parts romance. It is the perfect mix of YA romance, nothing too racy but innocent and sweet. Perfect for a younger YA reader!

The ending was perfect but I was not ready to let these characters go! I can only hope that this might be the making of a series…one that I would definitely continue with as I feel that these characters were just getting started in their journey.

Thank you to Entangled Teen for the review copy in exchange of my honest opinion.

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4.5 – A Fantastic Heartwrenching YA Paranormal Romance

Summoner by S.D. Grimm surprised me in so many ways and it was pretty fantastic! To be honest, this book was not what I expected it to be, but that turned out to be a really good thing.

Grimm’s writing is beautiful, evocative, and had a nice flow that made it easy to read. The premise is intriguing and had me hooked from the very first page. I thought the idea of witching and summoning spirits was quite fascinating and I wanted to know more about it. The plot is fast-paced and full of action. The mystery, suspense, and danger had me holding my breath a few times and I absolutely loved it!

The characters are so well written and realistic. I liked Allie from the start and I understood her reasons for doing what she did. Cody is very caring and kind that seeing him so guilt-ridden was distressing. Both Allie and Cody are dealing with their own losses and struggling with grief that my heart completely broke for them. It just seemed so right that they would find comfort in each other. While there was an instant attraction between Allie and Cody, I thought their chemistry felt genuine and real. Watching them help each other heal and develop a playful and sweet relationship was so satisfying. Their bantering and flirting made me smile and swoon so much.... instalove or not, I totally ship Allie and Cody and I rooted for them the entire time.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love that Summoner is not your typical young adult paranormal romance. There’s definitely the supernatural fantasy aspect, the mysterious hard to resist hot guy, and plenty of adorable flirting. BUT more than that, this book deals with difficult real life issues. Grimm does a terrific job portraying the sadness of losing someone you love and the agony of living with guilt. She shows how healing and learning to forgive yourself are not that easy and will take time. I really wasn’t expecting this to be deeply affecting or heartbreaking, but that’s what makes this story brilliant and so powerful. And yes… I absolutely recommend that everyone pick this up!

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Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

Our MC is Allie Billings who has avoided her closest friends since the death of her mother, trying to reconnect she joins them on a dare to the local cemetery for a night of witching. Allie doesn’t believe in witching but after this night her opinion changes when she becomes bonded to a evil spirit by summoning her soul.

The plot was engaging as we see Allie do everything she possibly can to learn more about what is happening but she soon finds out her only hope could be from her new neighbour Cody Burkhart, her guardian who is also needing to work out his role between Allie and the spirit, Katerina that has bonded to her. They both end up working against a full moon deadline which could mean a sacrifice by the end of it.

I really liked Allie and Cody as characters, they have both felt loss and were able to bond over this and their slow building romance didn’t feel forced but came naturally which I enjoyed; it also wasn’t at the forefront of the story. The side characters were each written well, the freaky souls included.

I don’t tend to read ghost books, I’ve never enjoyed them but I liked S.D Grimm’s writing style and her entertaining and at time freaky storyline. It was a fast paced read with a few twists that kept things enjoyable.

Overall, Summoner kept me riveted from the beginning and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen; the characters were written well and the plot was intriguing. I will definitely read more books by this author.

Thank you to Entangled Teen via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Summoner.

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A fast paced story, which had me bite my nails quite a few times. I hoped for the best, but it could have gone wrong and ended with more death in Allie's life. This book had it all to make for a success: a girl (sensitive and grieving her mom), a cute guy (cowboy style), girlfriends leading Allie into trouble and a ghost (evil and mad). And I really liked it from the start. I think it's a book for romantic readers as well as ghost stroy readers. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing!

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