Summoner, by S. D. Grimm ~ 4.5.Stars

Tags

Coping With Loss and Grief, Romance, Supernatural, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

320 Pages

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 weary, 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 have to admit Summoner was a complete impulse request for me because of the gorgeous cover, but thankfully the story more than lived up to it.

What I loved about this story was the way it balanced the supernatural elements with the very real process of coping with loss. By including the grief process and dealing with survivor’s guilt, it gives a power to this book that makes it stand out from others in the same genre.

Allie and Cody are both deep into mourning when they become neighbors. Allie is still coming to terms with losing her mother, and Cody is trying to deal with his own loss as well as survivors guilt. This is definitely a case of insta-love, but I honestly didn’t mind it because I just loved them so much. Even without the supernatural bringing them together these two are obviously soulmates and destined for one another.

The story has a few predictable moments which is the only reason why I didn’t give it 5 stars, but there’s a sense of creepiness and menace which pervades throughout and that, coupled with the sweet romance, kept me glued to the pages.

Summoner is a perfect book for teens and adults who enjoy supernatural fiction, especially this time of year. It’s a book I honestly didn’t expect to love as much as I did, and it’s one that I highly recommend!