The newest book by author S.D. Grimm is a combination of the paranormal and a young adult romance. This ain't your mama's scariest ghost tale but it does have some witching, divining, a spirit summoner and a guardian that might catch your interest. Grimm's coming of age story delves into some complex story elements, like inner demons and grief. Readers looking for something different as the fall season gets underway will find this title right up their creepy alley.

What I liked:

S.D. Grimm is a new author for me, so I was, as usual, a bit skeptical going in. There are so many titles in the paranormal and fantasy genres that are repetitive and just run of the mill. Grimm does and excellent job of giving readers a refreshing take on an old staple, the ghost story. Divining for water, I've heard of, divining for bodies? That's a new one!

I liked the whole cemetery scene in the beginning of the book a lot because it started showing the reader the world that Grimm was going to build. It introduced the reader to what a 'summoner' is and how it would effect the story. I thought Grimm did a great job getting the scary vibe going, but also in introducing the lead character, Allie.

Allie is a young girl dealing with the loss of her mother from Cancer. Unfortunately, something that has touched many of our own families. I thought Grimm's take on grief and loss was poignant and compelling. Survivor's guilt is a real thing no matter what type of situation it is. Grimm allows the reader to see inside Allie's struggle and how she eventually made it back to herself. I liked that the author didn't just sweep it under the rug. This is something that stays with you.

Allie finds out that her next door neighbor Cody may hold the key to getting her out of a potentially sticky situation with the spirit she divines completely by accident. Cody is a guardian and a very interesting one at that. He has his own inner demons and is dealing with life with a disability after losing his hand. I loved the fact that Grimm gives the reader an unorthodox hero. Cody may not seem like the perfect demon slayer but he shows that no matter your adversity you can overcome.

What I didn't like:

When I got this title to review I was expecting a spooky tale just in time for the fall season to begin. I tend to read titles that are a bit ghostly this time of year. Though this story started out that way, it became more of romance in the end than a paranormal tale. There was nothing wrong with the romance but I think it would have benefited from having the creepy factor ramped up a bit.

In the beginning Allie is just becoming more active and inclusive with her friends again after the loss of her mother. Obviously grief changes you. She was taking her life back and she had people in it that mattered to her. Unfortunately, that got a little lost as the story went on and we heard nothing about her friends and more and more about just Cody. I wanted some back story on the people she had in her life. I wanted them to play a bigger more important role than just the first scene of the book.

Bottom Line:

This was a good story. The romance is sweet and tender and I liked both the male and female lead. I loved the way the author handled the ideas of grief and inner demons. Her use of an unorthodox and compelling hero was very well done. But I wanted a little more creep for my buck. Ghosts are scary.Don't let me forget about that along the way. Wish the momentum from the first scene in the graveyard had carried throughout the tale. And if you introduce me to someone as a side character, I want them to have a place in the story. I don't want to wonder if they are going to appear anywhere else in the story, I want to know they will.

3.5 Stars

'Summoner' was a great YA paranormal read with lots of romance mixed in for good measure. I really enjoyed the entire story, although I have to admit that quite a few parts were predictable. Even though I kind of knew what was going to happen, I still had fun getting to know Allie and watching the story unfold from her perspective. I'm a huge fan of paranormal fiction, especially anything having to do with witches or other mystical powers. I really loved learning about witching and summoning - I found it all intriguing. As for the romance aspect of the book, I normally don't care much for it. A lot of the time it seems to overrun the actual plot of the book and take away from the main story line. I didn't feel that way with Allie and Cody though. I liked watching them meet, become friends and confidants, and then seeing their relationship blossom into more. It was a great addition to the plot and only enhanced it, in my opinion. Overall, even though a lot of the book was predictable and had been done before, I liked this book much more than I anticipated. It was spooky with a sweet romance mixed in and made for a quick and fun read.

This book is one that kept me on my toes. Great Job to S.D. Grimm for an awesome book

Sometimes YA is just what is needed to get into the thrill again because of its different pace and focus. This author got me from the get go reminding me of some of the things we used to do in sleepovers thinking they were innocent while this story shows different. Though this is no sleepover the game is there with Allie and her friends. Along also comes Cody who is one interesting character who gets our attention too. Working together they will take us on quite the journey. Not the norm in storyline you are pulled into this too so wishing you could help with the answers too. The drama that is woven in with the characters gives us reading pleasure that is unexpected.

Received an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a fair review from Entangled Publishing, LLC via NetGalley.
The Summoner was a wonderful book to get into the Halloween mood. Evil spirits trying to take over and a sweet romance make this book a great paranormal read! Allie was grieving after the loss of her mother a few months earlier. She has mostly removed herself from her friends, but one night decides to reconnect with them. They decide to play a game called “witching” in a graveyard. This game causes spirits to show themselves to Allie. One spirt in particular has attached herself to Allie and we have to wonder what the intentions of this spirit are. I really loved the background story of the spirit, it was well thought out. The other aspect of the book I really appreciated was the relationship between Allie and Cody. Their friendship was very sweet and the slow way they grew to trust each other was very believable for two people who were closed off. Overall, this book was a quick read that is perfect for paranormal lovers everywhere.

Grimm provides these characters that draw you into the story with this emotional depth and chemistry that feels so real you almost believe it’s tangible. You get a romance angle between a couple of them but it’s not done in that oft irritating YA way, this felt more like a slow burn who wanted to enjoy the ride. I liked that she didn’t just play off the love at first sight trope that seems almost a requirement in YA novels by having them fall all over each other at minute one but rather have them take longer steps to get to know each other, be more responsible about it.

My only irritation with her character work was the minor roles that seemed to only exist as filler or to help her main characters behavioral choices make sense. She writes really good characters so you want to know more about these people but they’re dangled in front of you then pulled back before you get a chance to connect.

Her plot is spooky enough to cause a chill to poke at your spine and goosebumps raise across your arms. She gets into your head and you start running through all the scenarios of what if this was real, what if you were involved, what if souls could crossover?

I know I already brought up the romance thing earlier but I just have to give Grimm a HIGH FIVE again for not falling into the trap practically every book in the YA genre does when it comes to romance. If there’s an aware out there for a writer FINALLY creating a decent relationship in this genre please give it here.

Now that the calendar (if not the weather) is starting to inch toward fall, I've been craving some darker, spookier reads. When I read the summary for Summoner, I wanted to read it as soon as I saw the words "witching" and "summon their souls." Summoner proved to be an interesting read, if not quite as creepy and scary as I was hoping for. It read more as young adult contemporary romance with a hint of paranormal.

The story begins as Allie and her friends go "witching" in a graveyard on a dare. Allie ends up getting more than she bargained for as she accidentally summons the souls of the dead. Unfortunately, one of them wants revenge and needs Allie's assistance, whether or not Allie is willing to help her. Luckily, the new boy next door might just be more than he seems. Cody has just moved from Montana after an accident that cost him his hand and left him with demons of his own to battle.

The part I liked the best about this book was the detail. I loved how much depth the author included  in the world-building. The concept of Summoners was explained really well and I liked how the truth was slowly revealed. The conversations with the ghosts were some of my favorite parts of the novel. Additionally, I hadn't expected the novel to delve so deeply into some of the themes that it did, such as loss and grief. I thought that the author did an excellent job of showing Allie and Cody's battles with their own inner demons. The characters were both likeable and I was really rooting for them to conquer their fears.

The graveyard scene at the beginning of the book set my expectations quite high for the creepy factor of the rest of the book. However, this book wasn't as atmospheric or spooky after that scene, which left me a little disappointed. Most of the plot revolved around Allie's day-to-day life and how she slowly grew closer to Cody. Even though it had some aspects that I liked, I didn't like their romance as a whole. The progression from strangers to friends to more seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. Most of their interactions were focused around the graveyard and Allie's insistence on going back there, which didn't really allow me to see the chemistry between them. Additionally, while I understand that her grief changed her, I didn't like that Allie's friends essentially disappeared from the story once she met Cody.

While there were a few things that bugged me, Summoner was an intriguing mix of paranormal and contemporary young adult romance. It's a good fall read that has just the right amount of creepy if you're not looking for a truly spooky novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review Summoner by S.D. Grimm. Divining rods, a cemetery and a dare open the story. Allie's new next door neighbor, Cody, is nice and is dealing with the aftereffects of an accident. Cody's reluctant to discuss the accident and Allie eventually finds out why. For some reason, Allie is hearing a voice, blacks out and acts strange while she's hearing the voice that no one else hears. It's embarrassing her and she doesn't want to tell anyone about the voice. Cody and Allie bond a friendship and more, become best friends and help each other with the struggles they're both dealing with. The two of them fight together to end the existence of an evil that wants to conquer them. 4 stars for this romantic supernatural read.

Allie finds herself at the cemetery with her friends, a harmless dare to use a metal coat hanger to go Witching for the dead. Everyone takes their turn, enjoying the spooky element, but when Allie has her turn, something seems off and Allie hears a voice crying out for her to help. None of her friend heard the call, so Allie figures it was her imagination, but when strange things keep happening to her, there may not be an easy answer. Lucky for Allie, she has a new neighbor who may just be the person willing to help her discover the truth.

I have been so lucky recently in my book choices since I have enjoyed pretty much every book I have read and this is no exception. I love the cover and the synopsis was alluring and mysterious enough that I knew I was going to read this story at the first opportunity I got. I really loved this story and was instantly sucked into Allie's world, right from the moment she was wondering the cemetery with her friends. The story had so many elements and twists and turns I was not sure where the story would end up but the ride was so worth it. Expect a completely new type of ghost story, one that was slightly reminiscent of the stuff I grew up on by Mary Downing Hahn, with creepy ghosts and lies but in a much more adult way that grabbed me and refused to let go.

I had no idea the level of feels that the story would draw out of me! I expected some ghosty stuff and probably some scary encounters, but the fact the story places such a big emphasis on loss and the feelings of grief felt so real that I was swept up in them. This was not your average ghost story, but instead a large portion of the book dealt with overcoming loss, be it a person or a physical attribute, and how to figure out how to keep going. I was completely caught off guard by the intensity of the emotions that Allie feels that S.D. made me feel right along with her, at one point I had to put the book down because I was in public and I was not super interested in being teary-eyed around strangers. It made perfect sense why Allie would be drawn to the idea of communicating with the dead, and her struggle to make the right choice for everyone was painful. And since we are on the topic of emotions, the fear that S.D. brought to the table was impressive. Each encounter Allie had with the spirits raised goosebumps on my arms and had me on the edge of my seat for fear of what would happen. The story was creepy and that filled me with joy because I am a sucker for a good scare. The whole ghost limb thing was awesome! I can't say much in case of spoiling anything, but bravo to S.D., super cool idea and I loved how you executed it!

So let's spend a second and talk about how freaking romantic this story was! We start the book with Allie and her ex having an awkward talking about him for sure being her ex and then she meets Cody and is drawn to everything about him. But then here comes the ex to ruin the love and I was super concerned that I was going to encounter a love triangle- but don't worry, no love triangle present in this story. I could not have been happier with how the romance progressed, with Cody and Allie becoming friends, and then good friends before anything romantic occurred- no insta-love here, instead a slow developing bond between two people who got to know each other before romance was even an option. Every encounter was full of tension and character development, as well as personal healing- the two were able to help each other becomes the people they were suppose to be. It was dreamy, no lie, and spoke to my inner romantic.

Summoner was the perfect blend of spooky, mysterious and romantic and I loved it. S.D. ended the book in the best possible way, seriously I could not ask for more, but I kinda sorta wish there was more, be it another book or even an extra chapter because it is really hard to part from Allie and Cody. This story was even better than my high expectations and I am pretty sure I will force everyone I know to read it because there is a little bit of something for everyone wrapped in the pages. This was my first book by S.D. Grimm, but for certain it will not be my last. Lesson learned: just say no when anyone asks you to go Witching.

I received this title for review purposes. Come visit my blog http://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ to participate in the book's tour

I have fond memories of the short-lived TV show The Secret Circle - I had just moved when it started and used to DM about it after every show with my friend back home. The beginning of Summoner gave me some major Secret Circle vibes, tapping into some of that nostalgic good will. Which is not to say that the kids in Summoner are all witches or form a coven, just that the idea of the girl who just lost her mom and the new guy in town felt familiar. And I could easily picture them on screen.

Summoner is actually a ghost story with some spooky, horrific moments, but it's the romance that really takes center stage. Allie and Cody have both lost someone close to them and are just starting to have a "normal" life again. In Cody's case, he's also dealing with a prosthetic hand and the stigma that carries in high school. I liked the way that was handled and how it played into the paranormal part of the story. And I really enjoyed the romance plot.

However, there were parts of the paranormal story that I wish had been better developed. For example, Allie's history teacher begins a lesson on local history that helps her identify the ghost that's haunting her but we never hear about it after that scene. I think exploring that would have made the ghost story more compelling, as well as enhanced that spooky small town feel which I love.

And (possibly because I started out thinking of The Secret Circle) I wanted Allie's friends to be more involved in the paranormal side, maybe plotting against her or hiding something. Once she gets involved with Cody and the ghost, her friends and school don't come up much.

Still, I enjoyed Summoner and finished it in a single day. If you're looking for a YA romance with a touch of paranormal, you might want to give a try.

3.5 stars

Safe to say I will never be going witching! 🙈

A group of teenagers.. a cemetery..witching rods.. nighttime.. yeah nothing is going to go wrong there!

So Allie basically figures out that a ghost has been summoned by her and is now connected to her in some way. What she doesn't know is how to break this connection before herself or someone she loves is killed by this ghost.. who of course wants a way back to the land of the living..

Allie comes away from this late night witching session to not only find out she's been bonded to a ghost but also that she has a cute new neighbour..
I love Codys character, I love how he is different from the usual male lead because of his backstory and the fact he only has one hand. I think it was such a clever and original idea to give one of the leads an impairment like that and make it fit the character and the story so well!
I do think their relationship was slightly rushed and how they were talking about being his girlfriend and love etc before they'd even kissed.. but I suppose if you have to fit a whole relationship into one book it's probably going to be a bit rushed.

Really good book.. I wish it had been more fleshed out and turned into a series or something though! That would of been cool 💜

Copy provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley for honest review.

I LOVED the plot because seriously, a dare in a cemetery? that’s just how the best stories (or nightmares, if you wish) begin.

The book was great, I love paranormal and anything to do with witches, ghosts and all that fun stuff right there. I also really liked how much more to it there was beside the paranormal aspects, how the characters’ losses and survival where such a fundamental aspect in the evolution of the story and of the characters.

This wasn’t just a silly story about ghosts but something deeper which was what made the story really stand out for me.

I liked both characters, with all their flaws and qualities; at the beginning, I was a bit sceptic and didn’t understand why Allie was putting up with her friends but I just had to keep reading and I really found myself liking her personality more more. Same goes for Cody, I liked his character and his story really broke my heart.

They both have a similar past and in my opinion, that alone would have brought them together but adding to the mix some ghosts really created a great story. I loved how their relationship helped both of them, making them so stronger and capable to deal with their losses.

The book was a good read and I also surprisingly liked the author’s style (this was my first book from this author and I can be very picky). If you love paranormal stories that also handle some deeper contents, this is the right book for you.

What a great read! It was just the right book to review as we head into autumn and towards Halloween - my favourite holiday. I love a good ghost story, in fact if I had one criticism, it would be that the book could have been a wee bit darker and scarier. Other than that, I found it to be an engaging and entertaining read, and I absolutely love the cover.

in summoner, s.d. grimm introduces us to allie billings six months after the death of her mother. she's only just started to come out of the fog of grief and hanging out with her old friends is part of that. she's not thrilled that her friend nell has decided that they need to go witching at the local cemetery. at least her mother isn't buried there.

but other are, and allie is weirded out when she thinks she hears them talking to her. that same night she meets her new neighbor, cody burkhardt. even in the dark she can see the scars that mar his body and the hand he is missing on his left arm. but she doesn't press him for answers. she doesn't want to make things awkward because for the first time in a long time she hasn't felt the need to pretend.

cody understands loss. and he finds himself as drawn to allie as she is to him. it's just hard to trst it at first. he's too used to being the freak. but so is allie. and she's even more freaked out when she realizes that she can see ghosts. she can even see the outline of cody's missing hand. it's actually a phantom limb. but as allie learns more about the ghost world, she comes to realize that seeing the undead is more a curse than a blessing. and it puts her life, as well as cody's, on the line and there's a chance that both of them won't make it.

the relationship between allie and cody blossoms quickly, but they have so many nice moments together, it's hard to be mad at how quickly they fall for each other. i really enjoyed this one, it's the perfect spooky romance for the fall.

Another book that has ripped my heart into shreds. I'm not sure how much more my heart can take these types of books. But damn, if they are addicting.

I think what is one of the best things about this book is it isn't just about the paranormal. It's about healing and the grief process and trying to get over survivor's guilt. I think because this book had those factors, it made it much more powerful. I kept thinking about well this book showed the grief process and how guilt can eat at people who survive.

Allie was a good character. She readily admitted her flaws, which is something I always admire in a character. She was clearly still grieving and still healing from her mom's death but she was slowly coming out of her grief, with the help of her friends and Cody. S.D Grimm shows the ugly side of grief, which is pushing your friends away and withdrawing. Allie also had really good character growth, which is always something I like.

Cody was such a broken character, it made my heart hurt. He carries so much grief and guilt, it was almost unbearable. Plus, I got to give S.D Grimm props for a disabled character. Cody is missing a hand and has scars. Now, I'm not disabled and I can't speak for the disabled community. But I do feel that S.D Grimm represented the feelings that Cody goes through missing his hand. And how others react around him. He had a lot of character growth as well.

I think what I really liked best, besides what I mentioned above, is that this a romance where both characters benefit each other and help each other positively. There is not obession or Cody being some sort of dominant alpha male. Allie isn't a b-word and she respects Cody's wishes and vice versa. It was a very healthy relationship and I can dig that.

Overall, I am impressed. This was a real solid piece of work and I'm glad I was given the opportunity to read it. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be but in the end, I'm glad it wasn't. I much preferred what I got instead of what I thought I was going to. I highly suggest that everyone check this book out!

The story flow was a bit off for me. This was a supernatural book and the first half of the book was more about Allie and Cody than the supernatural. Allie was a bit annoying with how she was acting around Cody. It was more like a preteen with her first crush. The love word was said rather quickly and without a lot of depth to the relationship. I loved Cody and his back story was heartbreaking. The fact that he was not perfect but scarred and missing a hand was a plus with him being a guardian. The second half did pick up more with the supernatural part and was pretty good. I received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

First of all every thing about this book calls out to every bookworm out there, the cover, the blurb, the title. The title did it for me right away and reading the blurb definitely solidified for me that I just had to read this!! All my favorite tropes in one book, YES PLEASE!!! I'm so glad for getting a copy of this. I loved reading it, it was a super fast read.

I was impressed by this novel. It was a really cool ghost story. I thought that the world was so well crafted and it was a nice self contained story so it is a stand alone. I love the mythology that we were introduced to. I really did love both main characters but especially allie. It was a really quick read but it was a very creepy read. It is prefect fall read I would say. It had elements of witch craft as well that i liked. I wish that the Alie friends and dad had a more of role in the story and not just Cory. I felt like i wanted to know more about those characters and did not get the chance. I overall enjoyed the story. I just wish allie life was balanced and not not focused on her Cory. If you are looking for a fun stand alone ghost story that will keep you engaged and up your creep factor check it out!

Six months ago Allie lost her mother to cancer which caused her to cut herself off from her boyfriend and friends. Now Allie has started to feel more like herself again and wants to repair her relationships that she had ignored however she’s told her boyfriend that they should only be friends moving forward. What Allie never expected rejoining the group was to end up in a cemetery taking part in a dare to go “witching” for bodies with divining rods.

When Allie’s turn arrives to use the rods she finds that she begins to hear a female voice speaking to her and little does she know she has summoned the ghost with the rods. Allie then finds herself beginning to have nightmares with the voice haunting her and when she’s up in the middle of the night she runs into her new neighbor, Cody. Cody has also suffered a loss due to an accident leaving him scarred and missing a hand. As the two grow close Cody helps Allie return to the cemetery to face the voice to see what is going on bringing him into Allie’s curse as her guardian.

Summoner by S.D. Grimm really seemed to be a bit of a blend of a young adult contemporary romance with a supernatural fantasy. Allie and Cody were both battling with dealing with their respective loses in their lives which that alone could have brought them together to begin a relationship without the ghostly aspects of the book but adding those in gave the book a whole other layer to the story making this quite the interesting mix.

I rather enjoyed most everything about the story. The characters were extremely likable and the fantasy element was a rather interesting plot to follow and not one that I’ve seen often. My one complaint really came from a small bit to the story were Allie tries to find out more about summoning by heading to the library to read a few paragraphs then complain of needing to know more. My first thought here was what teen is really heading to the library in this day and age? It would have felt a lot more realistic to hop on the internet.

Overall thought this one was a nice little mix of genres all bundled into one fast paced and enjoyable young adult read. I’d certainly recommend checking this one out if it sounds like one you’d enjoy reading.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Thank you netgalley for an arc for an honest review. This was beautiful and stunning and I loved this book more than I thought I would! It was intersting, well written, and the characters practically flew off the pages as I read to the very last page.