the action, wow! I was really on my seat for most of this book. Not sure I will continue the series, but I really was invested in Rone and Sandis. The world building was extraordinary. I tend to really enjoy Ms. Holmberg's writing and she did not disappoint with this one!!

This book feels like it could have been a whole lot shorter. While I really liked the lore that was slowly making its way into the story, and the stories of the numina and where that seemed to be headed, it was comparatively such a small part of the book. Instead, there's a lot of repetitive running away as they're almost caught time and time again, with characters also having really repetitive thoughts while all this was going on. Some intrigue was added to the relationship when Rone was forced to make a tough choice, but it came far too late. Most of the story overall felt quite stagnant, with the same sorts of scenes happening over and over again as the two main characters tiptoed very slowly closer to a solution, which always seemed just out of reach. It was almost tiring to read at points, because every time a little bit of progress was made, they'd be found and have to run, starting almost all over again every time. It honestly got quite frustrating.

Even then, I do see a strong basis for a series here, so I'll probably read the next book to see if the issues I had with this particular installment are less prevalent later. There's enough here I'm still interested in, so I'm still curious to see where the story goes!

This was a great read! Excellent characters and character development. With our two protagonists thrown together by a whim of fate, they must help each other overcome problems that neither would be able to accomplish on their own! Cant wait for the next one!

“Smoke and Summons” was an overall enjoyable book. The plot was interesting and engaging, the characters weren’t one-dimensional.
I’ll definitely check out the sequels.

I keep picking up Charlie N Holmberg books in the hope that they will be like her fabulous Paper Magician series, and I keep being disappointed. This book is essentially one giant chase scene, which makes it quite hard to talk about in terms of plot as I never got a grasp on what was actually going on for the characters when they weren't in imminent danger of capture. The concept of humans acting as vessels for deities is an interesting one that simply isn't explored in any great detail, and I struggled in particular with the character of Rone, who is a thief-with-a-heart-of-gold archetype with literally no other substance or backstory to him. I just found it very hard to care about either character, and ended up skimming after the first 30%. Bonus points for not taking a left-turn into abstract and wacky at the 70% mark, as a lot of her work seems to do - at least it's on one consistent story throughout!

This book was so strange, I did not care for this at all. It was kind of.. bizarre. It definitely is not a must read.

This is an incredibly intriguing, dark and twisty tale. I absolutely love the world and the concept of the Numinia! Beyond that, the relationships between the main characters are so incredibly dynamic. My only issue with this book is that it took a little bit to get into, though once it got into it, I got that ever-rare feeling that I'm walking out of an action movie whenever I had to put it down.

I find the idea of this series to be amazing. The concept just sings to me, but the actual execution left me feeling a little flat. The plot didn’t have enough direction, the mystery wasn’t gripping, and the characters were a bit bland. I found the world interesting, but it wasn’t explained well enough. All this being said, I did finish it and I will read the second one, but I have lowered my expectations now. I just like knowing how things end.

I wish there had been a bit more of a definitive plot to this novel. There was a lot of running and escaping from place to place. The run one place and uncover a clue, they run to the next place and uncover the next one. I get that you need to piece things together to solve a mystery, but this was running from point to point with little else happening. Now, I probably wouldn’t have minded as much if I found the characters to be more intriguing.

Rone was fine. I know that isn’t a huge compliment, but I found him interesting enough to continue reading. Sandis, on the other hand, had all the personality of a piece of plain toast. She was a fairly run of the mill tragic female lead. Family is dead, taken slave, too young to remember normal life, and apparently unable to have a personality because of the a fore mentioned items. There is also an element of romance between the two, but I don’t find myself shipping them. I should want them to be together, but I don’t actually think they make a good couple. Maybe I’ll change my mind by the time books two and three roll around.

Overall, I would recommend Smoke & Summons for those that enjoy intriguing fantasy worlds, don’t mind character constantly on the run, and romance-lite young adult books. I will continue on with the series and read Myths & Mortals, but I hope that the pacing and the plot pull themselves together a little bit more.

Full disclosure; I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Do you ever read a book thinking it would make a great movie? Well, that’s not what was going through my mind with Smoke & Summons, but it did feel like the book was written less to be a book and more to pitch itself to be made into a feature film.

It was super action packed with little character development which definitely isn’t my thing. Each chapter felt formulaic: running from bad guys, fighting with bad guys, and then sneaking into some secret alley entrance for a night of reprieve. Repeat.

4.5 Stars

SMOKE AND SUMMONS is a fantasy with both sharp and soft edges. There is plenty of grit as these characters traverse the poor conditions of their world, as well as the dangers many face among different groups, like the mob, the corrupt police, and the demon-summoning grafters. Throw in characters who are easy to cheer on, a little romance, and a desperate fight for survival and you definitely have a perfect read for fantasy and dystopian YA readers.

The author did a marvelous job of immersing me right from the beginning into this world and into the characters' lives. I love it when we, as readers, aren't dumped on with information and facts, or just told a story, but instead get to figure things out along with the characters and experience a story with them. It was so well handled and made the story that much more enjoyable.

I loved these characters! Sandis was amazing. She was this great mix of strength, intelligence, and naivete. She's a little mother hen, but she so wanted to be loved and find her own family. Rone was also a great character. He's faced betrayal and clings to the mother he has, trying his best to make a life for the two of them. He was clever, talented - at least as a thief, and had a good heart (even though he didn't want to). Rone and Sandis together were interesting and sweet and I really enjoyed how their relationship developed.

Then there was the plot... Goodness! This story had a constant feel of suspense and danger from beginning to end. I really liked that it was tempered with some sweet moments and some humor as well. There were also plenty of intense, scary moments. There were demons who posses individuals... I appreciated that there weren't really gory details. I also liked that there were parts where the author could have made things easier for these characters, or have things work out better, but she didn't. Nothing was easy. It made it feel more realistic and genuine. There were also some fabulous twists at the end. Book two can't come fast enough!

In the end, was it what I wished for? I thoroughly enjoyed this story! It was a crazy, intense ride with fabulous characters and great storytelling. I'm happily looking forward to more!

Content: Some mild swearing, non-descriptive mature references, innuendo, and violence.
Source: I received a complimentary eARC through NetGalley from the publisher via the Fantastic Flying Book Club, which did not require a positive review nor affect it in any way.

There's something a little scary but still fascinating about the idea of vessels for otherworldly entities. Charlie N. Holmberg has an easy to follow writing style and the plot was engaging. I loved the main character and how real she felt. Her feelings and interactions stayed true to her character. The world that she lives in is a bleak place and it was a romp to follow her journey through it. Loved this book and I'm excited to continue with book 2 soon!

I could not get past the first couple of chapter of this book. It was a DNF for me. I believe this is the first DRC that I couldn’t finish. It lost its muchness.

This is a well written, fast paced story with an interesting mix of fantasy and steampunk. The world the author creates is novel and the reader is progressively pulled into the expanding story and place. The characters are likable and develop in depth and interest as the story progresses. It definitely left me wanting to move on to the next novel in the series.

I found the industrial-type setting of Smoke and Summons to be a refreshing change from the Medieval fantasy so typical of the genre. However, this book unfortunately fell a little short for me, and in the end I gave it 3 stars.

That's not to say I didn't like it - I did! - I just found it a little underwhelming. Both the characters and worldbuilding felt like a painting with the saturation turned down; nothing stood out, and though I am admittedly rather late in writing this review, I can usually remember more of the story.

I did enjoy the magic system, and I'm intrigued to see where this takes us in later novels (since this is a trilogy) and to see how Sandis' character develops, especially with that cliffhanger ending!

Luckily the second book in the series is already out, and I enjoyed the first book enough to want to find out more, it just didn't capture my attention as fully as I would have liked.

Smoke & Summons is a brilliant fantasy novel featuring strong worldbuilding, terrifying magic, and a protagonist with breathtaking power. The writing is superb, never faltering as we follow Sandis on her arduous journey to freedom.

The most powerful part of the book is Sandis’ character evolution. Her experiences are enough to defeat the strongest of people and yet she manages to escape. There are so many obstacles along the way but she persists, becoming stronger by the day as she throws off the mental shackles of slavery. Her actions and words become more confident as she refuses to return to the life she run from. It’s inspiring to watch her grow as a character. By the end, she’s vastly different than when she started, no longer a terrified girl but a strong young woman intent on preventing her captor’s evil from invading the world.

Most interesting are the relationships she forms. The man who unwittingly becomes a part of her story follows the path of an extremely flawed hero, helping her at times and condemning her at others. His story adds an interesting layer to the mix, showing us the underside of this vast city and the struggles of poverty he’s faced for more of his life. We also see Sandis’ relationship with her demon grow. It’s a strange concept and it starts to change your perception of this magic and it’s place on the good-evil scale.

That being said, the magic tradition in the world is truly terrifying, filled with demons of every variety. The practice of summoning them to the physical world is as dark and disturbing as you’d imagine and the author doesn’t back away from the gore and carnage. It’s a generally mysterious practice, and its origins were only slightly touched on. I’m hoping we get to know more about this long ago civilization whose religion revolved around these demons.

Overall, I loved Smoke & Summons. It’s a quick read thanks to the excellent writing and characters you can’t help but follow. This is a series I’ll be following until the end.

Review to be published on 5/1: https://reviewsandrobots.com/2019/05/01/smoke-and-summons-book-review

This was great YA book. The writing was fun and I really liked the plot. Sandis and Rone did drive me a bit crazy with their impulsive decisions that never really turned out well. The best part were the subplots that were woven into the big plot, like Rone's long lost father.

Over all thing think this was a setting up book for the next two in the trilogy. I think they will be interesting and look forward to them.

When I first heard about Smoke and Summons by Charlie N. Holmberg, the title made me think this was just another urban fantasy book. However, the author’s name was familiar, and after looking into it a bit more, I felt drawn to read it. While it ended up not quite being my cup of tea, following are 5 reasons why I believe this book is worth a try.

5 Reasons to Read Smoke & Summons

1. I’ve heard fantastic things about Holmberg’s The Paper Magician series. (Yes, I still haven’t read it, but it’s on my TBR list!)
2. The concept of using humans as vessels for spirits is fascinating and different from my typical fantasy read.
3. It features a more modern, while still out of this world, fantasy setting. Another element that sets it apart.
4. The mystery of Rone’s “immortal device” and the role it will play in this book.
5. Rone is a thief. Some of my favorite fantasy reads feature thieves / the underworld. (To mention a couple: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.)

Things I Liked:

Wow, the world-building in this book is so unique and in depth. I’ve read other books before that had some aspect of spirits and possession in them, but Holmberg’s twist to those concepts is so different than anything I have seen before and kept me turning the page. Can this be categorized as steampunk fantasy? Because it has that urban grungy tone to it, but also mixed with magic and spirits. Either way, it’s such an interesting combination and made for a compelling world to delve into.

I was actually really surprised by this, but Rone was actually my favorite character in this entire book. He’s not the typical hero or love interest; he’s not inherently kind, selfless, or heroic – these are traits Rone had to learn through his adventure with Sandis and even though I gaped at how awful his thought process were at times, I actually really loved it. It was so enjoyable to see all these layers to Rone’s character, flaws and all because they made his development and story-arc even more satisfying.

The magic system was so intriguing! It was fun learning about the numina – basically spiritual entities that live in another dimension and have varying levels of power, and can be controlled by being summoned into a vessel. Kazen, the main antagonist of the story, is absolutely terrifying and despicable but a very interesting villain.

Things I Disliked:

As much as I loved the world Holmberg has created, there was a lot of info-dumping that made me lose interest quite frequently. Right from the start when we start getting all this information shoved in our faces, I started slowing down and found myself unable to read smoothly and at my normal speed because I started getting confused and overwhelmed. I also feel that due to all the excessive info-dumping, this book started to lose its balance between world-building and plot. The plot it did have felt so surface-level and basic; I found myself left wanting more at the end, and not just because of the cliffhanger.

I tried so hard to like Sandis’s character, but just couldn’t bring myself to. At best, I felt a bit sympathetic towards her situation and, at worst, she bored me to the point where I found myself skipping through her point-of-view. Often times it felt like she was just reacting to everything around her and didn’t really have much agency, and that left me disappointed and dissatisfied. I wanted her to be one of my favorite characters but she was definitely not even close.

Final Thoughts:

Not as captivating as I had originally hoped to be, but I am really intrigued by the unique concept and setting. I also hope to like Sandis better in the upcoming books, and to find out more about the world. Let’s just hope there’s not as much info-dumping in the sequel now that the basics of the world has been established in the first book. I’m definitely going to be continuing this series!

A sinful creation and a cunning thief come together in this fantastical tale that is perfect for An Ember in the Ashes fans with vibes of Aladdin.

I loooooved this! This was an action packed, fantasy thrill ride that did not let me up for air! I was at the edge of my seat trying to keep track of everything and make sure that my main characters were safe! I know that this needs more story for sure because this book seemed to only be the beginning. The writing and the amount of detail was stunning and very engrossing. I definitely suggest this book for fantasy lovers and those who are in search of a magical thriller!

I was super excited to read this. I've yet to read The Paper Magicians series, but it is definitely on my list.
I have to admit, this book was a bit difficult to get into because it just jumps in with Sandis and left me feeling incredibly confused. I mean, who is Anon and Kazen? Then multiple names of, I guess, prisoners like her are dropped and it gets super overwhelming and so confusing.
Page 3, you find out they're vessels. Basically a vessel is a person that can be possessed and they have no recollection of what was done during that period of time. Only the pain of the transformation. Kazen is the vessels 'keeper' that summons those that possess them to do his dirty work.
Sandis is his favorite, and also the most powerful there.
Chapter two we are introduced to Rone. A Thief with a special trinket that grants him immortality for one minute a day.
From then on it alternates POV. I don't want to give too much away, as you've probably seen in my other reviews I like to keep them spoiler free. The plot is seriously so unique, you wont regret picking this one up !