I was so excited to read this one but sadly this one was not for me. It had a ton of chasing and it felt like the author did a lot of telling and now showing. And if memory serves there was no mention of Numien mythology at all. So it really lacked in world building.

I really did like the characters but I think this one with the whisper of the romance just wasn't needed. I would really like to have a young adult title where they have two characters that don't fall in love. Please, they can just be friends you know!!

I really felt like this one was like the Fallen book by Lauren Kate that we get some few hundred pages and nothing really happens.

In the end, this one just was not for me and I am very sad about that because this was one of my most anticipated reads!

This is the first book in a series of a fantasy world in which people can be used as possessed humans for summoned demons by wizards. The story starts when one slaves/prisoners excapes and tries to make her way in the world. The concept is interesting and the story flows well. However, similar to the Wheel of Time series or any multi-book series it is not a complete novel so readers will need to pick the next novel up to continue the story. That may or may not appeal to you. However, if you like out of the box thinking, fantasy, and adventure...it would probably be worth reading.

The book has lots of action scenes, mostly running away from pursuers and such, but there’s a lot of world building as well. The fantasy elements stem from supernatural possession and references to the occult, though there are many modern social issues involved as well. Human trafficking, social inequity, and theocracy play a part in this story. Though there are hints of romanticism, it’s not a major part of the plot.

There are brief moments that mention mature content (virginity and suggestion of rape), but it's all mild and in the background.  Nothing overtly sexual takes place in the story.  Violence is present, and there are darker scenes of kidnapping and torture.  Smoke & Summons could work as a middle grades book for mature tweens as well as teen fiction/YA lit.  What a relief to see a book that has a lot of action without profanity!  I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next book in the series.

I had stacked up a rather large Netgalley pile again, so despite having pre-ordered this novel, I felt it was only right to plow through my ARCs first. The only problem was some of them were harder reading than I anticipated, and I was put off from reading this for quite awhile. I missed the release day I had so hoped to help promote. Que sera, sera.

I pre-ordered this because 1) it was written by Charlie Holmberg and 2) it is about humans being vessels to spirits. (I feel this could be turned into a really awesome anime.) Sandis lives in an incredibly sheltered life as the favorite vessel to a criminally insane master. Rone is a 25 year old parkour ninja. How could I not pre-order?

Sandis's character development as an 18 year old runaway is fantastic. You can feel her naivety from having been sheltered most of her adolescence, but her street smarts from her childhood lie under the surface. As she flexes her atrophied skills, the story takes a little bit of a slow start. Plus, everything is being told from two different perspectives until Sandis and Rone meet up in an epic bar fight.

The slow start was a little surprising, but I just knew if I made it to the meat of the story I'd never put it down. Once Sandis and Rone meet, the novel just absolutely takes off. The final 3/4 of the novel are absolutely cram packed with action and drama.

The fight scenes are incredibly vivid, and it wasn't hard to have an imaginary battle going on while I read. There is excellent character development and plenty of scenes for story growth in between all the action. My heart was wrenching through multiple parts of the story as I became incredibly invested in reading.

And can we just mention that ending? I mean, honestly, I knew it was coming and yet I still felt slapped in the face. I think I had honestly stopped breathing in those last paragraphs. Best ending I have read in years.

There is a strong dynamic of faith and religion that Holmberg brings to the table that makes her novels some of my all time favorites. I have also found that because of these moral ponderings I am able to reread all her novels despite knowing the final outcome. That is a top notch novel in my opinion--one you can read and keep getting something out of even when you know the ending.

I have yet to read a book by Charlie Holmberg that I have not enjoyed. And I still have not been disappointed. I am super excited that I received an ARC for Myths & Mortals, book two, which is publishing this April! The even more exciting news is the final book in the trilogy will be releasing by the end of the year. That is an entire Charlie Holmberg trilogy in one year. I am beyond pumped. I have some serious reading to go do now.

it was amazing

I am a big fan of the Plastic Magician series so when i got a chance to read her new book i eagerly jumped on board. I picked this one up early on a snow day in February expecting to read for a while. I was not expecting to get dragged in not look up tell serveral hours later when i came up for air. I was hooked, this story has it all adventure gripping chapters, narrow escapes, slow burn romance and mysterious magic. It an epic story and not read any other story quite like it. It also has a interesting cliff hanger that has me willing to jump right into book two. This is one book you need to clear some time and just read it all in one sitting you won’t regret it.

Wow. This book redefines gripping. It moved at breakneck pace for me and I was completely enthralled. The concept was very solid as was the plot but the writing and story were the highlight of this book. I cannot put into words how much I enjoyed reading this. There is suspense, deep character drama, and solid dialogue. I have no complaints with this book.

This was interesting, and I will definitely read the next in the series. It was a little young for my taste (I didn't realize it was YA when I requested it, so this isn't a fault against the book). I would have liked a big more world building and character development but I'm hoping to find out more in the next book.

Sandis is one of very few people who can contain a strong spirit. That makes her a weapon & keeps her enslaved for her usefulness to others. Basically, she tries to escape, but it's a small city and she's too valuable for her master to forget about. So she's on the run with nowhere to hide.

I enjoyed the parts when Sandis connected with her bonded spirit. It's a powerful being, but they can't really communicate, which leads to some difficulties. It was an interesting idea though, that she could become this powerful spirit for a time, but have no control over it or memory of what occurred during her possession.

Other than that, it was a pretty standard YA type book. A guy & gal are on the run from a bunch of scary men. There's a handy thief. (I'm not complaining about that one too much. I enjoy that cliche.) Boy & girl develop feelings. (duh. inevitable.) Girl gets captured again. Boy saves girl. The end. To be fair, they didn't kiss or get all soppy on each other. But it's coming. I feel it.

The book ends on a semi cliffhanger. It's not a terrible place to stop, but there will be a major reveal in the next chapter, for which you'll need to get the next book. It's a bit annoying because it's not a clean stopping point, but it's not the worst I've seen either.

For all that I've complained about it, it was still a pretty good read. It was well written, nicely paced, and the characters were interesting enough. It's not the most unique book, but it's still a good read, especially for those parts with the spirit. The evil guy was a good twisted character with an evil goal and was a scary slave master. I'd be interested in reading the next book, if just to get closure on certain points. I recommend this for fans of dystopian works & especially if you enjoyed other books by this author. I rate it at about 3.8 stars.

I liked the Paper Magician and the entire series so my expectations were high.
I don't know if all my expectations were met: the book is well written, the world building amazing but something didn't click.
I enjoyed the book and it's quite dark atmosphere, the well written characters and I think the plot is fascinating.
I want to see what's coming next before giving up.
In any case it's a good book that I recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

Reading the summary, I was thinking this was more likely to fall into the ‘strange’ category along with The Fifth Doll and Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet and it would be true to say this is not the (mostly) comfortable, magical romance of The Paper Magician. It is, however, a book that manages to hold it’s own, not drifting into vastly ambitious, confounding worldbuilding changes half way through as the former books did. While this does include another dimension in which there is at least one horse made of fire, it is clear how that world relates to the main setting of the book and where our characters stand in relation to that world. So, anyone who was wondering where this book sat, I’d say it’s closer to The Paper Magician in quality if not in tone.

It’s always a somewhat ‘uncomfortable’ reading experience when you have a white author writing about some kind of slavery. From my perspective, it seemed to have been handled with care, but I would suggest seeking out reviews from people of colour as to their opinion of the handling of this topic.

I thought that the characters, Sandis and Rone in particular, were really great to read. I initially thought that I wasn’t going to get along with Sandis, she felt a little bit annoying at first, but she grew on me as the book continued, the more liberated she was the more I enjoyed her tone. I also thought that the dynamic between her and Rone was great. Does their relationship (friends...or otherwise) grow quite quickly? Yes. But it didn’t feel unrealistic given the circumstances in which these characters find themselves. I look forward to reading more of them in future books in this series.

The plot definitely comes into its own nearer the end of the book, but that’s to be expected in a first book, with the amount of worldbuilding necessary in the first chunk of the book. It did start to feel a little bit samey at times, as is often a problem with books that feature characters on the run, but it definitely picks up towards the final few chapters. It’s left me with high hopes for further books!

A strong world, great characters and some great scope for future books, this is a great new story from Holmberg and if you’re a fan of fantasy I’d say it’s a good quick read to get your teeth into!

My rating: 3/5 stars

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved the idea of vessels and numen and summoning demons from ethereal planes into humans.
I really enjoyed reading this YA fantasy and this is one of the better ones that i read in the past few months, but felt the middle part could've been shortened.

There's too much running away and hiding from the same enemies, which makes that part quite tedious to read.

The ending though was great and I'm extremely happy and fortunate to have received the second novel in this series from Netgalley as well.

Smoke and Summons: Numia Book 1
by the great Charlie N. Holmberg
2019
47 North
4.0 / 5.0

Charlie N. Holmberg has the unique ability to build worlds....her imagination and creativity in developing and bringing to life other worlds of mystery and intrigue and action is exceptional. This series is no exception.
This series, Numia, takes place in a city built on the ruins of an ancient city that thrived before another religion destroyed it. It hold many artifacts and magic from itś past.

Sandis, a young woman being held by a man underground with cruel intentions and occult practices. On her back is a distinguishing tattoo of a stallion engulfed in flame. It is the mark of a demon, Ireth, who when called upon gives her the power of fire. Her captor, Kazan, uses her body as a vessel into which he can summon and control demons, called Numens, to help him carry out his acts of murder and evil discord. When Sandis sees Kazan kill another vessel while trying to summon his power, Sandis escapes and flees. She meets up with the Rone, a thief, who finds himself caught up in Sandisś mayhem. Rone has a magical article, an amarinth that makes him immortal for one minute when used, but can only be used once in 24 hours. Roan and Sandis set out to find what Sandis sees as her only hope, a distant relative she does not know, Talbur. Can he help her....will he help her....who is he?
Holmberg creates another world with interesting characters. She injects uber non-stop action. magic, occult powers and a magical object that make this a powerful, fascinating and captivating story.
I loved this, Book 2 is already on my shelf.
Recommended book and author. I was s thrilled to hear another of her series, The Paper Magician is not on option with Walt Disney Studios.
Bravo Holmberg!! Another Winner!!
Thank you to 47 North and Charlie N. Holmberg for this E-book for a fair and honest review.
#netgalley #SmokeAndSummons

Smoke and Summons is different from anything I've read. The premise is unique and striking. Imagine being inhabited by a demon creature thing and used as a weapon at its disposal. That's just crazy! The characters are sympathetic in my opinion. They are flawed and complex but likeable. The story introduces a new world concept, different religious beliefs, strange creatures and a strong female lead. I enjoyed this book, and maybe you will too. It's the first in a series by the way! Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm often hesitant to review a book that already has so many reviews, since I don't believe I can add anything of value other than a star rating. I liked this one. It's dark buy compelling. The premise was interesting and mostly well executed, and the characters were well-formed. I'll probably check out more from this author. Thanks very much for the advanced review copy!

As the increasingly sinister aspirations of her master surfaces, simply surviving her current situation is no longer enough in Charlie N. Holmberg's Smoke & Summons. 

Sandis serves as a human vessel for an ancient spirit, Ireth, which is frequently wielded as a weapon by Kazen, the man who acquired her from slavers and an unthinkable fate. With the ability to host stronger spirits than some of the others, Sandis fears she might not survive a summoning of such a fearsome power and decides to seize an opportunity to escape the subservient life she's learned to successfully navigate. Trying to make her way in the city, she finds a surprising ally in a thief named Rone, who has a device that allows him one minute of immortality a day, a secret that he keeps close to the vest and is frequently quite helpful in his line of work. As the pair flee from Kazen's attempts to get Sandis back, they face both men and monsters in their pursuits toward better lives.

An intriguing premise of the supernatural or magical is explored as the world these spirits and artifacts inhabit slowly builds up into a fuller, more established picture, complete with political corruption and religious fanaticism. The characters of Sandis and Rone are fairly interesting (Rone far more so) and flawed enough to make them easier to relate to and become invested in their survival yet they can frustrate you in a way familiar with this genre and basic plot. Though there are plenty of moments of cleverness and quick thinking to escape a perilous situation, the majority of the story's action is running from assailants, which after a while becomes a tad tiresome; more development of the mythology behind the numen might have helped as this narrative seems to primarily set the scene for what's to come. With an ending that brings Sandis and Rone to a character Sandis has been seeking since the start, the cliffhanger leaves you waiting the next installment to help answer the many unaddressed questions raised as the story kicks off.

Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

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

This was such a fantastic, frenzied ride of a book! From the opening to the final scene, it kept me engaged and tensed, wondering what was going to happen next.

I've read quite a few other books of Holmberg's and I have to say, this one is very different (and, in my opinion, a larger undertaking). It carries darker, weightier topics and themes. Yet her writing style, her "voice", is still there, fluid and engaging. The characters are thoroughly human, believable in their motivations and flaws.

The world of Smoke and Summons is skillfully crafted. I could smell and taste the smoke in Dresberg, feel its oppressive nature around me. And more than that, I could follow the history that led to the state it'd become. I enjoyed the bits of political and religious touches as well, adding further dimension and higher stakes to the story,

I know there's more in store in the coming books, and I can't wait to learn more about the neighboring kingdoms, the ethereal plane, everything! Holmberg has definitely raised the bar for herself with this one.

[I received an ARC of this book for an honest review]

"I received an ARC of "Smoke and Summons", thank you very much for that!

All in all, I really enjoyed #1 of the Numina series and I am already impatiently waiting for #2. Although I was quite confused at the beginning of the novel and sometimes annoyed by Sandis, the action-packed story, interesting characters and an exciting new world could convince me and I finished the book in just two sittings! I don't want to spoiler anything, so just go ahead and put Smoke and Summons in your tbr pile!

If you liked the Paper Magician Series and are ready to meet demons, thiefs, a strong female lead, rogues and a very different church, pre-order this book!!"

+ I recommended the book @ Instagram, where approx. 250 book-people see it. :-)