Thank you to Netgalley and the published for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

A good read for spooky season. Some horror, some romance. Recommended. Thanks to netgalley for this ARC.

Niall knows he’s doing the right thing, trying to help his boyfriend Jacky deal with his abusive father. But when Jacky pushes things too far, both boys come to the attention of The Guild. After a traumatic period, Niall hides out in Ireland, where he meets Cohen – a young trans man, popular author and internet celebrity. Having inherited an old house in the countryside, Cohen is determined to get away from his family and prove he’s more than capable of looking after himself. But a paranormal murder mystery lands on his doorstep, and despite Niall quickly becoming the main suspect, Cohen can’t help but be drawn to him.

This is one of those books I was instantly gripped by. The setup with Niall and Jacky builds things up and gives us an idea of exactly what is going to happen with the rest of the book. The Guild is a frightening presence hanging over the heads of the characters, and Pendragon doesn’t waste a single word as we follow Cohen into a strange world where witches and demons are real.

The developing relationship between Cohen and Niall was handled well, especially with Cohen’s gender dysphoria taken into account and the threats hanging over their heads. Pendragon really keeps the reader in suspense, building up things in such a way it’s never totally clear what’s going to happen next, but tying in other elements from early in the story, too.

To Summon Nightmares was rereleased by NineStar Press in August 2021, and now would be an excellent time to pick it up. The characters are endearing and the plot gripping, it’s a good example of horror done really well.

A good mix of romance with horror, fleshed out and likeable characters, a sweet romance.
It's the first book I read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Well written, compelling, and entertaining.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Pro: trans character, good horror premise, trans positive sex scene

Cons: the romance felt very forced, plot kinda all over the place, and as a trans reader I’m tired of reading the self hating angsty trans character and I was sad to see it here

Probably would be a two if it was any longer, but it was short and fast paced enough that I didnt get too bored or annoyed

4 stars! (published August 23rd!)

**Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
#ToSummonNightmares #NetGalley

Pros
+ Canadian, bisexual, genderqueer author
+ rep: trans man, trans girl, bisexual, gay, PTSD
+ plot: In high school, Niall summoned a demon to help get rid of Jacky's abusive father. Jacky makes a deal with the demon and both Niall and Jacky get strong powers, are kidnapped by a magical council, and tortured for years. Fast forward years. They escape. Jacky is out for revenge. Niall just wants to live a quiet life, probably alone. Until the day he offers a ride to Cohen.
+ Niall (MC): a gay witch with immense power who just wants to live a quiet life in the Irish countryside
+ Cohen (MC): an ex-Irish celebrity looking to get away to write his next book and come into his own after transitioning
+ I really loved Niall and Cohen so, so, so much. Their cis (Niall) and trans (Cohen) conversations, dynamics, acceptance, and slow build were endearing and heartbreaking. Niall is so sweet and soft despite being a big guy and Cohen is so strong and resilient.

Cons
- The synopsis is a bit skewed and I was confused at first. We don't follow Cohen for the first part of the book. It's about Niall and Jacky in the past then goes forward in time to intersect with Cohen's timeline.

TW: self-harm, cutting, gender dysphoria, accidental and intentional misgendering, death, gore, trauma, PTSD, abusive parent, a terminally ill child, torture (off-page)

Thank you netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a review

I liked the plot and writing style of the book, I loved the fact the MC is a trans man (who does his own T shots !! I was so happy to read this part), however some aspects of the book were too dark for me. I think that a lot of people will like it, it's just that I'm sensitive to some subjects (and it's clearly me fault for not reading the trigger warnings more carefully). So I had to read this book during the day and not right before bed, but I still managed to finish it and I liked the story in itself !

A decent read but I think it could use another round of editing and also just wasn't necessarily what I was looking for. I was incredibly confused at first and thought maybe I somehow ended up with the wrong book because the main character from the summary isn't even in the first two chapters but then he showed up and it became clear how seemingly disparate plotlines would come together.

If you're just looking for a romance with a trans character then you will probably enjoy this but the summary makes it sound like there's going to be a much larger mystery aspect to the plot when in reality the characters just meet randomly and one goes 'oh yeah I know who's killing everyone' and then they flirt a lot and finally get around to stopping the guy at the end. It's a very quick read which is probably what saved this from being a 2 star read for me but if you don't mind plot being sacrificed for romance I'm sure this will be perfectly enjoyable.

Thanks, Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!
This is the first book I read about a trans character being the main protag, but this was his uniqueness and yet not everything that was special about him - he is brave, sweet, romantic, vulnerable and actually, carries everything deep that makes us all human. There's the character of Niall, who is so very interesting as well, but not that developed as Cohen. I really wished there was a little bit more of him, but still, his relationship with Cohen started and developed beautifully and realistically - Cohen still has a lot on his mind and a lot of issues to solve, but he's getting there and this time, he's not alone. There's some serious gore, which I'm not entirely used to, but isn't the main focus of the book, so it's something I could get through in the name of plot and character development!

Wow!

This book hooked me in from the start and pulled me along for an absolute roller coaster!

I loved the relationships between all the characters. I can't wait to spend more time with them.

This book comes with quite a few trigger warnings, and I highly recommend that potential readers check those out as this book deals with a lot of sensitive issues in a really respectful way.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

I wanted to enjoy this, but I found the world and characters hard to understand and relate to. I couldn't connect with the magic, the fantasy... this just wasn't for me.

I received this book as an eARC from Netgalley. All opinions are my own!

Cohen thought that inheriting a house in the Irish countryside would be a relaxing way to get out of the public eye. He never imagined that he would get caught up in a paranormal murder mystery along the way.

What can I say to explain how much I enjoyed this book?! I read it all in one sitting because there was absolutely no way that I could put it down. Cohen was amazingly relatable, not to mention that the plot was so unique. I wasn't expecting the places that this story would go, and I really enjoyed that it did go there!

I also felt as though I learned a lot from this book and the trans representation in it. I loved that Cohen so deeply explained dysphoria and that he embodied so many of the daily struggles that trans people live with. I really enjoyed connecting with Cohen in this way and I loved being part of his story!

If you're looking for a paranormal LGBTQ+ thriller, this is the book for you!

I loved this book!! It was super easy to read, fast-paced, and thought provoking. With amazing characters and suspenseful plot, I was hooked.

This book starts out with two teenage boys, Niall and Jacky, who decide to use magic to get Jacky away from an abusive parent. However, things don't go as planned and these two end up taken hostage by a magical enforcement group, the Guild. Flash forward several years, the boys are able to escape and will forever be hunted by the Guild. Those years in captivity caused Niall and Jacky to change. They aren't the same boys they once were - they aren't in love anymore. Next we meet Cohen, a famous author and publicly out trans young man. He has inherited an old house in a small-town in Ireland. It's here Cohen meets Niall and he becomes entangled in a new relationship as well as paranormal murder mystery. .

I loved that each character wasn't truly the hero or villain of this story. They were all written very three-dimensionally. Each has faced setbacks or hardships that make the reader feel for them, but also may have done some pretty horrible things. This causes the reader to really think about the motivations and moral "lines in the sand" that they want to stick by. I think Cohen's dysphoria was written so well, I may not have quite a lot of knowledge on this topic to give my opinion but I felt it was very powerful and honest. It didn't seem glorified or glossed over.

My only negatives were that I hated the name "Jacky" and the book went by so quickly I wanted more. I will definitely be looking out for the next book!

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine!