Kelley Armstrong's The Summoning is the first book in her Young Adult Darkest Powers Trilogy. Set in the Otherworld, but with no appearances from characters in Armstrong's lead series, this is possibly the best YA novel I have read.
Fifteen year old Chloe Saunders has been sent to Lyle House, a small group home for troubled teens, after an outburst at school. While her teachers thought she was a suffering a violent mental break, Chloe was experiencing her first instance of interacting with a ghost. Chloe is desperate to get out of Lyle house and get back on track to achieving her dreams of becoming a director, but her efforts propel her into discovering the true nature of group looking after her.
What struck me most is there's no focus on what seems to be the obligatory teen romance that clogs so many young adult novels. Priority is, rightly, given to the excellent plot that is paced so well that The Summoning could easily be stocked in the adult section of a bookstore and attract an older audience.
Terrifying in places, with a good twist at the end (especially if you have no prior knowledge of Armstrong's work), I was smiling when I finished and couldn't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series.
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