Book Review: Summoning the Night by Jenn Bennett

Summoning the Night
Author: Jenn Bennett
Series: Arcadia Bell (Book 2)
Publication: Pocket Books (April 24, 2012)

Description: MAGICAL TRICKS. DEMONIC TREATS.

After narrowly escaping her fate as a sacrificial scapegoat, Arcadia Bell is back to normal. Or at least as ordinary as life can be for a renegade magician and owner of a tiki bar that caters to Earthbound demons. She's gearing up for the busiest day of the year--Halloween--when a vengeful kidnapper paralyzes the community. The influential head of the local Hellfire Club taps Cady to track down the fiendish bogeyman, and now that she's dating red-hot Lon Butler, the Club's wayward son, she can hardly say no.

Cady and Lon untangle a gruesome thirty-year trail of clues that points to danger for the club members' children. But locating the person behind the terror will require some metaphysical help from Cady's loyal bar patrons as well as her potent new Moonchild powers--and she'd better figure it out before the final victim disappears and her own darkest secret becomes her biggest enemy.

My Thoughts: This is book two in the Arcadia Bell series. Cady is still freaked out by her new magical powers but she is getting used to having a boyfriend in Lon. And, she has completely fallen in love with Lon's son Jupe. Jupe will be turning fourteen on Halloween and seems to be developing his knack a couple of years ahead of schedule. He is developing the knack for persuasion and now both Lon and Cady are worrying about helping him use it ethically.

The big problem in this one is that it looks like a serial killer from 30 years ago is making a reappearance. Thirty years ago seven Earthbound kids were kidnapped in the days before Halloween and no trace of them was ever found. New Earthbound kids who are the descendents of the members of the Hellfire club who can transform are being kidnapped. The leader of the club wants Lon and Cady to find out who is doing the kidnapping and why. Since Jupe is in the group of kids who are targets, Lon and Cady have an additional reason to find the kidnapper.

The story was action packed and exciting. I like the way Cady is making a new family for herself with Lon and Jupe and I like how frightened she is that something will go wrong there. I really like Jupe who is a very entertaining teenager. The relationship with Lon is also going well as they play to each other's strengths.

I'll be looking forward to reading more in this series.

Favorite Quote:

I'd already heard every crazy crackpot esoteric theory out there. Most of the people in my order went a step further, proclaiming that magicians were gods, or at least descended from them. A King Kong-size ego was necessary for at least two positions of power in this country: presidential candidates and upper-echelon officers in any magical organization.

I bought this book on April 24, 2012. You can buy your copy here.