Hey, it’s almost time for SUMMONING THE NIGHT‘s release day (Tuesday!), and reviews are popping up everywhere. Every time I read one, I get a little nauseous. I don’t want to fail you. I want to tell a great story and make you fall in love with my characters. I want to entertain you!
No single book can please everyone, so there’s bound to be some folks who just don’t connect with Arcadia. That’s cool. But when people do connect with my work? I won’t lie. It’s a pretty spectacular feeling. Here are some reviewers who made a fictional love connection with SUMMONING THE NIGHT:
The May issue of RT Book Reviews Magazine (on newsstands now) gave it their highest rating, 4 1/2 stars, and it was also the only adult urban fantasy chosen as the highly coveted TOP PICK for this issue:
“Bennett quickly establishes that her terrific debut was no fluke, delivering another riveting tale featuring gutsy renegade magician Cady Bell. Bennett does a stellar job blending character development with plenty of supernatural mystery and peril. A series for your keeper shelf!”
(I may have fallen out of my chair in surprise and joy when I read that!)
Julie at Yummy Men and Kick Ass Chicks gave it 5+ stars (plus!) and said so many nice things, I feel like we should get married and have some babies (if she hadn’t already done that with her own husband—drat!):
”Yes, I did basically ignore my family, my kids, my everything just to read this book. And when I finished, I was equal parts giddy and shaking. And yes, I hugged it too. It left me even more in awe of this author and I now feel as though it is my job, the reason I started book blogging, to tell everyone to read this book and to read this series.”
(And I may have gotten a little verklempt when I read that. Okay, a LOT verklempt!)
All Things Urban Fantasy gave it 4 bats (the winged kind, not the baseball kind) and said:
“Look out Mercy, Rachel, and Sookie, the urban fantasy genre has a fierce new heroine in Arcadia Bell! Bartender and magician Cady made her mark on the genre with 2011’s KINDLING THE MOON and with SUMMONING THE NIGHT she is rightly taking her place alongside some of the big names.”
Abigail also noted that Lon is:
“a stone cold fox who looks like a rakish pirate and can transform into full on Hellboy mode when the need arises.”
(AWESOME! Can my publisher please put this on the next cover?)
Bookaholic Cat gave it 5 stars, claiming it broke a dreaded reading slump, and said:
“Mrs. Bennett has done it again. With Summoning the Night she proves us once more what a great and creative author she is, her voice is clear, vivid and realistic. The narrative is engaging and constructed into coherent and fluid plot lines that lead us to a perfect ending. To say I loved Summoning the Night is an understatement, I adored it!”
Tynga’s Reviews said, among many other wonderful things:
“I’m pleased to report that SUMMONING THE NIGHT exceeded my (perhaps too high) expectations! Jenn Bennett has created another amazing novel filled with strong characters, magical surprises, and quirky humour.”
Sarah at Clear Eyes, Full Shelves said Lon converted her to a mustache fan (my work here is done, people!) and name-checked this mind-blowing series in the same breath as mine:
“With this second installment, the Arcadia Bell series joins Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series as my favorite in the urban fantasy sub-genre.”
Kelly at Reading the Paranormal gave it 5 stars and said:
“Jenn Bennett has done it again. She wrapped me up in Cady’s world and made me love it even more than I thought I could. I was madly in love with book 1, you know. Seriously. Madly in love. I wanted a Lon of my very own. I wanted to be a fly in the wall when Jupe walked into any room. I was cheering as Cady came into her own. And book 2? Oh, it’s made me fall in love with all those guys even harder.”
RhiReading gave it 5 stars and said:
“Yes! Yes! Yes! There are no other words for this one.”
And, my favorite comment:
“As a mom I kind of adore Jupe and want to ground him at the same time.”
Were Vamps Romance gave it 5 stars and said it’s:
“amazing book that’ll leave you wanting the next installment”
Goldilox and the Three Weres (love this blog name, ha!) gave it 5 stars and made an interesting observation that no other blogger (to my knowledge) has pointed out:
“It is also a bit unique that Bennett writes such a strong urban fantasy without any fantasy creatures.”
Well, demons, sure. But the characters in my books are basically human, and the series is pretty well grounded in reality, so I get what’s she’s saying—no dragons breathing fire, no vampires drinking Aunt Sally’s blood, no fairies flying around. Not that there’s anything wrong with any of that—I’m a UF/paranormal reader, too, and I love my genre. But it’s an interesting observation, nonetheless. And I also liked this comment:
“we see Cady and Jupe’s relationship grow and their connection is so sweet that I didn’t mind in the slightest that Cady and Lon’s relationship took a bit of a back seat. That doesn’t mean that there weren’t some great scenes between the two, because there was one scene in Lon’s kitchen……..whew!”
Anna at the Greek book blog, Books to Brighten Your Mood gave it 4 stars and said:
“Jupe is just amazing! I mean his voice is so fresh and full of humor that makes this series a true joy to read and make me wish that Jenn Bennett will seriously consider of writing a book about him once he gets a little older. Honestly, I can’t get enough of that boy! I just love him!”
(I perhaps, maybe, juuuust possibly might be considering writing such a thing!)
Melliane at the French blog Between Dreams and Reality gave it five stars and said:
“We will also discover a new protagonist: Hajo. His power is really fascinating and his character is complex. We wonder if we will see him in the next volumes because he is very intriguing and I hope we could learn more about him. Despite I don’t think it would be a good thing for Cady.”
(Yes, you will see him again, and I don’t think it will be a good thing for Cady, either.)
New links added April 24:
“Lon, Cady, and Jupe especially have carved out little places in my heart with their frank dialogue, realist character growth, and overall interactions with one another.”
“Summoning the Night will give you goosebumps, bring tears to your eyes and make you think.”
“As before, Bennett provides the reader with a tremendous story that flows smoothly, characters that feel as though they are sitting next to you, descriptive imagery that makes the setting seem real, all delivered with a spot-on thread of humor that adds to the narrative.”
Bad Ass Book Reviews, 5 skulls, A rating:
“An urban fantasy book that has absolutely no love triangle AND the two main characters communicate with each other AND when faced with difficult situations, they work it out TOGETHER! What was Jenn Bennett thinking?????”
Urban Fantasy Investigations, 4 stars:
“Jenn has brought us a fantastic world, great characters and engaging storyline that make the Arcadia Bell series a must read”
Happy Tails and Tales, 5 paws:
“There isn’t anyone who writes like Jenn Bennett-fierce, crazy, awesome, awe-inspiring, grade-A urban fantasy!”
“LonButler is one of the most Bad-Ass Demon-Licious characters I have had the pleasure to read about. Who knew I would find a pirate mustache wearing, debonair yet powerful demon so incredibly sexy?”
Carolyn Crane trading cards: Mine! All Mine!
The August issue of Locus Magazine says some nice things about KINDLING (“a solid start to a hot new urban fantasy series”):
