Summoned, M.A. Guglielmo

A 4*

Caution, mild spoilers ahead.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions included in this review are my own and are in no way affected by the exchange.

I stumbled upon this book on NetGalley while searching for a fresh fantasy novel that would take me on a new adventure. And after closing the book, I do not feel disappointed with my choice.

Summoned takes you on an incredible adventure in distant lands of our world, lands that are not usually explored on pages of a book. It is not a standard setting with cliche characters. Well, maybe a little bit with Zahara who is party chick and Daniel a nerdy type of a game developer… Forget about what I said about cliche characters.

But going back to the setting, it explores Morocco and the Middle East, with a dive into different religions, myths, and legends, combining them all in one wonderful story. There was a drag in the story, by the middle of it, where there is almost nothing of interest happening and the passages get a bit boring.

But then the ending arrives, with unexpected turns and wild unravellings. Everyone gets a happy ending and the bad guy loses… This is good, but, for a good fantasy, there are some tragic events missing and more evolution and transformation from the characters needed to make it a great novel.

The characters are interesting in their own ways, with their own stories.

Summoned is a good fantasy novel that is seeking a new, non-cliche fantasy world, born in the modern age but constructed of the stories of old, twisted in a new way.