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tpatti's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
stormc's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
coriandercake's review against another edition
3.0
This was definitely the weakest book in the series but it was still fun.
jvilches's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
tachyondecay's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Almost a exactly a year ago, I read the first and second books in The Keeper Chronicles. Now we conclude this trilogy with Long Hot Summoning. Tanya Huff increases the role of Claire’s younger sister, Diana, giving her a Summoning of her own and more responsibility for saving the world. It’s a fresh and fun adventure with much of the charm but also most of the flaws of the first two books. Also, the cover art is very DAW and very early 2000s and quite honestly I love it.
Diana has graduated high school, which officially means she is an active Keeper. She couldn’t be more thrilled. Her first Summoning comes as she walks out of high school on her last day, and it takes her to familiar territory: Kingston. Normally Claire’s domain, this Summoning requires the most powerful Keeper—and as the second child, that’s Diana. Along with Claire and their respective cats (Sam, a former angel; and Austin, a curmudgeon of a cat if ever there was one), they need to stop an evil shopping mall from manifesting in this dimension.
I enjoyed this much more than Second Summoning. I’m not sure if I just prefer Diana’s perspective to Claire’s or if the new main character just made things more interesting. This book is also less frenetic in setting than Second Summoning was: most of it takes place in the mall (albeit a distorted, Otherside version thereof), with secondary scenes back at Claire’s bed and breakfast. There’s also less snarky Hell banter, which I think helps as well.
I still struggled with the constant low-level horniness of all the characters. On the one hand, I don’t want to pan the book too much for this because, hey, normalize female protagonists being horny on main (including Diana, who is very obviously queer in this book, yay!). On the other hand, as a sex-averse aro/ace gal, the background horniness does little for me and is, if anything, a distraction.
As with the previous books, the way that Hell manifests as a general nefarious force that slowly aggregates its sentience into a single being is an interesting concept on paper but a less interesting concept … well, on paper. The book lacks a strong antagonist, and while we are constantly told that the stakes are high and the Otherside winning would be Bad, it never really seems to manifest. At the same time, the mummy subplot involving Dean, while fun, also feels very trite and predictable.
I am working my around to this opinion of Tanya Huff as an author: I really like her sense of humour and her writing, but I don’t know that I actually love her books all that much? Like I heartily recommend her to other people but I can’t call her one of my personal faves—and I guess that’s all right.
Not as good as the Gale Women series in terms of story, stakes, or characterization. But still a fun, undemanding read for a weekend on the deck.
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
Diana has graduated high school, which officially means she is an active Keeper. She couldn’t be more thrilled. Her first Summoning comes as she walks out of high school on her last day, and it takes her to familiar territory: Kingston. Normally Claire’s domain, this Summoning requires the most powerful Keeper—and as the second child, that’s Diana. Along with Claire and their respective cats (Sam, a former angel; and Austin, a curmudgeon of a cat if ever there was one), they need to stop an evil shopping mall from manifesting in this dimension.
I enjoyed this much more than Second Summoning. I’m not sure if I just prefer Diana’s perspective to Claire’s or if the new main character just made things more interesting. This book is also less frenetic in setting than Second Summoning was: most of it takes place in the mall (albeit a distorted, Otherside version thereof), with secondary scenes back at Claire’s bed and breakfast. There’s also less snarky Hell banter, which I think helps as well.
I still struggled with the constant low-level horniness of all the characters. On the one hand, I don’t want to pan the book too much for this because, hey, normalize female protagonists being horny on main (including Diana, who is very obviously queer in this book, yay!). On the other hand, as a sex-averse aro/ace gal, the background horniness does little for me and is, if anything, a distraction.
As with the previous books, the way that Hell manifests as a general nefarious force that slowly aggregates its sentience into a single being is an interesting concept on paper but a less interesting concept … well, on paper. The book lacks a strong antagonist, and while we are constantly told that the stakes are high and the Otherside winning would be Bad, it never really seems to manifest. At the same time, the mummy subplot involving Dean, while fun, also feels very trite and predictable.
I am working my around to this opinion of Tanya Huff as an author: I really like her sense of humour and her writing, but I don’t know that I actually love her books all that much? Like I heartily recommend her to other people but I can’t call her one of my personal faves—and I guess that’s all right.
Not as good as the Gale Women series in terms of story, stakes, or characterization. But still a fun, undemanding read for a weekend on the deck.
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
snazel's review against another edition
4.0
More cats, more hilarity, more canadian references. Definitely the best of the bunch. *thumbs up*
anzunagi's review against another edition
3.0
The third outing of Claire and the rest of the gang was not the strongest. The plot featured a lot of, I felt, random happenstances that often lead no where and felt throw away.
Diana is the main protagonist this time and that's unfortunate. I was never a big fan of Diana, she embodies all the teen tropes I've always disliked, so spending most of the novel focused on her instead of Claire made it less enjoyable for me.
Claire and Diana also spend a majority of the book separated from Dean, Austin and the "normal" world and that also was less interesting to me. The twist at the end was a bit disappointing as well. It felt very "been there, done that."
Though I have to hand it to her, an evil mall filled with runaway teens turned elves banded together by an archetypal hero is pretty original.
I'd just skip this one to be honest. It ends on a nice, enjoyable high note with The Second Summoning.
Diana is the main protagonist this time and that's unfortunate. I was never a big fan of Diana, she embodies all the teen tropes I've always disliked, so spending most of the novel focused on her instead of Claire made it less enjoyable for me.
Claire and Diana also spend a majority of the book separated from Dean, Austin and the "normal" world and that also was less interesting to me. The twist at the end was a bit disappointing as well. It felt very "been there, done that."
Though I have to hand it to her, an evil mall filled with runaway teens turned elves banded together by an archetypal hero is pretty original.
I'd just skip this one to be honest. It ends on a nice, enjoyable high note with The Second Summoning.
ghostlyprose's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
the best one of the trilogy, it made everything worth it
will never forget that one scene
will never forget that one scene
literaryfeline's review against another edition
3.0
Minivans, a mummy, elves, a hero archetype and a shopping mall. In the third installment of the Keeper’s Chronicles, Diana, along with her companion, the cat Sam, responds to her first summons asking her sister Claire along as back up. The two enter into the other world, their battleground being a shopping mall. They meet up with a band of what appears to be Elvin teenagers who are lead by Arthur (yes, that Arthur—or a incarnation of him, anyway) and set out to close a segue from being completed between Hell and the “real” world. Meanwhile, Dean and Austin have problems of their own to worry about as they try and find out what evil is taking up temporary residence in their guesthouse. This was an enjoyable read, with many funny moments (my favorites being the scene when the Big Bad finds the tampon and later when Sam accepts the challenge of the Big Bad to a duel). Tanya Huff has a way of turning the most ludicrous ideas into hilarity while creating a fast paced and fun to read book.