The Summoning (Sisters of Isis Series #1) » (Bargain)

Following the incredible success of Daughters of the Moon, Lynne Ewing has created an all new fun and hip teen fantasy series.

Based in Egyptian mythology and set in modern-day Washington, D.C., Sisters of Isis follows the lives of Meri, Sudi, and Dalila, three fifteen-year-old girls who have just discovered they are descendants of very powerful ancestors—Egyptian pharaohs. From these ancestors they’ve inherited magical powers of transformation, the ability to cast spells from the Book of Thoth, and, as they will soon learn, the responsibility of protecting the world from the evil forces of Chaos.

VOYA

Readers will find it difficult to bond with the underdeveloped characters of Sudi, a sexy, boy-crazed girl whose skepticism despite proof is overstated and exasperating; Dalila, who is being groomed to marry a rich prince yet has a shaven head; and Meri, the stereotypical political candidate's child who cannot catch a moment's peace because of her overbearing bodyguards. Lesser characters, such as Sudi's best friend, Sara, and ex-squeeze, Brian, appear at random but do little to move the plot forward. Even the girls' ability to morph-Sudi into Bennu-bird form and Delila into the goddess Ammut-seem contrived. And the threats are not in the least creepy-a reeking mummy is sent to attack Sudi, but he falls in love with her and his nose falls off when he steals a kiss. The writing is downright clichT and monotonous. In describing action, Ewing writes, "They linked arms and ran across the street." How many trios link arms? Anubis "snarls, threateningly." Can snarling be anything else? The writing can also be completely illogical, such as when Sudi tells her sister, Nicole, to go ahead and eat chicken, thereby "[becoming] a cannibal," even though only Sudi can morph into a bird. One hopes that Ewing's next installment in the Sisters of Isis series, Divine One (Hyperion, 2007) will be more . . . well, divine.