CAPTIVATE ME
The Captivated Series, Book One
by S.J. Pierce
April 1st 2014
YA Paranormal Romance
279 pages
“My mom had always told me – when you meet “the one,” you’ll know; they’ll captivate your heart the moment you lay eyes on them. I had always wondered, though, if my mom’s words of wisdom were finite – if they applied to everyone. Maybe those who had found their one great love were the lucky few, and maybe the rest of us would have to settle for less than earth-shattering.”
Seventeen-year-old Kat Walsh is a Gifted – a human with paranormal abilities. With her mom a former Angel and her dad a dream prophet, it’s always been in her genetic make-up to be extraordinary. Unfortunately for her, the world can’t handle the strange or unusual. So when she slips up and uses her powers at her high school in Ireland, the entire student body treats her like a freak – even the ones she thought were her closest friends.
Broken, but hopeful for a fresh start, she allows her parents to enroll her in a boarding school buried deep within the forests of a small Colorado town. At Midland Pines, School for the Gifted, she feels as though she can finally be herself; she makes new friends and even has the attention of the most popular guy in school – Levi. Everything feels normal again… or does it?
Not long after her arrival, weird dreams of an alluring boy whom she’s never met surface during the night, and the eerie, shadowy trees encircling their school seem to call to her. As these disturbing, yet enticing developments intensify, other bizarre occurrences happen – students and staff turn up missing, and mystery visitors leave gifts while she sleeps. With all of these other things vying for her attention, a desperate Levi has to fight even harder to keep her interest. But with the dreams of the attractive boy slowly captivating her heart, Kat has to make a choice – will she settle for ‘great’ Levi, or will she search for her elusive dream visitor, possibly stumbling across ‘amazing?’
From the author of the Alyx Rayer Chronicles, comes a refreshingly different Young Adult series with plenty of love, suspense, and a new take on the Paranormal.
Recommended for readers 16 and up due to mature content.
MY TIDBITS
Taking a few familiar feeling elements and mixing them with some new twists and turns, this story grabs with tension and sweet romance, hurtling the reader into captivating, paranormal world.
Kat is a seventeen-year-old girl who has the gift to move things without touching them. This isn't anything new to her, nor is the fact that gifted people exist across the world. But the 'normal' world can't cope with her kind so they keep their gifts a secret. But when Kat looses her cool at school and exposes her talent, she's forced to take classes at a school for her kind. There, everything seems great until students start to disappear.
The first chapter reminds of other, similar stories--'gifted' kid goes to secret school where other 'gifted' kids learn to control and expand their abilities. Even some of the talents ring bells, but that's where the similarities stop. Kat is as happy as any teen can get at the school and even has a super sweet boyfriend. Her gift does act like unsolved baggage but is a positive aspect that she embraces. The normal teen life takes root as she deals with friends, cliques, and every day school problems. Although the paranormal aspects are ever present, the author keeps much of the story at this personal level, making it easy for teens to relate to.
The plot moves steadily along throughout the book, allowing the tension of mystery to slowly seep in and gain pace. First, the reader gets to know the characters and connect with them before the higher stakes claim control. The mystery holds well, not giving away the truth until the end, and even then, it's not one easily guessed.
Romance is key in this book, one that happens quick despite the doubts and walls that supposedly exist. Despite the jolt of sudden, deep love, by the end of the story the romance and relationship gains a naturalness and is easy to root for.
The book ends nicely with no strings hanging. Still, I looked forward to diving into book two.
FIGHT FOR ME
The Captivated Series, Book Two
by S.J. Pierce
February 14th 2014
YA Paranormal Romance
268 pages
A fresh start – something Kat and Gabriel thought they would find when they left their pasts behind at Midland Pines High and moved to a compound for hybrids. Or at least safety from a witch seeking revenge. But now… that’s all changed. Now, thanks to a flirty hybrid hell-bent on winning Gabriel’s attention, the terrifying visions of another prophetic Gifted, and the strange and worrisome behavior of one of their closest friends, Kat finds herself fighting for things that had once come so easily, including her relationship with her soulmate. And now she’s afraid.
Recommended for readers 16 and up due to mature content.
MY TIDBITS
After the school setting of book one, book two switches over to a safe communal compound built in another dimension with the soul purpose to offer a safe haven for gifted like Kat and her friends. With the evil witch on their trails, they decide to seek safety by joining this hidden town.
The decision and reasons behind the move--when weighing in the costs of what this sacrifice meant--didn't settle well with me and left me missing a bit of the independent, fighting personality from Kat in book one. Still, the world development was interesting and drew in. There's a nice toss in of new characters with colorful personalities, adding a wide possibility of where Kat's adventures might go from here.
Unlike the first book, the general pace pops into a slower gear. More time is spent on inner thoughts as well as relationship issues, giving the characters much more depth. The tension and danger, however, takes a back seat. Each of the townspeople carries secrets and hidden agendas, making it hard to distinguish where the danger might come from. This background mystery gives a nice atmosphere to the growing relationship problems between Kat and her hero.
The ending battle rushes through relatively fast and could have used more build up and time. But all in all, it's a solid read and leaves the question as to what awaits Kat next.
And here she is. . .
SUSAN JAMES PIERCE!!!
Susan James Pierce has a degree in Marketing Management, works for a Fortune 500 company in Atlanta, Georgia, and devotes her precious, spare time to writing Fantasy, Paranormal and Sci-fi novels.
4 comments:
Great reviews! This sounds like a fun read and with a compelling romance, too!
Love the reviews! Thanks so much xoxo
Love the reviews! Thanks so much xoxo
I like the sound of the series.
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