Friday, March 9, 2018

Book Review: The Intuitives

The IntuitivesAbout the Book:
Title: The Intuitives
Author: Erin Michelle Sky, Steven Brown
Pub. Date: July 25, 2017
Publisher: Trash Dogs Media LLC
Pages: 374
Rating: 4.5/5 stars


Synopsis:

IMAGINATION JUST BECAME OUR GREATEST WEAPON.

In Egypt, an archaeological team discovers the lost tomb of Alexander the Great. Seven years later, every public school student in America takes a strange new test, but only six are chosen to attend a summer program at the mysterious Institute for the Cultivation of Intuitive Cognition, where nothing is as it appears to be, including the students themselves.

Roman Jackson, 11—the lonely artist.
Sees things. Around people. Things he can never, ever tell.

Samantha Prescott, 16—the sarcastic nerd.
Isolated by a premonition even she doesn’t understand.

Daniel Walker, 17—the shy musician.
Hides his private thoughts in the soundtrack of his mind.

Kaitlyn Wright, 15—the bubbly engineer.
Can fix anything, except the one thing that matters most.

Mackenzie Gray, 17—the disciplined athlete.
Armors her deepest fears against a world she can’t control.

Ashton Hunt, 17—the frustrated gamer.
Hoping to turn pro, and a constant disappointment to his father.

But why is the U.S. government so interested in six outcasts? And what, exactly, is it teaching them to do? Now, they must band together to uncover the true purpose behind the institute—and the ancient secrets that lie hidden beneath its surface.

Before history catches up to them.
 

Review:

There is a lot to love about this story and I was hooked right from the start! With an interesting and unique plot, fantastic characters, and brilliant writing...there is no way you won't love this story! 

I want to intentionally stay a little vague in regards to the plot because it's better to stay in the dark until you actually find out what is going on. However, what I will say is that this story is told from multiple POVs. Every teenager has a unique ability--for example, Roman sees things no one else sees; Sam intrinsically knows the time; Daniel loves music and basically has a soundtrack in his head for every situation and person; Mackenzie is a skilled fighter: Kaitlyn can fix anything and everything; and Rush is an extremely talented gamer. The only perspective we don't read much from is Roman, which I definitely would like to see his side of things more. After each of the teens takes a standardized test that gives them the opportunity to join a "special" summer program, all of these abilities start coming into play in a way none of them (including the reader) expect. 

While the story was a little slow in the beginning, this was because we get background on each of the 6 main characters. We learn a little bit about each of them and what their lives are like (as well as the sacrifices they must make to attend the program). However, after they arrive at the program, the story quickly picks up the pace and has you at the edge of your seat! I definitely didn't have any idea where this book was headed which was exciting to me as a reader because I liked to be surprised. Each character is very well-developed by the end of this book in my opinion, and it was fun to see how each of their abilities figured in to the bigger picture and underlying plot. I loved watching all of them come together and form a team, even though initially none of them wanted to be working with each other. The group dynamic was fantastically written, and I am interested to see how this plays out in future books!

I think the thing I appreciated the most about this book is that it could have been incredibly predictable...but it wasn't! The Intuitives felt new and fun, like nothing I have read previously. There was the perfect balance of action, world-building, and character development throughout the story. The book just had a good flow, and that was something that kept me glued to the page. 

There was a minor subplot that tried to incorporate romance between several characters. However, I truly didn't think this was needed. This was the only part of the story that felt more forced and unnatural. It kind of seemed like an afterthought in some scenes. Maybe with a bit more development in future books, this aspect will grow to be something I like. But for now, not the biggest fan. The only other thing that was a bit confusing for me was the nicknames of the characters. Because there are 6 main characters it became a little overwhelming to remember who was who (especially when you can't actually see the characters except inside your head). On top of this, the characters went by both names throughout the story. So, in essence, you had 12 different main character names to remember. And that's a lot for anyone! I wish the authors just stuck with 1 name consistently.

I highly recommend this new novel! It's thrilling and exciting to the very last page, and something new and different. The story is unpredictable and will have you on the edge of your seat and begging for more after the conclusion. I can't wait to see what is next in the series!

Happy reading :)

~Cassie

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