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Hidden Talents #1
Chasing Power
When business student Samantha Gibson finds herself cornered by a euro-trash Darth Vader wannabe in a dark alley, it’s a nightmare end to a terrible week. Of course super powers aren’t real--until someone’s using theirs to bash your head in.
It turns out that a one-in-a-million accident has caused her to catch the attention of the Talents, a group of humans with amazing abilities. And a surprising number would rather have her dead than competing with them. Sam’s happy to tell anyone who’ll listen to her that she doesn’t actually have super powers. The problem is getting anyone to listen to her.
Enter Lane, Al, and Harry, three nerdy (though Lane’s kind of a cute type of nerd) best friends and Talents. While their powers may not be glamorous, or even all that super, they’re determined to do the right thing. They politely kidnap Samantha and hit the road, racing cross-country towards a group offering protection. To independent Sam, each minute of being a damsel in distress is like an iron-spike in her foot. It’s possible that friendship, and love aren’t the liability she thought they were, but it’s also possible that she may not live to find out. Because with stronger and stranger opposition barring their way, safe haven may be just a pipe dream in a world where everyone is chasing power...
It turns out that a one-in-a-million accident has caused her to catch the attention of the Talents, a group of humans with amazing abilities. And a surprising number would rather have her dead than competing with them. Sam’s happy to tell anyone who’ll listen to her that she doesn’t actually have super powers. The problem is getting anyone to listen to her.
Enter Lane, Al, and Harry, three nerdy (though Lane’s kind of a cute type of nerd) best friends and Talents. While their powers may not be glamorous, or even all that super, they’re determined to do the right thing. They politely kidnap Samantha and hit the road, racing cross-country towards a group offering protection. To independent Sam, each minute of being a damsel in distress is like an iron-spike in her foot. It’s possible that friendship, and love aren’t the liability she thought they were, but it’s also possible that she may not live to find out. Because with stronger and stranger opposition barring their way, safe haven may be just a pipe dream in a world where everyone is chasing power...
378 pages, ebook
First published July 19, 2011
5 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Genevieve Pearson
6 books56 followersContestant on King of the Nerds on TBS. Grew up in the Pacific Northwest. Once honestly believed she was Superman's cousin (she was three). Developed a love of action movies, Batman, comic books and action figures from a young age. Her favorite not DCAU comic book series is Young Justice and she owns every single issue except one of the crossovers where the kids got turned to adults--so if you have that could you let her know?
She met her husband at USC Film School and now lives in Southern California where she misses the autumn and rain of Washington. She currently spends her days writing and developing short films, some of which you may be able to find if you look hard enough.
She met her husband at USC Film School and now lives in Southern California where she misses the autumn and rain of Washington. She currently spends her days writing and developing short films, some of which you may be able to find if you look hard enough.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 16, 2012
This book will waste no time in sucking you into the world the author has created. The action is fast paced and only rarely slows down until you are fully vested in the characters themselves. I actually found myself wanting to put off other things to read just a bit more of this, and enjoyed every moment of it. Definitely an author worth watching for, and I would love to read more of this series.
March 1, 2013
I Really got into this book, nicely written and i especially loved the dynamic between the main characters. Many people have mentioned Sam's attitude and reluctance, but i think it would of been really stupid of Sam not to be skeptical at first and she adjusted quicker than i would of thought but always questioned things, never took them as complete truth and considering her past it doesn't surprise me :) The ending was just awesome and left us wanting more but yet content with the ending. :D x
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March 17, 2012Reviewed for Sift Book Reviews. Review here: http://www.siftreviews.com/2012/03/ch...
May 17, 2019
Chasing Power( Hidden Talents) by Genevieve Pearson
I really loved this book. It's even better now that some of the stylistic formatting errors have been corrected. Most of that is Kindle issues and trying to get the format of the original to come out right on the Kindle.
Chasing Power grabbed my interest and kept it most the way through to the end. It took a while before I started seeing elements of something new or surprising beyond common plot elements. Some of the sequence of events were predictable such as Harry being thrown off from his protective guard duty by an attractive females uncanny attention to someone like Harry. Eventually though the author , Genevieve Pearson, shows her stuff as she begins to throw in a few twists to the plot.
I really enjoyed the main character, Samantha, and her distrust of the others. Of course it's only fair that she doesn't trust Lane, Al, and Harry while she views them as her kidnappers. It is often difficult to come down from that kidnapper trope and twist it around without having to address Stockholm Syndrome and run afoul of those who think a kidnapper is a kidnapper is a kidnapper. All black and white no greys. Samantha has trust issues. I think that this was all handled well and the subsequent miscommunication because of mistrust is quite believable adding much to the story. The realization of the reality of everything and the general way that the kidnappers treat Sam are helpful in turning that event one hundred and eighty. It's handled as well as the rest of the story.
As mentioned there were issues in my original copy which had formatting problems along with style issues in dialogue that sometimes made conversations difficult to decode and as I have mentioned those have been fixed. I have no objection to omitting he said and she said when things format out to where things are easy to follow but sometimes the format of kindle files removes and adds spacing which can cause some things to be munged.
That said it really did not take away from the story (only messed with the pace). There's a lot of action and well paced plot development in the book to force the reader to think in terms of reading this all in one sitting. So, I think it all works out in the end.
I recommend this book to anyone who reads Science Fiction or Fantasy or who loves those super hero graphic books. This has elements for all those people put together with some original plot twists and it's begging for a sequel.
Or maybe that's just me begging for the sequel.
J.L. Dobias
I really loved this book. It's even better now that some of the stylistic formatting errors have been corrected. Most of that is Kindle issues and trying to get the format of the original to come out right on the Kindle.
Chasing Power grabbed my interest and kept it most the way through to the end. It took a while before I started seeing elements of something new or surprising beyond common plot elements. Some of the sequence of events were predictable such as Harry being thrown off from his protective guard duty by an attractive females uncanny attention to someone like Harry. Eventually though the author , Genevieve Pearson, shows her stuff as she begins to throw in a few twists to the plot.
I really enjoyed the main character, Samantha, and her distrust of the others. Of course it's only fair that she doesn't trust Lane, Al, and Harry while she views them as her kidnappers. It is often difficult to come down from that kidnapper trope and twist it around without having to address Stockholm Syndrome and run afoul of those who think a kidnapper is a kidnapper is a kidnapper. All black and white no greys. Samantha has trust issues. I think that this was all handled well and the subsequent miscommunication because of mistrust is quite believable adding much to the story. The realization of the reality of everything and the general way that the kidnappers treat Sam are helpful in turning that event one hundred and eighty. It's handled as well as the rest of the story.
As mentioned there were issues in my original copy which had formatting problems along with style issues in dialogue that sometimes made conversations difficult to decode and as I have mentioned those have been fixed. I have no objection to omitting he said and she said when things format out to where things are easy to follow but sometimes the format of kindle files removes and adds spacing which can cause some things to be munged.
That said it really did not take away from the story (only messed with the pace). There's a lot of action and well paced plot development in the book to force the reader to think in terms of reading this all in one sitting. So, I think it all works out in the end.
I recommend this book to anyone who reads Science Fiction or Fantasy or who loves those super hero graphic books. This has elements for all those people put together with some original plot twists and it's begging for a sequel.
Or maybe that's just me begging for the sequel.
J.L. Dobias
June 15, 2012
Chasing Power (Hidden Talents) could be categorized as young adult fantasy, young adult romance, urban fantasy, or even science fiction. The product description captures the premise well, so I won't try to do better. The book is peppered with a good dose of action, a strong romantic plot, and some mystery elements as the central plot, which is essentially a road trip story, moves the tale forward. It feels like the first book in a series. Though the story has a satisfying ending, there are some things left unresolved, and it feels like it's only the beginning for the protagonist.
The prose is great. If you like that super-subjective, put-you-into-the-head-of-the-character type writing, you'll dig the way this book is written. It's sharp and clever and sassy without dwelling too long setting scenes or describing situations.
The pace is also really good. A lot of books, even Y/A, seem to bog down at various times (or throughout), but Chasing Power (Hidden Talents) keeps things moving nicely. There's a bit of repetitiveness in the middle of the book -- it's a road trip story, and they kind of tend to do that -- but the story has enough dramatic tension and throws enough in the way of the protagonist that things stay interesting.
The character work is good. The protagonist, Samantha, is likeable and relateable. She has a weird life that's getting weirder, but she still feels real. It would be nice if there was a little bit more of the love interest's backstory, and the villains aren't really characterized at all, but other than that the characterization is solid.
As stated, the plot is basically a road trip run-to-safety story mixed with a romance plot and some mystery. It moves smoothly and builds nicely to the end. The end sequence is full of action and craziness -- it's almost too much, too quickly, even. There are a few little nitpicky things I could say about perspective changes and wanting some things to be set up more earlier in the book, but overall the plot works, so I won't waste the time.
Of course, a number of books or movies could be described as having the basic premise of young person discovering he or she has superpowers and getting caught in a struggle between rival secret organizations. The movie Push, starring Chris Evans, has that premise. The hook here isn't anything outlandishly new; it doesn't break the mold for this genre. But the execution is solid and the book is a fun, quick read, and the prose makes the story surprisingly immersive. I'd recommend it for fans of Y/A, urban fantasy, contemporary-set sci-fi, or any combo of those genres.
The prose is great. If you like that super-subjective, put-you-into-the-head-of-the-character type writing, you'll dig the way this book is written. It's sharp and clever and sassy without dwelling too long setting scenes or describing situations.
The pace is also really good. A lot of books, even Y/A, seem to bog down at various times (or throughout), but Chasing Power (Hidden Talents) keeps things moving nicely. There's a bit of repetitiveness in the middle of the book -- it's a road trip story, and they kind of tend to do that -- but the story has enough dramatic tension and throws enough in the way of the protagonist that things stay interesting.
The character work is good. The protagonist, Samantha, is likeable and relateable. She has a weird life that's getting weirder, but she still feels real. It would be nice if there was a little bit more of the love interest's backstory, and the villains aren't really characterized at all, but other than that the characterization is solid.
As stated, the plot is basically a road trip run-to-safety story mixed with a romance plot and some mystery. It moves smoothly and builds nicely to the end. The end sequence is full of action and craziness -- it's almost too much, too quickly, even. There are a few little nitpicky things I could say about perspective changes and wanting some things to be set up more earlier in the book, but overall the plot works, so I won't waste the time.
Of course, a number of books or movies could be described as having the basic premise of young person discovering he or she has superpowers and getting caught in a struggle between rival secret organizations. The movie Push, starring Chris Evans, has that premise. The hook here isn't anything outlandishly new; it doesn't break the mold for this genre. But the execution is solid and the book is a fun, quick read, and the prose makes the story surprisingly immersive. I'd recommend it for fans of Y/A, urban fantasy, contemporary-set sci-fi, or any combo of those genres.
August 15, 2012
3.5 stars
This novel reminded me a bit of the hit TV show Heroes, but there was a huge twist in that two huge “talent” corporations compete with each other in plain sight. Of course, things aren’t what they seem with the reversal of good and bad, and Sam and her friends find themselves in many a predicament as the story unfolds.
This cross-country story was interesting in that the characters all had special powers, and I always enjoy a book entailing superpowers, but to be honest, I found some of Samantha’s predicaments to be a little redundant. It seemed that every time she and her “captors,” Lane, Al, and Harry stopped anywhere, whether to eat or for a pit stop, they would be attacked by the “bad guys.” Now, as predictable as that was, the attacks were always vastly different, showing Pearson’s great imagination through the many different ways the “bad guys” used their powers in an attempt to kill Sam, so redundancy aside, it was still intriguing.
I found Lane, Al, and Harry to be very interesting characters, and I really enjoyed them, but Sam was harder to like as she took forever in coming to terms with the truth. Though the evidence of superpowers is before her throughout the novel, from the very beginning, even, she just wouldn’t relent and fought against those trying to help her for what I thought was a bit too long. However, I wonder how I would react if someone told me, and showed me, the same things… I might be just as hard headed as Sam, who knows. Overall, I thought Chasing Power was a good read, and those who enjoy superhero novels should check it out.
To see my full review:
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
This novel reminded me a bit of the hit TV show Heroes, but there was a huge twist in that two huge “talent” corporations compete with each other in plain sight. Of course, things aren’t what they seem with the reversal of good and bad, and Sam and her friends find themselves in many a predicament as the story unfolds.
This cross-country story was interesting in that the characters all had special powers, and I always enjoy a book entailing superpowers, but to be honest, I found some of Samantha’s predicaments to be a little redundant. It seemed that every time she and her “captors,” Lane, Al, and Harry stopped anywhere, whether to eat or for a pit stop, they would be attacked by the “bad guys.” Now, as predictable as that was, the attacks were always vastly different, showing Pearson’s great imagination through the many different ways the “bad guys” used their powers in an attempt to kill Sam, so redundancy aside, it was still intriguing.
I found Lane, Al, and Harry to be very interesting characters, and I really enjoyed them, but Sam was harder to like as she took forever in coming to terms with the truth. Though the evidence of superpowers is before her throughout the novel, from the very beginning, even, she just wouldn’t relent and fought against those trying to help her for what I thought was a bit too long. However, I wonder how I would react if someone told me, and showed me, the same things… I might be just as hard headed as Sam, who knows. Overall, I thought Chasing Power was a good read, and those who enjoy superhero novels should check it out.
To see my full review:
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
July 17, 2012
I'm a bit tired of heroins that never listen to advice because they alone know what's best for them. Samantha eventually comes around in this book, but only after she and her new-found friends (of course she sees them as enemies first) are confronted with one evil person after the other that tries to kill her. It never stops which could/should be interesting but here it began to get on my nerves because I hoped that the story would finally unfold.
Still, for giving me enough reason to go on (with some skimming involved) because I wanted to know why this girl was hunted I give the book 2 stars.
Oh, something else that annoyed me: The word *Hunh* (as kind of a sigh or huffing or whatever) was used pretty often in the second part of the book.
Still, for giving me enough reason to go on (with some skimming involved) because I wanted to know why this girl was hunted I give the book 2 stars.
Oh, something else that annoyed me: The word *Hunh* (as kind of a sigh or huffing or whatever) was used pretty often in the second part of the book.
March 12, 2013
I'm going to be honest. I had a hard time getting into this one. It took me a long time to really click with this book. I felt like there wasn't enough to hold me. No real underlying story to hook a reader. I could not have been more wrong. Yes, it took me a while. But I'm so glad I stuck it out. By the end of this book I was eating it up. Samantha has the potential to be one of the most badass characters in recent history. And, frankly, the potential for additional books is staggering and they could be epic. If Genevieve Pearson stops here, I won't complain, because this book was great. That being said, I'll probably be angry if she doesn't write at least one more in this series. Knocked another one out of the park, Genevieve.
March 17, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Its an exciting adventure with impeccable pacing and a slow-burning romance - all set in an authentic, fascinating world.
I thought that the world building was done well and I believed it all, unquestionably, which is a hard thing for my scientific mind to do.
The writing style is highly commercial, clean and makes for a quick read. Definitely, definitely worth the $0.99
See the in-depth review here: http://www.siftreviews.com/2012/03/ch...
Review by: Sarah of Sift Book Reviews
Sift Book Reviews received a free copy for review from the author. This has, in no way, affected the reviewer's opinion.
I thought that the world building was done well and I believed it all, unquestionably, which is a hard thing for my scientific mind to do.
The writing style is highly commercial, clean and makes for a quick read. Definitely, definitely worth the $0.99
See the in-depth review here: http://www.siftreviews.com/2012/03/ch...
Review by: Sarah of Sift Book Reviews
Sift Book Reviews received a free copy for review from the author. This has, in no way, affected the reviewer's opinion.
January 25, 2012
I wasn't expecting much but actually I liked this quite a bit. The characters were not quite as cookie-cutter as I'd expected and the way the powers worked hung together pretty well. There were small problems- like their ability to cope with massive amounts of damage and still function, and the way the ending went down (power wise) but all in all, a non-stop action romp and quite enjoyable. I'd read another.
March 17, 2013
This was an enjoyable read. Twist an turns galore !
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews