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Talented Saga #1
Talented
Block out thoughts.
Talia Lyons has one goal at the McDonough School for the Talented: learn to use her Talent as a Mental Manipulator to kill the man who murdered her parents.
Block out pain.
She'll deal with anything. The brutal physical demands. The emotional toll. Whatever it takes to reach her objective.
Block out friendship.
With only one year left in the program, though, seventeen-year-old Talia is suddenly finding it harder than ever to ignore the rest of her life.
Block out love.
Even worse, she can't seem to turn off her psychic connection to her first love...or quit thinking about her fascinating new teammate.
Feel only vengeance.
Ian Crane. The man who destroyed Talia's life. The one she's determined to eradicate.
Now focus.
It's time to kill.
THE TALENTED SAGA is a #1 Bestselling Dystopian Romance series about the life of a girl with extraordinary psychic powers, and what happens when a heart is torn between love and rage...
Talia Lyons has one goal at the McDonough School for the Talented: learn to use her Talent as a Mental Manipulator to kill the man who murdered her parents.
Block out pain.
She'll deal with anything. The brutal physical demands. The emotional toll. Whatever it takes to reach her objective.
Block out friendship.
With only one year left in the program, though, seventeen-year-old Talia is suddenly finding it harder than ever to ignore the rest of her life.
Block out love.
Even worse, she can't seem to turn off her psychic connection to her first love...or quit thinking about her fascinating new teammate.
Feel only vengeance.
Ian Crane. The man who destroyed Talia's life. The one she's determined to eradicate.
Now focus.
It's time to kill.
THE TALENTED SAGA is a #1 Bestselling Dystopian Romance series about the life of a girl with extraordinary psychic powers, and what happens when a heart is torn between love and rage...
281 pages, ebook
First published January 11, 2012
1625 people are currently reading
8524 people want to read
About the author
Sophie Davis
52 books926 followersAuthor of twenty-six books in six series, Sophie Davis is a pseudonym for best friends turned co-authors. The pair met in law school and instantly bonded over their love of great books and bad horror movies. When one longed for the ability to read minds so she wouldn't have to study for the bar exam, they created a dystopian world with superpowers that spans nine books.
While writing in genres of paranormal romance, time travel, urban fantasy, and mystery, their works have been optioned for film and translated for an international audience. You can find them teaching their dogs to enter wormholes in the desert of Southern California.
For more information, visit www.SophieDavisBooks.com
While writing in genres of paranormal romance, time travel, urban fantasy, and mystery, their works have been optioned for film and translated for an international audience. You can find them teaching their dogs to enter wormholes in the desert of Southern California.
For more information, visit www.SophieDavisBooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 629 reviews
August 12, 2016
Actual rating: 1.5
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This review can also be read at The Nightly Book Owl.
TOXIC is an agency within the government that utilizes each child's unique ability in the most advantageous way.
I’m sorry. I thought I was supposed to be reading a book about a kickass assassin out for revenge against the man responsible for the death of her parents - not a soap opera. There was just so many things wrong with this novel and that’s with ignoring the blinding grammatical errors (on a side note, the book really needs a professional editor).
Telepathy was not uncommon but advanced Mind Manipulation, as I was capable of, was extremely rare.
I had felt different my whole life, mostly because I am different.
“..Your powers are so much stronger than any Talent I’ve ever met,” he sounded almost reverent when he said the last part.
Hmm… unless I’m completely crazy, I’m pretty sure everyone is different, so um… what exactly does that even mean? I’m so tired of young adult novels where the main character is just so friggin special. Worse yet, when they just know that they’re so speshul and different. Talia is your typical mary sue. She’s just so special. I mean, she can move objects with her mind, read other people’s minds, project her feelings to other people with her mind. Oh and she can also manipulate people into doing what she wants… with her mind. This particular talent is extremely rare, and she’s just so special because of it. I can’t stress this enough, guys. She’s so special. Don’t question it. Just roll with it.
When had I become the kind of girl who played boys against each other? Let boys fight over her?
Answer? Since the start of the book. Despite being utterly boring, Talia manages to make two hot guys fall instantly in love with her. When are these cheesy instalove love triangles ever going to stop? They just keep coming. I don’t even understand why these guys like Talia so much. She’s just so whiny and annoying, but I guess it makes sense ‘cause she’s a very speshul snowflake, and there’s just “something about her.” She’s fascinating, and these two boys just can’t get enough of her. Cue sexual tension.
The last thing I should be devoting energy to was boys.
Proceed thinking about said boys further. Talia is an assassin. Supposedly, she’s in training to become one of the deadliest assassins. Riiiiight. I don’t even know what to say. Talia is constantly thinking about her love problems when clearly, she should really focus on, you know, not getting killed. I would think that takes top priority, but Talia obviously thinks otherwise. She has long curly hair that, ugh, just wouldn’t look good short. Nevermind that it is impractical in missions, flying all over her face and whatnot. A girl’s gotta look good, amirite? What’s really important here is that she looks damn good doing it.
The whole thing was just drama after drama. This book was supposed to be about assassins. No. It is a poorly disguised romance novel with some extra elements thrown in there. He loves me, he loves me not. OMG I shouldn’t be thinking about Erik this way. I have Donovan, but I feel different around Erik. It’s intoxicating, but Donovan loves me. Do I love him? It just goes on and on. I just want some action. Is that too much to ask for in a book that is supposed to be centering on an assassin?
The first was a shiny, metal thermos that he warmed in the fire. The next contained bright red raspberries. The last plastic contained held thick slices of a white, spicy cracked-pepper cheese. Finally, Donovan pulled out a loaf of bread with a crusty brown exterior and a soft white center… I held it under my nose, inhaling the rich aroma, as the steam pouring off the top warmed my face. He handed me half the loaf of bread.
I shortened it for the sake of saving brain cells and eye sights but translation: Talia likes her food.
Okay, since I’ve pointed out what I disliked about this book, I will point out what I did like about this book because overall, it wasn’t that bad. I really like the team dynamic with Talia, Henri, and Erik. I just wished we could have seen more of that. I wanted more missions, so we could see them work together and grow, but unfortunately, the plot took a backseat to the romance in this book which is a shame because this book had potential. I don’t see myself recommending this, but I might go and read the next book in the series. Things started to pick up towards the end of this book, so I am curious to see where this will go.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This review can also be read at The Nightly Book Owl.
TOXIC is an agency within the government that utilizes each child's unique ability in the most advantageous way.
I’m sorry. I thought I was supposed to be reading a book about a kickass assassin out for revenge against the man responsible for the death of her parents - not a soap opera. There was just so many things wrong with this novel and that’s with ignoring the blinding grammatical errors (on a side note, the book really needs a professional editor).
Telepathy was not uncommon but advanced Mind Manipulation, as I was capable of, was extremely rare.
I had felt different my whole life, mostly because I am different.
“..Your powers are so much stronger than any Talent I’ve ever met,” he sounded almost reverent when he said the last part.
Hmm… unless I’m completely crazy, I’m pretty sure everyone is different, so um… what exactly does that even mean? I’m so tired of young adult novels where the main character is just so friggin special. Worse yet, when they just know that they’re so speshul and different. Talia is your typical mary sue. She’s just so special. I mean, she can move objects with her mind, read other people’s minds, project her feelings to other people with her mind. Oh and she can also manipulate people into doing what she wants… with her mind. This particular talent is extremely rare, and she’s just so special because of it. I can’t stress this enough, guys. She’s so special. Don’t question it. Just roll with it.
When had I become the kind of girl who played boys against each other? Let boys fight over her?
Answer? Since the start of the book. Despite being utterly boring, Talia manages to make two hot guys fall instantly in love with her. When are these cheesy instalove love triangles ever going to stop? They just keep coming. I don’t even understand why these guys like Talia so much. She’s just so whiny and annoying, but I guess it makes sense ‘cause she’s a very speshul snowflake, and there’s just “something about her.” She’s fascinating, and these two boys just can’t get enough of her. Cue sexual tension.
The last thing I should be devoting energy to was boys.
Proceed thinking about said boys further. Talia is an assassin. Supposedly, she’s in training to become one of the deadliest assassins. Riiiiight. I don’t even know what to say. Talia is constantly thinking about her love problems when clearly, she should really focus on, you know, not getting killed. I would think that takes top priority, but Talia obviously thinks otherwise. She has long curly hair that, ugh, just wouldn’t look good short. Nevermind that it is impractical in missions, flying all over her face and whatnot. A girl’s gotta look good, amirite? What’s really important here is that she looks damn good doing it.
The whole thing was just drama after drama. This book was supposed to be about assassins. No. It is a poorly disguised romance novel with some extra elements thrown in there. He loves me, he loves me not. OMG I shouldn’t be thinking about Erik this way. I have Donovan, but I feel different around Erik. It’s intoxicating, but Donovan loves me. Do I love him? It just goes on and on. I just want some action. Is that too much to ask for in a book that is supposed to be centering on an assassin?
The first was a shiny, metal thermos that he warmed in the fire. The next contained bright red raspberries. The last plastic contained held thick slices of a white, spicy cracked-pepper cheese. Finally, Donovan pulled out a loaf of bread with a crusty brown exterior and a soft white center… I held it under my nose, inhaling the rich aroma, as the steam pouring off the top warmed my face. He handed me half the loaf of bread.
I shortened it for the sake of saving brain cells and eye sights but translation: Talia likes her food.
Okay, since I’ve pointed out what I disliked about this book, I will point out what I did like about this book because overall, it wasn’t that bad. I really like the team dynamic with Talia, Henri, and Erik. I just wished we could have seen more of that. I wanted more missions, so we could see them work together and grow, but unfortunately, the plot took a backseat to the romance in this book which is a shame because this book had potential. I don’t see myself recommending this, but I might go and read the next book in the series. Things started to pick up towards the end of this book, so I am curious to see where this will go.
February 23, 2013
In a futuristic setting, life on Earth has turned upside down.
Due to the Great Contamination - and the leaking of nuclear waste resulting in nuclear contamination - a generation of children with abnormalities are brought into the world. Some, though, are slightly weirder than others.
They are the Talented.
Whether Morphers, Light Manipulators or Telekinetics, these kids are taught to hone their abilities and make use of them under the protective eye of the government. To use their Talents for good.
But all Talia wants is revenge.
Talia joins the Hunters, in the hopes of one day killing Ian Crane - the man who had her parents killed before her eyes. But she has a lot to learn. With help from Hunters Erik and Henri she trains to become what she believes will help ease the pain inside.
A thousand question run through her head: Who is she really hurting? Is Donovan, her life-long friend, her true love? Or is Erik, her right hand man? Is revenge a dish best served cold? And most importantly, is the government really protecting the Talented...or is there something sinister occurring behind the smiling facades?
A action-packed H.I.V.E-like adventure, about a group of teenagers who aren't afraid to embrace their fears and fight for what they believe.
My Notes:
First things first - I loved it!
The whole idea was so vividly put to paper, that I could immediately see it in my mind - all thoroughly explained so as to immerse the reader in this world so like our own and yet, so different. Talia's emotions are yours; her pain your pain, her loss yours. She never scrambles her words, and funnily enough - unlike most heroines - is the first to admit to be either too clingy, or too afraid. She sees her faults and it is that which makes her all the more real.
The other characters are a joy to read:
Erik (whom I nickname the Fire Truck 'cause his looks could set the building on fire, lol) is sarcastic, strong, has that relaxed graceful way of doing everything - like he was born to be brilliant - and yet underneath all the bravado is a really sweet and concerned guy, who's just afraid to be rejected.
Henri's basically like Talia's stand-in Dad - there with all the curfew reminders, no-boys-allowed rules and of course the heart-felt advice that makes him such a loveable character.
Donovan...well. Hmph. You'll see, that's all I'm saying for now. I like him so much better BEFORE he got so...clingy. NOT a good boyfriend trait.
Penny's fantastic. She reminds me of Penny from Hairspray mixed with a really nail-polish happy, chirpy BFF of any typical teenage girl.
I especially love Talia, for no better reason other than she's part Italian and I love Italy and Italian food. *laughs* Jokes!!! I love her because she has a moral compass and a sense of struggle; she's not afraid to give it all she's got and she knows how to prioritise.
(Example: Which is more important...boy troubles? Or the infiltration mission coming up? Hmm...take a guess, anyone?!)
(BTW - she picks the mission, for all you smarty-pants' out there!)
I want to just thank Sophie herself for introducing me to her lovely and engaging novel - the sequel to which, Caged, will be released very soon to my excitement!
Due to the Great Contamination - and the leaking of nuclear waste resulting in nuclear contamination - a generation of children with abnormalities are brought into the world. Some, though, are slightly weirder than others.
They are the Talented.
Whether Morphers, Light Manipulators or Telekinetics, these kids are taught to hone their abilities and make use of them under the protective eye of the government. To use their Talents for good.
But all Talia wants is revenge.
Talia joins the Hunters, in the hopes of one day killing Ian Crane - the man who had her parents killed before her eyes. But she has a lot to learn. With help from Hunters Erik and Henri she trains to become what she believes will help ease the pain inside.
A thousand question run through her head: Who is she really hurting? Is Donovan, her life-long friend, her true love? Or is Erik, her right hand man? Is revenge a dish best served cold? And most importantly, is the government really protecting the Talented...or is there something sinister occurring behind the smiling facades?
A action-packed H.I.V.E-like adventure, about a group of teenagers who aren't afraid to embrace their fears and fight for what they believe.
My Notes:
First things first - I loved it!
The whole idea was so vividly put to paper, that I could immediately see it in my mind - all thoroughly explained so as to immerse the reader in this world so like our own and yet, so different. Talia's emotions are yours; her pain your pain, her loss yours. She never scrambles her words, and funnily enough - unlike most heroines - is the first to admit to be either too clingy, or too afraid. She sees her faults and it is that which makes her all the more real.
The other characters are a joy to read:
Erik (whom I nickname the Fire Truck 'cause his looks could set the building on fire, lol) is sarcastic, strong, has that relaxed graceful way of doing everything - like he was born to be brilliant - and yet underneath all the bravado is a really sweet and concerned guy, who's just afraid to be rejected.
Henri's basically like Talia's stand-in Dad - there with all the curfew reminders, no-boys-allowed rules and of course the heart-felt advice that makes him such a loveable character.
Donovan...well. Hmph. You'll see, that's all I'm saying for now. I like him so much better BEFORE he got so...clingy. NOT a good boyfriend trait.
Penny's fantastic. She reminds me of Penny from Hairspray mixed with a really nail-polish happy, chirpy BFF of any typical teenage girl.
I especially love Talia, for no better reason other than she's part Italian and I love Italy and Italian food. *laughs* Jokes!!! I love her because she has a moral compass and a sense of struggle; she's not afraid to give it all she's got and she knows how to prioritise.
(Example: Which is more important...boy troubles? Or the infiltration mission coming up? Hmm...take a guess, anyone?!)
(BTW - she picks the mission, for all you smarty-pants' out there!)
I want to just thank Sophie herself for introducing me to her lovely and engaging novel - the sequel to which, Caged, will be released very soon to my excitement!
November 7, 2019
4 ★★★★✩, that are way more special than MC thinks she is
⤐ Overall.
A visual description of me after finishing this book:
I honestly didn't think Talented would manage to suck me in quite as much as it did. I checked out many reviews before starting the first audiobook and although I still agree with some of the criticism brought up I was positively surprised how eager I was to continue the story. And the ending, my goodness the ending. I was just ... well, the gifs above say express my reaction pretty clearly.
Overall, the bookverse and the plot were well designed. I sometimes missed a clearer direction of where the plot is heading. Sometimes I had the suspicion the authors couldn't decide on the ratio of romance and sci-fi, which I thought especially annoying considering the MC is supposed to be an assassin in training. How much time for lovers do these trainees have? Sure, they're teenagers and need time to develop - yadda yadda yadda.They're about to become ruthless killers so there's really no point exploring this argument.
Since I'm already nagging, I'd like to continue. The MC was really exhausting. Repeatedly, from the beginning on, we learn that she considers herself an outsider with super duper special skills: she's the almighty mind-manipulator, y'all, behold. It's true that her circumstances did alienate her a bit from her fellow trainees but, honestly, if you spend all your free time with your significant other and don't even try to socialise ... I don't know what to tell ya. In combination with the ongoing communication of "specialness", I can understand why many readers gave up. I guess I blended that out eventually since I was lucky enough to listen to the audiobook.
Apart from that, I really really liked Talented. I enjoyed the romance-part, I thought it was captivating, just like the rest of the story. The MC's personal quest was woven in perfectly with the rest of the plot. The side characters were interesting and diverse and I'm really happy I can dive right into the sequel Caged.
⤐ What’s happening.
Working for them obviously can't be fun. After her family is slaughtered, Natalia joins fellow talented teenagers at MacDonough to train to become a ruthless assassins, instrumentalised by TOXIC to fight the coalition that is hell-bent on destroying the talented society (or something along those lines, don't nail me on it). Not only she, but her adoptive family are grooming her to become the killer she needs to be in order to avenge her family's death. She is determined and focused but will it be enough to not only get her through her first missions, but also the troubles love can cause?
_____________________
Writing quality + easy of reading = 3.5*
pace = 3.5*
plot/story in general = 4*
plot development = 4*
characters = 5*
enjoyability = 4.5*
insightfulness = 3*
_____________________
Many thanks to the author pair Sophie Davis, who provided me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review.
This book is for you if… the descirption "science-fiction x young adult crossover a la x-men meets divergent" sounds tempting enough to give this a try. The heroine is exhausting, though, but it was worth it in my opinion.
⤐ Overall.
A visual description of me after finishing this book:
I honestly didn't think Talented would manage to suck me in quite as much as it did. I checked out many reviews before starting the first audiobook and although I still agree with some of the criticism brought up I was positively surprised how eager I was to continue the story. And the ending, my goodness the ending. I was just ... well, the gifs above say express my reaction pretty clearly.
Overall, the bookverse and the plot were well designed. I sometimes missed a clearer direction of where the plot is heading. Sometimes I had the suspicion the authors couldn't decide on the ratio of romance and sci-fi, which I thought especially annoying considering the MC is supposed to be an assassin in training. How much time for lovers do these trainees have? Sure, they're teenagers and need time to develop - yadda yadda yadda.They're about to become ruthless killers so there's really no point exploring this argument.
Since I'm already nagging, I'd like to continue. The MC was really exhausting. Repeatedly, from the beginning on, we learn that she considers herself an outsider with super duper special skills: she's the almighty mind-manipulator, y'all, behold. It's true that her circumstances did alienate her a bit from her fellow trainees but, honestly, if you spend all your free time with your significant other and don't even try to socialise ... I don't know what to tell ya. In combination with the ongoing communication of "specialness", I can understand why many readers gave up. I guess I blended that out eventually since I was lucky enough to listen to the audiobook.
⤐ There's one review I read that got me really pissed of. The author of said review described Talia as a tease because there were moments in the book where she got very intimate with her boyfriend but then realized she wasn't ready to have sex with him yet and thereby refused to do so. Lemme tell you something, missy. Even if a person were stark naked and rubbing themselves all over their partner(s), genitals up front, that person still has the right to change their mind - at any point. Nobody is obligated to have sex with anyone, no. matter. what. Everything else is called sexual assault and rape.
Apart from that, I really really liked Talented. I enjoyed the romance-part, I thought it was captivating, just like the rest of the story. The MC's personal quest was woven in perfectly with the rest of the plot. The side characters were interesting and diverse and I'm really happy I can dive right into the sequel Caged.
⤐ What’s happening.
‘TOXIC is an agency within the government that utilizes each child's unique ability in the most advantageous way.’
Working for them obviously can't be fun. After her family is slaughtered, Natalia joins fellow talented teenagers at MacDonough to train to become a ruthless assassins, instrumentalised by TOXIC to fight the coalition that is hell-bent on destroying the talented society (or something along those lines, don't nail me on it). Not only she, but her adoptive family are grooming her to become the killer she needs to be in order to avenge her family's death. She is determined and focused but will it be enough to not only get her through her first missions, but also the troubles love can cause?
Con:
⇢ assassin-trainee schedule is rough
⇢ family drama still traumatising
⇢ new teammate is agonisingly interesting
Pro:
⇢ finally new friends
⇢ squat solidarity is A+
⇢ new teammate is agonisingly interesting
_____________________
Writing quality + easy of reading = 3.5*
pace = 3.5*
plot/story in general = 4*
plot development = 4*
characters = 5*
enjoyability = 4.5*
insightfulness = 3*
_____________________
Many thanks to the author pair Sophie Davis, who provided me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review.
August 19, 2014
*2.5 Stars*
**ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
So...I was really excited about this one. I got it on my Ipad and immediately put it in front of other ARCs to read...but it just didn't work for me. It didn't seem to be bad at first, and as a whole, the story actually was pretty well thought out and fun. But as the dialogue started to drag and I began to lose interest (rather quickly), I started to realize that perhaps this was not A) What I was in the mood for and B) At all what I expected it to be. But, as I said before, I think the story as a whole had a lot of potential and this leads me to believe that this is, in fact, my perception of the story and that many people will love it.
Talia wants revenge on the man who killed her family-Ian Crane. She has a talent to both open the mind of others and open her mind in return. She is dating Donovan, the head of the Academy she will be attending's son. I loved their little bubble they hung out in at first, but as the story started to expand and the cute little moments became repetitive, I began losing interest. It was adorable when they were together, sure, but it wasn't altogether gripping paired with the story as a whole. It would say that Talia and her team were going out to train and then all of a sudden the next night would be there in a flash, or maybe I had began to zone out so frequently that I didn't realize. I just don't like when scenes aren't played out for me and I can't become immersed in the world, and I felt this happened more than once with this one.
There was also an extra love interest, Erik, who was her right hand man and teammate. Now, I did love their scenes together and I even still loved Donovan. This book made me want more, but also had me backing away. At the moment, I can't seem to find a reason to continue because I was so put off by the cheesy dialogue between Penny and Talia, the cliched moments when Donovan got jealous (that scene could have been epic-I love jealous scenes), and altogether my lack of love for the story, but, I really see myself coming back and attempting a re read in the future because this book/series holds so much promise. By the time the action and peril got to the story, I felt like I didn't care and it was too late...but maybe next time I can find the love I didn't have this time and fully immerse myself into their world.
It didn't work out for me this time, but next time I hope to be able to appreciate the action brought forth from this story and hopefully be able to love what this author has created. It is loved by countless others and I hope to join them in that love some day. But, for now, I will put this series down and take a breather.
For more of my reviews visit
**ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
So...I was really excited about this one. I got it on my Ipad and immediately put it in front of other ARCs to read...but it just didn't work for me. It didn't seem to be bad at first, and as a whole, the story actually was pretty well thought out and fun. But as the dialogue started to drag and I began to lose interest (rather quickly), I started to realize that perhaps this was not A) What I was in the mood for and B) At all what I expected it to be. But, as I said before, I think the story as a whole had a lot of potential and this leads me to believe that this is, in fact, my perception of the story and that many people will love it.
Talia wants revenge on the man who killed her family-Ian Crane. She has a talent to both open the mind of others and open her mind in return. She is dating Donovan, the head of the Academy she will be attending's son. I loved their little bubble they hung out in at first, but as the story started to expand and the cute little moments became repetitive, I began losing interest. It was adorable when they were together, sure, but it wasn't altogether gripping paired with the story as a whole. It would say that Talia and her team were going out to train and then all of a sudden the next night would be there in a flash, or maybe I had began to zone out so frequently that I didn't realize. I just don't like when scenes aren't played out for me and I can't become immersed in the world, and I felt this happened more than once with this one.
There was also an extra love interest, Erik, who was her right hand man and teammate. Now, I did love their scenes together and I even still loved Donovan. This book made me want more, but also had me backing away. At the moment, I can't seem to find a reason to continue because I was so put off by the cheesy dialogue between Penny and Talia, the cliched moments when Donovan got jealous (that scene could have been epic-I love jealous scenes), and altogether my lack of love for the story, but, I really see myself coming back and attempting a re read in the future because this book/series holds so much promise. By the time the action and peril got to the story, I felt like I didn't care and it was too late...but maybe next time I can find the love I didn't have this time and fully immerse myself into their world.
It didn't work out for me this time, but next time I hope to be able to appreciate the action brought forth from this story and hopefully be able to love what this author has created. It is loved by countless others and I hope to join them in that love some day. But, for now, I will put this series down and take a breather.
For more of my reviews visit
March 20, 2013
OVERALL RATING: 4 STARS
SUMMARY.The world that the story takes place was affected by Great Contamination over a hundred years before she was born. It started with natural disasters that destroyed many small cities and devastated large industrial nations. After the disaster the world has been contaminated from nuclear reactors that were buried deep in the Earth’s surface and started to leak. The eco-system was destroyed and there were come consequences.
Because of the contamination, the first generation of children was born with unnatural colored eyes and had some amazing gifts that nobody had. Morphing, Mind Manipulation, super-computer-like brain, and many more. Some people were trying to hide that their children had talents and that’s how the nation was broken into two different countries which caused a war.
When Natalia Lyons was a little girl, she witnessed her parents being murdered right in front of her. The only thing that saved her was her talents which killed all of the men. After years of training in special school for Talents, she was finally getting ready to be a Hunter, cold-blooded Operative who played a big role in the war between two countries. But aside from wanted to kill the men who took the lives of her parents, (who was actually running the riot), she wanted to feel normal and be just like a regular teenage girl. That’s why she was confused when her team partner
turned out to be a super hot and irresistible guy named Erik because she already had a boyfriend.
My Castings
Natalia. Okay so I have to admit, she is pretty badass. There is some moments in the book that I just want to slap her because she’s being super annoying. She’s also very VERY clingy. Like when she tells the guys to stay with her, author adds: “I know I sounded desperate, but I didn’t care”. That made me pull my hair out because I swear, the same sentence was repeated at least 3 times in the book. But she is tough, controlled, and bad ass. At the end I learned to love her.
Donovan. The son of the main guy who runs the country and the TOXIC. At first I loved everything about him but when he , I just wanted to cut his heart out. How dare he??? I’m so glad that Natalia did what she did in the book.
Erik. Ohhhhhhhh I want him now!! He is the player-type kin d of guy but he can also be very sweet when he wants to. I really just wanted to kiss the pages because it sounded so hot. –drool-
THOUGHTS. I do have to say that the author could have made the beginning way better. For the first three chapters there was no explanation whatsoever and it felt like you just walked in in the middle of a joke. LIKE WTFFFFF?? But then after the author starts explaining the story and you’re like: “Ohhh yea, that actually sounds like it was worth the $0 that it costs me”. But by the end of the book I couldn’t stop reading it because it was so intense. The ending was so unfair because I really wanna know what happens to Natalia now and if she’s going to survive. But I LOOOVEd the book.
Grrrrrrrrrrr it’s so hard not to give out spoilers :/
SUMMARY.The world that the story takes place was affected by Great Contamination over a hundred years before she was born. It started with natural disasters that destroyed many small cities and devastated large industrial nations. After the disaster the world has been contaminated from nuclear reactors that were buried deep in the Earth’s surface and started to leak. The eco-system was destroyed and there were come consequences.
Horses were born with horns, fish with three eyes and even two headed pigs were reported… Leaves began to glow at night, and the bark on trees grew a fuzzy coating, stinging anything that touched it
Because of the contamination, the first generation of children was born with unnatural colored eyes and had some amazing gifts that nobody had. Morphing, Mind Manipulation, super-computer-like brain, and many more. Some people were trying to hide that their children had talents and that’s how the nation was broken into two different countries which caused a war.
When Natalia Lyons was a little girl, she witnessed her parents being murdered right in front of her. The only thing that saved her was her talents which killed all of the men. After years of training in special school for Talents, she was finally getting ready to be a Hunter, cold-blooded Operative who played a big role in the war between two countries. But aside from wanted to kill the men who took the lives of her parents, (who was actually running the riot), she wanted to feel normal and be just like a regular teenage girl. That’s why she was confused when her team partner
turned out to be a super hot and irresistible guy named Erik because she already had a boyfriend.
My Castings
Natalia. Okay so I have to admit, she is pretty badass. There is some moments in the book that I just want to slap her because she’s being super annoying. She’s also very VERY clingy. Like when she tells the guys to stay with her, author adds: “I know I sounded desperate, but I didn’t care”. That made me pull my hair out because I swear, the same sentence was repeated at least 3 times in the book. But she is tough, controlled, and bad ass. At the end I learned to love her.
Donovan. The son of the main guy who runs the country and the TOXIC. At first I loved everything about him but when he , I just wanted to cut his heart out. How dare he??? I’m so glad that Natalia did what she did in the book.
Erik. Ohhhhhhhh I want him now!! He is the player-type kin d of guy but he can also be very sweet when he wants to. I really just wanted to kiss the pages because it sounded so hot. –drool-
THOUGHTS. I do have to say that the author could have made the beginning way better. For the first three chapters there was no explanation whatsoever and it felt like you just walked in in the middle of a joke. LIKE WTFFFFF?? But then after the author starts explaining the story and you’re like: “Ohhh yea, that actually sounds like it was worth the $0 that it costs me”. But by the end of the book I couldn’t stop reading it because it was so intense. The ending was so unfair because I really wanna know what happens to Natalia now and if she’s going to survive. But I LOOOVEd the book.
Grrrrrrrrrrr it’s so hard not to give out spoilers :/
March 19, 2013
I was given this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. I give this book 2.5 stars.
Talented by Sophie Davis is a Paranormal/dystopian YA of sorts that stars Talia, a girl with the Talent of telekinesis and telepathy, who has been recruited to become a Hunter. This will allow her to avenge the death of her parents by the nebulous organization, Toxic. At the same time, she has a bit of a romantic conundrum where she has a long time relationship with Donovan but is attracted to her teammate, Erik. Can Talia find the strength and bravery to avenge her parents' death?
What I liked: actually, I was pretty drawn in from 70% of the book to almost the end. Talia has become a bit stronger and likeable of a character, and we get to see some cool stuff she trains with. On top of that, we see a lot more of Erik and Henri, who are probably the most likeable characters in the book. The background of the story could have been cooler with a few tweaks.
What I had trouble with. This section will have some minor spoilers, which will not give away plot points but will discuss issues I had in the later part of the book.
1. Talia whines. A LOT. You probably don't want to use the word "whine" to describe a protagonist that we are supposed to like.
2. Science in books is very important to me. Even if it's "made up," it has to make sense within the constructs of the book. The whole gene mutation bit is not explained enough. On top of that, there is no such thing as a "hangover shot" that will rehydrate someone. You can give IV fluids to rehydrate someone with vitamins. If this is a new invention for the future, this needs to be explained.
3. The love triangle. Donovan is not likeable at all. Either he needs to be more likeable, or his role needs to be reduced (because of him, I almost put down the book before I finished it), or his role needs to be explained in THIS book, not the next. Also, Talia gets more and more annoying when we are talking about her love life.
4. The evil corporation and "bad guy." This whole side plot, which actually only takes front and center in the end, should have been talked about throughout the book. What should have happened is we should have seen a lot more angst in Talia about her parents and this "bad guy" that has ruined it. Instead, we get a description of the dude 70% in?!
5. There is a handwritten letter that plays an important part and reveals a TON of secrets. WHAT?! Why is there a handwritten letter in the first place with people with great technology and telepathy?! Just tell your secrets in your head!
6. Why would every country let their Talented all go to the US? That makes not sense to me-- every country would want to hoard these powerful people to safeguard its own interests. To get a much more brilliant take on this scenario-- read the Ender's Shadow trilogy.
Overall, ideas had promise, but my experience of this book got bogged down in issue after issue that never got resolved.
Talented by Sophie Davis is a Paranormal/dystopian YA of sorts that stars Talia, a girl with the Talent of telekinesis and telepathy, who has been recruited to become a Hunter. This will allow her to avenge the death of her parents by the nebulous organization, Toxic. At the same time, she has a bit of a romantic conundrum where she has a long time relationship with Donovan but is attracted to her teammate, Erik. Can Talia find the strength and bravery to avenge her parents' death?
What I liked: actually, I was pretty drawn in from 70% of the book to almost the end. Talia has become a bit stronger and likeable of a character, and we get to see some cool stuff she trains with. On top of that, we see a lot more of Erik and Henri, who are probably the most likeable characters in the book. The background of the story could have been cooler with a few tweaks.
What I had trouble with. This section will have some minor spoilers, which will not give away plot points but will discuss issues I had in the later part of the book.
1. Talia whines. A LOT. You probably don't want to use the word "whine" to describe a protagonist that we are supposed to like.
2. Science in books is very important to me. Even if it's "made up," it has to make sense within the constructs of the book. The whole gene mutation bit is not explained enough. On top of that, there is no such thing as a "hangover shot" that will rehydrate someone. You can give IV fluids to rehydrate someone with vitamins. If this is a new invention for the future, this needs to be explained.
3. The love triangle. Donovan is not likeable at all. Either he needs to be more likeable, or his role needs to be reduced (because of him, I almost put down the book before I finished it), or his role needs to be explained in THIS book, not the next. Also, Talia gets more and more annoying when we are talking about her love life.
4. The evil corporation and "bad guy." This whole side plot, which actually only takes front and center in the end, should have been talked about throughout the book. What should have happened is we should have seen a lot more angst in Talia about her parents and this "bad guy" that has ruined it. Instead, we get a description of the dude 70% in?!
5. There is a handwritten letter that plays an important part and reveals a TON of secrets. WHAT?! Why is there a handwritten letter in the first place with people with great technology and telepathy?! Just tell your secrets in your head!
6. Why would every country let their Talented all go to the US? That makes not sense to me-- every country would want to hoard these powerful people to safeguard its own interests. To get a much more brilliant take on this scenario-- read the Ender's Shadow trilogy.
Overall, ideas had promise, but my experience of this book got bogged down in issue after issue that never got resolved.
June 6, 2012
Talia was part of a happy, loving family. Their family travels to do research on the effects the nuclear meltdown had on world’s population. Many people were born with unique powers, after the nuclear disaster, these powers are referred to as talents. Conflicts and revolutions started over these talented individuals. It seems that power is in controlling the powerful. Her family, unfortunately, was deemed a threat in this conflict. A team is sent out to eliminate them, Talia does survives but only after she witnesses the brutal murder of her parents. She declares to take revenge on the man she’s been told ordered the hit. She is sent to a special school that trains the talented, Talia is telekinetic. After graduating she applies to become a hunter. In hunter training, Talia is molded into a weapon of war. Talia must face betrayal, love, and ultimately herself (does she really have what it takes to become a killer).
I absolutely loved Talented. This book is packed full of fresh and stunning imagery of this dystophian world…you feel like you right there. The characters are wonderful. Talia is so real, you feel for everything she goes through as if she is your best friend. The tension between Talia, Donavon and Erik, is simply fantastic! I’m going to go click Caged right now, because this book left me with the bereft feeling of needing more NOW!
This copy of Talented was given to me by Goodreads Making Connections Group and Sophie Davis in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely loved Talented. This book is packed full of fresh and stunning imagery of this dystophian world…you feel like you right there. The characters are wonderful. Talia is so real, you feel for everything she goes through as if she is your best friend. The tension between Talia, Donavon and Erik, is simply fantastic! I’m going to go click Caged right now, because this book left me with the bereft feeling of needing more NOW!
This copy of Talented was given to me by Goodreads Making Connections Group and Sophie Davis in exchange for an honest review.
April 20, 2014
Actual rating - 1.5
Talented was a really hard book to get through.
I put it down at 75% because i couldn't take any more.
I had to force myself to finish it 8 hours later, and it took chocolate to make it tolerable.
I was bored from the first chapter.
Even when there was a bit of action, i was still bored.
The characters were rubbish.
I didn't like any of them, but Talia was defiantly the one i liked least.
Overall, rubbish.
Talented was a really hard book to get through.
I put it down at 75% because i couldn't take any more.
I had to force myself to finish it 8 hours later, and it took chocolate to make it tolerable.
I was bored from the first chapter.
Even when there was a bit of action, i was still bored.
The characters were rubbish.
I didn't like any of them, but Talia was defiantly the one i liked least.
Overall, rubbish.
January 28, 2014
http://koeur.wordpress.com/2014/01/28...
Publisher: Indie Linked
Publishing Date: January 2014
ISBN: 9781618429940
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1.2/5.0
Publisher Description: If Sookie and 007 had a love child with a yearning for vengeance, her story would be TALENTED.
Review: Wow, Sookie huh? That should create of flood of readership. This reads more like if two retarded baboons had a manifestation of frenetic copulation their story would be TALENTED…. The cover art looks like a magicians assistant in a stage performance.
The first 30% of this novel is a lengthy backstory told within the bounds of LUV between Donavan and Talia. He is so ready for sex and she is teasing him beyond belief. She allows him to undress her to her undies and gets him all worked up only to back out. This is a constant theme throughout the novel. Talia is really Donavan’s step-sister who came to live with them when her parents were killed at a very young age. So its kind of creepy that they are kissing and fondling when in reality they should be repelled by those actions. The “It’s like kissing your sister” line.
So there were these underground nuclear reactors worldwide that melted down, no one could fix it then all of a sudden children were born with various abilities. No one can link any genetic mutation to the environmental crisis and trees are growing fur and dogs have feathers. So blah, blah, blah, and Talia’s’ parents are killed by rebels who hate Talents but Talia goes apeshit and kills Ten rebel operatives with her mind during a fit of rage/mourning. Why? Because she is oh so freakin’ speshul, that’s why. And don’t you forget it or Talia will telepathikinesis yur ass straight back to Texas/Nevada/Utah/Idaho/Arizona (all the bad states) for fucks sake. They have hormone addled teenagers performing deep covert ops to retrieve “information” from the coalition. Inter-twined within this non-existent story-line is this sordid love triangle.
Talia is a whiney, dick teasing asshat with the morals of a pigeon. She invokes love triangles amidst her burgeoning desires to screw anything male and hairy. Her failsafe response to everything are these mini-tantrums where indignant behavior is tantamount to righteousness. And then the coin lands on tails and we have clingy, whiney-baby Talia who wuvs her man and needs his stwong awrms awound her. Fug. There is this lengthy teen angst emotive spew page after page after page. Talia finds Donavan in the arms of some “blonde slut” bimbo. Well duh. What do you expect? But never fear, she has a backup plan that involves Mr. Turquoise eyes/ripply muscles Erik because she has never felt a kiss like that that has effected her so profoundly. Talia wastes no time teasing Erik by performing the same undie ritual as she did with Donavon.
The writing utilizes the tried and true overuse of certain words to help describe scenes and situations. About halfway through this disaster, I counted the word “Actually” 84 times as it was used pretty repetitively. Other words used consistently to the determinant of the novel were; “thankfully”, “gratefully”, “defensively”, “grudgingly” “mentally”, “grumbled”, “regretfully”, “carefully”, “scowl”, “pointedly”, “dryly”, “tentatively”, “mumbled x30″ and “growled”.
Character development revolves around an extremely ego-centric and insecure main character. Rather than cheer for her, you end up loathing her actions that are based within the bounds of her little mind. There is no real giving of herself. Every decision she makes is predicated on what’s best for her. She seems to reflect the current state of consciousness in most people, so the author got that right at least. This novel needed to be edited way down in terms of dialogue and the story-line compressed. Talia needs to stand on her own as a tough operative in a world of espionage. She can be tough yet tender not clingy, whiney and self-absorbed. The men in her life should be minor interests for the sake of believability. This is slated to be an ongoing series. The author needs to consider getting professional editing services prior to publishing.
Publisher: Indie Linked
Publishing Date: January 2014
ISBN: 9781618429940
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1.2/5.0
Publisher Description: If Sookie and 007 had a love child with a yearning for vengeance, her story would be TALENTED.
Review: Wow, Sookie huh? That should create of flood of readership. This reads more like if two retarded baboons had a manifestation of frenetic copulation their story would be TALENTED…. The cover art looks like a magicians assistant in a stage performance.
The first 30% of this novel is a lengthy backstory told within the bounds of LUV between Donavan and Talia. He is so ready for sex and she is teasing him beyond belief. She allows him to undress her to her undies and gets him all worked up only to back out. This is a constant theme throughout the novel. Talia is really Donavan’s step-sister who came to live with them when her parents were killed at a very young age. So its kind of creepy that they are kissing and fondling when in reality they should be repelled by those actions. The “It’s like kissing your sister” line.
So there were these underground nuclear reactors worldwide that melted down, no one could fix it then all of a sudden children were born with various abilities. No one can link any genetic mutation to the environmental crisis and trees are growing fur and dogs have feathers. So blah, blah, blah, and Talia’s’ parents are killed by rebels who hate Talents but Talia goes apeshit and kills Ten rebel operatives with her mind during a fit of rage/mourning. Why? Because she is oh so freakin’ speshul, that’s why. And don’t you forget it or Talia will telepathikinesis yur ass straight back to Texas/Nevada/Utah/Idaho/Arizona (all the bad states) for fucks sake. They have hormone addled teenagers performing deep covert ops to retrieve “information” from the coalition. Inter-twined within this non-existent story-line is this sordid love triangle.
Talia is a whiney, dick teasing asshat with the morals of a pigeon. She invokes love triangles amidst her burgeoning desires to screw anything male and hairy. Her failsafe response to everything are these mini-tantrums where indignant behavior is tantamount to righteousness. And then the coin lands on tails and we have clingy, whiney-baby Talia who wuvs her man and needs his stwong awrms awound her. Fug. There is this lengthy teen angst emotive spew page after page after page. Talia finds Donavan in the arms of some “blonde slut” bimbo. Well duh. What do you expect? But never fear, she has a backup plan that involves Mr. Turquoise eyes/ripply muscles Erik because she has never felt a kiss like that that has effected her so profoundly. Talia wastes no time teasing Erik by performing the same undie ritual as she did with Donavon.
The writing utilizes the tried and true overuse of certain words to help describe scenes and situations. About halfway through this disaster, I counted the word “Actually” 84 times as it was used pretty repetitively. Other words used consistently to the determinant of the novel were; “thankfully”, “gratefully”, “defensively”, “grudgingly” “mentally”, “grumbled”, “regretfully”, “carefully”, “scowl”, “pointedly”, “dryly”, “tentatively”, “mumbled x30″ and “growled”.
Character development revolves around an extremely ego-centric and insecure main character. Rather than cheer for her, you end up loathing her actions that are based within the bounds of her little mind. There is no real giving of herself. Every decision she makes is predicated on what’s best for her. She seems to reflect the current state of consciousness in most people, so the author got that right at least. This novel needed to be edited way down in terms of dialogue and the story-line compressed. Talia needs to stand on her own as a tough operative in a world of espionage. She can be tough yet tender not clingy, whiney and self-absorbed. The men in her life should be minor interests for the sake of believability. This is slated to be an ongoing series. The author needs to consider getting professional editing services prior to publishing.
July 1, 2013
I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I loved Talented! I enjoyed the whole storyline, the idea of the Talented and how they ended up where they are now and how they were "created". I felt like it was a pretty unique background story. I also liked reading about the types of Talented and what their abilities are. I liked the kind of love triangle that was going on and I loved all of the sexual tension. Talented flowed really smoothly and it made for a quick entertaining read. By the end of the book, i really want to grab book two and get started.
I loved most of these characters, if you have read the book you know what I mean. Talia was a great heroine to read about. She had overcame a lot in her young life. She always pulled out on top and was the bigger person. I'm hoping now that she can somewhat settle down and be happy. I want to read all about it. I really like Erik but I wish that he would have told Talia earlier about scummy scumbag. I also enjoyed how Erik and Talia would bicker back and forth and the sexual tension, oh my! I also found Henri to be a fun character and I hope that he gets a spin off.
Overall, I loved this book and I can't wait to carry on with the series and see where the characters end up. I would recommend this book to paranormal readers. But I would suggest having book two beside you to pick up when you finish book one.
I loved Talented! I enjoyed the whole storyline, the idea of the Talented and how they ended up where they are now and how they were "created". I felt like it was a pretty unique background story. I also liked reading about the types of Talented and what their abilities are. I liked the kind of love triangle that was going on and I loved all of the sexual tension. Talented flowed really smoothly and it made for a quick entertaining read. By the end of the book, i really want to grab book two and get started.
I loved most of these characters, if you have read the book you know what I mean. Talia was a great heroine to read about. She had overcame a lot in her young life. She always pulled out on top and was the bigger person. I'm hoping now that she can somewhat settle down and be happy. I want to read all about it. I really like Erik but I wish that he would have told Talia earlier about scummy scumbag. I also enjoyed how Erik and Talia would bicker back and forth and the sexual tension, oh my! I also found Henri to be a fun character and I hope that he gets a spin off.
Overall, I loved this book and I can't wait to carry on with the series and see where the characters end up. I would recommend this book to paranormal readers. But I would suggest having book two beside you to pick up when you finish book one.
June 19, 2012
I loved it!
I've read so many good books lately, but this one will surely remain in my mind,
It sucked me in and I read it quickly, eating up the book.
It's got such a good plot and although some of it was predictable a lot of it wasnt.
I quickly fell for Erik and knew there was something up with Donavon from the beginning.
I loved that there were mimics, shale shifters, telekinetics, mind readers/influencers, brains and medics.
All sorts of people and that was real fresh.
I can't wait to read the sequel. But this is definitely a must-read.
I would like to thank Sophie for allowing me to access this book for free and I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to read the sequel. I urge all young adults in particular to read this because if you like fantasy and romance them this is a book for you!
I've read so many good books lately, but this one will surely remain in my mind,
It sucked me in and I read it quickly, eating up the book.
It's got such a good plot and although some of it was predictable a lot of it wasnt.
I quickly fell for Erik and knew there was something up with Donavon from the beginning.
I loved that there were mimics, shale shifters, telekinetics, mind readers/influencers, brains and medics.
All sorts of people and that was real fresh.
I can't wait to read the sequel. But this is definitely a must-read.
I would like to thank Sophie for allowing me to access this book for free and I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to read the sequel. I urge all young adults in particular to read this because if you like fantasy and romance them this is a book for you!
April 4, 2014
A nuclear disaster causes the Great Contamination and special abilities in the children. Called, “Talents,” they are often feared for the abilities they possess. When young Talia’s parents are murdered while investigating the nuclear fallout, she is taken in by one the heads of an elite government unit that trains the talents, for Sophie, her abilities make her an excellent “hunter.” We are invited to follow Talia’s life as she learns to maneuver the ins and outs of training, life as a talent and possibly falling in love with her best friend, who may not be the best choice as boyfriend material. When she should be concentrating on being trained as a formidable assassin, she gets distracted by a brash and boldly handsome talent that even as he is needling her, gets under her skin and starts chipping away at her heart. Take a ride on this adventurous journey in this dystopian world where being a teen, alone, out for revenge for her parents’ murders is only part of the drama in Talia’s life, after all, she has to contend with being a talent and having feelings for more than one boy.
This is not my first time reading Talented by Sophie Davis, but for whatever reason, I enjoyed this so much more the second time around. Was it timing? Paying more attention to the talents of the author? Truly feeling the character’s as they come alive in a fantasy world of the near future? Wonderful emotion-filled drama, adventure and pure teen exuberance with well-developed characters, to boot!!
I received an ARC of the re—release of Talented from Indie Inked in exchange for my honest review.
Re-Publication Date: January 14, 2014
Publisher: Indie Inked
ISBN: 9781618429940
Genre: YA/Teen Paranormal Romance | Sci-fi
Number of Pages: 378
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My Original review 2012
The story had great character development. I loved Erik. His character was so flawed, yet he had a lot of good going on, too. Talia was stronger than she knew, tough, yet vulnerable. Definitely a great read about a dystopian society, teen angst, having to live larger than life through all of the pressures. July 1, 2012
This is not my first time reading Talented by Sophie Davis, but for whatever reason, I enjoyed this so much more the second time around. Was it timing? Paying more attention to the talents of the author? Truly feeling the character’s as they come alive in a fantasy world of the near future? Wonderful emotion-filled drama, adventure and pure teen exuberance with well-developed characters, to boot!!
I received an ARC of the re—release of Talented from Indie Inked in exchange for my honest review.
Re-Publication Date: January 14, 2014
Publisher: Indie Inked
ISBN: 9781618429940
Genre: YA/Teen Paranormal Romance | Sci-fi
Number of Pages: 378
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My Original review 2012
The story had great character development. I loved Erik. His character was so flawed, yet he had a lot of good going on, too. Talia was stronger than she knew, tough, yet vulnerable. Definitely a great read about a dystopian society, teen angst, having to live larger than life through all of the pressures. July 1, 2012
April 20, 2014
(Source: downloaded for free from Amazon.co.uk)
This book just bored me. I didn't care about the characters, I didn't care about what happened to them, I nearly choked to death on the info dumps, and almost every page I had to force myself to read, and became overly interested in playing temple run 2 instead.
Added:
The main character Talia was super-special, and spent most of her time playing tease with her boyfriend, where she would get half-naked, rile him up, and then refuse to have sex with him because she just wasn't ready yet. Please, if you're going to be a tease, you should expect to have to put out.
The storyline just bored me, I really didn't care what was going on, and the initiation hazing was just cruel.
Overall; not for me.
3.5 out of 10
This book just bored me. I didn't care about the characters, I didn't care about what happened to them, I nearly choked to death on the info dumps, and almost every page I had to force myself to read, and became overly interested in playing temple run 2 instead.
Added:
The main character Talia was super-special, and spent most of her time playing tease with her boyfriend, where she would get half-naked, rile him up, and then refuse to have sex with him because she just wasn't ready yet. Please, if you're going to be a tease, you should expect to have to put out.
The storyline just bored me, I really didn't care what was going on, and the initiation hazing was just cruel.
Overall; not for me.
3.5 out of 10
Read
March 10, 2015Sorry Netgalley, I can't do it, I tried. DNFing this at a measly 2%. To be fair, I was warned, but I gave it a try anyway. If I had to read about her "considerable mental ability" or "mental focus" one more time, I was liable to throw my phone. 5 times in two pages is excessive and the abundance of over descriptive adjectives and similes are rarely a good sign of what was to come. I have way more interesting things to read.
I received an arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley!
I received an arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley!
Read
October 1, 2019I've lost count of how many times I've tried to finish this book and I just can't seem to do it. I also pick it up, read a couple of pages, get frustrated and put it back down. After not picking this up for over a year I thought today would be the day. NOPE. NOPE. NOPE!
This is such a boring read.
This is such a boring read.
September 6, 2013
I received this book in exchange for an honest review via Lovers of Paranormal Group! :)
I love Natalia! She is a very relatable character.
The entire cast is well thought out and described well too.
You really get pulled into Hunter's Village.
I was happy, sad, mad and hurt right along with Talia. My fingernails suffered on her missions!
I love the plot and the twists as well. I cannot wait to read Caged!
Her mission with Henri and Erik was awesome!
Especially what Erik does for her... Just amazing!
Things go bad and good and crazy and it was a thrill to read!
And oh.... my gawd! Her solo mission was intense!!! I was shaking my leg uncontrollably and biting my nails until the last page! And wow! I am so glad I have Caged to read now!!
Definitely recommend this series!
★★★★★★★★★★★★★
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
IF YOU CLICK THE LINK TO SHOW SPOILERS YOU WILL INDEED SPOIL THE STORY!!!
IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK AND DO NOT WANT IT SPOILED THEN DO NOT CLICK IT!!!
Unless of course you are one of the brave few who wants to know before you read it! Then by all means click away!
That is all..... carry on.....
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
I love Natalia! She is a very relatable character.
The entire cast is well thought out and described well too.
You really get pulled into Hunter's Village.
I was happy, sad, mad and hurt right along with Talia. My fingernails suffered on her missions!
I love the plot and the twists as well. I cannot wait to read Caged!
Her mission with Henri and Erik was awesome!
Especially what Erik does for her... Just amazing!
Things go bad and good and crazy and it was a thrill to read!
And oh.... my gawd! Her solo mission was intense!!! I was shaking my leg uncontrollably and biting my nails until the last page! And wow! I am so glad I have Caged to read now!!
Definitely recommend this series!
★★★★★★★★★★★★★
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
IF YOU CLICK THE LINK TO SHOW SPOILERS YOU WILL INDEED SPOIL THE STORY!!!
IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK AND DO NOT WANT IT SPOILED THEN DO NOT CLICK IT!!!
Unless of course you are one of the brave few who wants to know before you read it! Then by all means click away!
That is all..... carry on.....
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
March 2, 2013
Ebook: Talented
Author: Sophie Davis
Fiction, Paranormal,
This review may contain spoilers
Summary: When Talia Lyons was just a child, her parents were murdered before her eyes. Offered a choice between accepting their fate and exacting revenge, Talia trains to become one of the country’s deadliest assassins in order to kill the man responsible for their deaths: Ian Crane. Luckily, Talia was born with a gift- the ability to read and influence the minds of others. At sixteen, Talia is poised to graduate from the McDonough School for the Talented, where she learned to control her abilities. Now there is only one obstacle standing between her and the retribution she craves... Talia herself.
Her greatest asset may also be her undoing; while a formidable weapon in the field, Talia’s talents prevent her from both shutting off the mental connection she shares with her questionable boyfriend and blocking out the thoughts of a beguiling fellow recruit. But Talia can’t afford to have the feelings and distractions of a normal teenage girl, when her life is far from normal.
She must regain the single-minded determination that has brought her this far, or it may cost Talia her life when she finally faces Crane. And even after being molded in to a weapon of war, she’ll still have to find the strength it takes to pull the trigger.
If James Bond and Sookie Stackhouse had a love child with a yearning for vengeance, her story would be TALENTED: an adventure about powerful teenagers who aren’t afraid to embrace their fears and fight for what they believe in.
The Review
How have I not read this series, bad bad reviewer, I loved this book, Book 2 & 3 are both firmly ensconced in my TBR list, Talia is such a great character, I really believed I was going through everything with her, she was so kick ass when she needed to be, but she had a soft side that really touched my heart, this book has an amazing plot line, different from anything else I have read, it will keep you on the edge of your seat, The characters are well written, full of character, there were others in the book that to me really brought the book together as a whole, I love Talia’s room mates, the fact that she has 2 males she is living with really made this book super funny in places, I would recommend this to everyone, it will have you laughing in so many places, I even cried in a couple of places, this was so well written, I felt Talia’s pain, 5/5
Author: Sophie Davis
Fiction, Paranormal,
This review may contain spoilers
Summary: When Talia Lyons was just a child, her parents were murdered before her eyes. Offered a choice between accepting their fate and exacting revenge, Talia trains to become one of the country’s deadliest assassins in order to kill the man responsible for their deaths: Ian Crane. Luckily, Talia was born with a gift- the ability to read and influence the minds of others. At sixteen, Talia is poised to graduate from the McDonough School for the Talented, where she learned to control her abilities. Now there is only one obstacle standing between her and the retribution she craves... Talia herself.
Her greatest asset may also be her undoing; while a formidable weapon in the field, Talia’s talents prevent her from both shutting off the mental connection she shares with her questionable boyfriend and blocking out the thoughts of a beguiling fellow recruit. But Talia can’t afford to have the feelings and distractions of a normal teenage girl, when her life is far from normal.
She must regain the single-minded determination that has brought her this far, or it may cost Talia her life when she finally faces Crane. And even after being molded in to a weapon of war, she’ll still have to find the strength it takes to pull the trigger.
If James Bond and Sookie Stackhouse had a love child with a yearning for vengeance, her story would be TALENTED: an adventure about powerful teenagers who aren’t afraid to embrace their fears and fight for what they believe in.
The Review
How have I not read this series, bad bad reviewer, I loved this book, Book 2 & 3 are both firmly ensconced in my TBR list, Talia is such a great character, I really believed I was going through everything with her, she was so kick ass when she needed to be, but she had a soft side that really touched my heart, this book has an amazing plot line, different from anything else I have read, it will keep you on the edge of your seat, The characters are well written, full of character, there were others in the book that to me really brought the book together as a whole, I love Talia’s room mates, the fact that she has 2 males she is living with really made this book super funny in places, I would recommend this to everyone, it will have you laughing in so many places, I even cried in a couple of places, this was so well written, I felt Talia’s pain, 5/5
April 18, 2014
3.75ish stars
video review coming!
video review coming!
November 22, 2013
4.5
free
great writing
free
great writing
November 13, 2014
I'm going to keep this short because I have a migraine right now and the ending of this book didn't do a thing to help it. Let's just say I'm glad I got this book when it was Free on amazon.
This book was going to get a 3 star rating until I read that ending with what I am deeming the sorriest excuse for a 'cliffhanger' that I've ever read in my life.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. From the very beginning of the book, there was something off about the writing that I couldn't pinpoint until last night when I started reading another book. This book isn't written like a novel. Its written like a teenage girls diary.
25% into the book and I still didn't know what the point of the book was or what the plot was going to be because Talia, the main character and narrator, was too busy detailing her everyday life training with her team and making out with her boyfriend by the lake.
Nothing is ever really explained in this book which was a problem for me because for the majority of the book, I'm wondering "What am I reading this for...What is the purpose of everything that is going on." I can't even really tell you what Talia's Talent is. I know she can communicate telepathically. I know she can move objects with her mind and I know she can impose her will on others. But she never really uses her abilities besides to uselessly open doors that are right in front of her or to have conversations with her partners and her boyfriend. -- The only reason I feel like I didn't put this book down is because there was this silly little love triangle between Talia, one of her partners Erik, and her long time best friend and boyfriend Donovan.
That's kind of sad to be honest though. The redeeming quality of this book for me was a love triangle...And I HATE love triangles.
I'm not sure anything really happened in Talented because I'm still not clear what the point of the story is. Talia is a pledge in an agency called TOXIC who uses people with Talents to further their agenda...whatever that is. She and her teammates, Henri and Erik go on a few missions to obtain data and information from a rival agency called the Coalition that is against people with Talents. I don't really know what happened on those missions or why they needed the information they obtained because...it's never explained and no one ever talks about it.
Besides being vaguely aware of what was going on, there was a lot of juvenile teenage stuff to keep me entertained. Talia made a friend named Penny while getting super drunk for the first time in her life at a bonfire. They got dressed up and went out to the city a few times together...
I don't even....*sighs* I was going to give this book a 3 star rating because while I was confused about the point the entire time and while nothing was ever really explained or developed...I was entertained while reading it. I liked the tension between Erik and Talia, and I liked that Henri had a gorgeous boyfriend named Frederick. But then the ending happened and just pissed me completely off. I won't go into it because its a spoiler...I GUESS. But it was silly, anticlimactic and pointless. There was some information revealed about someone but that information really has no bearing and isn't a threat because said person has no intentions on doing anything about their situation. POINTLESS.
I'm done...I'm not reading the next book or any of the others, that's for sure.
This book was going to get a 3 star rating until I read that ending with what I am deeming the sorriest excuse for a 'cliffhanger' that I've ever read in my life.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. From the very beginning of the book, there was something off about the writing that I couldn't pinpoint until last night when I started reading another book. This book isn't written like a novel. Its written like a teenage girls diary.
25% into the book and I still didn't know what the point of the book was or what the plot was going to be because Talia, the main character and narrator, was too busy detailing her everyday life training with her team and making out with her boyfriend by the lake.
Nothing is ever really explained in this book which was a problem for me because for the majority of the book, I'm wondering "What am I reading this for...What is the purpose of everything that is going on." I can't even really tell you what Talia's Talent is. I know she can communicate telepathically. I know she can move objects with her mind and I know she can impose her will on others. But she never really uses her abilities besides to uselessly open doors that are right in front of her or to have conversations with her partners and her boyfriend. -- The only reason I feel like I didn't put this book down is because there was this silly little love triangle between Talia, one of her partners Erik, and her long time best friend and boyfriend Donovan.
That's kind of sad to be honest though. The redeeming quality of this book for me was a love triangle...And I HATE love triangles.
I'm not sure anything really happened in Talented because I'm still not clear what the point of the story is. Talia is a pledge in an agency called TOXIC who uses people with Talents to further their agenda...whatever that is. She and her teammates, Henri and Erik go on a few missions to obtain data and information from a rival agency called the Coalition that is against people with Talents. I don't really know what happened on those missions or why they needed the information they obtained because...it's never explained and no one ever talks about it.
Besides being vaguely aware of what was going on, there was a lot of juvenile teenage stuff to keep me entertained. Talia made a friend named Penny while getting super drunk for the first time in her life at a bonfire. They got dressed up and went out to the city a few times together...
I don't even....*sighs* I was going to give this book a 3 star rating because while I was confused about the point the entire time and while nothing was ever really explained or developed...I was entertained while reading it. I liked the tension between Erik and Talia, and I liked that Henri had a gorgeous boyfriend named Frederick. But then the ending happened and just pissed me completely off. I won't go into it because its a spoiler...I GUESS. But it was silly, anticlimactic and pointless. There was some information revealed about someone but that information really has no bearing and isn't a threat because said person has no intentions on doing anything about their situation. POINTLESS.
I'm done...I'm not reading the next book or any of the others, that's for sure.
August 11, 2012
A Trickster Eric Novels Review
"Talented" has a great opening hook. Its not easy to write a panicked introduction with first person but Miss. Davis pulls it off. Then she seamlessly transitions into a calmer atmosphere and more day-to-day routine for the protagonist, Natalia. For the first seven chapters I had to tell myself, "put it down, you've been reading too long." Those chapters had amusing character development, training scenes to avert "Instant Expert" and interesting world building. All of them them come into play during Natalia's missions. Those are my favorite parts. Miss. Davis puts a lot of thought into the logistics (i.e the most important and yet often overlooked part of such missions) of them and can write a suspenseful infiltration.
A special note about the world building. It goes into much detail early on and I loved that. I love it when authors really think about how their world works. Miss. Davis talks about things that have nothing to do with the plot but provide a 'flavor' that makes the world seem more concrete. 'worlds exist in details' and I this one I could believe exists. Best of all, the exposition has its own chapters so there's no awkward 'as you know' between Natalia and others.
The biggest problem with "Talented is that the bulk of the story is bogged down in Natalia's relationship issues. The description states that her driving goal in life is to avenge her parents but this rarely comes up. Its not even mentioned until her first mission in chapter 14. Occasionally she states her resolve in the third act but right at the start of the next she's internally angsting about her boy issues. I seriously thought she was schizophrenic. Even this wouldn't be as big a problem if they weren't so predictable. I saw every 'twist' in her relationship coming; a bad soap opera. Characters are derailed to make it happen. Donavon is made into a jerkass, Eric losses his humor for jealous not-yet-boyfriend aggression, Henri is pushed to the sidelines, and Penny's role is reduced to pushing Natalia towards Erik. In my opinion it all falls flat.
The second biggest problem is related to the first. The missions are, for the most part, glazed over in favor of the relationship trouble. 'went off without a hitch' is how one is described. Even the more in-depth ones lack important details: such as the nature of the information they seek or why this one guy is marked for assassination. Even worse, Miss. Davis subordinates the missions to the relationship drama by using them to set up more drama. At this point I wanted to stop reading.
A third problem is editing. Words are frequently missing. Miss. Davis repeats a piece of world building for no apparent reason. The pacing is wonky because the stated conflict 'avenging her parents' is usually missing.
I was glad when I finished this book. I did not like it. I thought I was going to love it which made me dislike it even more because it disappointed me. More than that it deceived me. The 'duplicity' and 'betrayal' and 'inner turmoil' in the description have nothing at all to do with her parent's murder or her quest for revenge. Nor does it make he doubt her powers. I will not read the sequel.
"Talented" has a great opening hook. Its not easy to write a panicked introduction with first person but Miss. Davis pulls it off. Then she seamlessly transitions into a calmer atmosphere and more day-to-day routine for the protagonist, Natalia. For the first seven chapters I had to tell myself, "put it down, you've been reading too long." Those chapters had amusing character development, training scenes to avert "Instant Expert" and interesting world building. All of them them come into play during Natalia's missions. Those are my favorite parts. Miss. Davis puts a lot of thought into the logistics (i.e the most important and yet often overlooked part of such missions) of them and can write a suspenseful infiltration.
A special note about the world building. It goes into much detail early on and I loved that. I love it when authors really think about how their world works. Miss. Davis talks about things that have nothing to do with the plot but provide a 'flavor' that makes the world seem more concrete. 'worlds exist in details' and I this one I could believe exists. Best of all, the exposition has its own chapters so there's no awkward 'as you know' between Natalia and others.
The biggest problem with "Talented is that the bulk of the story is bogged down in Natalia's relationship issues. The description states that her driving goal in life is to avenge her parents but this rarely comes up. Its not even mentioned until her first mission in chapter 14. Occasionally she states her resolve in the third act but right at the start of the next she's internally angsting about her boy issues. I seriously thought she was schizophrenic. Even this wouldn't be as big a problem if they weren't so predictable. I saw every 'twist' in her relationship coming; a bad soap opera. Characters are derailed to make it happen. Donavon is made into a jerkass, Eric losses his humor for jealous not-yet-boyfriend aggression, Henri is pushed to the sidelines, and Penny's role is reduced to pushing Natalia towards Erik. In my opinion it all falls flat.
The second biggest problem is related to the first. The missions are, for the most part, glazed over in favor of the relationship trouble. 'went off without a hitch' is how one is described. Even the more in-depth ones lack important details: such as the nature of the information they seek or why this one guy is marked for assassination. Even worse, Miss. Davis subordinates the missions to the relationship drama by using them to set up more drama. At this point I wanted to stop reading.
A third problem is editing. Words are frequently missing. Miss. Davis repeats a piece of world building for no apparent reason. The pacing is wonky because the stated conflict 'avenging her parents' is usually missing.
I was glad when I finished this book. I did not like it. I thought I was going to love it which made me dislike it even more because it disappointed me. More than that it deceived me. The 'duplicity' and 'betrayal' and 'inner turmoil' in the description have nothing at all to do with her parent's murder or her quest for revenge. Nor does it make he doubt her powers. I will not read the sequel.
February 13, 2017
I was given a copy of Talented to review by Sophie Davis and her PA Justine so thank you so much ladies for providing me with this copy!
All of my reviews are spoiler free (unless stated otherwise) so you can go ahead and read my review!
Firstly, I LOVED the concept of this book. A group of people born with powers after some crazy nuclear thing go to a special school to harness their talents and go on missions it was just so BADASS! Talia watched her parents being murdered at a young age and has made it her personal goal to join the hunters and kill the man responsible and this was just such a cool storyline that fans of X-Men, James Bond and dystopian YA novels will LOVE!
The writing got progressively better throughout the novel and you could see how Davis' writing has grown and developed over the course of writing this novel. I must say, it's definitely an excellent debut and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
I really loved all of the characters (well, obviously not ALL of them), but I had grown quite attached to them after a while and I loved Talia's group of friends (Penny, Erik (swoon!) and Henri). They were all amazing side characters that added a lot of dynamic to the story and brought a lighter mood to the story which I appreciated. Definitely an excellent variety of characters, all different in their own way.
I did feel as though at times (only in the first half of the book) the narration didn't feel like it was coming from Talia's head, if that makes sense. I felt like some things that she stated in her own narration weren't the way she would actually speak, but as I mentioned before, the writing really picked up throughout the middle of the story and really TOOK OFF RUNNING. I mean, I just want to know more and I couldn't put it down once I had reached the last third of the book! Definitely an excellent ending that leaves you wanting the second book desperately! I am so glad that there were some sneak peak chapters into the next book and I can't wait to read it!
An excellent debut to an exciting series that is already completed I believe so we don't have to wait to find out what happens which is a huge plus!
Please support Sophie Davis and pick up Talented! It's free as an ebook on Amazon :D
A video review is coming soon for your chance to win some awesome prizes like a Kindle Fire and Amazon Gift Cards! Yippeeee!
All of my reviews are spoiler free (unless stated otherwise) so you can go ahead and read my review!
Firstly, I LOVED the concept of this book. A group of people born with powers after some crazy nuclear thing go to a special school to harness their talents and go on missions it was just so BADASS! Talia watched her parents being murdered at a young age and has made it her personal goal to join the hunters and kill the man responsible and this was just such a cool storyline that fans of X-Men, James Bond and dystopian YA novels will LOVE!
The writing got progressively better throughout the novel and you could see how Davis' writing has grown and developed over the course of writing this novel. I must say, it's definitely an excellent debut and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
I really loved all of the characters (well, obviously not ALL of them), but I had grown quite attached to them after a while and I loved Talia's group of friends (Penny, Erik (swoon!) and Henri). They were all amazing side characters that added a lot of dynamic to the story and brought a lighter mood to the story which I appreciated. Definitely an excellent variety of characters, all different in their own way.
I did feel as though at times (only in the first half of the book) the narration didn't feel like it was coming from Talia's head, if that makes sense. I felt like some things that she stated in her own narration weren't the way she would actually speak, but as I mentioned before, the writing really picked up throughout the middle of the story and really TOOK OFF RUNNING. I mean, I just want to know more and I couldn't put it down once I had reached the last third of the book! Definitely an excellent ending that leaves you wanting the second book desperately! I am so glad that there were some sneak peak chapters into the next book and I can't wait to read it!
An excellent debut to an exciting series that is already completed I believe so we don't have to wait to find out what happens which is a huge plus!
Please support Sophie Davis and pick up Talented! It's free as an ebook on Amazon :D
A video review is coming soon for your chance to win some awesome prizes like a Kindle Fire and Amazon Gift Cards! Yippeeee!
May 18, 2014
**This book was given to me for an honest review**
Oh, wow! I'm still reeling from this phenomenal and stunning story! Seriously people I am in complete fan girl mode! Where the heck has this masterpiece been hiding?!?!
Omg,OMG OOOMMMMGGG!!!
Okay, I think I'm good now, no more fan girling! So, this is a fearsome, awe-inspiring, breath taking book. It literally has everything in it you could possibly crave. Sophie Davis paints a beautiful and tragic world, with such descriptive and poetic writing you can't help but feel the pull of the story. The characters are well rounded with normal deficiencies and amazing attributes. Truly stunning story!
It starts off by explaining the world and how it has been turned upside-down, flipped and twisted by nuclear weapons hidden in the earth. The spread effects the whole world, the ocean, animals and eventually the people making children come to the world with deformities and amazing abilities. As time goes on these wane and drift but the "talented" remain, and are chosen to fight for the government.
The main character Talia, is one of the effected humans and has gifts of her own. She is an amazing talented lead character who faces so many trail and tribulations in her short life, that you wonder how she has survived. The answer is revenge. She joins the "Hunters" to avenge her past and grow her future.
Talia is not alone in this tremendous world Sophie painted for you, she has her friends and handsome side kicks. My favorite among them is our dashing and witty heart breaker Erik, who was a huge part of why I fell so fast for 'Talented'.
Talia's journey with her friends Erik, Henri, Donovan and little Penelope is provocative, thrilling, funny, heart wrenching and riveting.
This book will have you in craze, waiting to find out what happens next with the plot twist and constant adventures. I loved it and truly can't wait to dig into the series, I absolutely recommend it to everyone and anyone. But especially those of you looking for a fun read with romance, adventure, mystery and a beautiful dystopian world ready for you to join! Enjoy!
Enjoy this book! I know I did!
You can also find my reviews at Heaven to Earth Reviews
Oh, wow! I'm still reeling from this phenomenal and stunning story! Seriously people I am in complete fan girl mode! Where the heck has this masterpiece been hiding?!?!
Omg,OMG OOOMMMMGGG!!!
Okay, I think I'm good now, no more fan girling! So, this is a fearsome, awe-inspiring, breath taking book. It literally has everything in it you could possibly crave. Sophie Davis paints a beautiful and tragic world, with such descriptive and poetic writing you can't help but feel the pull of the story. The characters are well rounded with normal deficiencies and amazing attributes. Truly stunning story!
It starts off by explaining the world and how it has been turned upside-down, flipped and twisted by nuclear weapons hidden in the earth. The spread effects the whole world, the ocean, animals and eventually the people making children come to the world with deformities and amazing abilities. As time goes on these wane and drift but the "talented" remain, and are chosen to fight for the government.
The main character Talia, is one of the effected humans and has gifts of her own. She is an amazing talented lead character who faces so many trail and tribulations in her short life, that you wonder how she has survived. The answer is revenge. She joins the "Hunters" to avenge her past and grow her future.
Talia is not alone in this tremendous world Sophie painted for you, she has her friends and handsome side kicks. My favorite among them is our dashing and witty heart breaker Erik, who was a huge part of why I fell so fast for 'Talented'.
Talia's journey with her friends Erik, Henri, Donovan and little Penelope is provocative, thrilling, funny, heart wrenching and riveting.
This book will have you in craze, waiting to find out what happens next with the plot twist and constant adventures. I loved it and truly can't wait to dig into the series, I absolutely recommend it to everyone and anyone. But especially those of you looking for a fun read with romance, adventure, mystery and a beautiful dystopian world ready for you to join! Enjoy!
Enjoy this book! I know I did!
You can also find my reviews at Heaven to Earth Reviews
June 15, 2012
When I first started reading Talented I wasn't sure what to expect. I'll admit, I took a look at the cover and wasn't sure (it had a different cover last week, I swear!!). I know, that makes me a horrible person, judging books by the cover, but it happens and you all know you do it! The cover of a book is the first thing that attracts more people to it. That being said, I like this new cover a lot more! I look at it and it makes me wonder what the story could be about. The thing that made me decide to read this book was the synopsis. It sounded like something I would like. I'm in a huge love relationship right now with dystopians, add in the sci fi and you have yourself a deal.
So, regardless of the cover, I gave this book a shot and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. Talia is a pretty kick butt girl, who's gone through a lot of training to get to that point. She also has her "talent" which is actually very useful for fighting. I mean, when you have the ability to force people to do things with your mind, how can you ever really lose a fight, unless the numbers are extremely against you. I felt really bad for Talia because she lost her parents, and watched them be murdered even.
I felt like there was a good amount of romance and action in Talented. There wasn't really any of the instant romance going on, which can be kind of annoying really. Actually, the story starts out with Talia already having a boy friend. They've been together forever pretty much and couldn't be happier. So there is a bit of romance and history between them.
Overall it did take me a long time to get into this book, mostly because I didn't have much time to sit and read, but once I got going I had a hard time putting it down. Especially in the second half, there is just so much going on and I was pretty concerned over Talia. Talented is a really fun read and I would definitely recommend it! I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series, Caged. Sophie Davis did a really great job creating characters you can realate with and care about and her dystopian world is well made also. You should definitely give it a try if you enjoy sci fi, distopia worlds!
So, regardless of the cover, I gave this book a shot and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. Talia is a pretty kick butt girl, who's gone through a lot of training to get to that point. She also has her "talent" which is actually very useful for fighting. I mean, when you have the ability to force people to do things with your mind, how can you ever really lose a fight, unless the numbers are extremely against you. I felt really bad for Talia because she lost her parents, and watched them be murdered even.
I felt like there was a good amount of romance and action in Talented. There wasn't really any of the instant romance going on, which can be kind of annoying really. Actually, the story starts out with Talia already having a boy friend. They've been together forever pretty much and couldn't be happier. So there is a bit of romance and history between them.
Overall it did take me a long time to get into this book, mostly because I didn't have much time to sit and read, but once I got going I had a hard time putting it down. Especially in the second half, there is just so much going on and I was pretty concerned over Talia. Talented is a really fun read and I would definitely recommend it! I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series, Caged. Sophie Davis did a really great job creating characters you can realate with and care about and her dystopian world is well made also. You should definitely give it a try if you enjoy sci fi, distopia worlds!
September 4, 2013
I got Talented because it was being offered for free on Amazon and it sounded really good. We are introduced to Talia at her training facility working on becoming an Agent in the Hunters group. The Hunters are in charge of finding information and people that are against the government and Talents. They work for an organization called TOXIC, the Talented Organization of Exceptionally Interesting Citizens. There is a man named Ian Crane who is the President of the Coalition of rebels against Talents & TOXIC. Talia has a beef with him and she has decided that she is going to make it her top priority to do what she can to bring him down.
I really, really liked this book. I have not read books 2 or 3 or the novella, but I plan on it really soon. I love the premise of this book and it is completely original from anything else that I have read. The world ending as we know it is not a new premise, but how it ends and what happens to the citizens is. There is contamination from nuclear waste that devastates the world and kills millions of people. Some of the people that were born after the event were born with "talents," meaning that they are born with an ability like shape-shifting, telepathy and manipulations. They are shunned by some of society and are forced to go to separate schools. A lot of them end up working for TOXIC in some capacity or another.
This book is very well written and the characters are well developed. I really connected with Talia and her plight as someone who didn't grow up in a traditional sense with parents. She isn't normal, she doesn't have a lot of friends and she's trying to become a Hunter, not something that a lot of females pursue. This story is not too fast paced but doesn't bog down either. It has a lot of action, drama and teenage angst. Even though this is a young adult book, it is a great read for any age. I am not ashamed to have read it. I can't wait to read the rest of the series. This book gets 5 books!
I really, really liked this book. I have not read books 2 or 3 or the novella, but I plan on it really soon. I love the premise of this book and it is completely original from anything else that I have read. The world ending as we know it is not a new premise, but how it ends and what happens to the citizens is. There is contamination from nuclear waste that devastates the world and kills millions of people. Some of the people that were born after the event were born with "talents," meaning that they are born with an ability like shape-shifting, telepathy and manipulations. They are shunned by some of society and are forced to go to separate schools. A lot of them end up working for TOXIC in some capacity or another.
This book is very well written and the characters are well developed. I really connected with Talia and her plight as someone who didn't grow up in a traditional sense with parents. She isn't normal, she doesn't have a lot of friends and she's trying to become a Hunter, not something that a lot of females pursue. This story is not too fast paced but doesn't bog down either. It has a lot of action, drama and teenage angst. Even though this is a young adult book, it is a great read for any age. I am not ashamed to have read it. I can't wait to read the rest of the series. This book gets 5 books!
February 22, 2017
Exciting, action-packed, full of surprises, amazing characters, and wonderful writing. These are just a few words to describe this fantastic book.
Set in the not-so-distant future, this dystopian novel lays out a world changed from chemical spills. The effects not only changed the land, but the humans as well- with everyone having special abilities and the country stuck in a Civil War, what is there to do but fight?
Even among gifted and Talented people, Talia is special. With strong mental abilities, she is being trained as a weapon to fight the rebels and bring an end to the Civil War- but is she on the right side?
Fighting to avenge her parent's murder, Talia focuses on one thing: training. The desires to get stronger, become a spy, and kill the rebel leader who killed her family fill her mind. With her best friend/boy friend, Donavon, by her side, everything's going according to plan.
Until he betrays her trust, and breaks her heart.
Trying to keep her world from crumbling, she trains harder, goes on more missions, and relies on her new friend, Penny, and her team-mates. Especially the strong and always-there-for-her Erik.
Surprises and uncovered lies start popping up everywhere, and nothing is what it seems. Can Talia sort out the lies, and follow her heart? Or will orders rule her actions, and keep her from the truth, and love?
I recommend this book to any YA fan, esp those who enjoy action packed books with strong female leads.
July 12, 2012
Talented (Talented Saga #1) by Sophie Davis.
I really enjoyed this book even though the story is a little predictable and finished it in a couple days. It had good world building and a great cast of characters. There is a love story throughout the book between Talia, Erik and Donovan and some of the boneheaded choices they all make due to this I found believable. There were a couple places where the editing could have been better but overall it didn’t detract from the story. Talented refers to humans that have developed powers, kind of like the X-Men. The best of the best become Hunters and work for a government agency called “Toxic”. Actually even low level talents work for the Agency because it’s a government mandate that all children are tested for talents and then taken away from their parents to be trained at the age of 5.
In direct opposition to Toxic is the Coalition who believes that Talents are bad. As the story progresses though you find out that not everything is as it seems with either party. The last few chapters really had me riveted and can’t wait to get the second book to see how Talia’s powers are going to grow and if her stance changes about the Coalition.
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads for a fair and honest review.
I really enjoyed this book even though the story is a little predictable and finished it in a couple days. It had good world building and a great cast of characters. There is a love story throughout the book between Talia, Erik and Donovan and some of the boneheaded choices they all make due to this I found believable. There were a couple places where the editing could have been better but overall it didn’t detract from the story. Talented refers to humans that have developed powers, kind of like the X-Men. The best of the best become Hunters and work for a government agency called “Toxic”. Actually even low level talents work for the Agency because it’s a government mandate that all children are tested for talents and then taken away from their parents to be trained at the age of 5.
In direct opposition to Toxic is the Coalition who believes that Talents are bad. As the story progresses though you find out that not everything is as it seems with either party. The last few chapters really had me riveted and can’t wait to get the second book to see how Talia’s powers are going to grow and if her stance changes about the Coalition.
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads for a fair and honest review.
July 2, 2022
I will be the first to admit, I am not really a huge fan of dystopian style books. I actually won this book on a blog giveaway and thank goodness! It was flippin awesome!
The story had great character development. I loved Erik. His character was so flawed but clearly a bad boy with a soft spot for Talia. Henri added a great dynamic to the group and kept it from being too intense.
This is another book about a supernatural school, but it was done with little focus on school like activities and more about the missions the teams went on. The story kept me in suspense from mission to mission.
The first chunk of the story focused on explaining everything, but still kept me interested. Then once the author got into the meat of the story, I became glued. The book had its' hooks in me for sure. The last part of it brought the story together and was filled with action.
I was not thrilled by the epilogue, but something had to give, right? The story left a lot of loose ends and the epilogue was told by Donovan's P.O.V.
I guess that was the point, because I promptly went to Amazon and purchased book 2 (Caged) in the series. I can't wait to find out what happens to Talia and her friends in the next book!! Check Talented out, you will love it! I give this great YA dystopian read five glitter stars!!!
The story had great character development. I loved Erik. His character was so flawed but clearly a bad boy with a soft spot for Talia. Henri added a great dynamic to the group and kept it from being too intense.
This is another book about a supernatural school, but it was done with little focus on school like activities and more about the missions the teams went on. The story kept me in suspense from mission to mission.
The first chunk of the story focused on explaining everything, but still kept me interested. Then once the author got into the meat of the story, I became glued. The book had its' hooks in me for sure. The last part of it brought the story together and was filled with action.
I was not thrilled by the epilogue, but something had to give, right? The story left a lot of loose ends and the epilogue was told by Donovan's P.O.V.
I guess that was the point, because I promptly went to Amazon and purchased book 2 (Caged) in the series. I can't wait to find out what happens to Talia and her friends in the next book!! Check Talented out, you will love it! I give this great YA dystopian read five glitter stars!!!
April 29, 2013
Ok, so this is a YA book with a love triangle. Nice dialogue with suspense and a fast plot etc.
None of which is what I want to share with you.
This is what made this book a 5 * read for me. You have Eric, Talia and Henri in a team. Eric is a hot guy, the envy of others and woman will fall over themselves to gain his attention.
Talia is our main protagonist and she is nice and has a temper to boot. None of which has anything to do with what I want to say.
Here is Henri. He is a gay man in a place and time where his sexuality is not part of the equation. He loves Frederick. Frederick loves him. This is still not what I want to talk about.
I want to talk about the fact that the author managed to portray Henri in such a manner that I came to respect him. I often find myself rooting for one character or another. At times I hate characters and at times I wonder if the author knows any character in a certain age bracket because I have never met such juvenile or on the other hand mature 13 year olds. But NEVER has an author managed to make me respect a character.
The book itself with the story line deserves a 5 * rating. But for this fact alone I would have awarded a 5*. Henri is not even close to being one of the main protagonists but still he was fluffed out enough and of such character that I fell in love with character.
None of which is what I want to share with you.
This is what made this book a 5 * read for me. You have Eric, Talia and Henri in a team. Eric is a hot guy, the envy of others and woman will fall over themselves to gain his attention.
Talia is our main protagonist and she is nice and has a temper to boot. None of which has anything to do with what I want to say.
Here is Henri. He is a gay man in a place and time where his sexuality is not part of the equation. He loves Frederick. Frederick loves him. This is still not what I want to talk about.
I want to talk about the fact that the author managed to portray Henri in such a manner that I came to respect him. I often find myself rooting for one character or another. At times I hate characters and at times I wonder if the author knows any character in a certain age bracket because I have never met such juvenile or on the other hand mature 13 year olds. But NEVER has an author managed to make me respect a character.
The book itself with the story line deserves a 5 * rating. But for this fact alone I would have awarded a 5*. Henri is not even close to being one of the main protagonists but still he was fluffed out enough and of such character that I fell in love with character.
April 5, 2014
Talia Lyon's parents were murdered when she was a child. She was born with a gift ability, labeling her as a Talent. She chooses to join the McDonough School for the Talented - training to be a Hunter - in hopes to assassinate her parents murderer, Ian Crane. As the book progresses, her mental abilities begin to cause her complications and threaten to destroy her hard work and place at the school, unless she gains control of them.
I don't normally read YA novels, but the cover and synopsis interested me enough to give it a go. I enjoyed the plot and even some of the characters, although Talia's character was hard to connect with. She's tough, but vulnerable at the same time, which isn't bad, but this vulnerability makes her whiny. She doesn't want to be needy, but yet she is. Donovan, her boyfriend, wasn't too likable. Erik and Henri were great, and once a romance started blooming with our lead and Erik, I found myself more interested (these annoying character traits and immature love triangles are the reason I normally stay away from the YA genre).
Talented held my attention and I enjoyed it. I would suggest it get reedited due to some grammatical errors(but nothing too big that drew me away from the story).
I don't normally read YA novels, but the cover and synopsis interested me enough to give it a go. I enjoyed the plot and even some of the characters, although Talia's character was hard to connect with. She's tough, but vulnerable at the same time, which isn't bad, but this vulnerability makes her whiny. She doesn't want to be needy, but yet she is. Donovan, her boyfriend, wasn't too likable. Erik and Henri were great, and once a romance started blooming with our lead and Erik, I found myself more interested (these annoying character traits and immature love triangles are the reason I normally stay away from the YA genre).
Talented held my attention and I enjoyed it. I would suggest it get reedited due to some grammatical errors(but nothing too big that drew me away from the story).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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