Exceptional

The Exceptionals #1

by Danica Rayne

A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance

Sixteen-year-old Emmy Reid is on the run.

A government organization hunting superhumans—Exceptionals—has been after her since she accidentally shot fire from her mouth. She’s saved by Alex, a guy with piercing blue eyes who takes her to a place where people like her can be safe. There she meets his friends, Kyle, Eddie, and TJ, who welcome her into their group.

Emmy spends her days training, learning to control her fire, and falling for the four boys who have taken control of her heart. But when a secret operation ends badly, it’s up to Emmy to save those she cares about. Can she help them before it’s too late?

Genres: Young Adult

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 11, 2019

Reviews

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I was expecting something else and I just kind of got this and didn't know what to do...

Exceptional was a bit of a roller coaster to read. The beginning intrigued me enough because I wanted to know more about her and the rest of the superhuman world. I was also getting some X-Men vibes, so yeah - I wanted to see how this was all going to play out. In it, you will meet Emmy. Now she has hidden her little wings, that tend to grow a little each day, from the entire world. It was weird with how her family acted around her because they all knew about it. Plus the whole turning her in was a horrible move by her parents and I definitely hated them at that point.

Then once she is at this school for exceptional people, aka other superhumans, I was intrigued again. It's basically X-Mansion really but I was still going with things. At this school, she meets some cool people like Alex, Eddie, TJ, and Kyle. I was getting some little harem vibes but I was also getting a crap ton of confusion too. Even after that little cliffhanger, I have so many unanswered questions that I hope to get answers in the next book.

Overall, I'm up for another X-Men book.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emmy is a Superhuman, aka Exceptional. She's hidden her wings her whole life. When they are exposed one day at school, the government comes to collect her and she runs. She's found by Alex who takes her to a special school for Exceptionals. There she begins to train and gains control over her powers. Emmy's friends are the first four boys she meets there: Alex, Kyle, Eddie, and TJ. They explain that there are other threats to the school besides the government, setting up the villains for future books.

You guys know I love me some RH and I haven't read one in weeks so I was really looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. Emmy is an ok character and I started to like the guys more as they were slowly fleshed out, but things stayed superficial. There were also a lot of awkward spots in the writing and dialogue that were distracting. It got better as the book progressed but if I could give this book 2.5 stars, I would. It was slightly below average for me.

[Tiera McMillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up. This has to be a spin off series. There is absolutely no supernatural world building as well as verbiage, and incidences unique to the series that is never explained. I've tried to do a little research but I can't find anything saying it is a spin off, but I haven't read any of this author's previous work so maybe that is where all the supernatural world building and backstory occurs and its just assumed that you would have read that before this maybe? Honestly I like the premise here, like a supernatural xmen type feel, but without the backstory or any explanation of what is going on in the world to get us here it was really hard to sink into. I will say that for a RH series, starting at the age of 16 is a little on the cringe worthy side, for me, but as of the first book nothing untoward has happened so I'm hoping its super slow burn or we skip forward a bit in time to get us at a more appropriate age grouping. I did have to remind myself several times that the characters were younger, their actions and thoughts tending toward the more juvenile at times but that is probably ok for the ages featured.

Emmy, our FMC, has just turned 16 and has lived her whole life as an outsider, hiding a pair of wings. Returning home one day she discovers that her family has sold her out to the BSA (not sure what that stands for or how they found out about the BSA but seems to be an agency that collects people with "gifts") Running for her freedom she is saved by a group of other people with gifts, "Exceptionals," and recruited into their school for gifted kids. Finding a new family among people with gifts just as extraordinary as hers as well as learning to master the gifts shes been given, Emmy grows closer to the 4 boys that rescued her. Unfortunately the BSA is still adamantly searching for her for some reason as everyone thinks they should have given up on her before. Joining up with her new friends to fight crime and save those taken by the BSA finds them in a whole heap of trouble and may even place her right in the hands of these people...

There were several places that just threw me in the book. Emmy makes mention that she knew there were other people out there like her but never explains how she knew. There is no explanation of where "exceptionals" come from. They call Emmy a "dragon" but there is no real mention of whether or not dragons or other supernatural creatures actually exist or existed at one time and how she could have possibly gotten that power. Kyle one of Emmy's new found friends says that they know when an exceptional is in danger but its never explained how they could possibly know unless she was somehow registered and they were monitoring her in some way. And what the heck is the BSA really, how was it started, what is its real goal as well as what does the public think it does? There are just a lot of loose ends here that have nothing to do with the cliffhanger ending. Did the author leave this info out on purpose? Was this explained somewhere else? Who knows....

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning, incomplete series with a kidnapping cliffhanger. I’d have given this book 4 stars if the author had skipped the cliffhanger.

Recommend you wait for the series to be complete before reading.

So far her other series is the better of the two.



Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[M Keefe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah yeah

If u don't like cliffhangers, then move on. At least the lead FC is not a wuss, she faces challenges, listens to her instincts and is still completely clueless. Ah well. Not a bad write up, but as explanations go, you get the academy tour, the (mostly) who's who of all 16 characters with speaking lines? As to the rest its all hush hush and Alex playing a double edged sword... oh how frustrating and obvious.

[Jenny Thorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice

Wow I did really like this book and the cliff hanger,, dam now I need the next one 😊 😊

[Michelle Mullins]

Great story kept me wanting more. Cannot wait to read the next one.