Title: Talented
Author: Sophie Davis
Publication Date: January 11, 2012
Pages: 316
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Rating: 3 stars
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.
I was really looking forward to this. That cover is especially pretty and caught my eye! For some reason, I couldn't get it out of my thick skull that this was going to be a lot like Teen Titans meets X-Men. Sadly, it wasn't.
It may be that's why I didn't enjoy it as much. I liked the characters, and the idea of the story. However, the plot moved along a bit too slowly for my liking. Talia is strong heroine who doesn't have many friends and prefers it that way. It was interesting to see the strong, silent type on a girl. Well at least for the first half. As the summary suggest there is a love triangle. Talia gets tied up midway through the novel over her beguiling boyfriend, Donavon, and her alluring team member, Erik. Really could've done without the triangle here. It took away from the plot and turned Talia into another Mary Sue for me.
If we'd skipped the triangle and endless history lessons (it was explained at least five times on how the world got to where it was), then maybe we would get more than a tiny smackerel of a fascinating plot line. Oh yes, the book ended on a high note and left me anticipating the sequel.
The world building, (though repetitive) was fascinating. The U.S. is split into two, there's another civil war but this time it's over mutants, or the Talented as they're called. Near the end, Talia faces her opposition and it's hinted that things aren't all black and white like she was led to believe. The ending both aroused and frustrated me. Believe you me, that's not always a bad thing my loves ;) Like I said earlier, Talia is strong, but also stubborn and that's something that is showcased many times throughout the story. It's another thing I really do like about this book. The characters stay in character! What a thought! For example, her stubbornness gets in the way of revealing some heavy truths and I expect that's so we can have the cliffhanger ending we get. But I actually didn't mind the cliffhanger because Talia's actions felt right. It felt exactly like a thing Talia would do! And it's not only Talia that stays in character but every character we meet is unique, fresh, and they stay that way. It's a wonderful story, I just wished it could've bee presented differently.
So tell me your thoughts. Do you agree or disagree?
Provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you!
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