Review: School for Psychics by K.C. Archer

Theodora "Teddy" Cannon is in a tight spot. She owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in gambling debts. And in Vegas, her home, she has been banned from most casinos not because she counts cards or anything like that, but because of the accuracy with which she reads people. In disguise, she goes into a casino and sits down to play poker. She's doing ok until suddenly she isn't. And it would appear she's been recognized. As she flees for her life, a rather large man stops her and convinces her to listen to him. In exchange for paying her gambling debts, she will need to attend a law enforcement school for psychically gifted people. Between a rock and a hard place, Teddy agrees to go to the school.

The people at the school have a variety of psychic talents. They are all getting the same basic training though - basic physical training and basic psychic training. They naturally divide into two groups. The group Teddy belongs to is the "Misfits." The other group is more physically fit and almost like a clique of the popular kids. The two groups are encouraged to vie with one another especially when it comes to physical activities.

As the school year progresses, things escalate competition wise. There is a conspiracy of sorts floating around the school. Some of the students go missing. The FBI might be involved somehow. The Misfits work together to try and solve what's happening. The pace increases towards the end of the book as things come to a head.

Generally speaking, I enjoyed the book. I kind of felt like it had a YA vibe to it but the characters were supposed to be of the age to qualify as New Adult. The competition between the groups reminded me a little of the competition in the YA book The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau. The dangers were serious, but maybe not quite as many deadly dangers as in The Testing. The dangers were a little more focused on the conspiracy the students were investigating.

The characters were not all well developed but were developed enough to carry off the plot. There is some attraction between some of the students. There is some hooking up and possible romance. Nothing is explicit.

Overall, I give this book a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars. I liked it and it was pretty good. There is definitely room for a sequel to this book. I deducted half a star mostly because the characters seemed to act more YA than early 20s a lot of the time. And a little because of how things wrapped up when they are investigating the conspiracy and the FBI. It's still a good read. And it's a good introduction to a new series. I would recommend it to people who enjoy paranormal YA/New Adult literature.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.