Talented by Sophie Davis

Talented Saga Book 1 by Sophie Davis- 4 Stars

  

Natalia

Synopsis (Goodreads): 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;  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  determination that has brought her this far, or it may cost Talia her life.  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.

Overall: I really enjoyed this book. I must say I was really surprised at how much I liked the book, and I am really looking forward to the rest of the "saga."

For starters this is a book that I would normally put on my "maybe/curious" book shelf for a day when I want something different. The book was offered to me for free by the author, in return for an honest opinion. When I first started the book, I wasnt sure I was going to like it. And admittedly it took me a while to get into the book, maybe 20% which is more than I usually give a book, to hook me. But it was more than worth the wait! I ended up not being able to put the book down.

Erik

Sophie Davis is extremely Talented. No pun intended. Her ability to make her world come alive on paper was fascinating. At first the book moved somewhat slowly, the progression of events made me wonder where the book was going, why is it so incredibly descriptive (almost overly so one might think, and I in fact did at first) but as the story continues, it is plainly obvious that every sentence, every word, carried a purpose to lead the reader through the novel.

I also enjoyed that the author provided background/history of the plot. Instead of making the reader learn over time, the author laid it all out, up front. She also repeatedly certain things throughout the novel (like what different Talents do, or who certain people were to her) which was helpful, given that there were numerous things to keep track of, I found it helpful that she reminded the reader without making it obvious.

Donovan

I loved the way the "love triangle" all panned out. Without giving too much of the story away, I thought that the Erik, Donovan, Talia, love triangle was played out very tastefully. There were hints throughout the book, that made the reader recognize that something was "off" about certain people, which the author would eventually reveal.

I also liked how things played out during Talia's final mission. (And that the author included other missions to give perspective!) While I figured out some of it along the way, it also set the book up nicely for another book (or two) and put pieces out there that need to be resolved and leave the reader thinking. Im just glad the other two are already out so I dont have to wait to read them!!!

Penny

As far as the characters are concerned, I felt that many of the characters had the development that is necessary in a novel, whether they grow as a character, or we learn about what makes them who they are, (Henri) or gaps are filled while others are made bigger. Overall, I thought the author did a nice job of weaving the characters together, without force, and that relationships were built. My only issue, which hopefully will be resolved in the next book, was that I felt Talia the main character did not grow as much as she should have. Though most of her relationships changed and grew, one in particular struck me as bizarre and never seemed to strike her the same way. In fact it doesnt seem like its questioned throughout the book whatsoever. Also I think for someone with trust issues, she tends to trust people a lot, and quickly. If I were her, I'd be probing peoples minds more. Though I did enjoy that the main heroine, is not as strong as some books make them out to be, providing Talia with weak moments, makes her relate able

The depiction of the landscape, and scenery for which the book is centered on was fabulous. The author did an amazing job of bringing the set to life.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and recommend anyone with a fantasy/sci-fi itching with some love, lots of adventure mixed with the "dsytopian future" should read this book!