Review: Gifted

GIFTED
H.A. Swain
Young Adult/Sci-Fi
Feiwel & Friends
336 pages
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
In Orpheus Chanson's world, geniuses and prodigies are no longer born or honed through hard work. Instead, procedures to induce Acquired Savant Abilities (ASAs) are now purchased by the privileged. And Orpheus's father holds the copyright to the ASA procedure.

Zimri Robinson, a natural musical prodigy, is a "plebe"--a worker at the enormous warehouse that supplies an on-line marketplace that has supplanted all commerce. Her grueling schedule and her grandmother's illness can't keep her from making music--even if it is illegal.

Orpheus and Zimri are not supposed to meet. He is meant for greatness; she is not. But sometimes, rules are meant to be broken. Here is a thriller, love story, and social experiment that readers will find gripping--and terrifying.

MY THOUGHTS

Gifted takes a little while to settle into, a futuristic world where young people have brain surgeries to catapult them to fame and fortune in music, arts or entertainment making it initially (and likely purposely) challenging to relate to Orpheus and his ilk. Zimri, being a lowly plebe and hardworking factory girl is of course easy to root for from the beginning, and watching as Orpheus finds himself walking a mile in her shoes makes their story a satisfying one.

Zimri is a young woman who's lost both parents to a world where one company single-handedly determines who is worthy of wealth and status and who is not, and though she's much easier to connect to than Orpheus, we never get to know either of them very well. Her relationship with her grandmother is the strongest of all those in this tale, the depth of her love and loyalty toward the woman who's always been there for her something that shines brightly from the pages. Zimri's friendship and eventual romance with Orpheus stays firmly on the surface, a few highlights and cute moments scattered throughout as they prepare to facedown Orpheus's father and the CEO of Chanson Industries–the company responsible for the brain surgeries–but we never delve too deeply into the emotional complexities that typically accompany a star-crossed type of romance.

Additionally, the final confrontation between Zimri, Orpheus and his father is shorter and less intense than expected, a few pulse-pounding moments as things fall apart holding our attention before everything is remedied quickly and easily, denying us the gritty details of a revolutionary action. All that being said though, Gifted is still a quick, enjoyable read, a look into a future that hopefully never comes to pass but isn't entirely hard to imagine given our fixation on the entertainment world as a whole.

Rating: 3.5/5

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Guest Post: Liz Long + Burned

I'm pleased today to welcome author Liz Long to the blog to tell us a little bit about the world building in her paranormal Donovan Circus series. The second book, Burned, is available now. Welcome to Supernatural Snark Liz!

Thank you so much to Jenny for hosting me on her blog today! I’m lucky to know good people :) I thought for today’s post, we’d run away to the circus together. The Donovan Circus, that is!

In my first book GIFTED, the protagonist, Lucy Sullivan, is thrown into a world full of gifted beings – that is, people with special powers like Telekinetics, Empaths, Runners, Levitators, and many, many more. Lucy is a Firestarter, meaning she can create and control fire at her will. Her gift is a dangerous one, and it’s pushed to the limits in GIFTED.

Many readers often tell me how they think the concept of this world is so neat – because the story takes place in today’s real world, the idea of supernatural beings hiding right in plain sight at the circus is pretty unique! When first introduced to the Donovan Circus, Lucy is overwhelmed by the bright lights, loud colors, and whirlwind of activity – just read about her first hour there:

“We followed the already worn walkway around a corner, where a sea of activity blinded me. Whereas the campers were quiet, the actual circus grounds thrived with members preparing for the day.
 
My senses hit overdrive—colors, smells, and sounds assaulted me. Costumes covered in sequins and feathers were traded off between artists; my nose detected popcorn machines, sawdust with hay, and sweat, both human and animal. And the sounds! It was so loud between the people yelling, animals’ screeches, and equipment in use to set up stands and booths. I would have to shout at Delia to be heard.

I suddenly became very aware of why Sheffield and Delia warned me against being surprised. People made no secret of their gifts in safe company. I saw another Runner dart in and out of the crowd while Levitators floated seamlessly between the bodies. Birds flew all over, carried messages or small objects such as tools or costume props. The air filled with sounds of conversation, animals protested their displeasure of cages, and men barked orders on the best way to get tents up fast.”

See what I mean about being overwhelmed? There’s a lot going on in that show! I have to admit, I’d be totally intimidated if it were me, but to Lucy’s credit, she dives right in and does her best to work hard and belong to the group.

The second book in the Donovan Circus series is called BURNED and while we see a bit of Lucy’s familiar circus grounds, you’re soon introduced to the Grayson Circus, another show that Lucy visits in order to gain support. When a vicious Shapeshifter named Medved attacks her on the Donovan grounds, ringmaster Sheffield Donovan insists she and her friends travel to Grayson’s circus in order to make friends and allies in case of another attack.

The catch? The Grayson Circus is nearly the opposite of the Donovan Circus. Lucy is used to being around lots of gifted, but there are even more humans in the Grayson show, so gifts aren’t quite so in-your-face there. Things are much quieter there, the equipment and tents older, the people more frightened. See?

“The Grayson Circus vibe was not uncomfortable so much as it was different. Their grounds were clean enough, but all of their equipment and games looked old-fashioned, with plenty of wear and tear. Maybe they were going for that vintage look, but it felt older than the Donovan property.
 
The two circus groups couldn’t have been more different. When I walked through the Donovan grounds, there were always noises, colors, passersby running into and cursing you. Here, colors weren’t so bright; the overcast weather made for a dull, gray backdrop. Many things were in need of a new paint job. Our tents were red, black, and white, the Big Top like a striped candy cane. Their worn, dingy gray tents showed the years of use and travel. Several of the lights on their games were out and half the booths looked slapped together with plywood and haphazardly placed nails.

The grounds and people were quieter; instead of meeting my eyes to glare at me (like most of Donovan did when I arrived), they looked away or eyed the ground until I passed them. No one stood tall and proud, no smiles told me they were happy to be here. A handful of stares met mine; only some could hide their fear. These people seemed terrified of us…of me.”

It’s obviously going to be hard for the Grayson group to trust Lucy, not just because she’s a Firestarter, but because it’s difficult for circus folk to trust anyone outside their own shows. Even worse, the differences between them might mean an unwillingness to cooperate. Will Lucy be able to get the Grayson group on her side when things are so vastly different between them?

I hope you enjoyed the brief look inside the Donovan and Grayson Circuses. Thanks again to Jenny for hosting me today! And in case you’re interested in checking out the books, GIFTED is currently on sale for 99 cents, while BURNED is just $2.99.

Gifted • Burned

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LIZ LONG

Liz Long is a ridiculously proud graduate of Longwood University with a BA in English. Her inspiration comes from action and thriller genres and she spends entirely too much time watching superhero movies. Her fabulous day job as a social media editor includes writing for a publishing company in Roanoke, VA.

Her first book, Gifted, is the first book in the Donovan Circus series. Her second book Witch Hearts, a story about a serial killer hunting witches for their powers, is available at Amazon on Kindle and paperback.

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