*I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*

Though I struggled to get invested at first, this was one of those books that got better as it went on. For my review though, I've decided to make some good ol' lists!

Likes:

- In the beginning, Teddy was unlikeable, but she was realistic. She was someone who had made a lot of bad decisions, ones that led to having a gambling problem, and owing a lot of money to a bad man, and stealing money from her parents to pay off some of her debt. Even when she got to the school, which was her last chance to turn her life around, she kept making bad decisions, like showing up to her entrance exam late because she was hungover and had spent the night with a guy. But then she started trying to change, and in some ways she did, in other ways she didn't, in other ways still she took a while but eventually started to get there. And I think the same can be said for all the characters---none of them were too perfect, and all of them were frustrating to read about at times. It was completely believable though. People aren't perfect, people make bad choices, people don't communicate everything, people don't change overnight, and some people don't change at all in some ways. So the characters were not easily likeable, but I appreciated how realistic they were.

- The book had some relationships that didn't go as expected or that didn't last long, but that was believable too. Some acquaintances never become more. Some friendships are temporary. Not every person you're attracted to becomes someone you date. And this bit of realism kept the friendships and relationships unpredictable.

- The book had its funny moments, and Teddy could be relatable, at times, as a fellow millennial.

- The plot started a bit slow-paced but got more gripping as the book went on.

Dislikes:

- Teddy made some decisions that didn't make sense to me. Like lying to Clint when there were strange and possibly dangerous things happening, and like automatically trusting certain people even though she had major trust issues in general.

- At the beginning, the book seemed to be full of cliches and stereotype characters---the brooding bad boy with black hair over his eyes and tattoos, the hacker friend, the "alphas" and "misfits" cliques, the tough female drill sergeant instructor (whom I'm immediately pictured as Jane Lynch for some reason). While I can't say these really changed, they did become less noticeable as the story filled out, and some of the characters were shown to be more than just their stereotype.

- Sometimes characters (who, supposedly, could not read minds) seemed to know/understand things that they shouldn't have. This wasn't a big deal, it didn't cause any plot holes or anything, it just bothered me each time it happened.

- At the start of the book, Teddy mentioned having epilepsy, but it was quickly revealed to just be a side effect of her psychic ability. There was really no point in even including that. It just kind of makes the disability seem like it's not a real thing.

- Sometimes things happened a little too perfectly.

Overall Thoughts:

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book, but it wasn't bad. There were a few things that didn't quite make sense, but the realism of the imperfect characters definitely stood out to me in a great way.

Psychic abilities are the magic system defining this written for grown-ups, YA syle, urban fantasy.
Somewhat formulaetic, but a thoroughly enjoyable, quick read.

The School for Psychics by K.C. Archer

Teddy is a young woman adrift. She has some unique abilities, but she tends to use them only for personal gain, and it doesn’t take long for that to backfire. She’s run out of options when she meets Clint Corbett and he not only gets her out of her terrifying situation, he invites her to apply to a top-secret government program called “The School for Psychics.”

As Teddy learns about the school, along with classmates with their own gifts, she also learns more about who…and what…she is. To say it confuses her is an understatement. Old wounds are re-opened, and her innate lack of trust emerges to cause her even more trouble, and to save her from some.

Part Avengers, part Harry Potter, Part Allegiance, this governmental – or spy, who knows? -- conspiracy sets itself apart in a few ways. First, the characters are all college age or more…some are returning to school after years in jobs where they never quite fit. Everyone must be invited. They are twenty something plus, there is a blend of private school rules added to a young adult need for fun… including parties, substances and sex. This is not a book for kids.

There are a lot of characters to get to know, but by the end of the book we feel bonded with them. Something is going on at Whitfield College. These psychics may figure it out.

I confess that I didn’t notice the “Book One” connotation at the beginning of this novel, which explains why I kept hoping for resolution of all the open questions. I didn’t get them in Book One. For sure I will be reading future releases. I can’t leave these young people alone! It was an easy fun read…and I’m hoping the series doesn’t go on too long.

I was invited to read this book by the publisher, Simon and Shuster, Inc. with no strings attached.

This was a quite impressive mystery/coming-of-age novel. I was never quite sure of who to trust, and that ending...! I will be biding my time until the sequel comes out.

I think this book is well written, but the subject matter was not of interest to me.

Rating: 3.25/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for making this title available as a digital advanced reading copy.

School for Psychics is your typical story featuring a girl who has lived her life as a misfit, was adopted when she was young because her parents "died in a car crash," doesn't realize she has superpowers, gets to school to discover she has SUPER superpowers (hmmm...about those parents?), bands with a group of other misfits to solve a giant mystery...you know the type. That being said, as far as those stories go, this one was pretty good. So if those are your usual jam, you'll probably enjoy School for Psychics.

In the story, Teddy has lived her whole life believing she was epileptic, doomed to be a screw-up forever, and cursed with an uncomfortable (even disruptive) ability to tell when someone was lying. She's channeled that ability into poker and gotten herself into some serious trouble. A man shows up, demonstrates his psychic abilities, and tells her that she's psychic, too. He convinces her to come to school, the Whitfield Institute, and give herself a second chance.

The rest of the book is devoted to Teddy's first year at Whitfield. She struggles in her classes, with her new friends (which she has never really had before), and with her super-rare, super-impressive, super-hard-to-control powers in astral telepathy. She's also headstrong, impulsive, and extremely curious, especially when it comes to her parents—which leads her down a path that quickly careens out of control.

The premise of the book is intriguing, even if the execution was occasionally a little bit off. There were a lot of major plot points that were almost frustratingly clear to the reader, but Liz didn't see any of them until the end. I think this is because the author wrote certain scenes just to drop hints rather than working the hints into aspects of the broader plot. In real life, the pivotal moments would have been easy to miss, but when a whole chapter occurs just so that moment can happen, the reader catches on pretty quickly.

The end moved pretty quickly, though. I do want to know what will happen next and how it will all resolve. If all of the books in this series were already published, I'd probably pick up the next one right away.

In the beginning of this book I wasn’t sure I was going to stick with it. A young adult named Teddy spends a lot of time in a casino (disguised, since she is banned) trying to win back money she needs to pay off a loan shark. This beginning is needed to set the background of her being desperate for money and having an idea that she is able to somehow tell if someone is lying. It doesn’t make too much since though since she has obviously lost a lot of money. Because of those reasons though, when she is approached/saved by a man recruiting her into a secret psychic school she chooses to go. That section of the book was very slow, But I’m glad I stuck it out.
When she gets to the school the story finally starts to get interesting. She learns a lot about her self and her past. She makes new friends (although you don’t understand why she had a hard time with that before). There is something mysterious going on at the school and I liked how there are just enough hints to give you clues without giving it away. It’s a perfect amount of suspense.
I’d recommend this book to people who like crime-solving types of books along with people who like books about psychic abilities, girls who have a hard time fitting in, suspense and mystery.
***There is non-descriptive sex, sexual remarks, and bad language (all I found unnecessary) and very mild violence.
I received an e-ARC from the publisher through Net Gallery for my honest review.

This book is the first installment of a new series by author KC Archer (ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange of a fair review). The story focuses around a young woman, Teddy Cannon who has an out of the ordinary ability to read people but yet has landed herself in a bit of trouble with a Las Vegas loan shark. She is saved from further trouble by a mysterious stranger who invites her to attend the School for Psychics, an elite government facility where she will be able to work on her psychic powers. There Teddy makes new friends and new enemies and discover some information about her past.
In the beginning, I found it hard to get on with the premises that someone with Teddy’s talents would end up owning so much money to a loan shark. But once Teddy joined the School for Psychics and that the story unfolded, I enjoyed it quite a bit. The different characters are interesting. Overall the plot is not the most original and the story is a bit slow to start but entertaining nonetheless. I am pretty sure that I will pick up the next book in the series. I also hear that The CW bought the rights and is developing a show based on this. I will be looking forward to the cast for this.

Fast-paced and well-plotted, this was entertaining - a fun read.

This book is entertaining and easy to read. A bit slow at moments, it took a bit to get me interested but when it happended I was not able to put it down.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster

A new series about a young woman who discovers her psychic abilities. She is invited to apply to the School for Psysics where she will learn all kinds of skills including investigation' telepathy, and telekinesis. She also learns to question everything that she has ever know , really fun read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and KC Archer for the opportunity to read and review this book.

So I loved all the Harry Potter books and this to me is the start of another fun series bending towards magic. I can also see this being a good YA read.

Teddy is in her early 20s, smart and skilled at reading other people enough to win so much playing cards in Vegas that she gets herself kicked out of all the casinos. Which is a problem because she is in major debt to her bookie and has no way of getting that money back. Just when she needs it most, someone swoops in and offers her a chance at a new life - he tells her that what she thought were epileptic seizures were actually psychic happenings. He promises to wipe away her debts if she will attend a highly-secretive School for Psychics.

Once at the school, Teddy finds herself in with a group of so-called Misfits. They are put through rigors of physical and mental training and challenges and Teddy begins to hone her abilities. But mysteries begin to surface and Teddy finds herself in a position where she has to decide who she can trust - and it may be with her life.

This promises to be the start of a great series. I read this quickly and it kept me interested and intrigued. Book 2 please!

This was enjoyable. It's listed as a Young Adult on Goodreads. But if you look at Netgalley it is listed as General Fiction, Fantasy. Downloaded through Netgalley to read for an honest review!

I'm sorry but I just did not enjoy this book or its implausible characters and did not finish. I have not left a negative review on any outlet however as I did not want to take away from what could become a promising series for those readers much younger than I. Thanks much for offering me galleys - this is the first one I just did not care for.

This is an adult novel (supposedly, but back to that later), in which a woman in her early 20s named Teddy has been banned from all the casino's in Las Vegas as they think she cheats. Teddy doesn't consider herself a cheater, though she does know that she isn't winning in a traditionally legitimate way because she can read players and work out when to play and when to fold. As the story develops, it becomes clear that Teddy is psychic, and she is invited to a school specialising in training to use her psychic powers to potentially make a difference in the world.

So, as I mentioned earlier, this is stated to be an adult novel, and the main character is a twenty four year old woman. I have two problems with this though. Firstly, Teddy feels like a teenager throughout most of the novel, both with her actions and also with just how the book is written, as it feels very YA. I don't have a problem with YA, and enjoy it a lot, but I don't enjoy things being marketed incorrectly. The only time Teddy felt like the age she was meant to be, was at the beginning of the book when she was in the casino's gambling. My other problem is that the storyline feels like a combination of Harry Potter and The Magesterium series, which again would be fine as I enjoy both of those. In theory this could have been marketed as an adult equivalent, with dark themes and all the excitement that those series have while in the school setting. This didn't work for me though, as the writing, pacing and plot, along with all the student characters, just felt like they could have slot into the previously mentioned series easily, as they felt the same age. It's a real shame that this is something that everyone seems to be picking up on, as these were the only things that made me dislike the novel and it feels like it could have been so easy to avoid.

So onto more positive things. Teddy as a main character (outside of the age issues), is a little annoying at times, but in a believable and real way. It made her feel relatable, as she makes stupid decisions that some people would make in her situation. She is also an interesting character, that at times shows great strengths when trying to get through some of the school challenges. While on the topic of the school, it is hardcore. The reader gets a lot of details about the lessons the students have, about the tests they have to complete, and this was probably one of my favourite aspects of this book.

Twists are present a lot, and both Teddy and the reader struggle to know who to trust, and who to be wary of. Teddy goes on her own journey with this, and meanwhile I was sat playing the guessing game too. I did guess correctly, though I did change my mind may times, as the book gives you lots of red herrings. I don't feel like my correct guess detracted from my enjoyment of this though.

Overall I would highly recommend this book, I'm just a little disappointed in the age issue. This is a fast paced and easy read, which I couldn't put down.

This book went into my DNF pile. I just couldn't get into it at the moment. The pacing feels to slow for me. Great idea though.

I thought the beginning was really slow and I was put off by the missing words here and there and I thought about not finishing it:( Somehow, by the end, I was loving it. I can't wait to continue reading this series and see where it ends up. I was definitely hooked by the end:)

In many ways, this story is much like the several YA books in which teens discover they have some special abilities and are recruited to attend a secret school.. The School for Psychics is for a bit older crowd but the dynamics are similar for much of the book.

Teddy has been banned from every casino on the Vegas strip for “cheating” which she claims to have never actually done.. Teddy our main character has a gift of being able to "read" people. She is offered a place in School of Psychics with others like herself that have different special abilities. I thought the book would have picked up speed when Teddy arrived at this school but it fell extremely flat.

Its more of an YA novel and I dont think its my type.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC.

Teddy Cannon has picked up a nasty gambling habit and a rather large debt to a Russian loan shark. To make matters worse, she's now banned from most of the casinos in her hometown of Vegas. The first chapter opens with her entering a casino incognito and ends with her being recruited to attend a school ...for psychics. A mysterious man appears to throw the loan shark off her trail and allow her time to leave unnoticed while explaining to her that she isn't just a gifted gambler, she has psychic abilities that could be of use to the United States.
We follow Teddy through her first year at Whitfield Institute as she begins to learn about her psychic abilities and how to control them, and make friends with a small group labeled the Misfits. While it's no secret she was adopted as a baby, clues are left to suggest her birth parents were involved in a school similar to Whitfield before her birth and that their untimely deaths were no accident.
School for Psychics tends to jump between a few large plot lines and the people with ill intent were so glaringly obvious, I found myself rolling my eyes each time a confrontation was about to occur and then was foiled by the smallest convenient interruption and then forgotten.
Interesting concept, likable characters, and a quick entertaining read. I can see the plots slowly culminating to divulge the full story at the end of the series and I'm invested enough in the overall story line to continue reading,
Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for providing a digital ARC for review.

Love love loved this book. Some parts could be a little boring but overall it was enjoyable.