While I thought the premise of the book was quite interesting, I sadly ended up not enjoying it as much as I hoped I would. I found the writing a little uneven and the characters a little flat. And while Teddy was an interesting enough main character, some decisions she took throughout the book did frustrate me a bit. Without spoiling anything, I found her blind trust in certain characters (well one specific character in particular) rather unbelievable. And while the story does suffer from recurring cliches, fans of the genre will probably enjoy the book.

This book was okay. I didn't love it, but I enjoyed it well enough. It did have quite a few typographical and grammatical errors, but I am hoping that those will be fixed before actual publication. The story revolves mostly around Teddy, a young woman who has messed up her life every time she's been given a chance to improve it. She is a chronic gambler, and she has just recently lost quite a bit of money -- including some she stole from her parents -- in Vegas. Just as she as about to get scooped up by a loan shark, she is rescued by a man who tells her she is a psychic and asks her to come with him to a school for psychics. He agrees to cover her debt with the loan shark if she will successfully complete a year at his school. So... Teddy does what any rational thinking human who is backed up against a wall would do: she goes to school.

The plot thickens from there, with some mystery and intrigue thrown in, and overall, it's a pretty entertaining book. The pace moves right as it should -- not too slow, not too fast -- and some of the characters are really likeable. A few of the characters are a little too flat for my taste, and the fact that Teddy doesn't figure out who the "bad guy" who is pulling all the strings is until the last few pages is a little unrealistic to me, as I figured it out pretty early on, but still. It was a good enough book. It's not a long read or an especially hard read. Give it a shot on a lazy Saturday when you don't have a lot to do. You might enjoy it.

DNF at 30%

While I give points for how entertaining Teddy's narration is and how fun some of the dialogue is, the rest of it is just...not very good. I think you'll have a better time if you go into the book expecting something original, with great world (school?)-building and characters, but mindless fun full of overused magic school tropes.

I really liked the first few chapters. Teddy came across super well as the confident, brassy twenty-something woman that she is. But the moment she walked through Whitfield's door, she turned into a 16-year old YA protagonist, swooning at the first hot guy she sees. Said hot guy, Pyro (*eyeroll*), is the worst of love interest cliches--bad boy attitude, dark hair, no sense of personal boundary, sexually aggressive.

If that sounds like your jam, go for it. But if you were hoping for something akin to X-Men, with a bit of meat to it, then you're best off looking elsewhere.

Was hard to get invested into. Was just okay for me.

This debut novel by K.C. Archer is the start to a new modern fantasy series, School for Psychics. The storyline was wildly addicting and I really had to pace myself so I could fully enjoy it.

We follow a group of characters in their early 20's who are attending an institute to enhance their psychic abilities. Each character has their own set of unique skills and we get to watch as they refine their capabilities. The descriptions during these intuitive scenes felt well researched and realistic. The school setting of this story was also very reminiscent of Harry Potter which helped fuel my interest.

This book was not just focused on the supernatural though. There was a large focus on government training and how these extraordinary people fit into the judicial system. Students learn that while they need to master their own abilities, it's crucial to trust your team members and empathize with unfamiliar struggles.

You couldn't help but adore each of these misfits. While the main character was often frustrating, she definitely demonstrated a lot of growth by the end of the book. There was also a mystery element woven through this story as well but it was sadly obvious which characters were responsible, making the twist hardly shocking.

While this is technically a new adult book, it often read like young adult which was a bit of a missed opportunity. Nevertheless, I'm beyond excited for this series to continue on and can't wait to see how all of the characters will continue to grow!

I was thoroughly entertained with this novel about Whitfield School for Psychics. When Teddy is recruited as as student, she has no idea what she has signed up for as she feels coerced because she is only getting out of a huge debt to a loan shark for gambling. But clearly she has special talents; she's just not sure what they are as she has never tapped into those abilities with anything other than a "feeling" about other poker players and the hands they play. She has no idea what she is in for: secrets abound revolving around her birth parents, treason, murder, government interference, and betrayals. Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? Although I'm not usually a fan of paranormal or psychic novels, this one kept my attention to the end--especially as it leads us to a sequel!

I had a hard time getting into this book. The premise sounded pretty good. It's basically a pseudo sci-fi version of Harry Potter with somewhat older characters. Exploring different psychic powers and how they could be put to a good use is awesome. It falls short in the execution, especially with the main character, Teddy.

I found her to be pretty unlikeable. She's a loner and, despite being inside her head, she comes off as too harsh. And that doesn't really change during the book. I questioned her motivations at times not because it would be a stretch for the character but because the groundwork wasn't there to make it believable. Another thing that bothered me about the character is the way her power set changes. I don't know if the author changed their mind about what Teddy should be able to do or what. Her abilities change more rapidly and more distinctly than any of the other characters and it felt out of place.

There are some good moments to the book too. I was drawn in by the first few chapters because they made Teddy seem interesting. The different psychic abilities are fun to see in action. And the execution of the school itself, i.e. its purpose, how it comes together, etc., is fantastic. Unfortunately, it just isn't enough to make me want more.

Grown up Harry Potter fans, rejoice. Here is a novel that includes all of the quirkiness and entertaining features of Harry Potter, in a much darker and adult setting. While Harry Potter contained a school for witches and wizards, the Whitfield Institute is a school for those that excel in more extra-sensory skills, such as mind-reading and telekinesis. The School for Psychics takes a fascinating look at abilities that are still beyond most people’s everyday lives. A world that most of us can’t even imagine being a part of.

We meet Teddy in Las Vegas, where she has gambled herself into a corner. She’s an epileptic with the ability to read people. She has bounced around through school and jobs. Teddy is a lost soul. She is drifting with no real ambition or direction. Living in her adoptive parents garage and in trouble with a Russian mob loan shark, there really isn’t anywhere for her to go when The Whitfield Institute for Law Enforcement Training and Development is thrown on her table.

Teddy is a protagonist to be liked. She may not always make the best decisions, but she is relatable, funny, and spunky. K.C. Archer does a great job of making Teddy a three dimensional character with real faults and attributes. You want to root for Teddy. You hope for Teddy to succeed. You groan when Teddy fails or again falls into old behavior patterns. It’s always important for me to be able to connect on some level with the main character in a book. To have something about her be identifiable to me. K.C. Archer accomplishes that with Teddy. In fact, most of the characters in this novel are well written and intriguing. Teddy’s roommate Jillian, who can communicate with animals, is endearing and funny. Molly, an empath, is rather tragic and weak.

K.C. Archer’s story weaves and twists and turns leaving me unable to wait to turn the page. I sped through this book wondering what was going to come next. The Whitfield Institute is both mysterious and unusual. The setting of San Francisco’s Angel Island is the perfect location for a book about a supernatural school with supernatural students. I dare anyone who enjoys paranormal fiction to be able to put this book down.

Books in serial format tend to be some of my favorites, as I enjoy connecting with the characters. Knowing that the last page of the book doesn’t mean that I’ll never see them again. I will anxiously await the next book in this series. Truly wondering what is next for Teddy and her band of Misfits. (So please, K.C. Archer, don’t be teasing with that “book one” thing.)

Don’t read this book if you’re looking for a book based in reality. While there may very well be psychics and empaths and clairvoyants among us, and even a school for them, it’s unlikely that you’ll find one on every corner. For me escapism is the best part of reading, and this is clearly a work of fiction. Or is it?

I really enjoyed this book. It isn't ground breaking in that it uses many of the familiar story lines and ideas that you've definitely seen before in Harry Potter or the Magicians. If you go in with an open mind, this is an enjoyable read. Its quick, a little messy but fun. The main character takes a little while to warm up to and the story is a little bumpy but it does keep the reader engaged and wanting to know more. I got caught up in the story and wanted to know how it ended. This is an enjoyable but predictable read. Interested to see what book brings and would recommend it for folks who like YA but wants a slightly more adult cast.

Thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start off with saying that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. This is about a girl named Teddy who lives in Las Vegas and has psychic powers. She goes in disguise to the Bellagio to gamble because she has been banned from most casinos for cheating. They think she is counting card but in reality she is feeling people out through their emotions to know if they have a good hand or not. She owes a quarter of a million to a loan shark so it is a high stakes game for her. Little did she know she was on the governments radar. She gets an opportunity to go to a school for others like herself and learn to control her powers. This book had romance, action, mystery, and all you can ask for in a good new book to read. There are twists and turns and you never know who to suspect and who you can actually trust. In the background, there is a secret political organization trying to win students over to their side. I really hope there is a book 2 on the way because the ending was left wide open for a sequel and I can't wait to read about what happens next in Teddy's life.

School for Psychics has an interesting premise.  The book opens up with Teddy Cannon, a 20-something woman, with a large debt to some Russian mafia types.  She stole money from her parents and decided to go to a casino to win money to pay back her debt.  Unfortunately, she has been banned from every casino on the Strip in Vegas because she won too much.  She ends up being told that the reason she is so good at poker is that she is psychic and she is recruited by someone from a school for psychics.  The school is a secret, but they work with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to help solve crimes with their psychic abilities.  It reads kinda like Harry Potter in that sense. 

Despite the age of the characters and the occasional sex scene (nothing graphic, really), I would consider this book to be juvenile fiction.  I found the storyline enjoyable, but the characters were pretty awful.  I wish that the characters were better because the plot has so much promise!  I really didn't like Teddy.  She is the main character and the book is told through her, but I thought that 1) it was pretty crappy of her to steal her parents' money, 2) she is irresponsible - I mean, come on, a 20-something who isn't going to school with no job, 3) the gambling thing is an annoying plot hole (if she's a psychic, how could she have lost so much money in the first place?), 4) the way she interacted with her friends and others was selfish (I wouldn't want to have her as a friend), and 5) I really didn't see any redeeming qualities other than her psychic abilities, which she was born with and did nothing to earn.  She came off as a bad stereotype of a millennial.  It actually detracted me from the plot because I kept thinking that Teddy was such a brat.  Actually, I can't think of a single character that I actually liked from the book.

Maybe if I was 12-13 years old, I wouldn't have minded her behavior.  That's probably the target age for this book.  It was an easy read.  I just wish there had been more substance to the characters.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced review e-book from NetGally in exchange for my honest review.  This book will be published April 3, 2018.

This book appealed to me because it was a little different than the books I'm used to seeing it. I was intrigued by a book regarding a "SCHOOL FOR PSYCHICS"

We meet the main character Theodora aka "Teddy" (I would go by a nickname as well if I were her) who has a penchant for winning (and losing) big in her hometown of Vegas.
She gets poached by a School for Psychics who feel her ability to win big at the poker table is due to be psychic.

I really enjoyed reading about this character, and as an adopted kid, I admit I am a sucker for kids wondering about their biological parents. I enjoyed the character development throughout the novel, and this book included so many interested people -- but not TOO many where it's hard to keep track of who is who (though it came close).

I thought the psychic premise was cool, especially since it hasn't been overdone yet the way vampires & werewolves have. All the different forms of "psychics" were interesting too and I felt like I learned about the psychic community and what type of psychics supposedly exist.

Overall the book was an easy read, which I anticipated since it was a young adult novel. I appreciated all the current references to pop culture, however, the phrases used at times "boring AF" (yes, REALLY SAID THAT) were cringe-worthy & made it feel like the author was trying to hard to be hip.

I definitely would like to read the next book in this series.

For someone who bills themselves as a human lie detector, Teddy Cannon sure struggles when it comes to deciding who to trust or not in K.C. Archer’s thrilling School for Psychics. She first used her ability to figure out when people are bluffing to win loads of money playing poker in Las Vegas. But when that blows up in her face, she is recruited to the eponymous school, where psychics are trained to work for law enforcement. With every chapter, Teddy gets deeper and deeper into a decades-old conspiracy. There are double-crosses and betrayals, lies and deceptions, with Teddy caught right in the middle. If her lie detecting skills had been a little better, Teddy might have been able to avoid a lot of heartache (but then we would have had a much less entertaining book).

After her recruitment, Teddy finds herself at the Whitfield Institute among two distinct groups of students. On one side are the young men and women dubbed the Alphas. They are psychic but also very much straight arrows. They’re fit. They’re smart. They have their shit together…unlike the other group of students, who call themselves Misfits. Like Teddy, these students have struggled with their various abilities: death warnings, talking to animals, starting fires, etc. Teddy might be the most powerful among them. This might have helped her to get ahead at Whitfield if it weren’t for the fact that something sinister is clearly going on.

School for Psychics reminded me of the Harry Potter novels with a lot less whimsy. Teddy struggles with her powers and her course work while at the same time trying to figure out why her blood was stolen from the school lab and what really happened to her biological parents. Since Teddy and her classmates are legally adults, there is more drinking and sex, though. (Hilariously, Teddy and the pyrokinetic set off the smoke detectors when they spend the night together.) By the time graduation rolls around, Teddy and her ragtag band of friends are ready to take on the baddie.

It might sound dismissive to say that School for Psychics is like Harry Potter, but I don’t want to give the impression that this book is derivative or unoriginal. I was hugely entertained by this book. I could hardly put it down because it’s a great blend of science fiction and thriller. This characters are great and the constant question of who was telling the truth kept me guessing right along with Teddy until the end. This really was a fun read.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration. It will be released 3 April 2018.

Teddy, a 20-something gambling addict, runs into big trouble on the Vegas strip and subsequently gets recruited to a (you guessed it) School for Psychics. This book basically runs through her entire first year at said school, The Whitfield Institute. While at Whitfield, Teddy meets a bunch of fellow psychics and makes some great friends (and a few enemies). Teddy falls into a close-knit group called 'the Misfits', always pitted up against 'the Alphas', who are the more put together, extraordinarily gifted group of students. There's even a gym obstacle course race that took me back to high school in a bad way - ha! Throughout the year, Teddy fights to unravel a potential conspiracy that could affect all of the students and just maybe, lead her to the truth about her tragically deceased parents (died in a 'car accident', how HP-esque!).

School for Psychics was a nice, easy romp in my eyes - learning more toward the YA genre than Adult. There are obvious comparisons to franchises like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, along with boundless X-Men comparisons that could be made. There was some definitely YA trope-i-ness, with a luuurve triangle making a dreaded appearance, but I wasn't too put off by it because I felt that the writing was entertaining enough to carry it off. There plot, especially the second half, was very fast paced and interesting, especially for those who enjoy military or police dramas.

I do wish that we saw way more of each student's actual abilities: there were a few well-timed usages of abilities, but I would have definitely liked to see more of what everybody could do. I like that we had a variety of different abilities throughout the school. Another gripe that I had is that I felt most of the supporting characters had paper thin character development, but because I see that this is a series, I am withholding judgement in the hope that we will learn more about each character along the way. My final gripe is that I really do not like the name of this series - it's almost TOO blunt and simple and has an odd coldness to me that didn't match the vibe of the rich story.

Overall, I am very intrigued by this series and I would recommend it to a friend who enjoys fantastical elements mixed in with a solid detective mystery. I will be awaiting book #2 of this series for sure.

this book is very entertaining. a specail subject psychics and wht they can do . the go to school and are trained for their future.

Such fun! A sort of Harry Potter but with adults. Boarding school, evil secret organization, a kindly head of the school, and a small group of misfit friends. They seem like familiar tropes, but regardless, I could not stop reading this. I loved the characters and can't wait for more in this series.

*Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Teddy Cannon, a Vegas-based gambling addict, who always "knows" when other players are bluffing, find herself with a difficult choice: remain in Nevada and face life threatening obstacles, or learn more about her personal history and abilities by accepting the invitation to attend a secret academy.

This book is well paced and intriguing; despite displaying some clichés situations and using some overused tropes (the "not like other girls" one for example), it manages to capture the attention of the reader, delivering well thought twists and sketching a vast array of delightful, if a tad underdeveloped, characters.

I'm looking forward to know more about Teddy Cannon!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was great and I throughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

This book is about 24 year old Teddy Cannon and starts with her at a casino in Las Vegas trying to win money to pay back the loan shark that has it out for her and her family. Teddy is on a roll as she has a gift of being able to read people well when it comes to gambling, until she is made by former cop and recruiter for a school for psychics. He offers Teddy a once in a lifetime chance to attend the school for her to learn about the abilities that she never knew that she possessed.

While at school she learns a lot about her abilities and her past as things start going horribly wrong. Break-ins, students going missing, and much more which leaves her to question everything she thought she knew.

DNF! The premise sounds good but I got bored reading this after the first chapter.

DNF @ 11%.

Why I should have known this book was not for me: I am hugely uninterested in casino settings or gambling, and generally don't like 'superhero school' stories.

Why I requested it anyway: 'Harry Potter with college students' was too much for me to resist. Plus, the cover is gorgeous! I've been in a reading rut lately and thought this might be fun enough to pull me out of it.

Why I didn't finish it: Ultimately, I couldn't connect with the protagonist, and in fact, borderline disliked her. I was appalled that she would steal from her parents and endanger them and had a hard time getting over that (in fact, half the point I kept reading was to see if maybe she would grow and develop, but I didn't get very far). She was also blindly judgmental. For someone who was supposed to be intuitive, it was ironic how often she judged someone based off their surface appearance.

The dealbreaker came early on for me, when she called a taxi driver sexist for calling her a 'little lady,' but then in the next paragraph she railed on a 'plastic blonde' for having the audacity to want to party in Vegas.

If CW made an X-Men type series where a bunch of misfits with powers go to school, it would be this book. I'd recommend it for people who can't get into comic book superpower stories, but wish there was a bit more ESP and scandal in their YA high school dramas.