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.

3.5 stars

ARC generously provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Teddy Cannon has found herself in a bit of a mess. She owes money to a lone shark who is ready to collect and she has "borrowed" money from her parents retirement accounts without them knowing it for seed money to make enough to pay him back. Otherwise he will take more then just a pound of flesh. The one thing Teddy knows is poker. She has a gift, she can read people, the only problem is that she has been banned from every casino in Vegas, they think she cheats. She doesn't she just has always known what other players are going to do. So Teddy knows poker is her answer out of this mess. What she doesn't expect is for her "gift" to go on the fritz or for some rather large stranger to make her an offer she cannot refuse.

Teddy meets a man who can explain that her reading players is not a talent but her gift, she is in fact a psychic. Teddy is given the option of joining a secret school to train psychics and work for the government or to be thrown to the wolves. She chooses option A.

Teddy is thrilled to learn there are other like her, yes they each have a unique psychic gift, but there is nothing weird about her abilities here. Even though Teddy has a lot to learn she soon finds there is more mystery surrounding her and things going on at school that she has to solve. These mysteries lead Teddy to more questions then answers.

I will admit that this book started off kind of slow for me. It took me well into the book to really get into, probably around the 40% mark. However I will say the last have was much more interesting and faster paced then the first. Teddy was not a character that I fell in love with . Even after I finished I found she wasn't my favorite but I like her more in the end then in the beginning. There was a lot of growth for the character during the book and I did enjoy the "mystery" of the story.

Phenomenal book in the lines of the Magicians. Teddy used her psychic abilities to gamble, in debt with time running out she was offered the opportunity to attend a school for people with any and all psychic abilities. This school trained these kids for the FBI, CIA, and all other agencies. Is she and her friends at the right-click or will they be killed or disappear?? Fantastic storyline I'm hoping the next book in this series comes out real soon !!!

School for Psychics follows the story of Teddy. She has a gambling problem. She's been banned from casinos in Vegas but tonight she is going in a disguise. Teddy is doing pretty well at the table. She's always been able to get a good feel for the other players at the table. She knows when they are bluffing. But other times she blows it, hence why she owes a pretty scary guy some money. When her disguise is made, she must act fast. She is presented with an offer she can't refuse. She can either let the guy she owes money take care of her or she can put her trust in a mysterious stranger who says she's a psychic. What does she have to lose?

Teddy joins a school for psychics and learns some things from her past might not be as they seem. Who can she trust?

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read. I'm looking forward to the next one. One thing I really liked about it, is it's all story. The lead doesn't get lost in a love and doesn't give her power to a man, which is so common in books. I really liked that. It's different. Not saying she doesn't have any love interest, it just doesn't consume her.

Oh I enjoyed this.

We start off meeting Teddy. A young woman who is in Las Vegas. She is in disguise as she is banned from all of the casinos in the city. She needs to win a load of money to pay off a mobster. Money that she had stolen from her parents. She's about to win all of the money that she needs when something goes wrong and Teddy loses the lot.
Teddy is approached by a stranger who offers her a way out. An offer that she cannot refuse.

He tells Teddy that she is a Psychic. This explains how she's always been able to win at Poker. She is given the chance to attend a school for gifted people. People who can help the governments of the world. If she agrees, the money that she stole from her parents will find it's way back into their bank and the mob will stop chasing her.

Teddy figures what's the worse that can happen - and off she goes.

It is massively predictable of course and would probably be better suited to those who like to read YA / Young Adult books. Both of which, I enjoy. Anyone expecting a little more "grown-up" book will be disappointed.
Teddy is a dick. Blaming a lot of her issues on the fact that she's an orphan and has trust issues. A lot of the book would have been boring though - or rather, non-existent - if she hadn't been. But as a 24 year old woman, she really ought to have her shit together by now.

Despite the few annoyances of this book, I really enjoyed it and read it quickly. I look forward to the next in the series.

Despite having an incredibly terrible title (seriously, who approved this? Is it too late to change it?) this is a really fun story that I devoured in less than a day because I just couldn't stop reading.

This has some similarities to Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Naturals series, though the setting is far better and the characters decidedly less hokey. Teddy is easy to root for, as are her allies. Their quirks are more believable and they're less prone to irritating snark than Barnes' crew.

The book does have some problems: It's not hard to figure out who the bad guy(s) are, the plot point regarding the birth mother feels tired, and maybe most problematic...are we seriously just never going to address that the main character has an EXTREMELY serious gambling addiction? I say "has" because despite the fact that this was ignored from the second Teddy left Vegas, I'm pretty sure being whisked off to magic school doesn't cure this.

I also could have done without a few of the eye-rolling drama moments: To symbolize my newfound freedom, I shall exuberantly fling my epilepsy pills into the churning sea! UGH.

But despite the gripes, this was exceptionally compelling to the point where I felt like I couldn't put it down. And mostly, it's just really, really likable. Hope the wait for the second book isn't too long...

2.5/5 stars
This book had potential- I was excited to read a new twist on people with magical (psychic) abilities. Twenty-something-year-old Theodora (Teddy) Cannon is in trouble. She has been banned from Las Vegas for her ability to win -not card counting but somehow 'knowing' what the cards hold and/or what people will do. She owes a lot of money and has had threats to herself and her family. She is approached by a man who offers her an out- and all her debt paid. She is invited to attend the School For Psychics. She is known to those with abilities to be a very strong psychic and wanted by the government to help in serious matters. She accepts and joins other psychics in a rigorous boot camp style training to see who will pass to the next level. Unfortunately, there were too many issues with the plot and writing style for this story to be enjoyable for me. Teddy is more like a petulant teenager than the young adult she is supposed to be. There is quite a bit of social drama. And the dialogue seemed like it was put in after the fact. I felt like I was reading an installment of the Scooby Doo series- a character asks a question and the perpetrator would feel it necessary to spill the whole story. I was waiting for someone to yell, "those meddling kids!".It's too bad because it was an interesting concept.

A very entertaining YA read. Not the most original setup: Teddy finds out that she is a psychic and is admitted to a special institution for people like her. The characters are what's truly enjoyable (well, that and the insanely addictive plot). Teddy's schoolmates are likable and sympathetic. Plus, they all have awesome abilities (especially Jillian, who can talk to animals... my most desired superpower ever). They all have their quirks and learn along with Teddy. As usual, they all discover that there is a dark side to their skills. Yes, they can communicate without words but they can also influence people and make them do things against their will. When Teddy discovers that her trusted mentor tricked her into a corner from which she could only escape by joining the institute, she loses all her faith. The classes, exercises and exams are a lot of fun, but the heist in the last part of the book had me hyperventilating. This is only book one, so be advised that there are big cliffhangers at the end. I can't wait to see what happens next.

School for Psychics, an up-and-coming new series in young adult fiction, is a sort of blending of FBI and the Hunger Games. The story centers around a training facility for young psychics to prepare them to use their powers to protect and serve our country. At least that is what they claim to be.

The main character, Teddy Cannon, was recruited from a poker table in Vegas after losing a high-stakes game. She agrees to go to Whitfield in an effort to make her adoptive parents proud and to try and turn her life around. Easier said than done.

Once at Whitfield, Teddy learns that being a psychic is hard work and even harder is learning to trust others and become a team player. Time after time, Teddy finds herself in sticky situations, which ultimately lead her to find out some long-buried secrets.

I enjoyed the story and feel like this will be a hit with the target audience. As I stated earlier, it’s part of a series, and I would definitely be interested in reading the next book by KC Archer.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

Teddy, 24-year-old adopted orphan, is a professional poker player in Vegas. Being able to sense if her opponent is bluffing she is fairly successful, however, when the Russian mob and casino security is after her a stranger offers to help her if she attends his school for psychics.
At the school Teddy meets with her fellow first semester students, a group of young adults in their early twenties with mixed psychic abilities. While dealing with typical school drama (unfair teachers, bullies, hot guy, …) a break-in occurs, a student goes missing, and Teddy and her new-found friends have to solve the mystery.

While this book is advertised as an adult book, it reads more like YA. It has too much high school flair to rate as anything else. However, I am 40+ years old and usually skip YA novels, but this one was well written and enjoyable. The beginning was a bit murky and farfetched, but the story evolved from there, and so did our female protagonist. I enjoyed how the characters dealt with their special abilities and learned to control them. It was refreshing that these kid’s powers were limited and they struggled to get better.
This book, while not ending with a cliff hanger, is planned as the first one in a series, and I would definitely go for the next book.

Narration: 3rd person female protagonist’s POV
Sexual content: couple of scenes but not descriptive
Setting: contemporary, San Francisco and island at the coast of San Francisco

I loved this book, it had romance, paranormal and teenage angst. The was fun to read. This is the first book I have read by this author, and I will definitely read more by this author. I cared about the characters and can hardly wait for the next book. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an early copy of this book for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is basically the plot of every “X-Men” movie out there but substitute mutants for psychics. And instead of the Government looking to exterminate them they’re look to exploit their talents. Add in the fact that all of students are 21+ so there’s a large amount of hangover-talk and occasional sex and you have “School for Psychics”.

I don’t want to say the book was bad because it really wasn’t it just was not for me. The writing is average and the character development is virtually non-existing but if you’re looking for a new sci-fi book series then I guess you could give this one a try. As for me, I’ll probably pass on reading the rest of the books to come.

An intriguing concept and a great start. I was gripped at the powerful opening. A likeable character is dealt a handful of trouble only to be rescued with the promise of an exclusive school for people with extraordinary gifts. Rather than being epileptic like she has always thought, our plucky heroine is physic and has the opportunity to hone her gifts for good. Unfortunately that's where the story gets a little slow. On the island we meet multiple characters, and although they are all adults, they act like teenagers and proceed to make bad decisions rather than devote themselves to this once in a lifetime opportunity. This book wasn't for me, but fans of The Magicians (another book I found lacking) are sure to enjoy this novel.

I'm 19% finished with this book and I have to put it down. My life is too short to read books that I cannot get into.

I was really excited to read this book. The advertising was spectacular and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to read a "Harry Potter with millenials." Unfortunately this book has fell so flat I'm having to DNF it. The characters seem to be extremely chiche & their descriptions were just awful. If this is supposed to be adult fiction you really don't need to have a description being "the hot" guy. I would expect more from any author.

The plot line seemed interesting enough but the writing has ruined any chance for me to enjoy it. It reads like a mix between young adult and middle grade fiction. This would be all fine and dandy if it wasn't being advertised as adult fiction.

All in all, I would not recommend this book.

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review*

Filled to the brim with clichés, shrugs characters, and The Magicians's adult Harry Potter vibes with a hint of Quantico. Seeing as I only made it through the first two or three episodes of the former show, this book was unfortunately not the one for me. I wish it was.

I had no attachment to any of the characters whatsoever, whether it was the way they were portrayed or just the lack of substance that came with all of them; the weird potential love interests galore thing going on with the MC only added to my disinterest.

I like the idea of School for Psychics? An adult with a questionable life has to seriously re-evaluate everything she's ever known and deal with some otherworldly jazz. Theme-wise, the "whole people don't simply do things without benefit to themselves" stuff that ended up dumped over the MC's head was one of the more appreciated aspects of the book.

Kind of blah, but I couldn't connect with this–characters, plot, and all. Forgive the crude comparison because I can't seem to think of a better way to describe it. Reading the book was like clapping for a comedian who forgot every single line and lacked humor to begin with.

Toward the end, when revelations were being made and whatnot, nothing really stuck with me. It was like "Oh, okay, that's nice I think." Sigh.

Even though I probably won't be reading the sequel, applause to the author for building an interesting world for some interesting characters.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC :))

"School for Psychics"

By: K.C. Archer

A different take on discovering paranormal talents. Ever wonder why some are so lucky with cards, dice or the horses? Maybe, just maybe, they have a touch of a 6th sense! (Oh, please let that be me!)

I really liked the main character Teddy, a 24 year old with a gambling addiction and in serious trouble for her debts. There are probably a few of those out there that would take the chance Teddy had been given to erase their debts and start fresh!

I have read quite a few "School for...." type books from various authors. I enjoyed the majority of them and most share similar storyboards. Even though Teddy is 24, I felt like this read could qualify for the YA genre just as well as fantasy/paranormal. Archer did a great job of character development and storyline while connecting some real life scenarios. Anytime I pick up a new story and want to read to the end tells me the author has more than accomplished their purpose of great entertainment. I will look forward to any other installments in this series!

The School for Psychics was a mostly enjoyable bit of fluff; nothing horrible, nothing great, nothing to stick with you after you finish. We’ve all seen these characters before and in similar situations, only the details have changed. I did like having the book set in a school outside San Francisco. That was a nice touch.

Really, though, if the main characters had just talked to each other honestly on occasion there probably would not even have been a book! So annoying when much of the plot depends on characters not trusting people they really should.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.