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

I couldn't get past 38% of the book before I just lost interest. It could have been the fact that there was no hook in the story in order to keep me enthralled in the words that were out there for me.

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.

Dnf! I couldn’t finish this book. I didn’t enjoy the plot and I thought there wasn’t much description. I thought it was too slow.

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.

School for Psychics is a fun and easy read. The premise is fun and exciting though the story ends up being the same as many YA plots.
Teddy is at a low point in her life. She lives in a (detached) garage at her parents, she's been kicked out of all the Las Vegas Casinos for cheating and she's in huge debt to a bookie. But Teddy doesn't cheat, well, not in any traditional sense. Teddy reads people. SHe knows when to fold and when to raise. It is not until a recruiter from a school for psychics saves her from her bookie, that she realizes she has a gift and there are ways to use it.
The plot is unique and fun. The school is training those with special abilities to servc=e in governmental enforcement helping the CIA and FBI with cases that traditional methods can't solve. But nothing is ever as it seems and Teddy must realize she must learn right and wrong on her own.
Teddy is super powered; this happens in pretty much every book I read and it makes it hard to identify with the character. I can only think of one novel, where the main character was status quo of their particular group. By the end, the book has turned into something that echoes Divergent and The Mortal Instruments.
A fun premises with promise, I hope the next books can break the YA tropes.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am conflicted about this book because it could have been so much better. First, I want to say that the initial scene in the book sucked me right into the novel. I was really hoping that this was indicative of what the rest of it was going to be. And I have to admit that it was refreshing to have a heroine who was OK with having casual sex with someone she was attracted to without all the teen angst and obsession that we usually get in these types of novels.
Unfortunately, it wasn't all like the first scene. Once our heroine made it to the eponymous school for psychics, things slowed down and the pacing seemed off. Additionally, I never really got a feel for the school and it just didn't ring true. The author expected me to believe that a school training specialists for the US security apparatus would rely on a simple non-disclosure agreement to protect them from scrutiny from the failed students? That they wouldn't keep serious track of their students after matriculation? And that they have very strict culinary and security guidelines, yet let the students out to get drunk and binge eat off campus?

If we believe the author that our heroine's class was unusual in that all the members passed, then the entire student body of the school is less than 40 students, yet the author portrays the classes as insular and not really interacting with one another. Anyone who has been in an adult academic situation like that knows that class boundaries will be crossed as people with similar interests will mingle. When two out of 40, and these two the star pupils, disappear, there is no way that the entire weight of the intelligence services aren't out there trying to track them down, and that there would be some serious lock down on campus.

And that doesn't even compare with the denouement at the end of the novel! The actions of the heroine's relatives just make no logical sense. Why was our heroine not contacted years ago, instead of letting her almost slide into psychosis? Why wasn't she the first one recruited? And the way they let the bad guys get away...please!

This was a major imprint novel, supposedly with editors who shepherded this book through the process. I have to believe that this book would have been so much better if the editor had been willing to have a frank discussion with the author about all these plot holes.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for inviting me to read this Advanced Galley of School for Psychics.

Teddy Cannon has gotten herself in quite a pickle. She owes a lot of money to a Russian mobster, and is now at the Vegas Casino table (a place from which she's been banned) in order to scrape up enough money to pay it back before he decides to send her to places unknown. Unfortunately for Teddy, luck is not a lady on that particular night. She ends up losing more than she's gained, putting her adoptive parents lives at risk, right along with her own.

Enter Clint Corbett. Clint alerts Teddy that her ability to spot a bluff and be so successful at cards isn't random, but innate. She's a psychic.

Corbett offers Teddy the chance to enroll at a special school for people with her particular talents. In exchange for her enrollment, he'll make sure her parents are safe and her debts are paid. So, Teddy takes the opportunity for a fresh start and embarks on a new path. However, once at the school, Teddy begins to realize there are other dangers lurking that she never could have imagined.

The story here was well-written and entertaining. You get a real sense of who Teddy is, but you also come to appreciate those in her supporting cast--Molly and Nick, especially--and it's easy to see why this is only Book 1: by the time it ends, there are still a ton of unanswered questions, and lots of connections left to unravel.

I don't tend to enjoy science fiction or fantasy, but this one held my interest until the end.

The pacing slowed at times, but picked up just as quickly.

Teddy could come across a bit too snarky at times, but it wasn't bothersome--especially when you considered she had good reason to be skeptical--and I appreciated the presence of such a strong female lead.

I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it, either. I don't know that I sustained enough of an interest to seek out the next book in the series, but that has more to do with a general disinterest in the genre than one with the story itself.

I wanted to like this book but it just felt like a bit too much. I don’t know... interesting premise but it went a little too heavy at times and then a little too YA at other times (but a bit mature for YA). Plus there were times when all the technical aspects of the psychics went over my head a little bit.

Teddy is in a downward spiral. Making bad decisions that are quickly catching up to her, putting herself and her adoptive parents in some real trouble. Her only choice? To go to the School for Psychics - where her debt will be wiped clean - she'll just need to serve four years of her life... and that's providing she even passes the entrance exams. (Which we know she does, because hello... this is just BOOK ONE!)

This eclectic cast of characters are in their 20's... not teenagers anymore, but not quite full adults yet either. Oh, don't get me wrong, when I was in my 20's, I certainly thought I was an adult.. but nope... hell, I'm in my 40's now and still don't feel like an adult so.... 😉 They're sent to this school for various reasons and all have their own skills to bring to the table... and their own secrets to keep.

As with any type of school, we have the split in cliques - for the School of Psychics we have the Misfits and the Alphas. Who doesn't love rooting for the underdog?! This book is full of YA cliches, with the smoldering bad boy, rebellious leading girl who finds her way, a puzzle to be solved, etc. - all interspersed with romance. I am NOT complaining. Personally, I found this book HIGHLY entertaining. I flew through this read and am SO glad that it's the first in a series! The ending left something to look forward to without it being abrupt and still finding a little closure.

I really enjoyed the sarcastic humor throughout this story and found this easy to read and action packed. It really wants me to try and move things with my mind again (never worked as a child, but hey.. maybe now 🤷). I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for book two!

Couple of tid bits for you all - seems K.C. Archer is a pseudonym and I can't seem to find for which author and I'm DYING of curiosity! If you know, please do tell! Also, I hear a rumor this has been optioned by the CW for a series... I think I may have to give this a look!

Happy reading all - seriously, give this a shot if you're into psychic abilities and YA fodder... and ENJOY!

We jumped right into the action in this book, which I liked. From the very first scene I wanted to root for Teddy, the book's heroine. Although I understand she's made big mistakes, she seems to have a good heart.

My goodwill towards Teddy started to fade once she began school, as her actions began to try my patience. It seems there's always a special exception for her, and she's always late. I had a hard time buying her character as an adult, because she acted so immaturely. Teddy's friends were all one-dimensional and lacking in depth. They never developed past their cookie cutter "I talk to animals, by the way my name is" introduction.

I enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book, although not as much as I thought I would. The final third is when things really started to go off the rails for me. While the book cover described Teddy as, "She’s resourceful. She’s bright. She’s scrappy. She can also read people with uncanny precision." I found her to be none of those things. She held everything close to the chest and tried to bull through by herself, until she does a 180 and trusts people she has a great deal of reason to suspect. Their plan doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and then it immediately falls apart and new elements are added (why were there ropes involved suddenly?)

By the end of the book I was just beyond frustrated with Teddy, the rebellion, and the school. I won't be reading future installments, but I did appreciate getting to read this one for free at NetGalley.

Finally, and this might just be a personal thing, but I was irritated that Teddy slept with two men and immediately regretted it both times. Then berates herself for sleeping with them but also not trusting them enough to have a relationship or be vulnerable with them. I get that the author was trying to show Teddy's self-destructive behavior, but I really wanted a heroine who could at least own her own sexuality.

good characterization, "real" people who do silly things have other agendas and oh incidentally abilities you and I don't have. the outline has been seen before but this incarnation of a hero's journey was well written and enjoyable.