There may be a spoiler here. You’ve been warned.

So, I finished this book last week, but I found that I had to give a lot of thought to my review.

There were things I liked about it, things I hated about it, and nothing I loved about it.

After a bit of a jolt when we meet Scarlett (naked but for socks, outdoors, high, cool power, and one inconsiderate young woman), I kind of liked her. At least she had spirit. And the book is all X-men/Mutant/Find and destroy the Villain kind of fun.

Unfortunately, Scarlett soon lost all her boldness and edge and became a Basic Becky (ick) and her cool power? Seemed only to activate when a man tortures or hits her (except for one early incident). Yet, doesn’t activate when she’s being telekinetic-style beaten while being hazed. It was weird. But seriously (and this may be a spoiler, but whatevs because it bugged me so much) - at one point she’s begging her bland boyfriend to hit her so she can activate.

Ick.

Look the book is an adventure and it’s superhero fun most of the time, but there were a couple of elements that really gave be pause.

Scarlett Winter has been a rebel all of her life. She never follows the rules, always going her own way, never caring about the feelings of others. So it is on her high school graduation day. Her parents planned a surprise party at home and set everything up before heading to the school to cheer for her when she received her diploma. But Scarlett wasn’t there, she decided to skip graduation and head off to the stone quarry with Nick. Her Mother’s heart broke.

When she gets herself into a really serious mess, she is forced to choose between jail and The Point. In many ways, Scarlett is different from most teenagers. Not only does she have this rebellious streak, she also has shown great courage, unusual strength, and an amazing propensity to survive life threatening events that are beyond explanation. These traits form the basis of her life at The Point.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advanced copy for review.

A cute idea. A secret West Point for "posthumans" with super powers. The story is formulaic the writing is eh but the basic plot is right in my wheelhouse so I did enjoy it.

This is actually a 3.5 review here. I loved the level of research about West Point and the action is good, but the language and sexual content is more New Adult than Young Adult and the protagonist is a female but acts more like a man. Perhaps it is the military setting that homogenizes all temperaments, but one is left wondering if the character was made a young woman because that is what sells most successfully in YA/NA fiction.

By anyone’s definition, Scarlett Winters is a screwup as well as a daredevil and thrill-seeker. She even blows off high school graduation, unaware that her long-suffering mother had planned a surprise party. Which is the last straw as far as her tightly-wound vet dad and even grimmer brother are concerned.

She goes off to visit a friend, and ends up in a violent scene. She goes straight from that to a family argument that swiftly turns violent. It ends only when her father’s friend, Colonel Rhoads of West Point, arrives with an offer for Scarlett: join or jail.

Though Scarlett is insanely reckless, she isn’t stupid.

What Scarlett discovers at West Point is a super-secret unit for extraordinarily-gifted young people. But, like her flat-eyed dad and her grim brother, the other cadets are far from a happy family of misfits. There are problems here, and layers of secrets. Is this really the opportunity of a lifetime, or a pathway to black ops terrorism?

Scarlett and her unit are considered posthuman, and that’s not always a good thing. As this tightly paced, vivid thriller unfolds, Scarlett has to find a way to master her powers and to decide if she, and the others, will truly join the Long Gray Line and the unfamiliar West Point world of duty, honor, country.

I really liked Dixon’s characters. Under the wisecracking and banter, the dark side of PTSD becomes a substrate under the story, comprehension hard-won, sometimes heartbreakingly.

Dixon’s narrative choices are interesting, employing a kind of omniscient third (with the narrator way behind the scenes). This enables the reader to see into key characters, as the tension inexorably winds up to the explosive (and I really mean explosive) finish.

Scarlett Winter is a somewhat wild eighteen-year-old who has just discovered she is a posthuman, someone who has developed unusual abilities. In order to avoid possible incarceration, she agree to enroll at The Point, a special section of West Point devoted to people like her. She and her fellow cadets are trained to use their abilities to serve the country and provide a defense against incidents of paranormal terrorism. Despite her rough childhood, Scarlett was initially a bit unlikable, but her gradual realization that she bore some responsibility for her choices made her much more sympathetic character. The story flowed easily, with questions regarding the origin of posthumans and the true purpose of The Point adding intrigue and interest. Other than a disturbing incident of nonconsensual telekinetic groping, there was little to distract from an action-filled plot. Among a crowded field of stories about superheroes and paranormal abilities, The Point more than holds its own.