Review: Talented by Sophie Davis

Talented (Talented #1)
by Sophie Davis
Published: January 11, 2012


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When Talia Lyons was just a child, her parents were murdered before her eyes. Offered a choice between accepting their fate and exacting revenge, Talia trains to become one of the country’s deadliest assassins in order to kill the man responsible for their deaths: Ian Crane. Luckily, Talia was born with a gift- the ability to read and influence the minds of others. At sixteen, Talia is poised to graduate from the McDonough School for the Talented, where she learned to control her abilities. Now there is only one obstacle standing between her and the retribution she craves... Talia herself.

Her greatest asset may also be her undoing; while a formidable weapon in the field, Talia’s talents prevent her from both shutting off the mental connection she shares with her questionable boyfriend and blocking out the thoughts of a beguiling fellow recruit. But Talia can’t afford to have the feelings and distractions of a normal teenage girl, when her life is far from normal.

She must regain the single-minded determination that has brought her this far, or it may cost Talia her life when she finally faces Crane. And even after being molded in to a weapon of war, she’ll still have to find the strength it takes to pull the trigger.

If James Bond and Sookie Stackhouse had a love child with a yearning for vengeance, her story would be TALENTED: an adventure about powerful teenagers who aren’t afraid to embrace their fears and fight for what they believe in.

It's been a while since I last read any spy book so I went ahead to find anything that sounds good on NetGalley and in doing so I found Talented. Of course I had to request it immediately - country's deadliest assassin? A bunch of kids with supernatural abilities? That kick-A cover? I was a little anxious because I haven't heard anything about this book before but I wouldn't find out if it's any good if I don't start reading it myself.

I'm glad I did. Right from the start I already saw glimpses of how action-packed it would be further into the book. Which was a good way to open the story since it definitely grabbed my attention. Long story short, the characters in these books are what the society call Talented because of the gifts they possess. Not everyone have these unique talents and other people fear them for what they are. But there is a place for them to hone these talents and use it to protect their country from evil guys. The storyline doesn't sound that unique but this was an enjoyable read. The characters are likable and funny, a lot of fight scenes and no shortage of coolness - mind reading, hot guys who can turn into any animal.. you get my drift.

The romance? Well, when you start a book and the main character already has a charming and loving boyfriend, you just can't help but think that soon it would be over, right? Because another boy or a conflict is sure to come soon. I'm not saying that against this book; it's just an observation but.. I dunno. It's getting very predictable, though. But I guess I can't do much about it because there aren't that many ways to spice up the romance in a book. So Talented is like that but thankfully it isn't the aggravating type. I quite liked it, actually.

Don't hesitate to pick this book up. It's not really the kind of read that a reader has to be "this or that" in order to have a good time with it. I've been looking for a copy of the sequel ever since I finished Talented. It had a nice turn of events and I'm very eager to know more about what the heck that little reveal was about. I bet it'd be life-changing. For Talia, at least. But I wouldn't want to be out of the secret, too. So, yeah.

*Review copy acquired from NetGalley.