School for Psychics by K.C. Archer – (a flashback book review)

Nobody’s perfect – not the main character of K.C. Archer’s School for Psychics, Teddy Cannon – and clearly, not me. Because despite loving this book and reviewing it’s sequel here on the blog (spoiler – there is a sequel), I apparently only reviewed the book itself on Amazon and Goodreads. And since I enjoyed it so much, I thought I’d do a bit of a flashback review and share it now.

(And if you decide to read it now, YOU don’t have to wait for the sequel. See how thoughtful I am?)

I received an advanced copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley; all opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them.

Synopsis

School for Psychics by K.C. Archer
Series: School for Psychics #1
on April 3, 2018
Genres: Fiction, Paranormal, YA
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

An entrancing new series starring a funny, impulsive, and sometimes self-congratulatory young woman who discovers she has psychic abilities—and then must decide whether she will use her skills for good or…not.

Teddy Cannon isn’t your typical twenty-something woman. Yes she’s resourceful, bright, and scrappy. But she can also read people with uncanny precision. What she doesn’t realize: she’s actually psychic.

When a series of bad decisions leads Teddy to a run-in with the police, a mysterious stranger intervenes. He invites her to apply to the School for Psychics, a facility hidden off the coast of San Francisco where students are trained like Delta Force operatives: it’s competitive, cutthroat, and highly secretive. They’ll learn telepathy, telekinesis, investigative skills, and SWAT tactics. And if students survive their training, they go on to serve at the highest levels of government, using their skills to protect America, and the world.

In class, Teddy befriends Lucas, a rebel without a cause who can start and manipulate fire; Jillian, a hipster who can mediate communication between animals and humans; and Molly, a hacker who can apprehend the emotional state of another individual. But just as Teddy feels like she’s found where she might belong, strange things begin to happen: break-ins, missing students, and more. It leads Teddy to accept a dangerous mission that will ultimately cause her to question everything—her teachers, her friends, her family, and even herself.

Set in a world very much like our own, School for Psychics is the first book in a stay-up-all night series.

Review

What a fun read, with an absolutely unexpected heroine. I mean, really, Teddy Cannon is a mess. She’s sassy, impulsive – and she’s been permanently banned from every casino on the Las Vegas strip, and she’s accumulated some debts to a nasty bookie (and she borrowed some money from someplace else she shouldn’t). The story opens as she enters a casino in disguise with the intent to win enough money to pay them back.

You see, she’s a little too good at gambling – most of the time – because she’s psychic. Only, she doesn’t know it. She thinks she’s just good at reading people, especially when she doesn’t take her meds for her epilepsy, as it dulls her senses.

Most of the time. And this isn’t one of those times, either. However, she’s rescued by an ex-cop with some psychic powers of his own, and that’s where things get interesting! The ex-cop, Clint, invites her to attend the Whitfield Institute, a school that works with psychics and trains them in law enforcement. In exchange they offer to wipe away all her debt.

The setting was a bit like The Magicians (although less angsty and depressing) meets a more grown up Harry Potter…at the police academy. The world building was fascinating, the lessons in magic and law enforcement practical and creative. I loved the characters – they were interesting and complex.

Easy to say, the story sucked me in and School for Psychics was hard to put down. Since my Kindle copy didn’t show me a percentage read, I was gutted when I reached the end to discover this was the first of a series! GAH!

I can’t wait for the next book!

I gave School for Psychics 5 stars.

Well, while I had to wait for the sequel, you don’t have to. Check out The Astral Traveler’s Daughter, (School for Psychics #2) here.

The Astral Traveler’s Daughter by K.C. Archer

If magical schools and mysteries are your thing, definitely check out Sarah Gailey’s Magic for Liars. It’s a treat, and you can find my review here!

Magic For Liars by Sarah Gailey – Book Review