Same Book, Second Look - The Candidates by Inara Scott

Published: August 2010

Published by: Hyperion

Pages: 293

Copy provided by: Author

Summary: Goodreads

Summary:

Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that's not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia's mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just...happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to anyone, belieiving this way she can supress her powers and keep them hidden.

But when recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia's days of living under the radar may be over. Only, Delcroix is a school for diplomats' kids and child geniuses--not B students with uncontrollable telekinetic tendencies. So why are they treating Dancia like she's special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make Dancia feel welcome.

And then there's her mysterious new friend Jack, who can't stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at the Academy and wants Dancia to help him figure out what. But Dancia isn't convinced. She hopes that maybe the recruiters know more about her "gift" than they're letting on. Maybe they can help her understand how to use it...But not even Dancia could have imagined what awaits her behind the gates of Delcroix Academy.

Review:
I was lucky enough to win a copy of The Candidates from Miss Scott herself via Twitter. It came signed and I was so excited to find it in my mailbox. Unfortunately it has been sitting in my TBR pile for awhile and Curlypow read it before I did. You can find her initial review here.

I enjoyed The Candidates but I did find that it was a bit slow and picked up right at the end of the book, maybe with 50 pages left. The story definitely reminded me of X-Men and Xavier's school for the gifted. I was expecting a little bit more action but was still not disappointed because there was plenty of character development. Dancia seemed like a very sweet, honest, down to earth kind of girl with unusual troubles. There was a love triangle between her, Jack and Cam and I have to say, I wasn't sure who she would go for. I know Curlypow was rooting for Jack but I have to say that I'm a good boy kinda gal so I was Team Cam with this one. I won't tell you who won out...you'll just have to read the book for yourself!

If I were recommending this one, I would suggest it to a younger teen audience. Personally, I found that some of the language and writing style would be better suited for a younger pre-teen audience. Also, Dancia and the other teens seemed younger to me in terms of maturity and growth. I am looking forward to Book 2 - The Watchers coming out in the fall of 2011 by Miss Scott. Can't wait to see how this story starts to unfold. So far, it has a great base! Two thumbs up from me!