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abigailsshelf's review
5.0
It has been a while since I have loved a Young Adult book as much as I have loved this one. It is the perfect blend of Divergent and Maze Runner that all dystopian fans will be in love with.
Psion Beta was a different read than what I would go for but I loved it. I was entranced by the plot of the different anomalies, the battles, and the overall idea of what was going on. The reason why they were at war was a little confusing for me but I could have just missed it. Every character was well developed, I remembered characters that were mentioned at the beginning and were not introduced until later because of how well they were written.
To be asked to choose a favorite is like being asked to choose a favorite child, but Sammy is a top runner. With the way that Gowans wrote his story with seeing not telling, it makes you want to cry for him and also weep for joy. Jeffie would rank towards the bottom, just because I think that she was accurately written as a teenage girl and she was annoying, as someone who was a teenage girl, it is true.
I can not wait to read the rest of this series, if it is anything like the first book, it will be a five star read.
Psion Beta was a different read than what I would go for but I loved it. I was entranced by the plot of the different anomalies, the battles, and the overall idea of what was going on. The reason why they were at war was a little confusing for me but I could have just missed it. Every character was well developed, I remembered characters that were mentioned at the beginning and were not introduced until later because of how well they were written.
To be asked to choose a favorite is like being asked to choose a favorite child, but Sammy is a top runner. With the way that Gowans wrote his story with seeing not telling, it makes you want to cry for him and also weep for joy. Jeffie would rank towards the bottom, just because I think that she was accurately written as a teenage girl and she was annoying, as someone who was a teenage girl, it is true.
I can not wait to read the rest of this series, if it is anything like the first book, it will be a five star read.
makennarg's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
a_leo_reading's review
4.0
This was an intense read.
I have ever read anything that was so powerful in action and character development.
It was beautifully written with few flaws.
But all together brilliant.
I have ever read anything that was so powerful in action and character development.
It was beautifully written with few flaws.
But all together brilliant.
shaun11's review
3.0
Psion Beta is a young adult novel about an exceptional 14 year old who is rescued from a life on the streets to be trained by the government to master his telekinetic abilities. While immediate comparisons to Ender's Game are likely, I found this book more akin to Ender's Shadow, the parallel novel to Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. These books begin on the streets, move on to "battle school" and culminate with the youngsters putting their skills to the test.
Psion Beta is an easy read full of action, drama, surprises and suspense. It's similarities to the works of Orson Scott Card make it immediately accessible, but also hinder it, as Psion Beta doesn't quite capture the dramatic arc that Ender's Game/Shadow manage to envelope. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading the sequel, Psion Gamma.
Some questions related to the world that the book takes place in arose that remained unanswered in Psion Beta - hopefully those answers will come in the future. I certainly found it odd that the two rival governments seemed to exclusively recruit people with specific anomalies. All the people with telekinesis fight for this side, all the people with drunken rage fight for the other side. Really? Of course the book says that this is all, "as far as we know" ... so perhaps there will be some revelations forthcoming.
As an aside, it was interesting reading a self-published novel. There was a rawness in some areas that allowed the author's personal touches to survive what I would guess an editor would try to pare down. The book is still very readable and the minimal typographical errors are forgiveable. Amusingly, this book takes place decades into the future, but the kids watch "an X-men movie" and "Rocky IV" during a movie night. Dystopia indeed!
Psion Beta is an easy read full of action, drama, surprises and suspense. It's similarities to the works of Orson Scott Card make it immediately accessible, but also hinder it, as Psion Beta doesn't quite capture the dramatic arc that Ender's Game/Shadow manage to envelope. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading the sequel, Psion Gamma.
Some questions related to the world that the book takes place in arose that remained unanswered in Psion Beta - hopefully those answers will come in the future. I certainly found it odd that the two rival governments seemed to exclusively recruit people with specific anomalies. All the people with telekinesis fight for this side, all the people with drunken rage fight for the other side. Really? Of course the book says that this is all, "as far as we know" ... so perhaps there will be some revelations forthcoming.
As an aside, it was interesting reading a self-published novel. There was a rawness in some areas that allowed the author's personal touches to survive what I would guess an editor would try to pare down. The book is still very readable and the minimal typographical errors are forgiveable. Amusingly, this book takes place decades into the future, but the kids watch "an X-men movie" and "Rocky IV" during a movie night. Dystopia indeed!
kesselm's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hannchilada's review
5.0
It was awesome. It was very original and I liked how the romance was there but not cheesy. It was awesome but the cliffhanger was aggravating, as that is the usual case with books. I usually don't like action books as much but this action was interesting and I couldn't put the book down.
haven602's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
rachellinnmartin's review
3.75
One of those kindle reads you stumble upon. Found it in like 2014. Got the author to name a character after me in the 4th or 5th book. Still think about the series occasionally. Check it out.
liz_keeney's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25