lillianhong's review against another edition
4.0
I just gotta say that the book had a very interesting concept, was not bad overall, but had a bit of a rushed ending. It was enough to qualify as an ending, but it lacked satisfaction and had loose ends. What exactly was going on with the War and weapons, what happened to Taemon's parents, and is Taemon the only one with Psi now, etc.? I just didn't feel like I had enough closure in the end. But, apparently, it's a series, which means I can forgive the rough ending.
Also, did you know the warmth of a human touch has healing properties, and is important, but not vital, in making close relationships? No wonder Taemon preferred the colony.
Also, did you know the warmth of a human touch has healing properties, and is important, but not vital, in making close relationships? No wonder Taemon preferred the colony.
amysutton's review against another edition
4.0
In Taemon’s community, everyone has and uses Psi which is an ability to manipulate things and complete all tasks with the mind. A person just needs to know how something works, and he’s able to mentally command the materials to operate.
Problems arise when the community’s religious organization begins to seek out The True Son spoken of in prophesies, and Taemon’s brother Yens believes that the son may be Taemon. When the family takes a vacation to the beach, Yens begins taunting Taemon and pushes him off of a cliff into the water and jagged rocks below out of jealousy and hatred. Taemon is able to survive by using a mental gift only he has, but a confrontation with Yens afterwards leaves him without any Psi at all. Taemon manages to cover up his Psi-lessness for several months before he is finally caught and sent to the community outside the walls of the city where everyone is Psi-less, including an old woman who can see into the future.
Eventually Taemon learns that Yens was revealed to be The True Son, and the leaders plan to start a war on the side of the Republik that lives beyond the mountains. One night the leaders violently barge into the Psi-less community in order to steal their hidden library. Armed with the new knowledge of the library, the leaders are almost unstoppable; knowing anatomy, they can control other’s bodies; knowing chemistry, they could rip apart any anatomical structure. Taemon and a small group of rebels journey back into the city to try to defeat the leaders. The book ends with Taemon being regifted his Psi by the Heart of the Earth and being told he is The True Son. He uses his newly restored Psi to will that all of the Psi in the land be taken away from all humans. The book ends on a cliffhanger as Taemon leaves the city to journey to the Republik.
Problems arise when the community’s religious organization begins to seek out The True Son spoken of in prophesies, and Taemon’s brother Yens believes that the son may be Taemon. When the family takes a vacation to the beach, Yens begins taunting Taemon and pushes him off of a cliff into the water and jagged rocks below out of jealousy and hatred. Taemon is able to survive by using a mental gift only he has, but a confrontation with Yens afterwards leaves him without any Psi at all. Taemon manages to cover up his Psi-lessness for several months before he is finally caught and sent to the community outside the walls of the city where everyone is Psi-less, including an old woman who can see into the future.
Eventually Taemon learns that Yens was revealed to be The True Son, and the leaders plan to start a war on the side of the Republik that lives beyond the mountains. One night the leaders violently barge into the Psi-less community in order to steal their hidden library. Armed with the new knowledge of the library, the leaders are almost unstoppable; knowing anatomy, they can control other’s bodies; knowing chemistry, they could rip apart any anatomical structure. Taemon and a small group of rebels journey back into the city to try to defeat the leaders. The book ends with Taemon being regifted his Psi by the Heart of the Earth and being told he is The True Son. He uses his newly restored Psi to will that all of the Psi in the land be taken away from all humans. The book ends on a cliffhanger as Taemon leaves the city to journey to the Republik.
krissyronan's review against another edition
3.0
YA dystopia / scifi. Interesting. I probably won't keep reading in the series but I can why it would appeal to a lot of readers.
squishies's review against another edition
3.0
Really interesting concept and characters aren't too bad either, if a bit 2D.
Love the world building more than anything else, though still interested enough to see what the second book will entail.
Love the world building more than anything else, though still interested enough to see what the second book will entail.
zelephante's review against another edition
3.0
I was really intrigued in the beginning, but soon tired of the main character’s complete lack of common sense. Also, it felt as though the author decided to turn the story into a series about halfway through, and things got way crazier and were less satisfyingly handled or resolved from then on.
I think it will be a great hook for young readers, but not much fun for their older family members or counterparts.
I think it will be a great hook for young readers, but not much fun for their older family members or counterparts.
hanaaameera99's review against another edition
4.0
good. but i kinda expected taemon(correct spelling?)to become the true son. but the ending was ok
katlikespie's review against another edition
3.0
A solid 3.5 stars.
Taemon lives in a land where everyone has psi- that is, telekinesis. You use psi to food yourself, open doors, operate machinery- nobody uses their hands anymore. It isn't until an "accident" leaves Taemon without any psi that he realizes how much he really used it. But if he lets on and people find out, it's a one-way trip to the Dud Farm with him! Add in a psychotic brother, parents who refuse to acknowledge his new disability, and a town on the verge of a new era in history, and you've got an adventure.
Taemon lives in a land where everyone has psi- that is, telekinesis. You use psi to food yourself, open doors, operate machinery- nobody uses their hands anymore. It isn't until an "accident" leaves Taemon without any psi that he realizes how much he really used it. But if he lets on and people find out, it's a one-way trip to the Dud Farm with him! Add in a psychotic brother, parents who refuse to acknowledge his new disability, and a town on the verge of a new era in history, and you've got an adventure.
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
Dystopia for the middle grade crowd! Take a controlling, futuristic society with it's own system of religion, add a dash of psychokinesis and a kid who doesn't fit in, and you've got the bones of a solid, intriguing story. I liked Taemon as a character - sympathetic and easy to relate to - but was more interested in learning about the world he lives in. I'm not sure if it's the beginning of a series or a stand-alone, although these days I hope for stand-alones, and I this one has enough of a conclusion to do that. The upside to a sequel would be learning more about the larger world and what's going on outside of this one isolated community. I think this would appeal to both plot-driven readers and those more interesting in world-building, even though the action lags a little bit in the middle.
bookishgrrrl's review against another edition
4.0
Let me clarify...I really liked this book for a ten or eleven year old. I would even give it to an older reluctant reader. Despite an interesting premise, the writing is just too simple for the book to go much higher. And, it needs to, because the themes it addresses--pride, loyalty, deception, self-sacrifice and death--are ones that can require a bit of emotional maturity. My eleven year old read this in an afternoon and we had a great discussion about power, knowledge and making decisions for oneself or the good of others. Things I'm pretty sure the author intended and I liked. I also appreciated that the author explained psi as more than the power of telekinesis, but stipulated that in order to use it, one had to understand how something worked. A gentle introduction to the mechanics of magic that made the story more believable and more interesting. Great choice for readers who are too young to understand the machinations of Artemis Fowl.