Review: Addictive Story-Telling
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 18, 2014
At first, I thought this book was too simply written. The vocabulary is not challenging at all for a high-school level reader, and the descriptions and characterization seem almost lazy.  The author seems to just want to tell the story, instead of focusing on a literary product.  The scene in which the lightning first strikes, causing the special powers, seemed almost laughable to me.But I admit, it works well.  After getting used to the simple prose, the story just caught me up.  The plot was very interesting, and the reader is drawn in more and more to the strange and bizarre lifestyles of these five teenagers.  The ending was superb, as the author saved the best secrets for last.  We now know why there is a special boy in there who seems to be the last to develop his powers.  In a way, this informal style of writing works well, because these are teenagers, and they act as typical teenagers would.One thing that made me uneasy were teachers using a lot of their authority to undergo activities, day in and day out, that teachers in all schools wouldn't ethically be allowed to do.  But, I can see how Mr. Harris' authority as teacher was necessary for the story to happen, so I'll gladfully suspend my disbelief or unease to enjoy the story, which is far more important for me as reader.  And, the rest of the story is coherent, so all's well that ends well.Now I'm hooked to watch out for the second book in the series.