Upon reading the dust jacket for this story, my initial reaction was somewhere along the lines of, Oh, great, another story about Teens Who Are Special and Different. And, true, the book features a set of kids who can do spectacular things no others can. However, while the plot was prominent and drove the pace of the story, the characters were extremely real and experienced personal growth that wasn’t overshadowed by the more fantastical aspects of the narrative. Even their powers are flawed, to the point where the reader at times pities the characters instead of envying them. The book is as much about people as it is about adventure, and I definitely enjoy a nice helping of character development alongside my action in a story like this. All in all a delightful read for teens that leaves one fond of the characters and looking forward to the rest of the series.
