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books_tea_healthy_me's review against another edition
4.0
Make yourself comfortable when you pick up The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted because this book is hard to put down once you get started. With creatively crafted characters and a fast-paced story line, you will want to just keep reading, and then when it's over, you will beg for more!
Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
em_and_em's review against another edition
2.0
Earc from netgalley
This book was nothing special. It dragged on and on and on. Maybe i'm just not the right audience, but there are other books like it that are better. It also seemed to rush through and drag at the same time. 2 stars.
This book was nothing special. It dragged on and on and on. Maybe i'm just not the right audience, but there are other books like it that are better. It also seemed to rush through and drag at the same time. 2 stars.
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
An amazing story full of amazing characters and with an excellent world building.
I loved it and I read it as fast as I could.
It's engrossing and entertaining and the world building is excellent.
I hope to read soon another instalment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I loved it and I read it as fast as I could.
It's engrossing and entertaining and the world building is excellent.
I hope to read soon another instalment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
amylandranch's review against another edition
4.0
I love finding a book in the science fiction genre that is exciting, funny, has good writing and does not contain one swear. Jack is in 8th grade and is sitting through an embarrassing conspiracy theory report by his friend Freddy. A few minutes later Jack finds himself part of this strange report when some reapers try to kill him and he is portaled to the Hadley School. Teens there have found their power or gift and are fighting against the evil in the world. There are twists and turns in the plot that will keep you guessing. I enjoyed the team relationships and how they supported each other. There is some violence. 6th grade and up, for fans of science fiction and super power type books.
talielovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Children's for the digital arc of this title.
The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted was a really enjoyable Middle Grade book. The book centers around Jack Carlson, a normal everyday middle schooler who suddenly finds himself transported to The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted. What follows is a fun story that reminded me a lot of the Disney movie Sky High combined with a little bit of X-men and maybe even the Power Rangers.
What really shined for me in this novel was the school. I loved learning more about how the school was organized and the powers the different students had. The world building in general was intriguing and kept me interested throughout the story. Character development was also important part of this story as we get to know Jack and other members of his team.
As for the main plot of the story, I'll leave it vague and just state that it is a classic good vs evil with a prophecy foretelling the future.
Long story short if you are a fan of Harry Potter, Xmen, or school type films with super heroes - this is your book. I happen to love all these things so I really enjoyed the book.
The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted was a really enjoyable Middle Grade book. The book centers around Jack Carlson, a normal everyday middle schooler who suddenly finds himself transported to The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted. What follows is a fun story that reminded me a lot of the Disney movie Sky High combined with a little bit of X-men and maybe even the Power Rangers.
What really shined for me in this novel was the school. I loved learning more about how the school was organized and the powers the different students had. The world building in general was intriguing and kept me interested throughout the story. Character development was also important part of this story as we get to know Jack and other members of his team.
As for the main plot of the story, I'll leave it vague and just state that it is a classic good vs evil with a prophecy foretelling the future.
Long story short if you are a fan of Harry Potter, Xmen, or school type films with super heroes - this is your book. I happen to love all these things so I really enjoyed the book.
wisecraic's review against another edition
3.0
**I received an electronic ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
In Conor Grennan's new novel, The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted, there is a military academy for gifted kids somewhere off the coast of Maine. The gifted students, called improbables, defend civilians against secret beings called reapers.
Let me begin by saying that I am not in the intended age range for this book. However, I still found the book to be interesting and entertaining. I liked a lot of the concepts that Grennan brought forward in how the "gifts" functioned. I liked that there were known types of gifts, but that the gifts could manifest differently for each person.
I did find myself detached from the characters in this book, and found it to be predominantly plot-driven. As a reader who can excuse weak plot for compelling characters, this fact made the book a little more difficult for me to get through.
Grennan definitely left himself room for this to be the beginning novel of a new series, and this series also could be easily adapted for film or tv. I can definitely see Grennan finding success with this book and any to follow it, even if it wasn't the perfect fit for me.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
In Conor Grennan's new novel, The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted, there is a military academy for gifted kids somewhere off the coast of Maine. The gifted students, called improbables, defend civilians against secret beings called reapers.
Let me begin by saying that I am not in the intended age range for this book. However, I still found the book to be interesting and entertaining. I liked a lot of the concepts that Grennan brought forward in how the "gifts" functioned. I liked that there were known types of gifts, but that the gifts could manifest differently for each person.
I did find myself detached from the characters in this book, and found it to be predominantly plot-driven. As a reader who can excuse weak plot for compelling characters, this fact made the book a little more difficult for me to get through.
Grennan definitely left himself room for this to be the beginning novel of a new series, and this series also could be easily adapted for film or tv. I can definitely see Grennan finding success with this book and any to follow it, even if it wasn't the perfect fit for me.
annarella's review
5.0
An amazing story full of amazing characters and with an excellent world building.
I loved it and I read it as fast as I could.
It's engrossing and entertaining and the world building is excellent.
I hope to read soon another instalment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I loved it and I read it as fast as I could.
It's engrossing and entertaining and the world building is excellent.
I hope to read soon another instalment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
dbguide2's review
I was like more than a hundred pages inti the story when I realised I wasn’t interested anymore. Don’t you hate it when that happens? I liked it, but it didn’t feel quite like the middle grade fiction I’m used to. Freddie, the main character’s best friend, was funny and I could see myself carrying on with the book just for him.
gillyreads's review
3.0
michelejenn's review
4.0
The Nitty-Gritty:
This fast-paced story is begging to be a movie. One part Percy Jackson, one part Divergent, one part Harry Potter, and two parts something all its own, this book is action-packed and vibrantly written. We’ve got the chosen-one trope, a magic school hidden from the rest of the world, and the discovery of a group of people with specialized improbable powers. It’s everything you know you love, all with a cast of main characters firmly in that middle-school age range that seems to be so hard to find.
My one issue with this book was the pacing. We start out a little slow, and then it really picks up at around the 100 page point. At that point, I really didn’t want to put the book down – I kept on thinking about what was happening in the story and every time I stopped reading I felt like I was just waiting for the moment that I could pick the book back up. But thinking back on the book, it honestly felt like two or three books worth of plot crammed into one. There were 3 very distinct acts that could have been their own book. The end result feels a little like the author wasn’t sure whether or not he was going to get a deal for the sequel, so he tried to get all the pertinent world-building information out in this first book.
That said, I fully intend to purchase this book for my classroom library. I already have three students in mind for this story.
The Verdict:
Perfect for readers who have finished Harry Potter and Percy Jackson and just need more vibrant world-building, action-packed, chosen-one stories.
This fast-paced story is begging to be a movie. One part Percy Jackson, one part Divergent, one part Harry Potter, and two parts something all its own, this book is action-packed and vibrantly written. We’ve got the chosen-one trope, a magic school hidden from the rest of the world, and the discovery of a group of people with specialized improbable powers. It’s everything you know you love, all with a cast of main characters firmly in that middle-school age range that seems to be so hard to find.
My one issue with this book was the pacing. We start out a little slow, and then it really picks up at around the 100 page point. At that point, I really didn’t want to put the book down – I kept on thinking about what was happening in the story and every time I stopped reading I felt like I was just waiting for the moment that I could pick the book back up. But thinking back on the book, it honestly felt like two or three books worth of plot crammed into one. There were 3 very distinct acts that could have been their own book. The end result feels a little like the author wasn’t sure whether or not he was going to get a deal for the sequel, so he tried to get all the pertinent world-building information out in this first book.
That said, I fully intend to purchase this book for my classroom library. I already have three students in mind for this story.
The Verdict:
Perfect for readers who have finished Harry Potter and Percy Jackson and just need more vibrant world-building, action-packed, chosen-one stories.