Powers by Deborah Lynn Jacobs

From the Publisher

I let him take my hand. The cold blue flame in his eyes held me, seared me. ?Do you feel it?? he asked. ?It?s a warm tingle, isn?t it? In your hands, moving up your arms, like a current.?
?No.? My hands tingled with warmth. It moved up my arms like a current.
When Gwen and Adrian meet, they unlock each other?s latent psychic powers. It?s too bad they can?t stand each other, don?t trust each other, and do everything they can to manipulate each other. Will they use their power to save lives? Or will it destroy them both? Written in alternating voices, this is a compelling, suspenseful novel about power in all its forms?psychic, physical, sexual, romantic.

VOYA

Adrian and Gwen share something in common although they have never met before Adrian transfers to Gwen's school. Gwen has grown up in this town, but Adrian has moved here unwillingly because of his father's new job. Somehow even at their first meeting, each is aware of the psychic connection between them. Adrian can hear Gwen's thoughts; Gwen has visions that warn her of others in danger. Gwen distrusts Adrian and is fearful of his powers. When the two of them are together, however, their powers merge and become even more potent. Perhaps if they learn to trust one another, they can use their combined powers to stop evil. Told in the alternating voices of Gwen and Adrian, this novel is more than a typical fantasy/science fiction exploration of psychic powers. Nicely developed subplots deal with romance, friendship, and family relationships. Adrian and Gwen are mostly normal teens despite their psychic powers. Each has the usual fears and insecurities and emotions. Perhaps it is this normalcy that makes the psychic aspect of the story even more plausible. Readers who enjoy books such as the Joan Lowery Nixon mysteries with a supernatural touch such as Whispers from the Dead (Delacorte, 1989/VOYA December 1989) will appreciate this story.

Children's Literature

Adrian and Gwen are destined for each other, but their supernatural powers are both the draw and the obstacle to romantic togetherness. Adrian can read minds and Gwen can see the future. Once they touch, their powers strengthen, and their trust in each other's intentions deteriorates. Gwen uses her vision and Adrian's ability to read her mind to manipulate him into heroic situations. She can write the stories for the local paper and gain fame while he risks his life. He discovers that the life force of the dying enhances his powers so his appearances at local disasters is beneficial to him, too, but suspicious. Eventually Gwen and Adrian have a cathartic argument (which includes lots of aura-sparking and fireballs), and a truce, as well as a genuine kiss, is achieved. The book is written in both Adrian's and Gwen's voices, creating a fascinating two-sided mirror for this potentially hokey story. Both romance and supernatural fiction fans will find much to enjoy when the attractive cover lures them to pick up this satisfying YA title set in Ontario, Canada.

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-A traditional story of teenage angst with a refreshing twist. When Adrian's dad moves the family to Rocky Waters, Ontario, the 11th grader feels angry and out of place. Then he meets Gwen, with whom he feels a powerful, mysterious connection. Her presence empowers him to hear other people's thoughts; his presence allows her to see tragic events in the future. The psychic duo tries to rescue people from impending tragedies. In the end, they discover that The Power can only be used for good if they work together and have the right intentions. Told in alternating voices, Powers is broken into bite-sized and easily digestible segments. This fast-paced plunge into ESP effectively blends the occult with the turmoil of adolescent romance.-Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Two teenagers make sparks fly . . . really! Gwen has dreams that foretell the future, including the arrival of a dangerous boy to town. Adrian, the new boy, hears people thinking and can make them obey by using the voice. After they touch, supernatural electricity expands both their Powers. Gwen begins to have waking visions, mostly of tragedies about to unfold. The two feel a charge between them, but is it plainly sexual or is it the hypnotically enticing Power, which makes them literally glow when they're connected? Emotions riding the current between them include fury and aggression as well as curiosity and lust. Discomfiting questions-Is he the psychic vampire she thinks he is? What's his role in the deaths of people whose souls nourish his Power? Is she manipulating him for newspaper stories?-will unsettle readers and reveal humanly flawed aspects of both seductive characters. Jacobs writes Gwen's chapters in past tense and Adrian's in present, which is distracting; otherwise, a bewitchingly pulpy and enjoyable fast read. (Fantasy. YA)

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