The Gifted Complex

The main character, Gabriel Green, is telekinetic—he could move and block things with his mind. He is gifted. He goes to a special college for kids who have supernatural powers just like him. There, he meets Jake, his roommate, who has the ability to produce fire, and Serena, who isn’t sure what her power might be yet. He later meets Simon, a huge geek who has the power to look into any electronic system. All was going well in his new college—he learns to control his powers and learns about the history and importance of it—until one day, Serena mysteriously disappears. The night before, Simon had a peculiar dream about a certain red-headed girl. Could that be her?

This book is a great introduction into the world of Gabriel Green. It kind-of had a Harry Potter feel—supernatural beings living among regular people. However, what was unique about this book, and what left me craving for the rest of the series was that each character had their own “superpower.” And the author makes each of their superpowers seem perfectly believable through his character, Simon. For example, people with the ability to fly are always hungry. This is explained that they burn extra energy. Or, Jake was able to generate fire with his bare hands through snapping, because the quick friction between his fingers generates that extra spark of heat. None of the superpowers seemed outlandish, despite how bizarre the whole concept might have been. Also, scattered throughout the book, there are instances of foreshadowing, linking the cause behind Serena’s disappearance altogether. And, finally, the ending is a cliffhanger, which pushes me to want to read on with the next book in the series. I would recommend this book for anyone who has enjoyed the Harry Potter series (or any series related to it) or someone who is just looking for a good read to get them hooked on the whole series.