Title: The Charm
Series: Olivia Hart and the Gifted Program #1
Author: Alana Siegel
Genre: YA, paranormal
Publication date: December 2011
Published by: Alana Siegel
Source: E-book from author for review
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Synopsis:
Imagine what high school would be like if your ex-boyfriend fired lightning when he was angry, the sporty girl in your class had enough strength to lift a flatbed truck, and you could charm your way out of trouble.
When shy, sixteen year old, Olivia Hart, witnesses the actual rainstorm her ex-boyfriend, Max Smarr, creates in Pandora high school's cafeteria, she’s convinced she’s lost her mind. Nothing will prepare her, however, for the discovery of her own special Gift.
Olivia Hart has always been satisfied living in the shadows of her peers, and so high school doesn’t get any easier when her charismatic brother goes off to college and her relationship with her edgy boyfriend comes to an end. When she comes across an antique charm, she finds out that she can compel people with her mind and hiding is no longer an option. With the help of her friends in the Gifted Program and each of their special Gifts, what happens next in this young love and coming of age story will force Olivia into the spotlight, test her friendships, and cause her to question her role in a society.
Olivia is just your normal teenage girl dealing with normal teenage stuff: the ex-boyfriend and his new (and mean) girlfriend, homework and other school stuff, and a crush. Then one day she finds a necklace with an intricate charm on it... or should I say, it found her. Odd, I know, but that's what happened! This weird necklace suddenly, it seems, gives Olivia powers. Powers that seem to make every boy within a one yard radius to fawn all over her. It's proving difficult for Olivia to control her new found abilities, but as it turns out, Olivia might not be the only one with supernatural abilities at the school.