eBooks: The Search for Artemis

I love it when I finish a book, and feel compelled to ask the author when the next one in the series is due out. After I finished The Search For Artemis that was the first thing I asked author P.D. Griffith. This is a perfect summer read for kids and fans of young adult fiction.

Here’s a little taste of what The Search For Artemis is about:

Fifteen-year-old Landon Wicker is psychokinetic, but the tragic unleashing of his abilities forces him to run from everything he knows. He finds solace, however, in the company of hundreds of psychokinetics like him when he’s brought to the Gymnasium.

Now in a world where people don’t just see—but control—the world around them and teenagers lift city buses with a thought, Landon struggles to accept his new reality and the guilt over his painful secret. But everything changes when a chance encounter with a mysterious girl propels him on a hunt for answers. Uncovering dark truths the Gymnasium would do anything to keep hidden, Landon is forced to choose where his loyalties lie.

That is the blurb that drew me in, this is exactly the kind of stuff I love to read. My favorite thing about this book is that is starts with an action scene. There is no wordy lead up, no flowery description. You are put right into the thick of it, this made my happy because I want to be pulled in right from the beginning.

Now there were a lot of places where this book could have gone horribly wrong. There is a certain formula to most young adult fiction. (there is nothing bad about that, but most of the stories run along a few central themes) I was happy to see that the author took a step away in places from this, and that he put a spin on some of the usual suspects. The best example was how Landon dealt with the discovery of his power. He didn’t have the “Oh joy I always knew I was different” reaction that tends to be typical. It took him awhile to reach an acceptance that some kids seem to accomplish in one chapter. He questioned, he freaked out, he was not okay. This was refreshing, it made me have a more emotional connection to him. It made that moment when he finally felt okay about it much more satisfying.

A lot of what made this book enjoyable for me was the little things that were added in. Like the fact he makes sure to note that there are effects and consequences to over using the powers they have. And the idea of there being limits to what they can do with them. Like real physics and such.

(Also it has to be said: one thing I noticed about young adult stories that feature schools/training centers, these kids eat really well! )

The Search For Artemis has just the right amount of crafty twists to make it clever but not overly cliched. It gets bonus points for making me cry. I’m looking forward to the next book in The Chronicles of Landon Wicker.

You can pick up your own copy at Amazon.  It is also coming soon to paperback.

Review copy provided by author.

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