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Gifted: A Donovan Circus Novel (Donovan Circus Series Book 1) Kindle Edition
Even in a world of freaks, being a Firestarter is considered a dangerous Gift.
Lucy was born with the ability to create and control fire. She longs to leave the human world for one filled with Earthshakers, Transporters, and Chameleons, to name a few. When she rejoins the circus, it's everything she hoped it could be – new friends, a potential love interest or two, and a place where she can be herself.
When troupe members begin turning up dead, however, Lucy is suspected of foul play. She must not only prove her innocence but also realize the full extent of her power. To find the real murderer, she must uncover the truth behind her father's fiery legacy while figuring out whom to trust within her new circle. Little does she know the history of the Donovan Circus and its enemies might actually destroy the entire gifted world.
If you enjoy Amanda Hocking, Stephanie Garber or Alexandra Bracken, run away to USA Today bestselling author Liz Long's Donovan Circus.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJanuary 18, 2014
- Reading age16 - 18 years
- File size1990 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Gifted is Liz Long's debut novel and I have to say, what a promising debut!! Gifted is well thought out, has likable characters...and the pacing is great." -Courtney Cole, NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author
"It got better and better with each page. Gifted has an original concept that makes you sit up and take notice. Lies and deceit run heavy within the circus and you can't help but feel bad for Lucy when the world she thought she knew starts to crumble." -Reading & Writing UF & PNR
From the Author
Morgan, Erica, and Emily: this book wouldn't be what it is without you. Thank you for the reading, the edits, and the enthusiasm you gave me in every text or email.
And finally, to Courtney Cole, fabulous author and my phenomenal new friend. Without her, I'd still be having a meltdown over what to do next. You're my Obi-Wan and you didn't let me give up when it felt incredibly scary or frustrating. Thank you.
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B007VT34J2
- Publisher : Liz Long (January 18, 2014)
- Publication date : January 18, 2014
- Language : English
- File size : 1990 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 400 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,481,124 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Liz Long is a USA Today bestselling author of YA and urban fantasy novels. She is a magazine editor in Virginia and when not writing, can be found drinking happy hour prosecco, running on the greenway, or cuddling her pup, Henry. She is the Director of the Roanoke Regional Writers Conference and the annual Roanoke Author Invasion, as well as a public speaker, covering topics such as self-publishing and magazine writing. To learn more about Liz, including info on her books, plus writing, marketing and social media tips, and writer pep talks, visit her website at lizclong.com.
Customer reviews
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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From a Reader's Perspective:
I both loved and hated the main character, Lucy. She was spunky, smart, a bit weak at first, and someone I'd love to hang out with in real life. A couple of her tendencies irritated me at the beginning of the book, but once I realized where her actions were stemming from, they were a little more acceptable. Best of all, despite her being gifted, I could identify with her on a human level. Huge points to the author for that.
Pacing was awesome, and I was able to finish this read in two sittings. Yeah, I was left wanting more, but not because there was a cliffhanger. It all stemmed from the awesome on the pages. Totally geeked out.
Long's descriptions are rich and vivid, but they don't go on and on about each detail. She allows you to paint the scene in your mind by giving you nuggets to build on. My favorite kind of writing is when I don't have to skip pages to avoid getting bogged down. Needless to say, world-building was amazing.
But let's talk about the plot! Up until the villain revealed themselves, I had no clue who it was. What fun I had trying to figure it out, though.
My favorite character was certainly Lucy, but I also loved Brooklyn (she's so passive-aggressive awesome), Delia, and Bianca. I won't ruin the awesome by sharing what they can all do, but it's super cool. Their dialogue felt so natural, too.
Oh, and the action! Yes, there's plenty of that. You get to see all the abilities at work constantly. I loved it.
From an Editor's Perspective:
There were no plot holes, and the flow and pacing were amazing, but the commas were kind of everywhere they shouldn't be and not where they should. So, I'll give half a star for editing.
Rating:
1 Star for creating a complex main character with layers I had to peel back
1 Star for description and world-building
1 Star for keeping the answer to the mystery elusive
1 Star for all the action
.5 Star for editing
-.5 Star for fairy-like commas that flitted hither and yon
Overall, 4.5 out of 5 stars. Everyone who's ever read one of my reviews knows I round up, not down, so this book gets a five click. Recommended for those who love books about paranormal abilities.
I liked the plot and the way nothing was too predictable. A few curve balls, a bit of right assumptions, but nothing too obvious. I liked the characters and their closeness, though they came off a lot younger than the early twenties they were. Cigarettes and alcohol hinted at how old they all were before it was confirmed in the lines, and although I would have liked to see a bit of maturity in their characters, it was still nice to see them so young. Not young in terms of naivete, but young in the sense that they weren't too jaded or serious.
Lucy was an interesting character but not one I could get into at first. I liked her feisty attitude but her constant hold on her emotions made things more than frustrating at more than one point. It's not a problem so much as an irate thing as a reader because I have to watch her suffer with a problem before she finally gets a release. I guess that means the author actually did a good job at putting me through what she did.
The bad guys were just horrible (in a good way) and I really wish she'd burned them longer. Grr. The writing was pretty good, though the dialogue was a bit long at times, especially when something crazy happened. I'd find myself skimming to keep the quick flow of the story. Slowing down to take in all the talking would sometimes slow down the climax for me, so it's more of a personal thing on my part.
I'd recommend this book because it's exciting and I love the way the circus life was made in this. It's a new type of urban fantasy, it kept me entertained, and though I hate love-triangles, I didn't mind it too much because she wasn't really committed to either one.
Not long after arriving there is a murder within the troupe. Of course suspicion is zeroed in on Lucy due to her talent and the lack of trust others have in her. Now Lucy has to do all that she can to clear her name and find the killer. Why is the killer setting her up? And could it really be one of the circus' own doing the killing? Gabriel and Lucy will work together to end the mystery and find out who is behind the murders.
I loved the whole idea of the circus being run by a bunch of Gifted people. People with talents such as starting fire out of thin air and becoming engulfed in it. Talents that may include being able to transport from one area to another. Even a talent of being unbreakable. How cool is that? Haven't you always wondered how that Magician could make his assistant disappear and reappear somewhere else? Well Liz gives us a totally different take on circus life and the people who run the show.
Gifted had me intrigued from the beginning and I found it hard putting it down. Finding time to read while tile work is being done in the house? That is not so easy. So I didn't get to invest the amount of time I wanted to while reading it. But it was still so good and very entertaining. The mystery had me guessing the entire time; who was the killer? Was it someone I already encountered in the book? *Cue music* Dun Dun Dunnnnn!
I enjoyed all the characters...especially Delia. I could just picture her talking and trying to get all her American words right with a hint of her Greek accent. I did find there were quite a few characters to keep up with though. And that became a little confusing at times trying to sort them all out. Now let's talk about Gabriel and Keegan. Hello cuties! I despised Gabriel and had my heart set on Keegan. But after some time, I gradually began leaning more towards Gabriel.
Long did not only a fabulous job writing a story that keeps you on your toes...but with some great characters added in...she has herself one heck of a read! Love a suspenseful, mysterious read? Gifted is just the book for you.
**side note: ended up having to buy a kindle copy because the pdf copy the author gave me..it's formatting was too messed up on my nook. **
Top reviews from other countries
I love reading, I adore finding new 'great' authors. I'm sincerely looking forward to the next instalment