Friday Fun~Book Review- Forseeen by Terri-Lynne Smiles

I belong to a group in GoodReads called Shut Up & Read. All in all a great group. They have a section called Read It & Reap where authors put their books up for review by the members. Usually, the copies supplied by the author are long gone before I get a chance to get my name on the list for one, but this week I got lucky. I read the following...

Title: Foreseen
Author: Terri-Lynne Smiles
Genre: Science fantasy, set present day
Pages 415

Synopsis:

What if you could change the thoughts of others?

"An adventurous twist of genre, much recommended." ~The Midwest Book Review.
Untraceable control.

The Rothston Institute can manipulate the choices of anyone in the world: you, senators, anyone. Fortunately, it has the self-discipline to use this power to keep humankind safe. Stopping wars, averting crises, advancing peace.

Unfettered power.

To accomplish these feats, their operatives must train, and college student Kinzie Nicolosi has just become one of them. A student missing an exam? A construction worker fired for an industrial accident? A Congressman ruined in scandal? Necessary consequences of honing their skills for the greater good.

Unintended victims.

But Kinzie brings more than her remarkable skills to Rothston. She bears an unexpected power that rivals Rothston's own. And when she stumbles onto the real intentions of Rothston's leaders, the clash may be something none of them can control.

The Kirkus Review calls Foreseen "A worthy sci-fi thriller à la Dean Koontz," concluding that "Smiles has proven that she's skilled at crafting a nuanced page turner."

After reading all of this, I couldn't wait to read it. When I got my e-copy later that evening I couldn't wait to get started. I was pumped, exited, and couldn't believe my luck. The cover was awesome, the write up was good, and my anticipation was running high.

Now for my review...

Overall impressions- a fast paced thrill ride into several century old secret society of influencers. Told in first person between two main characters Kinzie and her boyfriend, Greg. I'd peg it more fantasy than science fiction. The author's style and voice overall grabbed you from the first two chapters. I found 42 errors between spelling and grammar in this text which was amazing for me (post stroke) that I felt partially jarred out of the story which isn't a good thing. Tighter editing would have made this book perfect.

The author's use of the five senses and detailed description placed me right in the middle of the action. No small feat. The characters were three dimensional and well fleshed out. Good imagery. She made this story my own.

Character Development was a growing experience for the main character. The romance between an unlikely couple shows that opposites attract.

Pacing was fast to light speed reminiscent of reading a Dan Brown novel. The author did not

Dialogue was believable and true to two college age students. The author pegged the father character perfectly as a caring, devoted man.

Score- Two thumbs up. Over all I'd say ignore the grammar and misspellings and grab a copy and read it. But hang onto your seat for a page turner. I read all 400+ pages in two days.

Available at Amazon Paperback & Kindle