"Darwin's Children" by Natasha Larry

From Goodreads: "Life can get pretty complicated for any seventeen-year-old girl, but for a home-schooled telepathic black girl trying to survive in a prestigious private school in small-town Jonesborough, Tennessee, it can be maddening - especially when her telepathic father keeps eavesdropping on her thoughts!

Jaycie Lerner's family isn't the usual mom-dad-kid setup. Jaycie's mom's MIA, but Allison, her personal live-in 'trainer,' is more than a mom, with her own special abilities, like being able to lift cars and run incredibly fast. And Jaycie's godfather John is more than persuasive - he can literally convince anyone to do anything.

As far as the rest of the world's concerned, Jaycie's on the outside looking in. The townsfolk love Jaycie's pediatrician father, but she doesn't fit in with 'normal' kids, and she doesn't really want to. Most of her free time is spent training to keep her telekinetic and telepathic powers under control. But there's one thing she can't control - and that's her feelings, especially when her best friend Matt is nearby. If only he knew what she was truly capable of...

Everything seems to be status quo for Jaycie until she receives a cryptic message from a stranger and meets a very unusual girl new to Jonesborough. Then all hell breaks loose!"

I am not going to lie, when I saw the cover of this book I was totally thrown off by it and I was somewhat hesitant to read the book (I know, I know, the old saying, "Don't just a book by its cover", but let's be honest sometimes we do buy books based solely upon their beautiful covers- in my case it was "Nightshade" by Andrea Cremer and "The Body Finder" by Kimberly Derting- and we sometimes do bypass books because of their covers ) and it really is a shame because this book was absolutely fantastic and one that I am hands down glad (and honoured) to have read.

I think that this book was so successful because the characters (Jaycie, Haylee, Allison, Mason, John, and Matt) were entirely realistic (however almost to a fault). Because the characters were so realistic they were easy to relate to and entirely likeable, but on the other hand their emotions and reactions almost felt tiresome after awhile and because they were so realistic you couldn't help but react to them in a way that you might with a friend or a sibling who is doing something that you think is making a mistake (ie. Jaycie not making more of an effort to propel her relationship with Matt forward since he was such a swoon-worthy guy) by (mentally) yelling at them, becoming annoyed with them, or rolling your eyes at their antics.

Furthermore, I think that this book is so successful because it is so unique and one of a kind. I have read countless paranormal books over the years, however I haven't touched one that is quite like this. Not once while reading this book did I feel like anything in its plot was overplayed (ie. a character with telekinesis, a guardian angel who is willing to protect their charge at any cost, etc.).

All in all, don't do what I did (judging the book by its cover)- if you do, I truly feel like you will regret having done so! I think that this book is a wonderful addition to the world of YA paranormal and I cannot wait to see what Natasha has in store for us next!

Rating: 9/10

I received this book to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.