{Review} Power Within by C.L. Causer

Power Within
by C.L. Causer
Series:  The Lazarus Children (#1)
Pages:  400 (PDF)
Source:  PDF courtesy of C.L. Causer for a fair and honest review
Available as of March 12, 2012
Amazon

Charlotte 'Charlie' Gordon wants nothing more, than to be a normal girl. But having a near death accident as a child, she finds out that she has powers. After accidentally electrocuting her sister and blowing up her mother's kitchen, she suppresses her powers for ten years. Unknowing that there are more people like her out there. A lot more.

That is until a secret group of them try and hunt her down because of her unusual abilities. Forcing her family into hiding, she goes on the run. Having to learn about her powers and her past, she meets many new friends along the way. But you can't run forever. She learns that someone has betrayed her to the very people she is running from.

Rating:

My Review:

I was really excited to read Power Within and the story didn't disappoint.  C.L. Causer pulled me in and kept me guessing.

Charlie Gordon is a college student who has been living with powers since she was about eleven years old, but now they are getting out of hand.  Her best friend Jake convinces her to go back home and see her doctor about getting a stronger prescription for depressants.  She agrees, but what she finds is making her gut scream for her to leave.  

I don't want to go too in depth about the characters because most of the main characters don't come into play until about halfway through the story.  So, lets start with Charlie.  She has had her powers for about ten years, but has never learned to control it.  It takes almost getting kidnapped for her to realize that she needs to learn how to control what she can do, but she has no idea what it is she's actually capable of doing.  The other character I want to talk about is Jake. He is Charlies best friend and confidant.  He knows all about her powers and the struggles she faces on a daily basis.  It's through his help that Charlie is able to run away from the people who are coming after her.

There were some things I liked and didn't like while reading.  I really liked that Charlie thought of others before herself.  She isn't self-centered and bratty like a lot of YA characters who end up in a situation like hers.  I also liked that I didn't know how it was going to end.  I made assumptions throughout the book, but my jaw dropped when the truth was revealed.  The build up and follow through were amazing and I'm glad I got to read this book.  What I liked the most was that each character had depth and a story that shaped them into who they were.  I learned a lot about the characters and understood why they acted the way they did.  There was only one thing I didn't really like while I read and it was a mix-up in past and present tense.  It didn't impact the story line in any way because as I read over it, I corrected the errors.  It was annoying on occasion, but was something I got used to and overlooked.

Overall, the book was a great read and I recommend it to paranormal lovers who want to read about characters who aren't in high school, but are still classified YA. I can't wait to read the next installment to the series!

FTC Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.  I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.