Hidden Powers

Superordinary Society #1

by Tara Lain

Superordinary Book One

Jazz Vanessen is weird—and not just because he’s a werewolf. For most of his life, he’s felt different from his alpha male brothers and friends. Since he’s adopted, he can’t even blame it on family.

Now eighteen, Jazz meets his idol, the social activist Lysandra Mason, and her breathtaking nephew, Dash Mercury. When Dash is around, even stranger things start to happen, including Jazz falling hopelessly in lust. Not only is Jazz having visions, making people disappear, and somehow turning invisible, but somebody’s following him and threatening to reveal his pack’s secrets to the world.

Together with Dash and Jazz’s equally amazing friends—Carla, BeBop, Khadija, and Fatima—they discover the danger is even more lethal than they thought, and Jazz’s weirdness may save all their lives.

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Shapeshifters, Romance, LGBT

279 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 12, 2019

About the author

Tara Lain believes in happy ever afters - and magic. Same thing. In fact, she says, she doesn't believe, she knows. Tara shares this passion in her stories that star her unique, charismatic heroes and adventurous heroines. Quarterbacks and cops, werewolves and witches, blue collar or billionaires, Tara's characters, readers say, love deeply, resolve seemingly insurmountable differences, and ultimately live their lives authentically. After many years living in southern California, Tara, her soulmate honey and her soulmate dog decided they wanted less cars and more trees, prompting a move to Ashland, Oregon where Tara's creating new stories and loving living in a small town with big culture. Likely a Gryffindor or maybe a Ravensclaw but possessed of Parseltongue, Tara loves animals of all kinds, diversity, open minds, coconut crunch ice cream from Zoeys, and her readers.

Reviews

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time)]

DNF at 16%. No rating.

I'm giving up on this one. The beginning is a total info dump with backstories about a dozen characters squished together in a few chapters. I actually stopped and double checked numerous times to make sure this wasn't the 4th or 5th in a series (since it's billed as a stand-alone). I couldn't even follow what was happening. THEN I realized that the story is actually a part of the Harker Pack world (https://www.goodreads.com/series/1190...), which I have NOT read. I was annoyed that the story wasn't nearly as stand-alone as I was expecting. It might even connect to more than one of Tara Lain's previous series, I'm not sure since I hadn't read any of her paranormal books before. Very disappointed.

I would highly recommend reading the Harker Pack stories before starting this one.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

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[Elaine White · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF'd at 15%. Which, according to GR consensus, is about as far as anyone is going to get into this novel. Which makes me angry for the following reasons:

FIRST

This book is NOT the first in a series! Do not be fooled by the advertisements. It is a continuation of a previous series in this author's catalogue. The ONLY reason it's been called a NEW series, is because the characters are younger and they're branding it “Harker Pack meets Harry Potter”. Which is pretty brave, if you ask me. The Harker Pack trilogy, IMHO, wasn't anything to write home about, but the bits I read had no relation to HP at all except that a few people could do magic.

Like some of my reviewer friends, I expect a related-to series or spin-off to be clearly labelled. This book isn't. It states it's Book 1 in a series, but it isn't. It's actually a series related to another series in Tara Lain's catalogue: Tales of the Harker Pack, which is a trilogy of novels. I requested to review this book based on the impression I was given – by the blurb, the title, and the series title – that this was the first novel in a series. End of. That is a pretty basic concept. But that's not what I got.
Luckily, I'm friends with another reviewer who read this before I had time to. They warned me in advance that it was related to the Tales of the Harker Pack and, since I had the time and the budget, I took a trip to Kobo and bought the entire trilogy...which was a complete waste of time.

Not only did I NOT enjoy the Tales of the Harker Pack, but I ended up DNF'ing Hidden Powers, regardless. Why? We'll get to that in a minute.

WARNING! WARNING!

I feel like I need to start with a warning...this time to the AUTHOR and the PUBLISHER, who should know better, considering how long they've both been in this business: DON'T TRY TO TRICK YOUR READERS.
Don't hope that they'll pick up this book, get confused, and go buy all the related books in Harker Pack, in some vain hope of gaining more attention, more sales, and more chatter about the series, because of your duplicity. Because that's EXACTLY what this is. It's lying to your readers, your customers, and hoping they don't notice. Most people are going to DNF and be screaming mad at you for it. And, considering how sneakily it was done – with no notice anywhere that this was part of another book-world – I'm one of those people, and you're going to get a lot more who feel the way I do.

I am entirely new to Tara Lain, as an author. I've heard people RAVE about her books for years, but just never had the time or the money to delve in. Now, I WON'T read another book by her. I read the trilogy preceding this book and wasn't in the least impressed. It was sex-mad and plot-thin. But, I stand by my promises for reviews, and I won't put myself through the frustration of reading a book I can't understand if I have the chance to help myself make sense of it. So, I wasted time, money and effort on reading the unimpressive Tales of the Harker Pack: a trilogy I gave an average of a 2* to.

NOW FOR THE BAD NEWS

I just spent the last two days reading the entire Tales of the Harker Pack trilogy and it was a complete waste of time. If I've spent the last few days doing that and still can't understand this novel, then NO ONE – especially a reader NEW to this series, these characters, and this author – will be able to either.

Jazz was a totally new person, compared to the one that had been introduced in book 2 of Harker Pack and continued to be a stable character into book 3. It can't be accounted for by his age, since he acts more like a child in this book than he ever did in the Harker Pack trilogy. I suspect this was deliberate, in an attempt to make this book more suitable for younger audiences, to make it more YA or NA than the full blown sex-mad adult novels of the previous trilogy. Whatever. I don't care. I DO care that he's a totally different person, who doesn't even seem remotely related to the Jazz I came to like during Harker Pack. There are cliches abound, for all the teenagers – who speak in slang, acronyms and act like children – and everyone on the planet is either an asshole or an asswipe. Jazz was more than this – BETTER than this – in the Harker Pack trilogy and it's a shame to see him being reduced to this facsimile of a stereotypical teen.

This book COULD have been great. It could have had great potential for the start of a new series, IF the author had just chosen a different main character. It could still have been a werewolf, still have been someone minor character from Harker Pack, but without the MAJOR ties to the other trilogy that meant that no one was going to be able to read this book, understand it, and follow it, without some major headaches and frustration.

What annoys me is that the book covers SO MUCH of the Harker Pack history in the first few pages. It tries to slip these 10 important characters from Harker Pack into the book as though it's any other introduction to a new character, only it ALSO tries to explain the very complex, and confusing history behind who they are, why they're related to Jazz, and what purpose they might have to the story. Which is basically zip. Jazz never had much to do with most of the MC's from Harker Pack bar two, so WHY....let me repeat that....WHY....mention them? Why drag us into the intricacies of Harker Pack when you could have just mentioned one or two people – like Lindsay and Seth – when they're not going to be all that important to Jazz's journey? Or, maybe I'm wrong and they are, BUT I never got the chance to find that out! Because there was such a web of confusion put over every page that it was impossible to untangle.

The story is littered with run-on sentences and info dumps, because the author is trying SO HARD to help people understand a world that was never that clear to begin with, and which is supposedly – by the title and blurb – unrelated to this one. It makes Jazz's story clunky and impossible to follow. The author's attempt, in the Author's Note, to justify this by saying the Harker Pack trilogy felt 'complete' doesn't wash, with me. I've just finished reading the three books and there is a WIDE OPEN COUNTRY of space where Jazz could have fitted in, without it being a challenge, if they'd only made the effort.

Worse still, we're introduced to new characters in that same frustrating way as kept happening throughout Harker Pack – with multi-POV's that are unnecessary and tell us NOTHING that makes sense, often in one-page or one-paragraph increments, asking us to care about characters we haven't even been introduced to yet, and with stupidly unlabelled “mysterious” POV's that have no character names whatsoever. As if it's such a big mystery, even though it doesn't make a lick of sense.

Then there's the aggravating fact that there is ZERO world building. We're just expected to step into this world, read the world “werewolf” and supposedly know and understand what everything means and what's happening. Just as it happened in the Harker Pack series. There's even the same terms used, that are never explained, like alphanta.

In the end, I was disappointed to see that there was no change to this world. Despite the years of growth the author has undoubtedly gone through since writing the Harker Pack trilogy, this book was a carbon copy of all its faults, with little redemption, and far too confusing for anyone to wade through. When every one but the almighty Harker/Vanessen Pack are written like carbon-copy villains, what's the point? Even the love interest seems far too familiar to characters from previous books, and has that stink of love-interest-and-possible-enemy all around him.

With so many books and not enough time in the world to read them all, I can't justify reading any more and wasting my time with a book that I can't follow and that I find boring. I'm left disappointed, angry, and I won't ever read another Tara Lain book again. #SorryNotSorry

[Erica Chilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads

DNF @12%: automatically rated 3-stars, simply because if this isn't rated, it might not be visible to those who click the reviews based on ratings.

When I see the first in a series, I assume it's the first in a series. If it's a spin-off or sister series, I hope the author/publisher gives the reader a heads up in the blurb or in the series title. This has happened so many times over the past few years, that I'm now starting to get angry.

A first in the series suggests I can open the novel and fall into it, without worrying about a series' worth of backstory, an already established universe directly woven into this series, info-dumps meant to spark the readers' recollections, and boatloads of confusion. Dozens upon dozens of characters named, not revealed in an organic pacing, with their stories told in quick succession, on how the current narrator ended up in the predicament he is in. That is NOT the first in a brand-new series.

Not only that, once I realize this is a continuation, I want to go back to the very beginning and read, yet those very info-dumps meant to remind readers what has happened in the past, they are nothing but giant spoilers ruining an entire series and the rest of the series I was attempting to start.

This is a warning to authors and publishers: STOP THIS. Mark this as a spin-off/sister series/re-branding. I am all for those things IF I realize such before it's too late. Remind new readers what book to read first in the blurb.

Don't market a brand-new series that spoils the previous one, as if only past readers are following along the journey.

This leaves a bad taste in new readers' mouths, sometimes creating an aversion to reading the author in general. The author may not realize the book is nothing but a giant spoiler for all those books the new reader failed to read, but the confusion is great and the resentment thickens.

[Calila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

This book straddles the 3 star/4 star line for me. I'm sure which side it really falls on. There's a lot of promise in the story, and the world is very intriguing. But for the first 50% or so of the book, I felt bogged down. There were so many threads being laid down that it felt like everything and nothing was happening. So many characters are introduced, so many plot points set up etc etc. I don't know, I felt like there was no focus...it could've been a bit more streamlined for my tastes. After a while though the momentum picks up and things get moving. It's it was fine, all the beats that I expected to be hit were hit. I kept hoping there'd be a twist coming but no, it played out exactly like set up on page one. I still feel like nothing as really answered except one fraction of the plot. I did like the characters. Jazz and Dash are pretty great as the "romance", though I wish it had a more solid foundation and more focus. Dash is perfect as the mysterious guy with questionable motives but ultimately a good guy. Jazz, poor Jazz, he has so many issues and I just want him to get all the answers he wants and people to stop dismissing his fears and hang ups. He needs a bazillion hugs. Dash'll volunteer I'm sure. The supporting cast were very likable, i.e. Carla, BeBop, Kadija. It was fun seeing most of the Vanessan pack again, but given the plot I wish they'd played a bigger role. They should've been more involved. I am interested in where the characters go from here and what happens next, especially since I hope the next book won't have so much infodump.

[Lena Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Embrace your differences and the qualities about you that you think are weird. Eventually, they're going to be the only things separating you from everyone else.” ~ Sebastian Stan

For as long as he can remember, Jazz Vannessen, of ‘Hidden Powers’ by Tara Lain, has felt out of place. Orphaned at an early age, Jazz is adopted by the Vannessen family, many of whom are werewolves and from that day on, Jazz is treated like their own flesh and blood. Jazz is doing his best to cope. The other males around him tease and resent him. He may not compare to their size, but he’s a “super wolf”, which means he has enhanced speed, hearing, and fire. Jazz is beginning to come into his own and accept his “superior wolfiness” when he’s faced with an even bigger challenge – new abilities are beginning to emerge. Jazz is bewildered and confused with no hope of understanding what’s happening until he meets Dash Mercury.

Dash is the nephew of Lysandra Mason, a renowned social activist whom Jazz admires. She turns up, along with Dash, at Jazz’s best friend, Carla’s house who just so happens to be the governor’s daughter. Carla and Dash have been friends for years, although since she knows that Jazz is gay, their relationship is very close but completely platonic. Jazz has his first magical experience at the gathering and is completely befuddled by it. Since the experience is inconceivable, he dismisses it as his imagination.

Jazz is scheduled to begin working as a summer intern with his Pop-Pop, grandfather Vanessen, at his company. He is delighted to discover that Carla will be working there as well. He’s even more surprised when Dash joins them. There are other talented interns, each with their own secrets. The group form a tight knit bond and call themselves the Superordinary Society. At first Dash doesn’t know that Jazz is a werewolf, much less a “super” one. He is there to observe Jazz because of the energy fluctuations Lysandra feels emanating from him. As Dash becomes closer to Jazz, their physical attraction ramps up. As hard as he tries, Dash has a difficult time resisting Jazz’s charms. Jazz feels the same way. As Dash watches Jazz exhibit his power, he is in awe. Since Jazz is distraught about what’s happening to him, Dash breaks down and explains. Jazz begs him to teach him as much as he can, as fast as he can. Dash knows he will be in trouble with Lysandra, but he can’t resist helping Jazz. When Jazz is kidnapped by a powerful dark entity, Dash and the Superordinary Society combine forces and rush in to rescue their friend.

Some of the characters are not new, especially to Tara’s fans and although reading the other series may enhance this one, it is not necessary. The ideas in this book may not be new in the classic sense, but, being a young adult series instead of an adult one like Tara’s other series, puts it in a different category altogether. I love Jazz and Dash and I’m thrilled with the introduction of magic and young love. Although Tara may make familiar Harry Potter references, I have a strong feeling that Tara’s Arcantaria will be nothing like Hogwarts! Bravo, Tara, for a brave move to a new literary challenge. I can’t wait to read what the boys get up to in the next book.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't the kind of book I expect to feel relieved to be over. It sounds a lot like my vibe. But it has so many cons I am having a hard time coming up with things I like about it.

First, this seems like sequel series to the Harker pack series, even though nowhere it says you should read that first, even on the book itself. Which means there is a ton of lore and previous characters that the author believes the reader must already know and thus doesn't explain. But also, part of me believes that this may be just a general issue as there are things unlikely to have shown up in the past series that don't get explained either but kind of get glossed over.

Second, it takes forever to lay down the plot. That explanation of what is going on and what the problem is and who the characters are before the characters start to act upon it? It takes between 35 to 40 percent of the book. Which means that by the time the characters have started to act I've already lost interest. Because there's too many plot points set up, and they're not all neat by the end.

Third, the timeline. Even though the book takes forever to set up the plot, all of the relationships happen on such a short amount of time its hard to feel them any sort of deep and meaningful. Outside of Jazz with his family, there is a level of depth missing out of every relationship in the book. Be it with romantic interest Dash (who barely gets time to interact with Jazz) to best friend Carla (whose relationship feels superficial even though they've been friends for years). It's even more hollow with the newly introduced characters and fellow interns BeBop and Khadija, who again don't get much meaningful interaction and feel like they're there because the plot needs them. After all, how much depth can you get in a period of about two weeks? It also gives very little to make the side characters meaningful.

Fourth, the romance. Jazz and Dash don't get much time to interact. So it's hard to believe they have much feelings between each other in spite of everything. They have so many secrets it's hard to believe they know enough of each other to like, let alone love, the other.

Fifth, the secrets. Part of the reason the plot takes forever to start moving is because everyone subscribes to "gaslight gatekeep girlboss" when it comes to power and information. So no one knows anything and no one shares anything but everyone has multiple secrets they're hiding under a dozen penalties and may or may not be shared at some point. Wether they're explained is also another matter. But that makes what little interactions the characters have to have yet more hollowness because everyone is hiding things and lying to the rest about it.

Sixth, and maybe the pettiest one, the slang. The teens in this book speak like an adult trying to make teen slang they picked off the internet work. Which makes all the conversations between the interns a cringefest. Fam, the youths do not sound like that. I'm not even sure all the slang is from the same generation of teens and doesn't take into account that many subcultures of teens use different slang. And as the slang is only thrown in when speaking to each other, it feels super unnatural. I shall reiterate. Cringe.

I have the sequel already sitting on my kindle. And I'm not sure I care about it enough to actually read it. I may give myself a break and think it through. But I ended this book with so little investment on the characters I'm not sure I'd be sad if most of them were to vanish for the sequel

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Superordinary Society certainly is just that - with magic, super powers, shapeshifting, and a world that is incredibly unique. There is real sexual tension between Jazz and Dash, but there is no truly steamy scene so I'd say this book is fine for younger teens. They have what I'd call a slow build and they are able to discover romance and love.

Jazz is the MC who was adopted into the Vanessan family and he must find ways to adapt to being a part of their family and find where he fits best. He's amidst a world of humans as well as werewolves, shapeshifters, and more. Jazz is different from others but it doesn't set him apart, and I love that he's so respectable and is able to acclimate to his situation.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.

In the first book in a spinoff from the Harker Pack books, Tara Lain introduces a whole new supernatural world and four kick ass heroes and heroines. The Superordinary Society is a mix of extraordinary young humans and supernatural characters with a range of skills and backgrounds. The four join forces during their internship at Vanessen Industries and quickly become inseparable. The hero of this first book is the youngest Vanessen, Jazz. As threats mount against him, Jazz’ friends rally to protect him from his enemies.

This book is brings together several UF genres while still feeling fresh and original. Think Harry Potter meets the League of Justice meets Twilight - with a little bit of Wonder woman mythology thrown into the mix. It sounds a bit strange but it’s a fun, exciting story and I loved the characters and their adventures.

This first book belongs to Jazz and he is a wonderfully complicated character. Much of the story revolves around Jazz finding his place as an adult within his adopted family and his pack. It’s also about the powers that set him apart from his werewolf family and the new sense of identity he finds with his friends in New York. While this is an action story, it’s also a story about Jazz growing up and growing into himself.

This book is marketed as a romance which is slightly frustrating. There is are a few steamy scenes and the very beginnings of a romance (one that has the potential to be amazing) but this is much more a story about friendship, family and adulting.

The one thing that seriously annoyed me about this book is the lack of mention in the blurb or on any sales/social media site that this is a spinoff from the Harker pack books. I haven’t read the first series so I spent the first few chapters where the focus is on the Harker pack scrambling to catch up. I hate it when authors and publishers don’t explicitly link spinoffs to original series. I will say that this book quickly becomes much more than a shifter story and it is Jazz’s friends, not his family, who take the starring roles in this book. New readers will understand 60% of this book and by the end they will be able to piece together the remaining 40%.

Aside from the spinoff frustration, I really loved the story and I’m eagerly anticipating the next book in the series. I want more from all of the Superordinary society - and I’m especially keen to know more of Khadija and Fatima’s sisterhood.

[Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookworms
*I received a free copy of [title] from [publisher] via ARC Publisher. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *

Hidden Powers wasn't exactly was I was expecting since I didn't realize it was YA/NA, but TLain exceeded any other expectations I had by taking on another facet of PNR - younger characters. The result was exciting, entertaining, and suspenseful!

I didn't realize that either, but I really loved that it was! Plus, it was nice to see some familiar characters from the Harker pack!

First things first, wifey... This is the start of a new series yet it's a spinoff of TLain's Harker series. I haven't read that series and while I did realize these characters had already been introduced but I never felt lost. And it certainly didn't take away from my enjoyment of Hidden Powers. I believe you've read the earlier series. Did you think that gave you a better understanding of what was going on? Did it make for a richer experience? I just want to let our readers know whether or not it'd be better to have read Harker.

Oh you haven't read that? You would love that series so much. It's really well done, and rather sexy and mysterious at times. There is a little bit of suspense in that one, too. And the characters are awesome! I loved seeing them again, and to me, the whole pack dynamics, and the problems they had with other packs were things I already knew.

TLain excels at creating a secondary cast that gives the MC's and the story texture and dimension. Hidden Powers proved that once again. Not only did we meet and get acquainted with the Superordinary Society - the compassion, support, dynamics between them all - but we also got to meet (or once again spend time with) the incredible family Jazz was adopted into. They're unique for sure, but he couldn't have asked for a better family. What did you think of the supporting cast?

I agree! I loved BeBop, Carla, Dij and Dash. Plus of course, the older wolves who live with Jazz. The whole cast of characters was very well done, and all the characters were multi dimensional, so that made for a fantastic story in my opinion.

To explore that topic a bit more, let's chat about all the members of the Superordinary Society. I really admire them all. They're all misfits in some way, right? And yet they fit together perfectly. Carla with her tenacity and strong will, Dij with her loyalty and secrets, BeBop with his snazzy way of dressing and speaking, and super intelligence and humor, Dash with his good will, good deeds, and secrets, and finally, Jazz in all his lanky, knobby, "weird" glory. Oh he had hidden powers and secrets galore. He's a gay werewolf, for goodness sake! I think in some way, each of them felt "alone", a common trait among teens. I admired how Dash put things in perspective when they were choosing a name for their group:

"Yes, it means exactly what the name implies. Outside or beyond ordinary." He held up a finger. "That's even better than beyond the natural, don't you think?"

And I appreciated how TLain brought these five together so they could use their strengths for a common goal. How did you see this group of superordinary individuals?

I loved that they were more than ordinary, but not outside of what is natural or normal! Because so many people feel like they're on the outside looking in - they just don't realize they're not the only ones feeling that way. I found their little group to be truly awesome! They were very diverse, but they still clicked from the first time they met. And their loyalty made me really happy, of course.

The supernatural and suspense elements were well done. It was interesting how the supes came together and why. I enjoyed how TLain conveyed the powers of these supes, how they were revealed, and the number of different supernatural elements there were in this world. I also liked how TLain built suspense around the main plot in Hidden Powers, used a fair amount of action to do it, and answered some questions in this first book. But she also built more suspense via an overarching plot. I mean, I know I'm going to read the next installment because I *need* answers to my questions. What did you think about these elements?

I loved how many different supes she included too, and how they all had specific parts to play in a way. The suspense was so well done - because every little thing was revealed in its own time. I think that Jazz not fully knowing who or what he was made that even better. Of course, coming to terms with everything wasn't easy - but he had his whole family at his back. Cheering him on and always loving and supporting him.

TLain seems to be adept at weaving in messages of sorts in her stories. Whether or not that's intentional, I don't know. But I always find hidden meaning. In Hidden Powers, she touched on teen emotions of loneliness. She also touched on prejudices against sexual orientation. And she hinted at feelings and emotions surrounding adoption - that feeling of "not belonging". I admired that she also incorporated "finding oneself" as well. Did you find these messages powerful? Did you see other hidden messages?

I couldn't agree more! She always finds a way to bring more to the story than 'just' the storyline and the plot. I think those feelings of being utterly alone are very important to think about. Teenage years are kind of weird that way. So many changes in our lives, and our bodies. And somehow, it felt like everything that happened only happened to me. The way all these characters felt like outsiders, but still managed to be there for each other made it even more powerful to read about.

Overall, I felt Hidden Powers had a strong and well developed cast of characters and storyline. I'm eager for more from Jazz and his gang of misfits. How about you, wifey?

I hope the next book will be released before too long! I loved Jazz, and I really want to know more about him. I'm also very, very curious about both Dij and Carla. I think there's more to Carla than what meets the eye, if you know what I mean ;)��

  

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4 stars

Hidden Powers is the first book in the Superordinary Society series, which is a hybrid of shifter romance and magical elements. It’s a spin-off of the author’s Tales of the Harker Pack series. For those who’ve read those novels, there are many scenes with those MCs helping Jazz through some of the trials of this story.

This was an interesting story and I did like it. For me, there was a lot going on, too much at times. The shadowy bad guy seems to be working several angles at once, using different players on the chess board. It got a little overwhelming, especially with all the characters. There was a cast of 30+ people here and it got a bit tedious remembering who was whom when we barely saw them after being introduced. Jazz needs to come to terms this his identity, one that Dash helps his to navigate—magically when necessary. The author describes the book as a cross between a shifter romance and Harry Potter, and I felt that was a good disclaimer. I liked the magical elements and how they built as Jazz learns more control and gains skill. His novice attempts at using magic are filled with stumbling blocks to the point Jazz isn’t even certain he’s conjuring situations to his own liking or benefit.

Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.

[Duncan Husky]

DNF at 27%. Maybe if I’d read the Harker pack books this would be more interesting, but I just don’t care about these people or what happens to them. Time to move on.

[Nathan]

Got a little Teen Titans towards the end--I gave up when they spent a few pages trying to name their super group.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shifters, magic, and an evil overlord with plans for world domination are all jam packed in this masterful story of family, friendship and love.

Jazz swears he sees apparitions and he faints at inopportune times and of course he has to meet the hottest guy ever while his life is in a blender. It was hard to stop myself from chewing my nails off. What IS going on in this world? There are so many threads to pull and unravel and stuff we learn that just made me sink deeper and argh! Tara structured this novel so well, when you think you know what the end game is, the next scene is like a "Wait! There is more! moment and you get pulled down a different path with even more magic and crazy. Such a cool thing.

This story is a bit of a departure from Tara's norm and that is great for us. We still get magic, beautiful boys and her trademark HEA'S (HFN for Hidden) and funny tshirt sayings. Pop-pop's fave sweatshirt says "Some people are gay. Get over it." Lol. We also see the seamless blend of different cultures in unexpected ways, Bebop's uncle is a revelation. So awesome!

While you do not have to read the other books to enjoy this one - it is a standalone - I recommend picking up the other series, too. Werewolves, power, money and hot alphas? So much soap opera history is buried in Hidden Powers you will have so much fun unraveling it.

* Advanced copy provided for an honest review.

[MariF]

DNF at 21%.
I'm sorely disappointed with this book. It starts with the info dump and proceeds to nowhere. I could not make sense of the plot though I did read Harker Pack series. I've got bored with the flowery telling, teenage lingo and simplified sentences that maybe cater to the younger audience?

This review best explains all my issues with the book and reasons I DNF'd: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Hwm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m used to better quality from this author. This is just badly written. Infodumps, awkward teen slang, plot holes and logic leaps ... . I also didn’t care for the love story which clearly wasn’t the focus of this story. Actually, I don’t think you can call this paranormal romance.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

If your 3rd grader decided to become an author and write a book and her 1st grade cousin was the editor it would be PhD material compared to the drivel I suffored through. Thank all the gods I got this at the library and didn't waste a single dime

[books are love · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received in exchange for a honest review.

Tara lain has written a very interesting and attention grabbing book. What I like the most is that this is different from other of her books for it deals with late teens boys and doesn’t have steamy scenes. We get more exploration of who we are, friendship, family, love, loyalty and discovery of self. We have attraction between Jazz and Dash and it shows us how strong and deep it is and we get one intimate scene but not where we have full intimacy but where our imaginations can take us further but the characters do not.

The story itself is one that builds up the characters, the tension between packs and different worlds, the exploration of different paranormal worlds, friendships and adult learning from those younger than them.

Jazz is a great main character. He was taken in by the Vanessan pack after Lindsey meets him at the Polo grounds. He is given love and family. His bestie is the governor’s daughter and he keeps her out of trouble. The Vanessan pack is one that accepts and embraces whoever you choose to be. They are powerful and all the wolves in the pack are alpha superwolves. I say the wolves because this pack accepts humans in their midst and the wolves are married to humans and panthers. They are a loving, caring, loyal and protective group who accepts Jazz and encourages him to find his way and be who he wants for they will love him no matter what. Only Jazz knows he is different from the others and it makes him feel out of place. This difference is seen throughout the book but with the way Tara Lain has written it, it isn’t a detriment but a unique and wonderful thing.

Dash is not like Jazz but is different in his own way. When they first meet, Dash knows there is something different and powerful about him. So does his mistress, so he gets close to Jazz. Only he didn’t expect to find a amazing and honorable person in Jazz. He also didn’t expect to gain a group of loyal and kind friends and fall in love with jazz. It’s a love that both feel will last and one that has you smile as they find their way to figuring out how they feel and where they belong.

Both are greats for their place in their world. They also belong together and help one another. As do their amazing group of friends that become a group when they start working together at Jazz’s grandfather’s company. Weird things happen and it is due to what people want Jazz for. The build up and anticipation to it all coming to a peak is well written and the plot and characters really keep you in the story.

Tara lain has created a fun, adventurous, and dangerous story with a plot that has several directions it goes in. Characters such as Jazz and DAsh who you just love. Fun ones like Bebop and Carla. DJ who surprises you. And characters from previous books that you loved before and continue to love in this book. If you were looking for the steam of her past books this isn’t for you. This is a YA/NA book. There is a little steam but not full blown intimacy. The intimacy in this book comes from the connection between Jazz and Dash. The intimacy of best friends and family is seen as well. There is some history from past books so although this is a new series it has spinoff qualities due to this. Do our teens talk in cliches like teens today? Yes but this shows that even though in many ways they are mature they are still teens. Teens trying to figure things out and find their way. Teens who accept each other no matter what and band together to do what is right and fight the wrongs around them. We get to see family love and bonds, friendship and love shine through. And we get a romance and the start of a fun series with adorkable characters.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hidden Powers is a fun sweet YA paranormal fantasy spin off from the author’s Harker Pack series. I love that there is a m/m love interest reminiscent of Vanyel from Mercedes Lackey’s Last Herald Mage series (which I absolutely adore). The heroes and heroines of the newly formed Superordinary Society are in their late teens early 20’s except BeBop he is 15 going on 40. These extraordinary young folks are going to change the world. I enjoyed watching them come together and can’t wait to see where they take us going forward. If you like paranormal YA this book is for you.

[Kaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

magic... paranormals.. wolves... love... fun times.. sexy characters.. lots of interesting storylines going.. fun things going on.. it was just all around an amazing and fun thing to read. i cant wait to read book 2

[Patricia Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!! In my opinion, this was a richly detailed, powerful, engaging, grab-you-by-the-feels, awesome, fast paced, action packed, fantastic, and totally awesome start to an intriguing new series.

[Joscelyn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tara Lain has once again given readers a well-written tale. This is an amazing series starter. The great cast of characters (main and secondary) and the engaging storyline, that kept me guessing, made this a page turning read. A very enjoyable read and I am so looking forward to the next book in the series.

*I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book*

[CarVee · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF yet. I'm going to try to power through the rest since there is only 3 chapters left. I would have been mad if I had spent money on this book, but luckily I had found it in my library and decided to give it a go (this was a mistake).

There was potential for this book, but unfortunately, too much fell flat for me. I do mention specific things I dislike in this review that could be seen as spoilers, fair warning.

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST BOOK. I kept checking to see if it was the first, which it is labeled as, and nothing said it was a spin-off so I stopped looking; and I wished I had read the reviews to have known that it was. The first 25% of this book makes zero sense because you get dumped with way too much character and world-building information that you might have known and understood better if you were aware of and read the previous series.

The plot of this story could have been good, but it's so childishly written at times that I kind of felt I was reading mediocre free fiction. The need for the slang and over-emphasis of them being teens is just tough to swallow.

Things that were unnecessary and my pet peeves:

1)There isn't really a reason for the info dump on his family - they barely participate in the story. EVEN THOUGH it totally would have made sense for Jazz to involve them. Like, I can't recall how many times I thought: why isn't he telling them anything? Why doesn't he just come clean? Why don't they ask his family for help? Hello, super supportive family that loves this idiotic MC, where you at? Plotwise, this made no sense.

2) His best friend Carla. Carla is introduced as this badass, strong female character, who is beautiful, smart, and strong. But then, in the middle of the book, she just becomes annoying. She's whiny and cries for reasons that made me feel she was having hormonal issues, and she just becomes immature. Like, these are independent young adults about to start college. Every time she popped up I had the urge to yell "sit down Carla and go away!". When they create their little superhero society, from then on she keeps whining she's boring and human and it was one of those "could you shut up moments". Another character introduced later IS a BAMF woman named Khadija. Love her way more than Carla.

3) Shitty Twilight gets mentioned WAY TOO MUCH. GTFO. Just, no. Granted this is a pet peeve of mine, and may not bother anyone else.

4) The pacing of events really bothers me too, but that is also just a pet peeve of mine. Plus, there are a fair few redundant moments that were missed in editing that annoyed me more than they normally.

5) I mentioned this book had potential. It's like the start of a great invention that never gets put into practice and created. The plot falls flat and there aren't any big moments where you feel like you read a story with an amazing climax that makes you want to read it again. With about 2 and a 1/2 chapters left I already see how this book will end and I can't wait for it to be done because its been pretty disappointing.

Overall I do not recommend it.

[Susana · Rating 3 out of 5]

When life gets complicated, it is good to have a pack to support you, whether it is you family or your friends….
Jazz Vanessen’s life should be good, but the weird stuff that keeps happening around him makes him wonder if there is something wrong with him. The summer before the leaves for college, and while working as an intern for his family’s company, he discovers a plot to harm his family, finds out there are more supernaturals around that he ever thought, fends off an attempt at an arranged marriage and survives a dangerous kidnapping, and he even manages to fall in love… Talk about an eventful summer!
I have mixed feelings about this story. On the one hand, the plot is entertaining, and the characters, albeit a bit childish and too archetypical, are likeable. The problem is the excess of information that is crammed in the first chapters. I’ve read the Tales of the Harker Pack, and even though I was familiarised with the characters I was being introduced, I found the chapters too confusing. I think it would have been better to skip most of the information, and let the reader find out the information all long the story. The impression that I got was too much information, not easy to assimilate. As I said, I’ve read the books where these characters appear, and I knew what I was been talked about. I cannot imagine how disheartening those chapters would be for somebody new to the characters.
But for that, as I said, the story is entertaining, although it seems to have been written with teenagers in mind as potential readers. Young adult is not my thing, but I enjoyed most of it, anyway. In the line of the author’s other stories, there are the beautiful boys and their HEAs, although that HEA is a HFN in this book
Recommended for readers of the Harker Pack stories, and young adults who enjoy paranormal romance.

[Neta · Rating 3 out of 5]

My biggest issue with this book is that I felt like there were too many characters to follow. I constantly felt like this is a book in the middle of a series and I missed events that happened in other books. So much so that I looked and DID find there is a series from a few years ago by Tara about some of Jazz's pack-brothers. There were a lot of people to keep track of with complex connections and I was just confused. It needed to be more clear to readers who did not read the other books, or not as prominent in the plot.
The story itself was fine, with Tara's signature humor and sassy attitude, but there were too many secrets and things Jazz didn't say even though the situation was dangerous and he needed help. It was fun and I enjoyed it but was also a bit annoyed by the intentional hiding of important facts that kept the characters from getting to the root of the mystery.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I did. LGBTQ+, YA, werewolves, and intrigue, are all excellent ingredients to an adventure I want to go on.
My main issue is no knowing anything about the characters. If you hadn’t read any of the author’s other books, you’re going to be as lost as I was. As this was the ‘first’ in a new series, I didn’t think I’d be scrambling to figure out who all these people were. It’s a very established world and if you didn’t know that, you’d get frustrated like I did.
I also had an issue with the language used. I’m not old by any means, I’m 30, and I read YA regularly across many genres. It was off putting to me. Not even in TV shows, do writers use that much ‘teen’ language.
Will I be reading the next in the series? No. It just disappointed me entirely.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this spinoff from the Harker pack. Jazz was a great character. I felt for him as he struggled with these strange things going on around him. He's always felt different and was unsure why. His adoptive family has always been so supportive, but he doesn't feel like he fits in anywhere but with them. He knows that they love him.

I liked this new group of young friends. The expanded world with magic thrown in was a lot of fun. This group was entertaining and I wanted to spend more time with them. They were a group of intelligent young people just finding their feet together and fighting for the good. I liked the start of things between Jazz and Dash as well. I look forward to seeing how that develops.

[smatchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t love this book, and struggled to finish it. As the relationship between Jazz and Dash heated up, it got slightly more interesting but only slightly.
Right off the bat, I felt lost with a bunch of characters that it seemed like I should know, but didn’t. I haven’t read the author’s other books about Jazz’s family. I dislike feeling confused from the get-go.
The dialog between Jazz and Carla was annoying and made them seem younger than they are supposed to be.
I got this book as part of an ARC for the second book but I don’t really want to read book 2 now…argh!

[Karolina Cebula · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 stars*

"Hidden Powers" is the first volume of the "Superordinary Society" series by Tara Lain, which completes the author's previous series, "Tales of the Harker Pack." This is important information because a reader who knows "Tales of the Harker Pack" will find it much easier to enter "Hidden Powers". Unfortunately, in my case, I had to follow this more difficult path. So be warned that when reading "Hidden Powers", you need to be patient and open-minded at the beginning to accommodate all the information concerning important characters, events, and complexities of the world. It can be done and I think it's really worth it.

Now let's get down to business. The difference between this novel and other stories written by Tara Lain that I've read is that it is addressed to a reader who enters adulthood - a young adult. And this is an undoubted advantage of this book. Contrary to appearances, there are not so many urban fantasy novels for young people (I do not include paranormal romances in this group), and certainly not many stories with LGBT + main characters. I believe it should encourage readers to read "Hidden Powers" and recommend this novel to others.

In "Hidden Powers" I really like the theme of talents that the young hero has to master, with which he has to get used to. After all, at eighteen, most of us dreamed of being special, so this is a theme that undoubtedly appeals to the readers. What's even more important, the discovered powers are the problem here, not the hero's sexuality. Nevertheless, Jazz has to find himself within himself, embrace all of himself and find his way. So tell me, how can you say no to such a novel?

All in all, "Hidden Powers" is a book worth giving a chance. After a little difficult beginning, it does get interesting and the story itself is valuable to the reader. The characters also have their irresistible charm, so you need to get to know them.

______________________

„Hidden Powers” jest pierwszym tomem serii „Superordinary Society” autorstwa Tary Lain, która dopełnia poprzednią serię autorki, „Tales of the Harker Pack”. Jest to o tyle istotna informacja, że czytelnikowi znającemu „Tales of the Harker Pack” o wiele łatwiej będzie wejść w „Hidden Powers”. Niestety w moim przypadku musiałam podążać tą trudniejszą drogą. Ostrzegam więc, że czytając „Hidden Powers” musicie na początku uzbroić się w cierpliwość i zachować otwarty umysł, aby pomieścić wszystkie istotne postaci, wydarzenia oraz zawiłości świata. Da się to zrobić i myślę, że naprawdę warto.

A teraz przejdźmy do konkretów. Tę powieść od innych znanych mi napisanych przez Tarę Lain różni fakt, iż jest skierowana do czytelnika, który wchodzi w okres dorosłości, a więc młodego dorosłego. I to jest niewątpliwym plusem tej książki. Wbrew pozorom nie ma aż tak wielu powieści urban fantasy dla młodzieży (nie wliczam do tej grupy paranormalnych romansów), a już na pewno niewiele jest tego typu historii, których bohaterowie zaliczają się do środowiska LGBT+. Już to powinno więc być dla czytelników zachętą do przeczytania „Hidden Powers” i polecenia tej powieści innym.

W „Hidden Powers” bardzo podoba mi się motyw talentów, które młody bohater musi opanować, z którymi musi się oswoić. W końcu będąc w wieku osiemnastu lat większość z nas marzy o tym, by być kimś wyjątkowym, toteż jest to motyw, który niewątpliwie przemawia do czytelników. Tym bardziej, że to właśnie odkrywane moce są tu problemem, nie zaś seksualność bohatera. Niemniej jednak, Jazz musi odnaleźć siebie w sobie, objąć całego siebie i odnaleźć swoją drogę. I jak tu nie sięgnąć po taką powieść?

Podsumowując, „Hidden Powers” jest książką, której warto dać szansę. Po ciężkim początku, naprawdę robi się interesująco, a sama historia jest wartościowa dla czytelnika. Bohaterowie również mają swój nieodparty urok, więc musicie ich poznać.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review available at: https://optimumm.blog/2019/04/13/revi...

Hidden Powers is the first book in a brand new series called Superordinary Society by Tara Lain. This is the first paranormal book that I’ve read by Tara Lain. I love reading her contemporary books, and so I thought that I would give this one a try. I liked it and thought that it was a good start to a promising new series. I figured with it being a young adult book that it would be light on the romantic side of things, and so it was, which is fine. I liked the chemistry that developed between two of the main characters and will be excited to see how their relationship progresses in the next book.

I normally like the author’s writing style, but I found this one to have a lot of information about Jazz’s pack and their backstory and how they were all related to each other. And I found it hard to keep track of who was who and why all of the info that was given was important to the book. I agree with another reviewer’s review about how this part could have been forgone at the beginning of the novel and would have preferred to see more background on how Jazz and his best friend Carla had essentially grown up together and how they got to be so close as friends. I agree with the reviewer that more time invested in their relationship and how it evolved would have been more beneficial to the story.

Since this is a new series, I did spend most of the book trying to figure out who were the bad guys and who were the good guys. I was so happy that some of the people that I thought were going to be the bad guys ended up being the good guys. I was also hoping that the villain in the story wasn’t going to end up being one of Jazz’s biological parents or biologically being related to him since he’s adopted and doesn’t know where he gets his special powers from in addition to being an alpha werewolf. This wasn’t confirmed in any way in the book, so I’m hoping that we find out more about Jazz’s biological parents in the next book.

I liked the storyline of the book. I liked how Jazz is starting an internship at his family’s company and is going to work his way up in the company as opposed to going to university and then coming in as a CEO or some other high-ranking individual. I also liked how he became friends with his fellow interns, Carla, BeBop, Fatima, Dash, and Khadija and how they each have different powers and abilities that complement each other. They end up forming a group that they call The Superordinary Society and vow to help others in need.

I liked how the story progressed after getting through the beginning, and I think I will like the second book in the series a lot more now that I know who the important characters are and what their goals are. I look forward to seeing more of the members of the Superordinary Society and what forces of evil they conquer next. Overall, a good start to a promising new series.

***The ARC was provided by Dreamspinner Press. My review is an honest opinion of the book ***

[Maijie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hidden Powers is the first book in the Superordinary Society series. Though the book can be read on its own, having read Tales of the Harker Pack series would definitely make the experience of reading this book much better.

When I started reading this, I was actually surprised by the age of the main protagonist and I had to check under which category this was written for. I saw that it was a NA book and things suddenly made more sense after knowing that.

Jazz Vanessen has always been a little different even in a family known for their strangeness. He is a Super Alpha but there is something more in him that sets him apart. When weird events he can't explain start happening, he begins questioning himself and doubts set in. Dash Mercury is a protégé and one of the best young mages of his age. He had been tasked to observe and report his findings about Jazz who had been become an interest to the magical authorities. Keeping it secret from Jazz is getting harder as Dash slowly falls for the young werewolf. As trouble erupts around them, Dash and Jazz with the rest of their friends need to trust and help each other in order to save their love ones and the world.

Hidden Powers is an interesting story with a mix of the supernatural and a bit of mystery. From what has been shown of the lore, the world is an intriguing one. The world building is good and the characters are interesting, unique and complex. Though each character fits a certain stereotype, they still stand out. The plot of the story is quite interesting with just enough clues thrown around to keep the reader hooked. It has some fast-paced action with enough breathing room in between. The romance isn't the main focus of the story so if that would be the one thing you'd be looking for, then this might disappoint you in that department. The story did do a good job of exploring what it means to doubt one's self and question who one really is despite being surrounded by loving people who do not judge one for their peculiarity.

The romantic relationship between Dash and Jazz could've used a bit more development especially on Dash's side. It did feel a bit rushed somehow but hopefully the second book could fix this. Also, there was too much information dump in the beginning about Jazz's family, the pack, the werewolves, and other stuff that it can get a bit overwhelming for the reader. Spacing them out in between chapters could've helped. Some of the pop culture references and some of the slang used though familiar to me as a reader, might confuse other people who are not exposed or aware of those terms.

Still, Hidden Powers is a nice start for the Superordinary Society Series. It is has a strong, well-developed and likeable cast and a gripping storyline. This would be a 4.25 stars out of 5 stars.

I received an ARC of this book via GRR and I have chosen to publish my fair and honest review.