This book is terrific! The Exceptionals is incredibly amazing to read. This might be very good to watch and will surely be trending. The author will be very proud of making this successful book. Many readers have reviewed this and posted different feedback including good and bad. It just prove that they patronized the product of Erin Cashman. Also this book tested the love of family and friends of Claire about her secret gift. I have learned something about this, and that is, accepting the fact, enjoying the life you have and give importance to your uniqueness. Though this book had an open ending, I am sure that the reader want more books form the author and will surely continue to read. ( )

Erin's writing is beautiful and fluid, and while this sounds a bit like some other books out there, it's deeper, richer, and more finely drawn. Claire is a wonderful character and there's a bit of her in all of us: the ordinary girl in extraordinary circumstances who is afraid to admit that perhaps she isn't so ordinary after all.

I adored Claire and the premise of the book. I love the setting and the way that Erin weaves everything together. Readers will eat this up like a bowlful of dessert. ( )

If you're looking for a quick, easy read, The Exceptionals is a good choice. While I didn't find it amazing or anything, The Exceptionals was a solid read. It gets three stars from me for two reasons. First, even though I enjoyed reading it, it wasn't a story that really, to me, stood out as a 're-read'. Second, it's another book that sets up a series, which would be fine, but it doesn't look like the publisher has picked it up as a series. Don't get me wrong, there is a complete story, but even with that, it felt like there should be more.

Regardless of my 'issues' with The Exceptionals, I would totally recommend it to younger YA readers or those looking for a female driven young adult novel. ( )

The Exceptionals by Erin Cashman is a fantasy adventure for pre-teens through young adult readers. The main character, Claire Walker is an ordinary high school student at public school. Her father is a professor, and her mother is the vice-principal at Cambial Academy: a boarding school for students who have special abilities and talents. The students at Cambial do not have magical abilities, but rather exceptional and sometimes a bit paranormal qualities.

I really liked Claire, and her new friends at Cambial. I could empathize with her wanting to keep her special gift a secret. Her relationship with her mother and siblings, as well as some of the other students made the story more realistic and interesting to me. The mystery surrounding the missing students kept my interest til the very end.

I liked how the author made sure that the ending was both a dramatic finish to the story, but also left it open just enough to make the reader want more. I really enjoyed reading this book, and hope the author writes a sequel. A great story for ages 12 and up, in my opinion. ( )

Purchased - 4½ stars/5 stars
Review by Leisha O’Quinn

Claire Crane Walker knows she isn’t as talented as the rest of her family: her mother is a truth seeker, her father is a math genius/code breaker, her older brother is telekinetic, and her younger sister can commune with the dead. All Claire can do is hear the thoughts of animals, a skill that makes her feel like a fraud since can’t really prove her abilities to those around her. Consequently, Claire has always resisted enrolling in Cambial, a school for the supremely gifted and talented and a school that was founded and still run by her family. But, after an ill-fated night with her “normal” friends, Claire finds herself in the one place she never wanted to be, at Cambial.

For Claire, life at Cambial seems like a life of misery and doom (of course it does, she’s a melodramatic 15-year-old girl); she has convinced everyone around her, including her truth seeker mother, that she has lost her ability to hear animals. As it turns out Claire’s ability is going to come in quite handy as she, her brother and sister, and a select group of friends begin a desperate search for Cambial’s Exceptionals. The Exceptionals are Cambial’s best and brightest, those who wield enormous skill, talent, and intelligence and they are being picked off one by one by a very powerful and very secretive source. For Claire and her friends, honing their skills and uncovering this malevolent source is critical as they are slowly but surely losing members of their inner circle.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this YA novel. Here’s what I liked:
1 The cast of characters: The kids are actually kids and teenagers and they act like kids and teenagers. In a great many YA novels, the kids and teenagers are just mini-adults and are often involved in very adult situations. In many instances I find myself wondering “Where the Hell are their parents?” Cashman provides us with a group of kids who still have a great sense of wonder and enthusiasm; they are all still stoked by what they are learning and able to accomplish. These young characters are refreshing in that they worry about missing curfew, being caught and punished for their transgressions, and disappointing their peers and parents alike.
Of the group I particularly enjoyed Claire’s can-do attitude, Henry’s intelligence and his enthusiasm, Billy’s perseverance, and little Charlotte’s general attitude of haughtiness.
Among the animals that populated the story I was quite drawn to Ferana the hawk and her great sense of protectiveness and dignity. There was also Tabby the cat; that cat was just wretched and awful and I really liked her. As with the human characters, Cashman created real and distinct personalities in the animals that played a larger role in the story.

2 The Plot: The plot was quite entertaining, well-paced, and just a tiny bit creepy. Students and faculty alike are disappearing from a highly exclusive and even more highly secluded school and no one seems to know how or why this is happening. Turns out the disappearances may be linked to Cambial’s past and a long thought dead disgruntled ex-professor by the name of Wilder. It takes every ounce of ability on the part of Claire (yes, she finally fesses up to actually having a talent) and all her friends to uncover the plot and save the day. The kids are clever, daring, and more than a little courageous. Between classes, curfews, and the saving of the world, the kids form strong bonds with one another that serve to strengthen their friendship and the plot. The plot unfolds at a decent pace with plenty of action and moments between the action which allows the reader to catch up on some of the major characters, their backstories and the history of Cambial.

In order to be completely fair, I do have a couple of issues with The Exceptionals and both of those issues involve the same character, Dylan. From the beginning, Dylan just wasn’t right; he was far too eager to get close to Claire and far, far too nosy about her presence in the forest. My other issue with Dylan has to do with how rapidly his relationship with Claire developed. Even in the land of make believe, I found it completely unreasonable how quickly Claire and Dylan’s attachment to one another formed. With this being said, these two issues didn’t really detract from my overall enjoyment of the book. I say the following in the most laudatory manner: The Exceptionals is a bit like the Scooby Gang meets the X-Men and I am quite excited for the possibility of more of The Exceptionals! ( )