Book Review: Gifted and Talented

Gifted and Talented by Olivie Blake caught my eye because I was one of those gifted kids, so when they were gifted with magic and gifted as in expected to succeed but burned out as adults, I had to read it. 

Gifted and Talented follows three siblings in the immediate aftermath of their billionaire father's death. Each is waiting to see who inherited what, particularly their father's magical/technology company. Eldest Meredith followed in her father's footsteps, inventing tech to make people happy, if only her father had invested in it, and if only it worked. Arthur is a young congressman in an open/poly marriage situation that he keeps secret, but not as secret as his unpredictable magic problem. Last is Eilidh, who spent her recent years working directly for her father and pining after her father's administrative assistant. She's a burned out ballerina with a plagues-of-Egypt problem. So, who will inherit their father's company and fortune?

This book was a deep study of these characters, which was an interesting style. I liked the concept of magic and technology melding together as well. I appreciated this book included multi-racial main characters and several different LGBTQ characters.

This book suffered from a pacing problem. I knew the set up was who inherits, but turns out that's the entire premise. Usually a question like that gets you to the second act, then you see what happens from whatever choice was made. This book spent the entire time asking the inheritance question. It didn't delve into the magic system enough for me to enjoy it as a fantasy either. I also was not a huge fan of the semi-omniscient POV chapters sprinkled throughout.

This book is for you if you prefer to have more literary flavor in your speculative novels, if you want a family drama, or if you identify with the burned out gifted kids. It's not for you if you prefer a more fantasy flavored speculative novel, if you want a more epic scope, or if you can't muster the will to care about billionaire inheritance drama in this economy. 


Have you read Gifted and Talented? What about Blake's other books? Let's discuss in the comments!