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Freakling (Psi Chronicles #1)

by Lana Krumwiede (Goodreads Author)

3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 · rating details · 235 ratings · 79 reviews

In twelve-year-old Taemon’s city, everyone has a power called psi—the ability to move and manipulate objects with their minds. When Taemon loses his psi in a traumatic accident, he must hide his lack of power by any means possible. But a humiliating incident at a sports tournament exposes his disability, and Taemon is exiled to the powerless colony.

The "dud farm" is not wh...more

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published October 9th 2012 by Candlewick Press

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May 05, 2012 Kyra rated it 5 of 5 stars

I just finished Freakling and I thought it was a fabulous story. The book is debuting in October, but I received an advanced copy from a teacher at my school who went to a book convention in Chicago. I was ecstatic to read a book that has yet to be published but little did I know that the plot and characters would be so multi-dimensional and intriguing that I hardly put it down. The main character, Taemon, is a boy with great intellect and deep thoughts. I applaud Lana Krumwiede for her descript...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Chris Sorensen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Actual review is 4.5 out of 5

The premise of 'Freakling' is what drew me in. Young boy, just starting his teenage years, lives in a city where everybody has the same power - that's a pretty good twist. The power to move things with your mind - psi - is also intriguing in how Krumwiede applies it to the book; not only does it serve as a useful tool for action, but it also has a more symbolic purpose as well. Is it possible for somebody to "lose their identity" when everybody has the same identity...more Actual review is 4.5 out of 5

The premise of 'Freakling' is what drew me in. Young boy, just starting his teenage years, lives in a city where everybody has the same power - that's a pretty good twist. The power to move things with your mind - psi - is also intriguing in how Krumwiede applies it to the book; not only does it serve as a useful tool for action, but it also has a more symbolic purpose as well. Is it possible for somebody to "lose their identity" when everybody has the same identity (i.e. psi). Very interesting premise.

Writing characters that use their minds to move things seems no easy task to me, but Krumwiede does a good job of making it visual. She has built a very dystopic, interesting world full of people who have become self-gratifying and almost prideful in their power. As soon as the story starts, their is tension, especially between Taemon and his older brother, Yens. Yens is possibly the True Son, the one who has been prophesied about to help bring balance, and he is a die hard psi worshiper. He has no use for Taemon and his weak ways. As a MG novel, Krumwiede does a great job pulling the reader in and having them be able to relate to the characters. As the book progresses, more characters are introduced: the town leader who wants control, the girl that is a friend but possibly something more, the best friend, the quirky neighbor who might not be what they seem. All of these characters are served well in the book and are given a unique voice by the author.

I also love the names in the book. They are very personal and help to bring you into the story. For example, Taemon calls his parents "mam" and "da"; just that subtle use really helps with setting the stage and drawing you into the world. There is something personal, deep about it. Authentic.

As the story progresses and we follow Taemon at home, through school, and the conflict that ensues, the pacing is good and the conflict builds and doesn't seem forced. And the book is not just all action. As with any good MG book, Krumwiede desires to get the reader to think. I love the contrast between the so-called "easy" life of those who have psi, and the perceived "duds" in the non-psi colony. Those with psi have been taught to believe they are better than the those without. The thought being how can someone without psi have a happy, productive life with they actually have to "do" something. Taemon, and reader, grow through the story to a better understanding of what is fundamentally important.

While I really liked the ending, and felt it held true to the story, I felt it was rushed and ended too fast (which might actually be a good thing, because I wanted it to keep going). I wanted it to have a little more closure, a little more time to take a step back and digest everything that had just happened, instead of being more like a cliffhanger. I don't know if that's what the author's intents were, that's just how it felt to me (and the only reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars). But otherwise, the ending was very satisfying and, honestly, I did not see it coming (which is always good):-)

A very strong, debut novel with an interesting premise and great world. Even though the premise seems to trend more toward boy readers, I say the psi-centric premise and the relationships in the book make it a great read for boys and girls and will give them a lot to think about.(less)

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Apr 11, 2013 Diana Gagliardi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow! I grabbed this on a whim at lunch and am so glad I did!

In my mind it is a fantasy version of Ender's Game. In a world of psi with a religion based on the coming of the True Sun, no one touches. Knowledge is hidden and any "duds" are sent away from the city to a village where all work with their hands. In this world, Taemon can do something no one else can; he "mind wanders" into objects, seeing how they work and using this knowledge to give his psi power over things he hasn't even studied....more

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Nov 30, 2012 Melissa Prange rated it 2 of 5 stars

In the future, Deliverance is a haven for those with psi (or telekinesis). Those without psi are forced to live in an outer community for those without powers.

At the beginning of the book, Taemon has psi, but he also has the ability to see into the workings of things. This ability makes him different and places him in trouble. If the leaders of their community were to find out, he could be placed in an asylum or banished. It doesn’t come to that, however, because after a failed attempt on his br...more In the future, Deliverance is a haven for those with psi (or telekinesis). Those without psi are forced to live in an outer community for those without powers.

At the beginning of the book, Taemon has psi, but he also has the ability to see into the workings of things. This ability makes him different and places him in trouble. If the leaders of their community were to find out, he could be placed in an asylum or banished. It doesn’t come to that, however, because after a failed attempt on his brother’s life, he loses his psi powers. He and his parents try to hide his lack of powers, but they can only succeed for so long before the truth is known, and he is exiled from Deliverance forever.

Freakling is very much like many other Dystopian thrillers. It can be likened to Lois Lowry’s books, Divergent, Wither, Pretties, and many, many others. It is not a bad book per say. It’s just not all that memorable. There was nothing wildly different in it’s view of the future. Like always, there’s a culture that seems perfect until you start asking questions. It took the same old path and used a basic cardboard cutout for the world. I would have liked it if everything was fleshed out a little more. That would have certainly helped it feel more original, at least. The book was very short. It could have really done with another fifty or one hundred pages.

Also, the main character was a little dull. He was a bit too goody-two-shoes for my taste. Pretty much anyone else in the book would have been a more interesting lead. Moke? The father? Amma? All more interesting. Of course, I would have liked his brother as a main character, but I know a sociopath “hero” wouldn’t work in a Young Adult novel. Still, it’s kind of fun to imagine.

On the whole, Freakling wasn’t a bad book. It’s a quick read and can stand on it’s own. I would recommend it to those not already well versed in the dystopian fiction. If you’ve read Divergent, The Giver, or Hunger Games, this book is sort of redundant.
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Nov 17, 2012 Gail rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book has some interesting twists and turns. A family that has some old world values, not using Psi on Sunday, giving of their labors from the garden instead of baubles, etc. and how things are changing and maybe not for the good of the people. Would we feel connections to this book in that regard? Do we sometimes feel the old values are disappearing and new values don't seem to be a comfortable change? Or do we just read the book as an interesting story about power and how it can corrupt pe...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Mallory Anne-Marie by: Great Minds Think Aloud

Shelves: october-2012-reads

An excellent world-building serves as the foundation for this very special and fascinating novel of a world where the paranormal-in terms of psychic talents-is very real, and only those who do not possess psychokinesis (here called “psi”) are considered pariahs, “the powerless.” But only psychokinesis is considered a talent, or useful; anything else in the way of psychic capabilities is simply disregarded. In the city of Deliverance, home of psi, no manual labour exists: children are taught from...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Bethany Kletka rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: worst-character-names

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 02, 2012 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let me clarify...I really liked this book for a ten or eleven year old. I would even give it to an older reluctant reader. Despite an interesting premise, the writing is just too simple for the book to go much higher. And, it needs to, because the themes it addresses--pride, loyalty, deception, self-sacrifice and death--are ones that can require a bit of emotional maturity. My eleven year old read this in an afternoon and we had a great discussion about power, knowledge and making decisions for...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars

I won an advance copy of Freakling through a Goodreads giveaway.

I won't summarize the novel, since the blurb above does quite a good job of that.

Freakling is a solid dystopian novel that I would recommend for middle school age and younger. The writing is straightforward and the characters are decently developed considering the small amount of time given to character as opposed to plot development. My biggest complaint about Freakling is the relatively simplistic descriptions of the issues betwe...more

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May 09, 2013 Hollowspine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Who is the True Son? That is the question at the heart of Krumwiede's story about religion, morality and power. Taemon knows it is not him, with his strange and forbidden power of 'mind wandering' he could find himself sent to the dud farm, the asylum, or worse... And after he loses his Psi (telekinic power everyone shares) he's pretty much worthless.

His brother on the hand wants so badly to be the True Son that he would do anything, even kill his own brother, to get the honor. The heart of the...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Andria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-young-adult

Tis book was surprisingly good for an unknown first time young adult book author. It was a new twist on the dis utopian theme. People have to use their minds to complete tasks and those who can't are send to a colony of others just like them. Book knowledge is not used because the books are kept hidden in the guilds. The elders are trying to use psionics to take over the Republick. The only thing that could have made it better was if the author would have spent more time developing the character...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Loralee rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book by Lana Krumwiede, who I once met in an online writing class, and whose first book I couldn't wait to get ahold of. Freakling is the story of the boy Taemon who becomes an outcast from his psi society when his powers disappear. Both the psi society, in which even using hands to lift food to your mouth becomes taboo, and the outcast society, in which exiles from the city work together for survival, are well-constructed. The high-action ending raises thought-provoking qu...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Jen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian-speculative-fiction

Taemon is one of the residents of a psi city called Deliverance. In the city everyone uses psi for absolutely everything. The residents don't use their hands for anything, all aspects of their lives are psi based (mind control of objects). People without psi are not allowed in the city. They are sent to the colony where, without psi, the residents must use their hands to control their surroundings.

In the beginning, Taemon is a very strong psi user. He's also able to "mind read" objects to figur...more Taemon is one of the residents of a psi city called Deliverance. In the city everyone uses psi for absolutely everything. The residents don't use their hands for anything, all aspects of their lives are psi based (mind control of objects). People without psi are not allowed in the city. They are sent to the colony where, without psi, the residents must use their hands to control their surroundings.

In the beginning, Taemon is a very strong psi user. He's also able to "mind read" objects to figure out how they work, a talent his father cautioned using as it's very rare. Taemon's older brother Yens is also strong in psi but is the opposite of Taemon in temperament. Where Taemon is easy going, Yens is full of ambition and jealousy. His only wish is to be the "True Son" a powerful position in Deliverance. He's attempted to kill Taemon several times and when Taemon had the chance to fight back, he didn't, losing his psi in the process.

When everyone learns that Taemon is without psi, he's banished to the colony where he has to learn how to live without psi. Yens has been declared the True Son and he and the elders of Deliverance are planning to use their psi to make weapons and attack the cities outside Deliverance. It's up to Taemon and his new powerless friends in the colony to stop them.

This was a fun story. Taemon is a great character, full of passion and promise. The insights into his motivation help the reader to really understand his potential and his humanity. Yens was really well written as well as the jealous older brother who was so consumed by greed and ambition that he'd do anything to get it. I have to admit when Taemon lost his psi and Yens became so much more powerful, I thought he'd stolen Taemon's psi. Turns out that wasn't the case, but it seems like something Yens would do if he knew how.

The psi aspect was innovative in that I've never come across a novel where the majority of a population don't know how to use their hands and have no need or knowledge of things like forks and buttons. The ending was predictable but left the world open for a sequel. I'm interested to see where Taemon's actions take him in the next book.(less)

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Sep 07, 2012 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked up this book initially because of the gears on the cover and after reading the book I understand their significance to the plot. However, the purpose of the crystal ball escapes me.
As far as the plot is concerned, it was a refreshing change of pace. I'm used to fantasy/sci-fi books about aliens and spellbooks, apocalypses and superpowers, but the idea of "psi" intriges me. I enjoyed the dual perspective of one who had power and lost it.
The second half of the book is better by far. By...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-fiction, fantasy, website, science-fiction

Taemon lives in a Deliverance, a city where everyone uses psi. No one uses their hands for anything, not eating, not opening doors, not putting on clothes. All of these tasks are accomplished through psi, the ability to move things with your mind. If you have very weak psi you are considered a Freakling and if you have no psi you are banished to the powerless colony. Deliverance has been cut off from the world ever since the prophet Nathan created a mountain to hide them.

Taemon is a strong psi...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Rosalyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this debut novel from Krumwiede, about twelve-year-old Taemon's experience living in a dystopian city where everyone has some form of psi, a psychic ability that allows them to manipulate things with their minds, rather than their hands. Those who don't possess psi are cast out of the City and called "freaklings." Taemon himself possesses some unusual psi abilities that he's usually quiet about; however, when an accident robs him of his ability to use psi, he's deported to the colony t...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cybils-nominees-2012-2013, juv, sci-fi, dystopia

Dystopia for the middle grade crowd! Take a controlling, futuristic society with it's own system of religion, add a dash of psychokinesis and a kid who doesn't fit in, and you've got the bones of a solid, intriguing story. I liked Taemon as a character - sympathetic and easy to relate to - but was more interested in learning about the world he lives in. I'm not sure if it's the beginning of a series or a stand-alone, although these days I hope for stand-alones, and I this one has enough of a con...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Colleen Clayton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grade

Very well done. What I liked best is that I couldn't put my finger on it genre-wise. It is a sci-fi dystopia but also had elements of the fantastical and some steampunky things going on. Great characterization and world-building. Loved it.

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Feb 21, 2013 Erin Sterling rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-school, read-2013, story, character, teen-dystopian, teen-fiction, youth-fiction, youth-sci-fi, teen-sci-fi

Set in an (alternate?) future where most humans have psi, which is essentially the ability to move things around with your mind. Those who don't are cast out of society. This is the story of a boy with a strangely powerful psi ability who has a cruel brother who might be chosen as the next leader of their society. However, when his powerful psi ability disappears, he is forced out of that society into another one, where he uncovers some secrets. The story is familiar, the characters are fairly t...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Lonna Pierce rated it 4 of 5 stars

What if the gift of psychokinesis, or influencing physical objects with your mind, were common? This story of two brothers in a dystopian society with this "psi" gift illustrate the contrast between power & knowledge used for corruption or for compassion. A YA novel about conflicting cycles, each chapter head includes a revealing rhyme of the month from a child's "Calendar Song" that presage each character's traits, from Knife to Alligator, Owl, Turtle, Eagle, Jaguar,or Quake. Intriguing deb...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Tamsyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fms, science-fiction, youngadult

I liked this one a lot -- a future society where everyone has the ability to manipulate their world with psi. Taemon has a power-hungry older brother who hopes to be named as "True Son", the prophesied person to usher in a New Age. He doesn't care what he has to do to achieve it. After a traumatic experience, Taemon loses his psi ability except for a more unusual form, and when that is revealed, he is sent out of the city to live in the colony, where the people don't have psi and have to do ever...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Eileen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-fiction-fantasy

Really 3.5 stars.

A dystopian novel for kids ages 9 - 12 years old. Taemon lives in Deliverance where everyone has Psi, a form of telekinesis. Every action is done with the mind. No one uses their hands. Taemon has an additional power of clairvoyance but any difference from the norm is trouble. Good, compelling read. Would work well for book groups, lots to discuss. Power without knowledge or knowledge without power ; what is the right balance? Ending was less than satisfying, I guess we'll wait...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Annie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1st-in-series, 2012-release, arcs, dystopias, first-reads, male-pov, owned-books, science-fiction, your-agenda-is-showing, religiously-sketchy, what-did-i-just-read

First Look: This looked pretty interesting. I actually had a similar idea revolving in my head for quite awhile (though it's now been put indefinitely on the back burner). Ultimately, the execution of this book was very different from my idea, which is perfectly alright with me. Also, it's kinda refreshing to read middle grade every so often--it gives me a break from angsty romance and love triangles everywhere.

Setting: I love, more than anything, the fact that this setting made me think quite a...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Liz Overberg rated it 3 of 5 stars

I would give this book 3.5 stars. The concept was a 5, (so cool!), but the book just didn't live up to its potential.

Freakling is a story about Taemon, a twelve-year-old boy, who lives in a city where everyone uses psychokenesis (commonly called psi) to carry out all of their daily tasks. It is considered taboo to touch food, tools, or even other people. (Hugging? Forget it.) Most tasks, even easy ones like zipping a zipper or flushing a toilet, cannot be completed manually, because even the si...more I would give this book 3.5 stars. The concept was a 5, (so cool!), but the book just didn't live up to its potential.

Freakling is a story about Taemon, a twelve-year-old boy, who lives in a city where everyone uses psychokenesis (commonly called psi) to carry out all of their daily tasks. It is considered taboo to touch food, tools, or even other people. (Hugging? Forget it.) Most tasks, even easy ones like zipping a zipper or flushing a toilet, cannot be completed manually, because even the simplest of machines in Taemon's world have been designed with psi in mind. Whatever mystical force has given this magic ability to the people of Taemon's city has also placed certain restrictions on it. For instance, psi will not work to harm anyone or do anything illegal. (Krunwiede's quick explanation of this is that the power of conscience is stronger than the power of psi.)

The first person to discover his ability to use psi was one of Taemon's ancestors, who lived about 200 years before Taemon. Since then, It has been prophesied that the "True Son" will come again and will lead to a new cycle of life for the psi-wielding people. The corrupt high priests of the city see an opportunity to select their own "True Son" and use his power to manipulate the citizens of the city, and even the rest of the world. And let's just say that the person they select isn't really affected by that whole "do no harm" restriction on psi, because he doesn't seem to have much of a conscience.

I LOVED....

The moral aspect of Freakling, and I also enjoyed all the mechanical-ness! Psi did not feel like some inexplicable ability...Krumwiede showed that all psi power has to be based in an understanding of mechanics, biology, and other science. For instance very young children must study a door locking mechanism in order to learn how to open and shut a door. Cool!

I DIDN'T-SO-MUCH LOVE....

How simplistic the writing and the world-building was. There was not enough characterization, and I really didn't feel invested in anyone in the story, not even Taemon. The dialogue was bleh, and served as more of a plot device to move the story along than as actual communication or intimations between human begins. The story could have been so much MORE, and I felt like it could have benefited from being doubled in length and having a better editor. It's definitely a good length/level of depth for middle school, and there are enough cool dystopian books for the older YA set that maybe I should just let this one go as what it is, but I couldn't help feeling disappointed that the story wasn't fleshed out ~~a lot~~ a little more.

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Oct 15, 2012 Adriana rated it 4 of 5 stars

http://shesgotbooksonhermind.blogspot...

Overview:
Taemon lives in a world that revolves around a person's ability to use psi - a power to control objects and people with your mind. But with this power comes rules. In the city where Taemon lives he isn't allowed to see inside a body. This is so that he won't learn how the body works and use that knowledge to harm other people. He must not show too much promise with his power or he might be declared the True Son and be taken away by the government...more http://shesgotbooksonhermind.blogspot...

Overview:
Taemon lives in a world that revolves around a person's ability to use psi - a power to control objects and people with your mind. But with this power comes rules. In the city where Taemon lives he isn't allowed to see inside a body. This is so that he won't learn how the body works and use that knowledge to harm other people. He must not show too much promise with his power or he might be declared the True Son and be taken away by the government to learn to lead his city... or is it to learn to manipulate the people? He also must not show or tell anyone of what extra power he can do for fear of being sent away or killed.

After making a crucial mistake, Taemon is sent away to live in the Colony where people don't have psi power but instead work with their hands. In this backwards town he creates friendships and bonds with the powerless but discovers that the Colony has some secrets of their own. Taemon makes another fateful mistake. A huge one at that, that may change the course of his world. In the end will he be able to right his wrong and save the people he cares about the most?

Review:
This book cover right!? I mentioned a while ago that it reminded me of the Hugo Cabret cover and it's true that Taemon has a knack for the mechanical so I was right about him. Therefore, I instantly liked him. After reading the book I understand the water element and bubble. The bubble might not be anything but my mind says differently. I may have described Taemon as a potential hazard waiting to happen with all of the "mistakes" he makes. Don't get me wrong, things occur that change the course of Taemon's life but it's not like he's this kid who always does the wrong thing.

Taemon can see inside objects and people. He can figure things out when he shouldn't be able to. He wanders his mind and that is supposed to be a very bad thing in his society so he makes sure he avoids doing it. You never know how much the extent of the control of the government is until later on. Seeing it through Taemon's eyes it's just his home until everything goes wrong. His ability is so cool being described to you with all the little things he sees. It's like reading about how Sherlock Holmes sees the tiniest details of things to solve a murder but with Taemon it's with seeing how things function without actually seeing it... if that makes sense.

The book starts off with telling you what the psi ability is and it shows you through the peeling of vegetables and cleaning of pots and pans. This reminded me so much of Mrs. Weasley from Harry Potter which was a good way of starting the book. They do everything with psi ability from cleaning to dressing themselves to his mother ruffling his hair. There is no... contact. It's actually really weird and cold if you think about it. He never had a hug until he moved into the Colony. I feel like the differences of the Colony and his home were there so you can catch them. When you rely on something or someone other than yourself you become dependent on that thing or person. Using your own two hands can provide you with satisfaction of your own work and it makes you a more independent person.

His mother is very protective of her two boys. She's very antsy which makes sense since she was born under the symbol of rabbit. Everybody has a symbol depending on the day, not month, they were born on. The chapters all begin with part of a song that describes each day's animal, object, or element. Anyways his mother is also very protective because her sister died when she was young. She somewhat annoyed me because she was this big ball of nerves but who wouldn't be in that situation? His father is very outspoken and thinks differently about the way of life that he wants for himself and his family to live as well as the True Son and the government. He has the right type of attitude but he probably should not say too much. Taemon's brother desperately wants to be the True Son. Just so you know he's a Grade A Jerk. That pretty much sums him up. He wants to get answers from his brother and he'll do anything to get them.

Taemon has a great name amongst other things. He does make some good choices and is a nice guy. He feels guilty for putting stress upon his parents and sticks to his morals. He's a very charming character who I can't help but feel bad for. He's not weak though. I feel bad because his brother is pure evil. If you have an older sibling that you can't stand that is nothing compared to what his brother is like. I can't understand how his parents don't notice how vile he is! Do they even care? What's wrong with them?

The book is a great Middle Grade dystopian read. It's a very good introduction to dystopian's because it has this "everyday" kid taking on such a big responsibility and he shows great strength in the face of all that comes at him. He's called a Freakling by his brother and I think the majority of readers and people can relate to being treated like they were a bit weird but really look at Taemon! He's this awesome kid with great power that stands up to what's right. He also has a little love interest which is always nice especially since it's pretty innocent because he doesn't really seem to know anything about it himself.

One other thing that kind of bothered me was the ending. I don't want to say it was too rushed because that sounds very negative. It just ended faster than I would have liked. I would have suggested an epilogue but apparently it's a series which makes sense to me now so no epilogue needed. But what an ending! So many questions. I thought it was a really great read with a great main character and plot. Very well written and I would love to read the next book in the series. This book needs more readers! Come on people. Good books deserve more readership.(less)

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Nov 11, 2012 Audrey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, book-scout-internship, young-adult-middle-grade

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was a very cute book about a boy named Taemon who lives in a city where everyone is endowed with the power of psi (which is the ability to move objects around with your mind). Everything here is done by psi, from opening doors, to eating to playing musical instruments. In fact, using your hands for pretty much anything is very impolite.

Taemon is slightly different than everyone else because he also has the power to explore the world with his mind and see how everything fits together. His fa...more This was a very cute book about a boy named Taemon who lives in a city where everyone is endowed with the power of psi (which is the ability to move objects around with your mind). Everything here is done by psi, from opening doors, to eating to playing musical instruments. In fact, using your hands for pretty much anything is very impolite.

Taemon is slightly different than everyone else because he also has the power to explore the world with his mind and see how everything fits together. His father forbade him from using this power of mind wandering, since it is unnatural and not mentioned in the scriptures. Taemos can’t resist a little test, however, when he is confronted with a gorgeous new vehicle for which he is dying to know how the engine works. Unfortunately, this trick is revealed when his brother Yens nearly crashes it, and Taemos is forced to use his hidden knowledge of the engine in order to steer it to safety with his psi. Angered the Taemon had hidden abilities, Yens demanded to know exactly what he had done, and vows to learn about Taemon’s secret.

He tries to do so a few days later when the family is at the beach. He pushes Taemon off a cliff and into the water, and doesn’t help him out. Taemon is swept into an underwater cave, and in order to survive he finds a way to separate the oxygen from water molecules so that he can breathe. Furious that Taemon once again showed amazing talent, Yens confronts him at home. Taemon get so angry this time that he blocks the oxygen from Yens’s lungs – a trick he shouldn’t be able to do since nobody is supposed to know about how the body works. Taemon realizes that he can kill Yens, but shows mercy at the last minute.

The next morning, Taemon wakes up and finds that all his psi is gone, and that Yens has suddenly become a lot more powerful. Taemon spends the next few weeks coming up with clever ways in which to hide the fact that he has no psi. Meanwhile, the high priest announces that Yens might be the True Son – the descendant of the prophet Nathan, and mentioned in the scriptures as the one who will lead the psi-wielders to a new age. Taemon, however, finally gets caught and is exiled from the city and forced to go to the colony for people with no psi.

Taemon ends up liking this colony, and makes a few new friends. However, there are rumors from the city that people are disappearing, that Yens has been declared the True Son, and that the High Priest has plans to reconnect with the rest of the world. (Nathan, who is the first to be given psi by the Heart of the Earth, led his people away from the world so that they would not be hurt because of their power, and so that they would not do harm with it. Since then, nobody ventures to the world beyond the mountains.)

One day, Taemon realizes that one of his friends, Amma, has a psi door on her house. Unable to resist, he uses his mind wanderings to understand its lock, and draws a replica of what he sees in a journal. Later on, Amma reveals that behind that door, there is a hidden library that is kept away from the psi-city. Her family, which can use psi, is tasked with protecting it, since if people with psi were to gain access to it, they would understand the workings of the world gain unlimited power. Taemon swears to keep it a secret, but unfortunately his journal is stolen and given to the psi High Priest. The Priest and Yens come to the colony and steal the library, declaring that they will sell its secrets to the empire beyond the mountains.

Completely discouraged, Taemon has no idea what to do in order to stop Yens. However, his aunt – who has no psi, but who can see the future – tells him that he is the only one with the power to do so, and that he must go back into the city to prevent disaster. Taemon dutifully does so, brining Amma with him so that she can help by using her psi, but the pair of them get caught very quickly. They manage to escape, with the help of one of Taemon’s old friends who gets killed in the process, and finally get to the high temple.

There, Taemon confronts Yens, but without his psi, there is nothing he can do to fight him. Then, Taemon hears the voice of the Heart of the Earth in his head (which has been happening since the beginning of the book, although Taemon never had any idea what he was hearing) and is told that he is the True Son and that therefore he can have his psi back. Taemon is then able to subdue Yens, but he quickly realizes that this fight will never end as long as people with psi want to obtain more power. Therefore, he asks the Heart of the Earth to take away everyone’s psi, and his wish is granted. The entire city then goes into complete shock, since nobody has any idea how to live without psi, and Taemon and Amma quietly make their way back to the safety of the colony.

This is a really cute read. It’s structured so that each chapter corresponds with the horoscope characteristics of each month, and so it feels like everything that is happening is predestined. The characters, and especially Taemon, are fun to follow around, and the psi-world in which they live is really entertaining to read about. It makes you value some of the work we put into using out hands, as well as the importance of physical contact with the parts of our lives (be they people of objects).

There are some very obvious allusions to religion, but they are not overbearing or oppressive – they are a part of the story, and aren’t there to advocate for one specific faith. The story is captivating, and while it was obvious that Taemon was supposed to be the True Son from the start, the way in which Taemon deals with the problems – by removing all psi-power – is a surprise. The ending is a bit abrupt, since we have no idea what is going to happen now that there is no psi, but this will probably be discussed in greater detail in any sequels. While the entire concepts of psi was interesting, Krumwiede does a very good job showing us why it wasn’t such a desirable characteristic – the society that evolved around it lacked so many of the values that we hold dear.
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Dec 20, 2012 Chelsey rated it 5 of 5 stars

I can't wait! This book looks amazing! I think I shall preorder it so I can be one of the first to read it!
So I had two copies...one for my family and one I gave to my mom who likes all the same books I do...well mostly! She read half of it on the plane and called me to let me know that it was good but she didn't think she would have time to finished it because she was so busy. She texted me the next day saying she loved it and she was finished. That tells me that the roller coaster ride was pe...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Andrew Marr rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-literature

The reader is immediately drawn into a culture unlike that of our own where psi power is the means for doing anything at all. We are introduced to a young protagonist with an appealing personality who suddenly finds himself thrust into the middle of complex and vicious power struggles in his society who must make crucial decisions for the direction the society will take. The story covers a lot of ground in just 300 pages without seeming rushed or skimpy. That is, the people and places are well-d...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Kassandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book. Four words. Taemon was a very interesting character, and I loved the way he acted in the book! The ending was SUCH a surprise. I finished it in a day, and I want more. The only comment I have is that I believe there should have been more time to shape and change the characters. It seemed like Taemon should have had to overcome a mental thing, like the way he almost killed Yens with psi, but it didn't seem like he changed all that much. Overall, though, I loved this book.

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Nov 16, 2012 Lisa Findley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Freakling has a cool premise, and it explores some interesting ideas about power, friendships, and knowledge. But it skims over its complex ideas and layered plot points too quickly. It's a YA book, of course, so it's not going to have the same goals as a novel for adults, but I think the ideas Krumwiede considers and the characters she develops deserve more time, and I'd like to see what she'd do with them. (ETA: I see now it's part of a series, so maybe Krumwiede intends to get more in depth.)

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About Lana Krumwiede

In third grade, Lana wrote in her autobiography that she wanted to be a mother, a writer, and the church organist. Two out of three ain't bad! Her work has appeared in Highlights, High Five, Spider, Babybug, The Friend, and Chicken Soup for the Child's Soul. Freakling is her first novel.

Lana has tried psi many times, particularly when it comes to household chores, but she could never make it work...more

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Freakling (Psi Chronicles #1)

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