The Occultists by Polly Schattel
I was immediately drawn to the title of this book as I am obsessed with all things occult. You can just picture people around a table trying to summon the dead through a séance. The Occultists delivers on all that and more!
As I was reading, I felt like this could be the beginning book in a very popular series. Hopefully the author is with me on that! This is her first book after making several films. Schattel said that she got tired of trying to get funding for movies and she could just write the stories she wanted to tell.
Max Grahame is a teen struggling to find his place in the world. His stepfather is abusive and wants him to follow in the family business. His mother is gravely ill and unable to stop her husband from hurting Max. Once Max gets a job at the local post office, things begin to change. The postmaster, Peter Slyvester, introduces Max to the occult. Through books and meetings, Max discovers that there is more to the post office than one might think.
After the violent death of his stepfather, Max must flee his home before the cops arrest him for the murder. Slyvester sends him to a school for gifted teens. These students are able to read minds, levitate objects and astral traveling. Is Max gifted? As Max learns from the other kids, he begins to question who he can trust. Like most books involving young people and a “magical” school, Max has a grand destiny that he cannot fail at. No one is on his side and he must fight off everyone to save the world as we know it.
If you liked the Miss Peregrine’s book series, I recommend The Occultists. It is more grown up and can be gory at times. I give it 4 stars!
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