Spectra Series by Lan Chan

Every hero has an origin story. Mine begins with an underground cage fight and ends in a secret identity.By day I'm Willow Nguyen, not so mild-mannered teenager searching for her missing mother. By night...okay, I'm the same, but it's easier to break into banks under cover of darkness.My world is divided into the Academy and the Kings: the law and the thugs. At the centre of their power are the espers like me: the telepaths, psychics and illusionists... moreEvery hero has an origin story. Mine begins with an underground cage fight and ends in a secret identity.By day I'm Willow Nguyen, not so mild-mannered teenager searching for her missing mother. By night...okay, I'm the same, but it's easier to break into banks under cover of darkness.My world is divided into the Academy and the Kings: the law and the thugs. At the centre of their power are the espers like me: the telepaths, psychics and illusionists.What I can do could change the balance of power in Melbourne. So it makes sense for me to keep a low profile. It's not my fault that I get drawn into an illegal cage fight. Yes, I did have to become a psychotic King's nemesis. No I won't stop fighting until one of us is dead.With great power comes great pain in the backside. I just have to make sure it hurts them more than me. Willow Nguyen might just be a girl, but Spectra will become a legend.Origin is the first novel in the Spectra Series. It is an Australian young adult urban fantasy series with slight Academy overtones. There are flavours of X-men and Dark Angel with a big helping of snark and a slow burn romance. less

Esper: Colloquial term for those who possess extra-sensory perception.Willow Nguyen: She who tried to do a good deed and got her ass thrown into the Academy.It was supposed to be a fun night to celebrate my best friend’s birthday. It ended with one cry for help in the dark, one anti-psi robot, and this electrokinetic esper fronting up to juvenile court.Now I have two choices: Join the Academy’s Hyper Division, an elite training unit for espers, or a one-way ticket to a psi-prison... moreEsper: Colloquial term for those who possess extra-sensory perception.Willow Nguyen: She who tried to do a good deed and got her ass thrown into the Academy.It was supposed to be a fun night to celebrate my best friend’s birthday. It ended with one cry for help in the dark, one anti-psi robot, and this electrokinetic esper fronting up to juvenile court.Now I have two choices: Join the Academy’s Hyper Division, an elite training unit for espers, or a one-way ticket to a psi-prison.It would be a no-brainer if there weren’t something wrong with my telepathy. I shouldn’t be able to generate electricity at will.If the authorities figure out what I can do, the inside of a jail cell will be the least of my problems.My only hope is figuring out the origin of my powers before anyone else does. How I’m supposed to do that with anannoyingly gorgeous alpha breathing down my neck is the question.Did I forget to mention I’m Melbourne’s masked vigilante? They call me Spectra. I’m supposed to be a phantom. A ghost. It’s quite fitting, really, because I might be dead by the end of this!No guts, no glory, right?Esper is the second novel in the Spectra Series. It is a young adult urban fantasy novel with slight Academy overtones. There are flavours of X-men and Alphas with a big helping of snark and a very slow burn romance. less