REVIEW: THE DEVIANTS by C.J.Skuse

Title: The Deviants

Author: C.J. Skuse
Series: -
Genres: YA, Thriller
Publisher: Mira Ink
Source: Physical ARC book
Pages: 320


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BLURB:
Growing up in the sleepy English seaside town of Brynston, the fearless five – Ella, Max, Corey, Fallon and Zane – were always inseparable. Living up to their nickname, they were the adventurous, rowdy kids who lived for ghost stories and exploring the nearby islands off the coast. But when Max’s beloved older sister Jessica is killed, the friendship seems to die with her.

Now years later, only Max and Ella are in touch; still best friends and a couple since they were thirteen. Their lives are so intertwined Max’s dad even sponsors Ella’s training for the Commonwealth Games. But Ella is hiding things. Like why she hates going to Max’s house for Sunday dinner, and flinches whenever his family are near. Or the real reason she’s afraid to take their relationship to the next level.

When underdog Corey is bullied, the fearless five are brought back together again, teaming up to wreak havoc and revenge on those who have wronged them. But when the secrets they are keeping can no longer be kept quiet, will their fearlessness be enough to save them from themselves?

 

I received this book from publishers in exchange for an honest review.

THE WORLD: This book is based in small town of England. But other than that it is just an ordinary world just as we know it.

CHARACTERS: Now, before I get into discussing main characters in detail let me just say that it is my personal opinion and it was the way I felt. It all I think depends on your own experience. So yeah, Ella is our main character. Omg how much I disliked her, there are so many situation I could discuss but I do not want to spoil the book so let me just tell you that Ella is not the girl you want to have as a friend. She is selfish, obsessed, has a very twisted understanding of love and is just heads down crazy. Oh and she has this creepy way of victimizing herself. Needless to say I felt like I wanted to slap her all the time. But she got what she deserved. I mean omg, I know teenagers in UK are really wrong in the head most of the time but this was just beyond. Next we have Max, now let me just tell you, he is a psycho in making. The way he treated Pete...like dude are you kidding me? Or what he was doing with his cousin...sick. Fallon is another girl in the book that is missing many things in her head. I don't know if the author was going for mental disability or if it's a 'healthy' character but if the 16 years old girl has sex with a boy she doesn't even like for the first time just because he says I dare you...yeah....All daring is funny when it is in the context of children but later it is creepy and plain stupid. Corey is the fourth boy in this group of five that are referred to as fantastic five. Now he has a disability but really he is probably the only normal character in this book, even tho he does clearly have some level of retardation. And finally we got Zane. Now why the author would go for this big cliche where if the guy is gay he must be a bully and hurt everybody just cuz he is hurting more inside things I will never understand. There is nothing wrong with being gay, gay people are not hurting inside, why is it so hard to understand. Are you hurting inside and bullying everybody around you because you are straight? No! So why would somebody who is gay? And when Ella talks to Zane and supposedly 'understands' his pain, are you kidding me? She forced him to try to kill himself and now she is nurse Mary? I just really don't get it.

LOVE: So incredibly twisted in this book. SPOILERS NEXT! So Ella and Max are together since childhood, he wants to have sex and Ella says always no so he starts pushing her, making her feel uncomfortable in public telling everybody she has a sex problem and blah blah. Makes me wanna slap him. But worst he is having sex with his cousin and when Ella sees she doesn't confront him. She blames the cousin and herself, because you know if she doesn't have sex with him it's okay he does it with somebody else. She never actually confronts Max, they keep on being love birds. This is just so so sick. I think as a YA book it should not tell young readers that such love is healthy and okay.

PLUS: It was short.

MINUS: SPOILERS NEXT! So wow just wow, I never have read a book that made me so angry. Also, there is just every single cliche in this book. Ella is basically victim of the year but you know she is strong, she keeps everything inside and needs to protect those around her. I am not buying. Also, the way she goes to Max's home and sits with her rapist at the same table and pretends she was not abused for years...I am also not buying it. And last thing...The ending. It was just so horrible it gave me a headache. Basically Ella jumps a grown up man on the sand and suddenly the wave overtakes her and pulls her into the sea and basically kills her. Well hello where did this massive wave came from? What kind of wave does it have to be that it pulls almost a fully grown woman into the sea and kills her?!

OVERALL: So so horrible. I gave one star mainly because the cover was beautiful. I feel a little bit bad because I received this book from the review but as stared above, it was for an honest review and so I had to say it all. I do not recommend this book to anybody. It should have never been written.

 

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