the deviants

Title: The Deviants

Author: C J Skuse

Published: September 22nd, 2016

Publisher: Mira Ink

Find the Author: Goodreads | Twitter

I received this book for review! As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

When you set out for revenge, dig two graves..

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?

Despite the vibrant pinks and yellows that are more girly and romantic on Pretty Little Memoirs, I LOVE a good dark, thriving thriller, so whenever they arrive in my book mail it’s like an instant connection.

As soon as I read the back of The Deviants cover, I knew I would love it. I saw the words Revenge and had an inner happy dance. I was a huge fan of the TV Show Revenge and this seemed to reignite my love for the scheming, slow, yet compelling thriller and mystery type. Ella’s voice is strong and sets a real tone for the novel, reeling me in. Right from Chapter One, which is unlike any opener I’ve read before (and what an amazing hook that was!) so I was immediately trying to piece together Ella’s secrets and the truth behind the Fearless Five’s motives, past and ultimately, future.
The Fearless Five consist of Ella, Max, Corey, Fallon and Zane. They’re all so different, yet in the weirdest way, so alike. Despite coming from richer or poorer backgrounds, being a bully or in love, they are like magnets to each other. They live in this sleepy-type seaside town which always gives that sort of gritty, perfect setting for a novel like this and it really sets the tone. For a moment, it seems like the novel could potentially be dramatic and surrounding their teenage antics, but in that second, we’re thrown back into dangerous waters with more little secrets that were so long buried, crawling back to the surface. But The Deviants is far from a book about just revenge or fear: it’s about friendship.
Overall, The Deviants was the perfect book – and I don’t use that word lightly when it comes to books. C J Skuse writes with a pulsing heartbeat of a plot, painting a picture of these flawed characters who come together in the strangest ways with secrets that are far from lighthearted. I finished it in just two nights reading, tearing away at the pages, falling further into the sleepy town bursting with a plot that was impossible to quit. The easiest five stars I’ve ever given by far.

YA Fans of Mystery, Thrillers and Revenge.

C.J. Skuse was born in 1980 in Westonsuper- Mare, England. She has First Class degrees in Creative Writing and Writing for Children and, aside from writing novels, works as a freelance children’s fiction consultant and lectures in Writing for Children at Bath Spa University. C.J. loves Masterchef, Gummy Bears and murder sites. Before she dies, she would like to go to Japan, try clay-pigeon shooting and have Ryan Gosling present her with the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

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