Book Stop Corner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“You save yourself or you remain unsaved.”




C.J. Skuse, an English author, has penned a tragic yet extremely riveting young adult thriller called, The Deviants that revolves around five high school teenagers whose friendship blossoms up when one of them is bullied badly, also gradually, the secrets of their lives begin spilling up, when one bad event after another challenges them to keep a hold on their friendships or their dark secrets, especially, it becomes a challenge for the couple from this group of teenagers, who seem to be drifting apart in a gradual motion.




Synopsis:

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?


Ella, Max, Zane, Corey, and Fallon, the fearless five, as they are usually known as, grew up together in a sleepy seaside town where nothing much happens, until the day when Jessica, Max's elder sister died and so the bond of fearless five. Except for Ella and Max, who have become the 'it' couple of their high school, but lately it seems, Ella is trying to avoid Max and their relationship as much as possible. And once again, after ages, the group of fearless five are reunited when Corey, another member from the group, becomes a victim of bullying and not to mention about the news of Fallon's pregnancy. All five of them are hiding dark secrets from one another, yet the burning questions of what or how Jessica died might undo the secrets the teenagers are dearly holding onto.

This is one one of the most compelling young adult thrillers that I've read recently. Yes, this book exceeds all my expectation and turning out to be so poignant yet engrossing enough to keep me glued till the very last page. Even though I've not read any books by this author previously, but after reading this book, I can't wait to get my hands on her previous young adult books. This book is so much more than just a typical YA friendship drama, this book is high on secrets, make that dark secrets, and also the book touches base with so many burning social issues from current times, that makes it highly believable and realistic.

The author's writing is really eloquent and the story has got multiple layers that the author has peeled gradually with the course of the story line. The pacing of the book is very slow, it's rightly to say that this one is a s low-burner yet somehow, that justifies when the suspense thickens and leaves its readers with unpredictable twists and turns near the very tragic climax. The narrative is highly absorbing and is also very real, as the main protagonist foretells the whole story from her perspective.

The mystery, like I said, has many layers, and will keep the readers guessing and vouching for the answers to all those pot-boiling questions. The readers will be thrown off their edges once the author starts unraveling the twists one-after-another and it will feel like watching a train getting burned slowly and gradually, and that no one could do anything to save the people on that train. The whole story line is laced beautifully with deep, evocative emotions that will move the readers and will also sway the readers in its own course.

The characters are simply brilliant with their fractures and secrets, making them look real and raw in the eyes of the readers. The main character, Ella, is developed with plenty of flaws to give her a genuine touch in her demeanor. Ella is secretive, annoying at times but once the mystery starts unraveling, the readers will contemplate with Ella's pain and dark secrets from their past. Max too is an interesting character, who is displayed as bit confused yet headstrong when it comes to Ella and her choices. The rest of the characters are also portrayed strikingly with lots pf gray shades in their demeanor that will make the readers relate with them.

In a nutshell, this is a very mature teenage fiction which deals with difficult modern day social subjects and stigmas, and the way the author has penned it with so much vividness and honesty, that some might find it difficult to read each and every detailed scene from this book. Nevertheless, this is a must read, if you can handle such rawness and brutal pain that this story has to offer.

Verdict: A gripping and an absolutely heart breaking teenage thriller!

Courtesy: Thanks to the publishers from Harper Collins India for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
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Author Info:
C.J. SKUSE is the author of the Young Adult novels PRETTY BAD THINGS, ROCKOHOLIC and DEAD ROMANTIC (Chicken House), MONSTER and THE DEVIANTS (Mira Ink). She was born in 1980 in Weston-super-Mare, England. She has First Class degrees in Creative Writing and Writing for Children and, aside from writing novels lectures in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. C.J. is currently working on adult novel SWEETPEA for HQ/HarperCollins (out April 2017).
C.J. loves Masterchef, Gummy Bears and murder sites. She hates carnivals, hard-boiled eggs and coughing. The movies Titanic, My Best Friend's Wedding and Ruby Sparks were all probably based on her ideas; she just didn't get to write them down in time. 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.
Visit her here


Book Purchase Links:

• Amazon US
• Amazon India