"Freaks" by Brett Riley is a captivating and thought-provoking novel that defies expectations and challenges readers to confront their deepest fears and prejudices. Riley, with his masterful storytelling and rich character development, delivers a compelling narrative that transcends genre conventions and leaves a lasting impact on readers.

One of the most compelling aspects of "Freaks" is Riley's ability to create a vivid and immersive world that feels both familiar and fantastical. Set against the backdrop of a small Southern town in the 1970s, the novel explores themes of identity, otherness, and the human capacity for cruelty and compassion. Riley's attention to detail and richly drawn characters bring the story to life, immersing readers in a world where magic and mystery collide with the harsh realities of prejudice and discrimination.

The protagonist, Wyatt Branson, is a beautifully rendered character whose journey of self-discovery serves as the heart of the story. As a young boy grappling with his own sense of identity and belonging, Wyatt's struggles resonate with readers on a deeply personal level. His relationships with the other characters in the novel—from his enigmatic grandmother to the mysterious carnival performers—add depth and complexity to his character, highlighting the interconnectedness of all beings and the power of empathy to bridge divides.

Riley's writing style is both lyrical and evocative, with prose that is as haunting as it is beautiful. He expertly weaves together multiple narrative threads, each one adding depth and richness to the overall tapestry of the story. From the eerie atmosphere of the carnival to the lush Southern landscape, Riley's descriptive language transports readers to a world that is both enchanting and unsettling.

Moreover, "Freaks" is not just a novel about magic and mystery—it's also a powerful exploration of the human condition and the universal quest for acceptance and belonging. Riley's nuanced portrayal of prejudice and discrimination serves as a poignant reminder of the dangers of judging others based on superficial differences, while his celebration of love and friendship offers a message of hope and redemption.

In conclusion, "Freaks" by Brett Riley is a must-read for anyone who enjoys immersive storytelling and thought-provoking themes. With its richly drawn characters, evocative prose, and powerful message of empathy and understanding, it's a book that will linger in readers' minds long after they've finished the final page. Riley has crafted a masterpiece of modern literature that defies categorization and invites readers to explore the depths of the human soul.

It took me a while to pick it up after I started it, but when I did, it did entertain me, although I didn't quite like some things about the plot, perhaps because certain characters made it that way.

The first book in the series. 3 books all together.
This book kinda feels like a superhero origin story but also a book on revenge. It has so many mixed things going on.
It is def entertaining.
It's def a YA book. I think a lot of young readers will like it. It has aspects of magic and horror.

I am glad to have the opportunity to read this book, thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. The above is my opinion, which are honest and voluntary.

**Thank you to Netgalley and Imbrifex books for allowing me to read to this book. All thoughts are my honest opinions.**


Freaks is the first in the Freaks series, which follows four high-school friends who accidentally summon a demon. They now find they have powers, not just any powers, but SUPERPOWERS! This YA fantasy book aims to capture the essence of a teenager in a small town, dealing with school, friends, and bullies. Brett Riley does a good job at the surface level, but it lacks some realism with some of the teenager's communication, not to mention the over-the-top bullying.

However, each character is well thought out and written, with their unique voice, although I am not overly keen on how the teenager of colour or the females were written. I also really enjoyed the gore parts of the story.

This book is written for young adults, and I would give this a 3.5 star rating, and will be checking book 2.

Was a fun read, I really enjoyed the pacing of the plot and the characters. I would recommend reading.

This is one of those stories where the bullied become the threat, and it goes about how you'd expect.

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Copy provided by Imbrifex Books,

Freaks is about four high school friends who suffer daily humiliation at the hands of three bullies. When the friends accidentally open a portal to another dimension, they unintentionally allow terrifying, other-worldly creatures to invade their small Arkansas town. Discovering that they are now endowed with strange superpowers, the four teens dub themselves “Freaks,” the very name their tormentors used to ridicule them. The Freaks must fight to save the lives of family and friends now in mortal peril and thwart a secret government task force that appears to be hunting them.

The writing style, dialogue, characters were all very juvenile. The plot was very straightforward and there was no mystery to what was happening, so, basically all tell and no show. The plot was a bit lacking and the characters had no real depth to them, they felt like cardboard cutouts. They all talk the exact same and have no personality so I would often forget who was talking to who since none of them have defining traits. The last thing I felt was that it was so cheesy to call someone a geek for liking comics. This is suppose to be set in modern times and no one in modern times is calling someone a geek or freak for liking comics. I am aware this is part one to a series but there wasn't anything that had me hooked to want to continue on to the next. I will probably not be reading the next book.

I thought the book was ok. It wasn't the best or the worse story I ever read. I loved the powers each character get. I think the plot was good but I wasn't really falling hard for any of the characters. I would say Jamie is my favorite character and Micah I didn't really care that much for. I am currently reading Travellers and so far it feels like a 3 to 3.5 stars.

3.5 stars 🌟

I really enjoyed this one!

(Text version is far better than the audiobook)

*Fun!
*Superhero powers
*Monster fighting
*Freshmen year
*(mostly) Annoying characters(?)
*Weird junk food obsession from the author
*Monster POV
*Profanity
*Stranger Things feel
*Should've been set in the 80s/90s

(?) It's strange when you actually prefer the bully over the "heroes".
Favourite character: Kenneth - the beginnings of a good character arc, I hope.
Character to watch: Micah - will be interesting to see which direction his character goes.
Least favourite character: Christian - I'm sorry but she's the most annoying of the bunch.

Setting and time wise, it had a great feel about it. Felt like the 80s or 90s. But then every time something modern was mentioned, I was pulled out. So, I do agree with those saying this feels "dated" in many ways. I think it definitely would have benefited from being set in an earlier decade.

The characters are young and shallow, and the writing is simple. The dialouge is cringy but I guess that's how young teens would talk. It feels perfect for a young audience who like a bit of monster gore (I didn't think is was too much, personally). It was actually the profanity that I found the most troubling.

Overall it was enjoyable, simple fun. I plan to continue the series.

There is nothing actually wrong with this book. It is perfectly serviceable... and as a middle-grade power fantasy with some horror elements, it is fine. The problem is that it does feel as if the plot and characters have been done before (in better ways). A story like this needs a hook, and unfortunately, this story failed at that mostly because it felt too familiar to hook me. The characters felt like archetypes rather than fleshed out beings in this world, the plot felt a bit recycled from a couple of popular TV shows and the world-building felt all over the place. Having said all that, the actual writing was good and pacey, I wasn't bored reading this and even though I wasn't surprised, I also wasn't disappointed. It all adds up to a fairly run-of-the-mill story about the nerdy kids and superpowers that I wouldn't recommend over so many other great books, but wouldn't discourage anyone from reading if they really wanted to.

So this book is aimed for children. So I would have probably enjoyed it a whole lot more if I was younger.

The plot of this story was interesting. It was hard for me to get into the story at first because it was quite slow I felt. The story isn't finished there is a 2nd book.

Thank you netgalley and Brett Riley for the copy.

There were several comments in this book that were sexist, which I didn't think I would find in a book written in 2021, considering that this is also targeted towards younger audiences. The way that the characters refer to other boys as a 'pussy' (,etc.) and girls as 'such a girl' are both outdated and wrong to include in a book where these phrases aren't challenged, and where the characters don't learn from their mistakes

This wasn't a book a usually read but I enjoyed it, it was also the first book I have read from Brett Riley. I really liked the world that Riley built and the characters was really interesting. The way the characters interacted with each other was great as well. I can't wait to read the next one.

I quite enjoyed this book - it was a fun, interesting ready overall. The storyline was easy to follow and kept my attention.

Unfortunately it felt a little cliche at times and like I could see what was coming from a mile away.

Plus, it felt a little like we didn’t get to learn as much about the monsters as we could have.

•::• Review •::•
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Freaks •::• Brett Riley •::• ⭐️⭐️

Hunted by monsters. Wanted for questioning. Late for class.

Four high-school friends suffer daily humiliation at the hands of three bullies.

When the friends accidentally open a portal to another dimension, they unintentionally allow terrifying, other-worldly creatures to invade their small Arkansas town. Discovering that they are now endowed with strange
superpowers, the four teens dub themselves “Freaks,” the very name their tormentors used to ridicule them. The Freaks must fight to save the lives of family and friends now in mortal peril and thwart a secret government task force that appears to be hunting them.

Thank you to @netgalley and @imbrifexbooks for the e-arc and the audiobook of Freaks in return for an honest review.

I did enjoy this, I think it was a good start to the series, I liked the characters and the message behind the story.

This book has good visualisation and I could see it being played out in my imagination. However, the book did not surprise me at all, I felt as though I knew where everything was going. I’d have liked the unexpected!

I’d also like to mention that it’s marketed as YA, I think the swearing and some of the way things are described are a bit much for a YA. Definitely not for the 12yr old YA reader that’s for sure!

Unfortunately, no matter what I tried the audiobook played with a ‘tinny’ effect and this really frustrated me!

I will be reading & listening to Travelers soon.
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#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookworm #paperwhitepages #booklover #readmorebooks #readinglovers #booksta #idratherbereading #bookobsessed #ilovetoread #igreads #freaks #brettriley #imbrifrexbooks #netgalley #audiobookreview

I enjoyed seeing characters in the novel that I don't normally see represented in YA novels (or at least the ones I read). These characters live in a small, rural town and sound like it! They don't fit in for one reason or another, and of course, the story really takes off when they become empowered. I think the bullying piece is interesting, in that there are some consequences, but not necessarily for all, or in the way we'd expect.

Brett Riley’s YA fantasy/thriller Freaks is about a group of high school students who, after years of bullying, get abilities and must battle a terrifying otherworldly entity. This novel, in my opinion, is better suited to the upper young adult – or new adult age bracket. Even though the protagonists in the novel are just teens, they are subjected to severe bullying and witness gruesome murders throughout the story. Gabby, Christian, Jamie, and Micah are four nerdy best friends who have always been singled out by their peers, particularly the B3 trio. Known as freaks, they get even closer as friends as a result of this mutual experience. While playing live-action role-playing one night, the four discovered some odd and hidden props in Micah’s shed. Kenneth, a member of the bully gang B3, stood there, oblivious to the harm he was causing. They had no idea that by utilizing these relics, they had unintentionally opened a doorway to another realm, enabling horrific monsters to enter.

This was a basic, cinematic action-driven read with a dash of gore thrown in for good measure. However, it felt a little too cliched and typical. Although cyberbullying is referenced casually in the middle of the novel, most of the harassment shown is fairly physical and feels a little too old school. There are some intriguing concerns highlighted regarding bullying and the need for vengeance, with the novel advocating for a more forgiving attitude and portraying the one youngster who desires vengeance as a self-centered fool. I found it difficult to connect with the characters. The conversation and attitudes of the characters were incredibly out of date, and given that this novel is meant to be set in the present day, it didn’t seem remotely believable to me. They’re meant to be best friends, yet none of them are polite to one other. There were also other remarks made by both the main and supporting characters that were just rude and, in many cases, casually misogynistic. Given that this is a children’s novel, incorporating them without confronting them or having the characters learn from their remarks made me uneasy.

The creature and its origin were the key elements that drew my interest. Unfortunately, we didn’t discover much about the monster or its origins; but, as this is a series, we may learn more about the creature in future chapters. For this reader, the issue boils down to the crucial matter of genre, and by extension, target audience. It matters as I stated at the outset. It matters as I stated at the outset. It matters because libraries, instructors, and parents will be the ones to shell out the cash to buy these publications. They will also be harassed by parents who disapprove of the subject, which is sometimes far too adult for YA literature.

I received a ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted my review.
To be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of this book. The story overall was very cliche, and the characters felt under developed. I had a hard time becoming emotionally invested in the characters and story. The only part I found interesting was when the characters first discovered they had powers, but even that felt unoriginal and like something I’ve seen in countless superhero movies and comics. I don’t recommend this book if you care mostly about well written, three dimensional, and original characters. If you care less about characters and more about fast paced action, then you might enjoy this book.

This book was... weird. First of all, i am not really fond of bullying which have a fair spotlight in this book. And its poorly written. I pusged myself to finish it but at the end it didnt satisfy me either. I am so sorry

I just thought this was a fun look at the hero genre, and how powers can manifest. I really enjoyed the writing and the world, it just didn't happen to be a new favourite.