This book was not good. The characters were not likable and it was just downright boring. It was a DNF for me.

Freaks by Brett Riley

This book was a dnf for me. I liked the initial plot and themes explored, and although this book did have some good aspects like the world-building, and some of the extra detail the author wrote about the settings. However, overall this book just fell a bit ... flat.

It didn't click with me. The bullying expressed in the book felt quite outdated, and I didn't feel that the characters were likeable, in the slightest. Which is a big no-no for me.

Rated: 1.5 stars

Thank you so much to netgallery for allowing me to write this book, in exchange for an honest review.

I looked into this book because I accidentally got myself on a promotional book tour for it and…yikes! If it weren’t too late to pull out of the tour, I would!

I had to force myself to read past the first page and it was not pretty.

Not only is this book badly written but it is immensely outdated. I often got confused about the setting of the story because of how out-of-touch it is. Kids are getting their heads stuck down toilets, pants pulled down in public, and mocked for being Marvel fans?! If it weren’t for the (forcibly placed) pop-culture references. you’d think this was written three decades ago. Especially because it has a lot of sexist, racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic language that has gone unchecked. (No, it’s not just the bullies who use them. Yes, I worry that the author himself subscribes to these beliefs.)

I also did not appreciate the way the book—no, the author—brought up gun-violence. It was entirely unnecessary and was given a treatment so flippant that one would wonder if the writer is condoning, if not outright encouraging, school shootings.

I could go on and on, but I would rather not waste more time on this book than I already have. I only came here to warn people not to read it!

This book gave me major Jumanji vibes but with a dark twist! I loved the dark creatures and how the “Freaks” had to solve the whole story.
Generally I’m a lover of the Misfits and Nerds and Freaks so this book was perfect for me!
The whole set up in the town of Arkansas was lovely and gave the plot what it needed.
I really loved the ending and I can’t wait for another book by this author!

A book with a lot of plot twists and things that make us attach to the characters. I really loved the sci-fi vibe and the main character. Just captivates me.

The only thing I didn't like was how it ended. I don't know if it will have a second book, but it was too "open" for interpretation, and I think that a second book could fix this.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. What drew my eye to this book was the amazing cover and the description! I was so thrilled to read this book, but I will admit that some of the languages were outdated and the bullies bland. I could see that the author was open with a lesbian character, but I grow tired of the lesbian stereotypes by not being like other girls and that she is so different. What's the point of that? Like okay, we get it. But besides that, I think that this was a solid plot and the action was good. I enjoyed this book a lot once I got past the annoying Cliches. I would recommend this to readers.

3.5/5 I received an ebook ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This was an interesting read, with a good premise--bullied kids get superpowers, but also bring in a malevolent being that wants to hunt them and all mankind down. And one of the bullies also gets powers, and seeing how the dynamics between the bullied and bully change (or don't) was well done.

But certain parts rang a bit hollow--the reasons why the kids were being bullied, for example, are more what kids were bullied for in the 70s/80s; being a geek or a nerd just doesn't make kids social pariahs nowadays, and certainly not to the point portrayed in this book. It would've been nice to get a little more character insight into each of the kids, if only to help distinguish them beyond their powers.

A good read, overall, especially for people who like superhero/superpowers stories.

Book Review: Freaks – Brett Riley

Disclaimer: I was kindly gifted an eARC of this book via Netgally in exchange for an honest review.

Freaks follows four high school friends that have been bullied all their lives. One day they are messing around and accidently open a portal to another dimension. In the process, they develop superpowers, but this portal also leaves an opening for a dark entity to creep through. Now they must decide whether to use their new found powers to get revenge on their school bullies that have tormented them for so many years or if they will use their powers for good to help defeat the monster that has crept through the portal and been wreaking havoc on their town.

The premise of this book is what drew me in. It’s reminded me of the TV series Stranger Things, and I am a huge fan of that show so naturally I was so excited for this book.

The writing is easy to follow, and the story progresses at a great pace. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with any of the characters. They felt very 2D and didn’t feel relatable. Its very plot driven and there is not much character development. Gabby and Jamie were the only two characters that I actually cared about but not enough that I would remember their story after I had closed the book.

The time period of the book was also very confusing for me. This story was supposed to be set in the modern day, but it felt very outdated and unrealistic. The friends are bullied for being ‘superhero’s’ and called ‘geeks’. There is also not much mention of social media at all. This made me feel like the story was taking place in the past and not the present time.

The main element that captured my attention was the monster and its origin. Sadly, we didn’t get to learn much about the monster or its origin, however, this is said to be a series so maybe we will learn more about the monster in the next installments.

This book is for you if you like:
• Coming of age stories
• Superhero’s
• Found family trope

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Freaks was such a fun reading!
I really liked the concept and the premise of bullied-sick kids getting superpowers but their bully also getting superpowers and how he change because of that is so cool and the way each character had a very unique relationship with their new abilities.
I had a great time and felt like watching a cool kid gang movie from the 80s.
Also the writing is so smooth anyone can read.
Highly recommended !!!

2.5 Stars - I did not like this one unfortunately, I had high hopes for a good superhero teen horror a bit like the show The Boys. Sadly, I did not get the scares or morally grey anti-heroes or even really good superheroes that I could root for and get behind. The story left me disappointed and the characters were just annoying as all heck. By the 25% mark I wanted the monster to kill everybody and I didn't even get that.

Okay, let's talk about the good things first. I enjoyed two characters a lot, Christian and Na'ul, that was it. Christian was tough as nails lesbian who had no problem taking care of her business and Na'ul was creepy demon prince possibly vampire who just wanted to eat people. Loved that, wanted to see Na'ul eat more people and especially rooted for him to kill the other Freaks. I wanted to see Christian use her new found powers to pound the snot out of B3 and then live her best life running as fast and as far as she desired. The only other enjoyable part of this book was the killings by Na'ul themselves, hence the 2.5 instead of 2, I could not give it more than half a star because there weren't enough. The brutal nature and the gore kept me reading because I was lapping it up and waiting for more.

Aside from this, everything else was a let down. Most disappointing were the main characters, I hated almost all of the freaks except Christian and obviously couldn't stand B3 the bullies. I thought I might come to like Kenneth and he started growing on me once he got his powers but, even he got back on my nerves after a few more chapters. At first I did empathise with the freaks and did root for them to get their revenge on their tormentors, but once again, not long after they got their powers they were grating on my last nerve especially Micah and Gabby. Not only did they not go down they morally grey anti-hero root and get their vengeance, they failed at being decent superheroes. Instead of being inspiring and evoking me to get behind them, I was rooting for the villain.

Only one member of B3 dying was unsatisfying and the supposed horror or scary elements just weren't. I was again left unsatisfied, I needed more kills and maybe more than one monster. Na'ul did horrifying things but, there was so much boring stuff in between that it took away from the scary elements. I would be shocked by the gory act and then struggling through the annoyance of the characters boring lives that I lost all feelings of horror. All in all I wanted more from the plot and more horrific kills and better superheroes. I pushed through due to the audiobook but, even that wasn't great.

I will say that Brett Riley is a good writer and I would read more from him just not in this series.

DNF at 80%
Started with a good bang the storyline was getting interesting but halfway through it just fizzled out.
The relationships with the other character could be said better
overall I think the book is ok but it's not my cup of tea

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read freaks.
Interesting idea which is what made me request in the first place and I was excited to read, unfortunately I did DNF at 35%.
Couldn't connect with any of the characters and the story just fell flat for me.

This book centres around a group of teens who have been relentlessly bullied for years and end up accidentally getting superpowers and bringing creatures from other dimensions into ours.

The main characters in this book were really diverse and unique from each other. All of them dealt with their bullying in very different ways.

It was also interesting to see how each of the characters dealt with getting their powers and how they planned on using them. The dynamics between everyone was really tense at times.

I felt like the story was well paced. We got some information about who our main characters were before launching into the story.

I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel to see how our characters develop and see what else they have to endure and face.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This one had such an interesting concept, and the monster and what we learned of its background was compelling. Everything else, unfortunately, fell flat.

For a story set in the modern day, it felt very out of touch. Each of the "freaks" are introduced via scenes of their being bullied, but the methods of bullying (immersing someone's head in toilet water, spitballs, pantsing, etc.) seemed simple and outdated. Bullying comes in so many forms, many of them subtle, and it would have been preferable to me to have seen more of that; more of what kids actually deal with in this day and age.

Most of the characters also weren't likeable, and didn't even seem to like or be nice to their supposed best friends.

Micah is a Nice Guy™ who is lacking in empathy, obsessed with revenge, never seems to learn from anything, and is upset with Gabby for "choosing" Jamie over him, although he never actually expressed interest in Gabby (something that she, thankfully, calls him out on). At one point, when Micah is yet again running his mouth, potentially making trouble for them all, Gabby hisses at him to shut up, and in response, he thinks that she is "such a girl." What?

I was excited to find that one of the main characters is a lesbian (LGBTQIA+ representation is important to me), but it was quickly made clear that she has little personality outside of being a stereotype, and Not Like Other Girls™.

There is a minor character, Marla, a popular girl at school who seems to only exist so that our main characters can think about what a "bitch" she is.

It all just left a very bad taste in my mouth, and was very disappointing to me. There were two characters I didn't mind (Gabby and Jamie), but even they seemed underutilized and overshadowed by everything else.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book and wanted to fully enjoy it a lot more than I ended up liking it. I feel like it dragged a little towards the middle and the end did fall a little flat for me. I do think this would make a great series, either shows or even graphic novels? I do love the story idea and think it has so much potential.

Review:
The idea behind this book intrigued me. I found the pacing of the book was quick and the plot was easy to follow. My issue with the book was the likability of the main characters. I also founds the reasons they were bullied to be outdated.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, after only making it about 20% through, I had to admit defeat with Freaks.

Initially I listened to the audiobook version but the narrator was too robotic and monotone for my liking. The accents she used were also irritating after a while and it was difficult to differentiate the characters.

I then went on to try and continue the story by reading the ebook but I really couldn't get into it! The writing felt very stilted and constantly "he said this and he did that and she said this and she did that" which I'm not a fan of at all.

Plot wise (from what I did get through) the concept of a group of nerds being viciously bullied felt seriously outdated and reminded me a lot of Stephen King's IT, especially with the bullying methods and bad language/name calling (and the accents in the audiobook) which felt totally out of place for a story set in modern day times.

I really wanted to enjoy this one because the synopsis sounded so unique and exciting but I really couldn't bring myself to trudge through the clunky writing and 80's movie style bullying.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Freaks introduces you to four high-school friends who are bullied on a daily basis. Some of which I can only assume weren't pleasant but then again - is being bullied ever pleasant? I think not. Then one day they accidentally open up a portal to a whole new world and they go on an adventure.

I'll admit that I got those Ready Player One vibes while reading this one. It definitely made this book a bit more interesting to me but that's basically it. The superpowers and the characters themselves could be interesting at times. It just felt like I either got too much information or not enough when it came to certain things.

Other than that, things did tend to end up being a smidge predictable here and there. I also liked how realistic the bullying was throughout this, but I do wonder why cyber was left out? Maybe Brett had a reason to do so? Maybe we will get another book? Who knows?

In the end, I'm happy that I got the chance to dive into this world and look forward to whatever Brett creates next!

This was a story about the victims of a group of bullies, who through an accident become endowed with superpowers and decide to get a little payback on the bullies.
If only a human eating monster hadn’t come through a portal they accidentally opened when chanting from an old magic book
This was an easy read, at times reading young middle grade but then at times with death scenes reading older YA.
There is room for a sequel as each character could be developed further.
I’m interested to read the next book in this series to see what develops.
3.5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Imbrifex Books for an advance copy to read and review.

A reasonably entertaining story but I feel it lacked some depth. The characters and their problems felt somewhat two dimensional. It might hold the interest of middle graders (upper primary for Australia) but I feel it would fall short for a young adult audience. There was certainly plenty of action, especially towards the end. The storyline itself has plenty of merit but I just feel the telling of the story could have reached greater heights.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.