Genre: Fiction/Young Adult/Fantasy
Plot: They come out of the sky and take you. Everyone knows that.
After six years of “angels” coming out of the sky and taking people from her town, 16-year-old Riley Carver has just about had it living with the constant fear. When one decides to terrorize her in her own backyard, it’s the final straw. She takes her mother’s shotgun and shoots the thing. So it’s dead. Or … not? In place of the creature she shot, is a guy. A really hot guy. A really hot alive and breathing guy. Oh, and he’s totally naked.
Not sure what to do, she drags his unconscious body to the tool shed and ties him up. After all, he’s an angel and they have tricks. When he regains consciousness she’s all set to interrogate him about why the angels come to her town, and how to get back her best friend (and almost boyfriend) Chris, who was taken the year before. But it turns out the naked guy in her shed is just as confused about everything as she is.
He thinks it’s 1956.
Set in the deep south, OUTCAST is a story of love, trust, and coming of age. It’s also a story about the supernatural, a girl with a strange sense of humor who’s got wicked aim, a greaser from the 50’s, and an army of misfits coming together for one purpose: To kick some serious angel ass.
Opinion: I LOVE a good adolescent fantasy story, as I am sure a lot of you can relate with. This story centers around angelic creatures, an angel-crazed town, a young man with a lost memory, and a young girl who wants to find the truth behind it all. This is another one of those books that just hooks you in, and one you can’t put down until you have read the last word.
It has been one year since Riley Carver lost her best friend and almost boyfriend, Chris, to the Taking. It has been six years since the first angels came from the sky and took people from her town, and this year it’s about to happen again. One day per year, everyone in Riley’s town gathers for a celebration called the Taking; which is when angelic creatures come down from above and take whom they please. But this year, Riley decides to stay home and not partake in the town’s delusional festivities; in which they think being taken by the angels is a good thing. Unfortunately for Riley, an angel comes for her. So naturally, she shoots the angel in the face with a shotgun. Now, all that is left of the angel is a naked boy, Gabe, with no recollection of being an angel. But to make matters worse, he thinks it’s 1956 still. Now Riley must get to the bottom of what is really going on in her town, and why so many people are being taken and never returned.
I highly enjoyed this read, and wish there was about fifteen more to accompany it! The story-line does spin off of the typical good/bad angel vibe, and the Nephilim idea works into it as well, but I really liked what the author did with those ideas to make this read creative and different. The character of Riley is living in a town that has, over the years, become crazed worshipers of the angels that come and basically kidnap their loved ones. Of course, Riley and her family don’t think the angels are something to worship or to love. The character of Riley is very interesting. She is just sixteen, and has only been kissed once in her life. She is the epitome of innocence and awkward adolescence, but this girl has spunk! After a year of her best friend and almost boyfriend being taken, Riley starts to get back into the life she had put on hold. But when Gabe comes into the picture, it changes everything, and she finds out about a lot more than what the angels are there for. Speaking of Gabe. GOODNESS GRACIOUS! Ladies, we have a James Dean clone on our hands! Gabe is one of those male characters that you can just imagine as being dreamy and making your knees weak. I was constantly smirking at his wit and sarcasm, this character is AWESOME! If you can’t get into the character of Riley, you will definitely be obsessing over Gabe and his charming yet eye roll worthy self.
There were a few things about the writing style that got on my nerves though. Though, as most books go, I stopped noticing it as I continued to read and got sucked into the story. This author took on a style where she was speaking through the character, but not giving complete sentences. Sort of like a train of thought, because as we know, sometimes they just aren’t complete. However, in a book I am NOT too keen on reading that. It was just bugging me to no end! Here is an example:
“We still looked at the angels like they were a bad thing, like those that were taken had died opposed to being chosen. Didn’t like the media taking advantage of that.”
I figured maybe this was a typo, as there are a few tiny mistakes throughout the story. But this happens quite a few times, so I came to the conclusion that it was quite on purpose. For me, I NEED complete sentences. Unless the entire story is going to be random thoughts and discombobulation, DO NOT give me uncompleted sentences. Please. 😉
Overall, I really really LOVED this book. The romance isn’t completely in your face the entire story, so it really focuses on the plot. I thought the characters were well-developed, and the idea was executed perfectly. I think this author could totally through in another few books (PLEASE) because I am addicted!
jenacidebybibliophile 