When we first meet Abigail, she is the sullen, moody, irritable teenager that she appears to be. We all either have known a teen like that or we were a teen like that, right?
While this story started out a bit slower than I would usually like, and this book was perhaps a bit outside of my comfort zone, I really did enjoy reading it. The second half of the story was a total roller coaster ride and you never knew what you were going to find around each corner.

Abigail was so used to abandonment that it was hard for her to accept anything at face value, and there are times when that can be dangerous, but there are also times when that can be a life-saving technique and will protect you from harm when nothing else can.

While on some levels, it was hard for me to connect with these characters, the underlying internal struggles are somewhat familiar to all of us, even in the best of circumstances. The struggle to figure out who you are and who or what you are really fighting against are universal. While others may have viewed this story as very dark, I saw that there was a message of hope buried within the pages. This is one that I think all teenagers should read. If they were to take absolutely nothing else from the story, they would gain a new perspective on things. I know I have.

Thank you to the publisher for a review copy. ( )

When we first meet Abigail, she is the sullen, moody, irritable teenager that she appears to be. We all either have known a teen like that or we were a teen like that, right?
While this story started out a bit slower than I would usually like, and this book was perhaps a bit outside of my comfort zone, I really did enjoy reading it. The second half of the story was a total roller coaster ride and you never knew what you were going to find around each corner.

Abigail was so used to abandonment that it was hard for her to accept anything at face value, and there are times when that can be dangerous, but there are also times when that can be a life-saving technique and will protect you from harm when nothing else can.

While on some levels, it was hard for me to connect with these characters, the underlying internal struggles are somewhat familiar to all of us, even in the best of circumstances. The struggle to figure out who you are and who or what you are really fighting against are universal. While others may have viewed this story as very dark, I saw that there was a message of hope buried within the pages. This is one that I think all teenagers should read. If they were to take absolutely nothing else from the story, they would gain a new perspective on things. I know I have.

Thank you to the publisher for a review copy. ( )

Deviant I received this audio book for review from AudioGo through Audiobook Jukebox This audio was narrated by Kirsten Potter. Her performance was believable and enjoyable although the Scottish accent was sometimes a bit much. Since the main character was from Scotland, the accent was fitting though, I just didn't care for it. Otherwise, this was an adequate narration. Deviant was an interesting story with some unusual twists. Initially, I was able to really identify with the main character, Abigail, who felt abandoned by the mother who left her as an infant and even by her guardian who died when Abigail was very young leaving her to grow up in some shoddy foster homes and orphan hostels. Abigail was forced to learn some harsh life lessons and developed some street smarts that prevented her from becoming a victim like so many in her position. In order to survive, Abigail resolved to form no attachments, friendships or otherwise. Deviant started to read like a Cinderella story when Abigail found out about the father and sister she had never heard of and suddenly found herself living the life of a wealthy California teen. All of Abigails doubts and yet her desire to embrace the family she had yearned all her life for struck a chord with me and I really wish that the story would have went in this direction. However, as it states in the summary, Deviant deviates into a conspiracy rich kind of action/thriller and this is where the story kind of lost me. I did not find the intrigue to be completely convincing and I think it pushed past the bounds of plausibility. The machinations of the super secret agency to control teen behavior was over the top and unrealistic. And then of course, nefarious plots notwithstanding, a teen will always have time for a bit of romance. This didn't quite go into a full love triangle even though it hinted at the possibility of one, for which I am grateful. What felt genuine to me was that Abigail would absolutely be awkward and unsure after a lifetime of pushing people away, so when the relationship aspects didn't always fit right, I found it believable. Ultimately, this was a worthwhile read and I would recommend it to fans of book like The Program and similar reads. ( )

Deviant I received this audio book for review from AudioGo through Audiobook Jukebox This audio was narrated by Kirsten Potter. Her performance was believable and enjoyable although the Scottish accent was sometimes a bit much. Since the main character was from Scotland, the accent was fitting though, I just didn't care for it. Otherwise, this was an adequate narration. Deviant was an interesting story with some unusual twists. Initially, I was able to really identify with the main character, Abigail, who felt abandoned by the mother who left her as an infant and even by her guardian who died when Abigail was very young leaving her to grow up in some shoddy foster homes and orphan hostels. Abigail was forced to learn some harsh life lessons and developed some street smarts that prevented her from becoming a victim like so many in her position. In order to survive, Abigail resolved to form no attachments, friendships or otherwise. Deviant started to read like a Cinderella story when Abigail found out about the father and sister she had never heard of and suddenly found herself living the life of a wealthy California teen. All of Abigails doubts and yet her desire to embrace the family she had yearned all her life for struck a chord with me and I really wish that the story would have went in this direction. However, as it states in the summary, Deviant deviates into a conspiracy rich kind of action/thriller and this is where the story kind of lost me. I did not find the intrigue to be completely convincing and I think it pushed past the bounds of plausibility. The machinations of the super secret agency to control teen behavior was over the top and unrealistic. And then of course, nefarious plots notwithstanding, a teen will always have time for a bit of romance. This didn't quite go into a full love triangle even though it hinted at the possibility of one, for which I am grateful. What felt genuine to me was that Abigail would absolutely be awkward and unsure after a lifetime of pushing people away, so when the relationship aspects didn't always fit right, I found it believable. Ultimately, this was a worthwhile read and I would recommend it to fans of book like The Program and similar reads. ( )

Deviant I received this audio book for review from AudioGo through Audiobook Jukebox This audio was narrated by Kirsten Potter. Her performance was believable and enjoyable although the Scottish accent was sometimes a bit much. Since the main character was from Scotland, the accent was fitting though, I just didn't care for it. Otherwise, this was an adequate narration. Deviant was an interesting story with some unusual twists. Initially, I was able to really identify with the main character, Abigail, who felt abandoned by the mother who left her as an infant and even by her guardian who died when Abigail was very young leaving her to grow up in some shoddy foster homes and orphan hostels. Abigail was forced to learn some harsh life lessons and developed some street smarts that prevented her from becoming a victim like so many in her position. In order to survive, Abigail resolved to form no attachments, friendships or otherwise. Deviant started to read like a Cinderella story when Abigail found out about the father and sister she had never heard of and suddenly found herself living the life of a wealthy California teen. All of Abigails doubts and yet her desire to embrace the family she had yearned all her life for struck a chord with me and I really wish that the story would have went in this direction. However, as it states in the summary, Deviant deviates into a conspiracy rich kind of action/thriller and this is where the story kind of lost me. I did not find the intrigue to be completely convincing and I think it pushed past the bounds of plausibility. The machinations of the super secret agency to control teen behavior was over the top and unrealistic. And then of course, nefarious plots notwithstanding, a teen will always have time for a bit of romance. This didn't quite go into a full love triangle even though it hinted at the possibility of one, for which I am grateful. What felt genuine to me was that Abigail would absolutely be awkward and unsure after a lifetime of pushing people away, so when the relationship aspects didn't always fit right, I found it believable. Ultimately, this was a worthwhile read and I would recommend it to fans of book like The Program and similar reads. ( )