In an effort to create a provocative and steamy novel, Outcast struggles to maintain its edgy young adult voice at a cost to its overall narrative, and as a result, it ultimately fails on both accounts. This is to say Denise Jaden’s novel is a disappointment. From its convoluted writing style to the lackluster characters, Outcast felt like a trainwreck that kept getting worse.

Starting at the beginning, Kass, our supposedly spunky protagonist but not really, wakes up and finds herself strapped to a wheelchair. The reader is constantly reminded that she is strapped to a wheelchair because Jaden’s redundant writing style emphasizes this fact way too often. It seemed she had an obsession with this phrase, “strapped to a wheelchair,” If you think I am using the phrase, “strapped to wheelchair” way too much, then this is how I felt just reading the first chapter. In the first few pages, Jaden imbeds this phrase in almost every paragraph. Her repetition had to be one of my biggest gripes with the book, and I had numerous issues with the book.

The book is told through two points of views, one of which is completely unnecessary. Eli’s characterization serves no other function other than a “sexy” plot device who is there to either drive Kas around or describe her attractive indifference. Jaden soley uses his point of view to tell, not show, Kass’s personality or lack thereof from an outsider’s view point. His perspective never moves forward the plot, and it seems as though the voices of the two protagonists overlap more often than not. There is a lack of distinction between the two voices, and Jaden could have written the whole book just from one character’s eyes.
In addition to the writing style, the narrative plot makes absolutely no sense. The word “no” does not exist in any of the character’s vocabulary. For example, Kass is able to persuade a worker from the psychiatric hospital to free her from the binds of the wheelchair. The worker, Patrick, is well aware that he should not release anyone from the confines of the chair, but Kass is able to convince him to let her go and explaire. I would like to give some additional details that Patrick mentions in this conversation. There are other people that are tied in wheelchairs, he would face consequences from his boss should he release anyone, and yet Kass is able to to sway him to do so. This is not a singular incident. When Kass is facing expulsion from her principal in a flashback, Eli manages to convince the principal not to. The principal states he is done with Kass’s rude behavior since it has been an ongoing issue and has been wanting to to expel Kass for quite some time now, yet Eli, using his cancerous mother as a pivot advises the principal not to do so.

Jaden also forgets to let the audience know key details such as Kass having smoke bombs in her backpack or a lighter in her pocket. I do not want to give anything away from the book, but it feels like a wannabe deus ex machina. There is no mention of the lighter and the smoke bomb throughout the whole book, and suddenly, they are there and crucial to the book. It seemed like Kass by extension Jaden were pulling objects out of nowhere at the time she needed them.

Lastly, I was left with many questions at the end. While leaving the reader with the question is valid to set up the sequel, Jaden’s book feels unfinished and unconcluded. The questions I had developed questions throughout the book, and I expected some of them to be answered. Nothing was answered. In the end, I just had more questions in addition to my previous ones beforehand.

I did not enjoy this book at all, and while I applaud Jaden for finishing novel length work, I could not get over the convoluted plot, the unlikable characters, and the dull writing style. ( )

Amazing story!!

Teenagers are predictably unpredictable. Most want to be unique while fitting in. Others prefer laying low while trying to remain invisible. All just hope to reach the finish line unscathed.

After several decades of archaic testing and treatments for the “mentally insane”, the world of health care has increased the importance of understanding mental health and its associated disorders. Doctors are becoming better educated in detecting illnesses such as clinical depression, anxiety, and psychosis. Pharmaceutical companies have invested billions of dollars in research to aid the growing number of diagnosed patients.

It wouldn’t take much of a leap in imagination to think of unscrupulous doctors creating their own methods of testing procedures. Are the disorders genetic? Is there a way to suppress any potential disorder before it manifests? What better way to find out than to actually find out?

I find it would be wrong to complete this review without mentioning the budding relationship between two socially inept teenagers. Their challenging family life is not all they have in common. I look forward to reading the Bonus Track to learn more about them.

I am fascinated with the social issues highlighted in Track One. I cannot wait to see what answers are to be found in Track Two. ( )

This book was entertaining and imaginative. I highly recommend this book to everyone. ( )