Name: Freaks
ISBN: 9781945501531

Brett Riley

After accidentally opening a portal to another dimension, four bullied high school friends find themselves endowed with strange superpowers and they must team up with one of their tormenters to save their families and friends from the bloodthirsty creatures invading their small Arkansas town.

Freaks

This book was like reading an episode of Freaks and Geeks with a touch of X-Men. I liked the togetherness of the group for sure. The 4 friends definitely have a bond like no other. 

There were a couple of things I was really happy about! Although these kids go thru so much, they definitely ended up in a found family trope. I think it helps understand the anger spurts. Lets be honest, high school isnt easy. Another detail I loved was the inclusion! We have Jewish, Latina, Black, and LGBTQ inclusion in this book. It's so important to have representation now a days. 

This book is perfect for readers that love supernatural setting, super powers, and fight for justice. I was a little bit taken by surprised at the constant need for payback. The bullying was at times a bit uncomfortable, but overall the story flows pretty steady. I wonder if the constant bullying also had to do with their religion, color, and sexual preference, sex... but then again, that may just be me trying to over analyze. It felt a bit stereotypical when it comes to the scenarios that the characters were set in. 

I am curious to see how this story evolves! Huge thanks to the author for gifting me a copy. All opinions are my own.

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

Like any great superhero story, FREAKS is the type of book that I would love to see adapted on screen. It follows a group of four friends who, unfortunately, are bullied at school. On a Friday night in which they hang out together, the group opens an off-limits trunk, and as they tamper with one of the books within it, they accidentally set off a portal to another dimension. Monsters come crawling out into the world, and the group must now band together and use their newly-acquired superpowers to protect their friends and family. What will happen? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

Freaks had a very cinematic feel to it, which I really enjoyed. I was often reminded about my love for Stranger Things while reading. There’s something about spooky monster stories set in small towns where the underdogs band together to save the day that really resonates with me, and it was the case with this book as well. Though it was sometimes hard to remember that this book wasn’t set in the past, there are references to DMs, chats and recent events (like the tragic murder of George Floyd) that helped me root the story to its modern setting. I really enjoyed the diversity of the group: Jamie is black, Gabby is Latina and comes from a Catholic-Jew family, Christian is lesbian and Micah’s mother is Wiccan. The characters were enjoyable, relatable, and I loved how they interacted with each other, though I wish they were less stereotypical, especially when it comes to the girls.

Overall, this was a very fun read, and I recommend it to fans of Stranger Things, Marvel and superheroes in general!

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. All opinions are my own.

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

Freaks was a pleasant surprise! While I was reading the story, I made a reading update saying this book reminded me of superheroes and teen horror (still unsure if I invented this genre.) Later one of my friends compared this to Stranger Things and Marvel and I wholeheartedly agree. That is precisely the vibe I was getting. Fitting, since those are two things I love watching—especially Stranger things, which is perhaps why I loved the protagonists so much. The friend dynamic and small town setting were similar, although their roles and predicament were different.

The story’s written in six different POVs (the four friends, Kenneth, and the monster), but it’s easy to understand which character’s perspective we’re following. It’s difficult to choose a favorite, because I sympathized with the “freaks” in many ways, but I do admit that I particularly enjoyed Kenneth’s chapters and the monster’s a lot. Kenneth is a bully, so you understand why he wasn’t my favorite person at first, but out of the characters, he’s the one who had the biggest character development (and Gabby, the meek girl who becomes braver and more determined at the end.) The monster’s chapters were good simply because they were different, gruesome, scary. I cringed while I was reading, but it’s the kind of horror you look at with one eye open because despite it’s scary, you can’t bring yourself to look away. 

The writing made me feel as if I were watching a movie, or a show. I later found out by reading the author’s bio that he’s a screenwriter, which is fitting. I truly believe this story could be a great concept for a show, since there’s going to be another two books in the series. The characters are interesting, and they have a lot to show. 

Thank you to the author and the publisher for gifting me a copy. Opinions are my own.

Jessika Rucker

I could not get through this book. I found it somewhat difficult to connect with the characters and I feel like the book is not that deep. If it wasn't work the language, I could see a younger audience enjoying it.

Katerina 

I recieved an ARC (Audiobook) of this in exchange for an honest review, thank you to the publisher and Netgalley. 

This is an extremely fun superhero origin story! 
A group of 4 friends who are the outcasts in this small town school where football players rule the school, want to get away from it all one afternoon and decide to begin a L.A.R.P. using an old book from one of the families freaky uncles. 
The L.A.R.P. goes south when a portal to another place opens. Letting all hell loose in this small town. 
Amidst bullies, police and federal agents investigating can our 'Freaks' keep their identities a secret? 

This book was adorable however, it was kinda hard to place what time period this takes place in. The bullying was something like out of a 80s movie, but I don't think that it detracts much from the story, I still think it was very cute.

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.

A Novel

Jourdan Gandy

I thought this was a fun book! It definitely gave me Stranger Things and Marvel vibes, so I think it would be perfect for fans of superheroes, superhero origin stories, and Stranger Things.

The book follows the story of four friends who find themselves subjected to endless bullying at school. After finding an old book, they follow one of the book’s rituals which gives them superpowers…and also unleashes a horrible monster into the world. They now find themselves on a quest to save their town from the monster bent on wielding destruction and death.

Like a few reviewers have noted, some scenes in this book did feel outdated and I found myself wondering if this book was set in the 1980s. As someone who has taught middle school and high schoolers, the bullying described in this book isn’t typically the type of bullying that takes place these days. I feel like in this, the author was a bit out of touch.

My favorite aspect of the book was definitely getting to read from the monster’s perspective. While he was definitely terrible, his POV chapters were my favorite part!

I feel like the ending leaves room for a book two, so I’m interested in seeing where the story goes from here.

Thanks to the author for sending me a copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thais Lopes

Review 3.5 stars!

Freaks by Brett Riley is a YA fantasy/thriller about a group of high school kids who, after enduring bullying their entire lives, obtain super-powers and must face a frightening other-worldly creature. I believe this book is more suited for an upper young adult - or new adult age group. Even though the characters in the book are only teenagers, they suffer through intense bullying as well witness gory deaths throughout the book (perfect for fans of Stranger Things!)

Gabby, Christian, Jamie and Micah are four geeky bestfriends who have always been targeted by other students, mainly the trio known as B3. Known as freaks, this common trauma brings them even closer as friends. One night, while the four were playing live-action-role-play, they found some obscure and hidden props in Micah's shed. Unaware of the danger that he was meddling with, Kenneth, a member of the bully group B3, watched. Little did they know that by using these artifacts they actually opened a portal to another dimension, allowing terrifying creatures to walk in.

The story takes a compelling turn of events after the opening of the portal. Each of the freaks, including Kenneth, mysteriously obtain super-powers (I hope the sequel has more explanations as to why they obtained these powers and also the reason behind each specific power-skill...).. The freaks finally have the cards to turn the table around on their bullies. However gruesome deaths have started to occur and now the freaks must decide which is more important: enacting their revenge on the community that disowned them their entire lives or help them by killing the monster that is threating their town.

Reading alone at night might not have been the best choice for me, for the creature that stalked and terrified their town made my blood-curl! The ending left room for a potential sequel, as the kids must now hunt the remaining monsters that crossed the threshold into Earth. Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy for review!

Shelby Goodwin

Thanks so much to the author for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts below are mine entirely.

The #1 thing on my mind about this book is that this story and characters would make for an epic graphic novel and is perfect for the silver screen! I’m such a sucker for stories about the geeky kids busting out of their bullied lives and finding themselves at the heart of a spooky but wild adventure, complete with superpowers and alternate dimensions. The vibe is for sure on par with Stranger Things, but also IT and X-Men!

I loved that the found family trope (one of my favorite tropes EVER) is the focus of this book, which resonates with me as it reminds me of all my favorite films growing up–E.T., Holes, The Goonies, The Sandlot, and The Outsiders. But what makes Freaks so awesome is to see such a diverse cast of characters, with LGBTQ+, Black, Lantina, Jewish, Catholic, and Wiccan representation throughout.

I am definitely shelving this one in my classroom for my high school students who I know would enjoy this kind of science fiction/horror adventure novel! However, I will say this read was definitely on the gruesome side and not for the faint of heart, but if you’re like me and into that kind of thing, you will absolutely adore this book! Highly recommended for Stephen King and YA sci-fi fans.

Thanks so much to the author for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts below are mine entirely.

The #1 thing on my mind about this book is that this story and characters would make for an epic graphic novel and is perfect for the silver screen! I’m such a sucker for stories about the geeky kids busting out of their bullied lives and finding themselves at the heart of a spooky but wild adventure, complete with superpowers and alternate dimensions. The vibe is for sure on par with Stranger Things, but also IT and X-Men!

I loved that the found family trope (one of my favorite tropes EVER) is the focus of this book, which resonates with me as it reminds me of all my favorite films growing up–E.T., Holes, The Goonies, The Sandlot, and The Outsiders. But what makes Freaks so awesome is to see such a diverse cast of characters, with LGBTQ+, Black, Lantina, Jewish, Catholic, and Wiccan representation throughout.
I am definitely shelving this one in my classroom for my high school students who I know would enjoy this kind of science fiction/horror adventure novel! However, I will say this read was definitely on the gruesome side and not for the faint of heart, but if you’re like me and into that kind of thing, you will absolutely adore this book! Highly recommended for Stephen King and YA sci-fi fans.


Candice 

High school is hard enough as it is. Toss in a group of friends, some bullies, and a portal to another dimension? Oh and now have super powers and being hunted by the government because you released other worldly monsters into our world. How do you make it through high school with all of that? 

Magical books. Super powers. Friendship. Mystery and suspense. This book definitely could be a teenage super hero movie and read like one. Be sure to snag it if you enjoy super hero’s and over coming evil. 

Like any great superhero story, FREAKS is the type of book that I would love to see adapted on screen. It follows a group of four friends who, unfortunately, are bullied at school. On a Friday night in which they hang out together, the group opens an off-limits trunk, and as they tamper with one of the books within it, they accidentally set off a portal to another dimension. Monsters come crawling out into the world, and the group must now band together and use their newly-acquired superpowers to protect their friends and family. What will happen? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

<i>Freaks</i> had a very cinematic feel to it, which I really enjoyed. I was often reminded about my love for <i>Stranger Things</i> while reading. There’s something about spooky monster stories set in small towns where the underdogs band together to save the day that really resonates with me, and it was the case with this book as well. Though it was sometimes hard to remember that this book wasn’t set in the past, there are references to DMs, chats and recent events (like the tragic murder of George Floyd) that helped me root the story to its modern setting. I really enjoyed the diversity of the group: Jamie is black, Gabby is Latina and comes from a Catholic-Jew family, Christian is lesbian and Micah’s mother is Wiccan. The characters were enjoyable, relatable, and I loved how they interacted with each other, though I wish they were less stereotypical, especially when it comes to the girls.

Overall, this was a very fun read, and I recommend it to fans of Stranger Things, Marvel and superheroes in general!

Freaks was a pleasant surprise! While I was reading the story, I made a reading update saying this book reminded me of superheroes and teen horror (still unsure if I invented this genre.) Later one of my friends compared this to Stranger Things and Marvel and I wholeheartedly agree. That is precisely the vibe I was getting. Fitting, since those are two things I love watching—especially Stranger things, which is perhaps why I loved the protagonists so much. The friend dynamic and small town setting were similar, although their roles and predicament were different.

The story’s written in six different POVs (the four friends, Kenneth, and the monster), but it’s easy to understand which character’s perspective we’re following. It’s difficult to choose a favorite, because I sympathized with the “freaks” in many ways, but I do admit that I particularly enjoyed Kenneth’s chapters and the monster’s a lot. Kenneth is a bully, so you understand why he wasn’t my favorite person at first, but out of the characters, he’s the one who had the biggest character development (and Gabby, the meek girl who becomes braver and more determined at the end.) The monster’s chapters were good simply because they were different, gruesome, scary. I cringed while I was reading, but it’s the kind of horror you look at with one eye open because despite it’s scary, you can’t bring yourself to look away.

The writing made me feel as if I were watching a movie, or a show. I later found out by reading the author’s bio that he’s a screenwriter, which is fitting. I truly believe this story could be a great concept for a show, since there’s going to be another two books in the series. The characters are interesting, and they have a lot to show.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for gifting me a copy. Opinions are my own.

Freaks

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