kblincoln's review
4.0
I've read the Friday Society Steampunk YA novel by Kress and liked it, but felt the somewhat cliched flavor of the characters weren't as appetizing to my seasoned palate.
However, I'm liking Outcast a lot more. It's still a bit unbelievable in terms of what the YA characters can get away with (not to mention the wholly evil villain, etc) but in this book the mystery of the who and what the Angels are; as well as what Gabe might turn into, totally keep the book's pacing alive.
Riley Carver is a loner. She's not exactly a nerd, but she sure isn't one of the cheerleader popular kids, either. She's had her best friend, Chris, the only one who got her weird sense of humor and she felt comfortable with. But last year that all changed. He kissed her...and then he was Taken.
Riley's town has a conspiracy, keeping secret that for the past few years "angels" descend upon their town and take people up into the sky never to be seen again. They've kept this from the media and from the outside world.
But Riley's never gotten over Chris. So when one of the "angels" comes for her, she shoots it in the face and discovers they're not at all what the adults think they are.
I found it a struggle with my willingness to suspend disbelief about how effortlessly Gabe fit into school and Riley's home life-- but other than that I guess nothing else bothered me. Watching Riley try to "get over" Chris at the same time as risk her heart liking a popular guy like Gabe was fun; the whole mystery of the angels and the white apparition kept me going to the end (when things got a bit expositiony, but oh well) and the slow push-and-pull of Riley's friendship with cheerleader Lucy was great as well.
This is a fun, completely appropriate for younger YA (just kissing) audience Paranormal Romance flavored a bit more with conspiracy-mystery and a completely self-centered villain in control of an entire town.
This Book's Snack Rating: Cheddar Kettle Chips for the crunchable nomminess of Gabe and Riley with a creamy-smooth Angel mystery in a small town
However, I'm liking Outcast a lot more. It's still a bit unbelievable in terms of what the YA characters can get away with (not to mention the wholly evil villain, etc) but in this book the mystery of the who and what the Angels are; as well as what Gabe might turn into, totally keep the book's pacing alive.
Riley Carver is a loner. She's not exactly a nerd, but she sure isn't one of the cheerleader popular kids, either. She's had her best friend, Chris, the only one who got her weird sense of humor and she felt comfortable with. But last year that all changed. He kissed her...and then he was Taken.
Riley's town has a conspiracy, keeping secret that for the past few years "angels" descend upon their town and take people up into the sky never to be seen again. They've kept this from the media and from the outside world.
But Riley's never gotten over Chris. So when one of the "angels" comes for her, she shoots it in the face and discovers they're not at all what the adults think they are.
I found it a struggle with my willingness to suspend disbelief about how effortlessly Gabe fit into school and Riley's home life-- but other than that I guess nothing else bothered me. Watching Riley try to "get over" Chris at the same time as risk her heart liking a popular guy like Gabe was fun; the whole mystery of the angels and the white apparition kept me going to the end (when things got a bit expositiony, but oh well) and the slow push-and-pull of Riley's friendship with cheerleader Lucy was great as well.
This is a fun, completely appropriate for younger YA (just kissing) audience Paranormal Romance flavored a bit more with conspiracy-mystery and a completely self-centered villain in control of an entire town.
This Book's Snack Rating: Cheddar Kettle Chips for the crunchable nomminess of Gabe and Riley with a creamy-smooth Angel mystery in a small town
threeseagrass's review
4.0
Before I begin this review, I’d like to note the extreme distinctions between [b:Outcast|7998|Outcast of Redwall (Redwall, #8)|Brian Jacques|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1311702164s/7998.jpg|1178237] and [b:Angelfall|11500217|Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, #1)|Susan Ee|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1319887835s/11500217.jpg|16435765]. If you think you will like this book because you liked [b:Angelfall|11500217|Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, #1)|Susan Ee|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1319887835s/11500217.jpg|16435765], you might be a little off base. [b:Outcast|7998|Outcast of Redwall (Redwall, #8)|Brian Jacques|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1311702164s/7998.jpg|1178237] is entirely its own story. It is not set in a post-apocalyptic setting, and is more like urban fantasy. Gabe and Riley are very different from Raffe and Penryn, but no less kick ass. And [b:Outcast|7998|Outcast of Redwall (Redwall, #8)|Brian Jacques|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1311702164s/7998.jpg|1178237] brings something new and unique (for me, anyway) to the angel paranormal genre.
The beginning of this book earns a riveting 4-5 stars. The middle, 2.5-3 stars, and the ending 4-5 stars again. We lost the plot a little in the middle, with more focus on the relationship between Gabe and Riley. But the plot picked right back up and resulted in a bittersweet ending.
To describe how much respect I have for [a:Adrienne Kress|777907|Adrienne Kress|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1325978138p2/777907.jpg], I’d like to tell a story. I attended university across the country, which is saying something when you live in Canada. I didn’t know anybody, and I was really nervous to be on my own for the first time. So naturally, the first person I befriended was my neighbour in residence, who just happens to be named after the male lead in this novel. Now, this neighbour had the unfortunate habit of never cleaning his room or showering, to the point where I could smell him when I opened my door. Honestly, his odour, coupled with his attention-seeking behaviour turned me off of the name ‘Gabe’ forever. When I realized that was the name of the male protagonist in this story, I almost stopped reading. After all, no one could make me attracted to a guy named ‘Gabe’, when all I could picture was my old neighbour.
So I was pleasantly surprised when [a:Adrienne Kress|777907|Adrienne Kress|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1325978138p2/777907.jpg] did just that. At first I found Gabe kind of annoying, especially when he dated every girl in the school and called Riley ‘sweetheart’ and ‘babe’ constantly. But then he really grew on me, and the author really managed to overcome my prejudice for the name so I could enjoy the sexiness that is Gabe. Anyway, I quite liked him as a character once I got over my initial quips. He was complex, not portrayed as a selfless gentleman nor as a selfish jerk. And he was just so darn cute!
I also found Riley’s character to be interesting and refreshing. She wasn’t your stereotypical Mary Sue that has been plaguing YA and paranormal novels. Instead, she doesn’t care what anyone thinks about her, and doesn’t focus on how pretty she is/isn’t. Her narrating style is very blunt and matter-of fact, which took me a while to get used to. But she was very cool and kick-ass, especially when she’s shooting ‘angels’ in the face. She doesn’t take shit from anybody, and I really enjoyed that about her.
How cruel of [a:Adrienne Kress|777907|Adrienne Kress|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1325978138p2/777907.jpg] to leave us with such a bittersweet ending. There had better be a second novel, or I may just end up going crazy.
The beginning of this book earns a riveting 4-5 stars. The middle, 2.5-3 stars, and the ending 4-5 stars again. We lost the plot a little in the middle, with more focus on the relationship between Gabe and Riley. But the plot picked right back up and resulted in a bittersweet ending.
To describe how much respect I have for [a:Adrienne Kress|777907|Adrienne Kress|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1325978138p2/777907.jpg], I’d like to tell a story. I attended university across the country, which is saying something when you live in Canada. I didn’t know anybody, and I was really nervous to be on my own for the first time. So naturally, the first person I befriended was my neighbour in residence, who just happens to be named after the male lead in this novel. Now, this neighbour had the unfortunate habit of never cleaning his room or showering, to the point where I could smell him when I opened my door. Honestly, his odour, coupled with his attention-seeking behaviour turned me off of the name ‘Gabe’ forever. When I realized that was the name of the male protagonist in this story, I almost stopped reading. After all, no one could make me attracted to a guy named ‘Gabe’, when all I could picture was my old neighbour.
So I was pleasantly surprised when [a:Adrienne Kress|777907|Adrienne Kress|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1325978138p2/777907.jpg] did just that. At first I found Gabe kind of annoying, especially when he dated every girl in the school and called Riley ‘sweetheart’ and ‘babe’ constantly. But then he really grew on me, and the author really managed to overcome my prejudice for the name so I could enjoy the sexiness that is Gabe. Anyway, I quite liked him as a character once I got over my initial quips. He was complex, not portrayed as a selfless gentleman nor as a selfish jerk. And he was just so darn cute!
I also found Riley’s character to be interesting and refreshing. She wasn’t your stereotypical Mary Sue that has been plaguing YA and paranormal novels. Instead, she doesn’t care what anyone thinks about her, and doesn’t focus on how pretty she is/isn’t. Her narrating style is very blunt and matter-of fact, which took me a while to get used to. But she was very cool and kick-ass, especially when she’s shooting ‘angels’ in the face. She doesn’t take shit from anybody, and I really enjoyed that about her.
How cruel of [a:Adrienne Kress|777907|Adrienne Kress|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1325978138p2/777907.jpg] to leave us with such a bittersweet ending. There had better be a second novel, or I may just end up going crazy.
theladygonzalez's review
3.0
Great premise, but the plot was all over the place. The beginning was fantastic, but then it began to drag a bit. PIcked up again in the last 20% of the book, but there was just TOO much going on. Way too many reveals - it just came off as hectic. Loved the characters though!
karenfausto8's review against another edition
4.0
Y entonces lo vi, por una esquina de mi ojo. No me había dado cuenta de que lo había visto al principio, pero luego lo registré, y me giré, viendo como Gabe se sentaba a mi lado.
—Hola —dije en voz baja.
Se inclinó hacia mí tan rápido que no lo vi venir. De repente, me estaba besando.
Era cálido y suave... trajo suavemente una mano detrás de mi cabeza y la otra la envolvió alrededor de mi cintura, tirando de mí más cerca. Él me estaba besando y... y yo le estaba devolviendo el beso. Mis brazos rodearon el cuello de Gabe, y mi boca se movió bajo la suya sin que yo tuviera que pensar en qué hacer o cómo hacerlo. Era como respirar bajo el agua, sólo que sin esfuerzo, lento y flotante. Podía escuchar mi corazón latiendo, y pude sentir el pulso de Gabe a lo largo del costado de su cuello.
Cuando nos separamos, fue como si de alguna manera los dos sabíamos que era el momento.
—Paso siete: beso de buenas noches. Lo siento, debí de haberte advertido —dijo.
—Creo que fue mejor así.
—¿Así que si quiero besarte otra vez, no debería de molestarme en decírtelo?
—No si no quieres...
Y él me estaba besando de nuevo.
—Hola —dije en voz baja.
Se inclinó hacia mí tan rápido que no lo vi venir. De repente, me estaba besando.
Era cálido y suave... trajo suavemente una mano detrás de mi cabeza y la otra la envolvió alrededor de mi cintura, tirando de mí más cerca. Él me estaba besando y... y yo le estaba devolviendo el beso. Mis brazos rodearon el cuello de Gabe, y mi boca se movió bajo la suya sin que yo tuviera que pensar en qué hacer o cómo hacerlo. Era como respirar bajo el agua, sólo que sin esfuerzo, lento y flotante. Podía escuchar mi corazón latiendo, y pude sentir el pulso de Gabe a lo largo del costado de su cuello.
Cuando nos separamos, fue como si de alguna manera los dos sabíamos que era el momento.
—Paso siete: beso de buenas noches. Lo siento, debí de haberte advertido —dijo.
—Creo que fue mejor así.
—¿Así que si quiero besarte otra vez, no debería de molestarme en decírtelo?
—No si no quieres...
Y él me estaba besando de nuevo.
sarahbeesley's review
3.0
This is a fun story. If you're looking for something lighter that moves quickly, this is a great little read. Stands alone just fine but I do find myself wishing the author had made this into a 2 or 3 part series so we could see more of Riley's story - I felt she was just coming into her own at the end of the book and would have carried a saga or trilogy wonderfully.
ladyofbooks's review
5.0
Angels and Demons
This was everything the cover promised to be; fun, pretty, scenes with a vintage motorcycle, first date, fallen angels, a girl with a shotgun and a wounded heart, and an evil pastor.
This was everything the cover promised to be; fun, pretty, scenes with a vintage motorcycle, first date, fallen angels, a girl with a shotgun and a wounded heart, and an evil pastor.
m_appleton's review
4.0
I really liked it! See my (short) review here: http://onwardcuriosity.com/2014/09/23/southern-angelic-adrienne-kress-outcast/
dani005's review against another edition
4.0
The book was fantastic and the characters were so much fun to read!!!!
i just wish there had been a better ending.... that we didn't have to say goodbye.... :( that's why it didn't get a five...
i just wish there had been a better ending.... that we didn't have to say goodbye.... :( that's why it didn't get a five...