A review by alexreadsabook
Deficient by Michael Solis

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There was a bit of a slow start, but it provided some much-needed details for later in the story. Once the action started, however, there was no slowing down. The mystery was captivating, and there were several points where I thought I had it figured out but was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. 

Each of the characters in this book were so unique yet relatable. Kazuki and Gwen were probably my favorites. I loved Kazuki’s humor and Gwen’s badassness. Seeing the growth of each character throughout the book was beautiful and very well written. 

There was a bit of an enemies-to-lovers situation that honestly kind of shocked me. I won’t say much so as not to spoil it, but I do wish we had been able to see that play out a bit more at the end (but that may be because I’ve been reading too many romance novels lately). I also wish there had been more of a chance to explore Gwen’s takes on gender, but I loved that this was set in a queernormative world where it wasn’t a big deal. 

The author took a unique spin on the idea of superhumans, which I really enjoyed. The story was well-rounded and the world-building was very well done and easy to follow. Deficient was everything you could want (and more) from a YA novel, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, yet intense, magical mystery.