"Outsider" - Review

I'm so excited to share this review with you!  A few months back I reviewed a book called Empath by Becca J. Campbell and I loved it.  So much in fact, that I stuck it's younger sibling, Outsider, on my "Ooh Ooh, I've Gotta Have it!" shelf on goodreads.  Imagine my excitement when the I found an ARC offer in my inbox.  Thank to finals, graduation, and my wedding, I had to push back my reading but my wait was well rewarded. [goodreads]

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Book 1 Review: Empath

A delightful read full of surprises!
#paranormal #fantasy

4 Stars!
Series:  book 2: Flawed
Characters: Josh and Alex
Setting: modern day, Colorado and California
Mature Themes: violence & murder

Recommendation: The light romance and modern day story line is enjoyable to read and satisfied my paranormal want and my YA want. I'm not sure it was meant to be YA and the villains made it a bit too dark in my opinion, but it was good none the less. Outsider, is a wonderful continuation of the story started in Empath and worthy of your time to read, just make sure you read Empath first or you'll miss some of the wonderful tidbits in Outsider.

Book two in the Flawed Series follows Josh, a friend to the first book's heroin Jade.  Josh is surrounded by extraordinary people with newly acquired supernatural abilities and he's got a bad case of the normals.  Things get even worse when he realizes his sister's new roommate is just his type with one big problem, she also has special abilities, so how can he possibly be enough for her. For the most part Josh is a pretty standard character, though he does tend to be a bit moody and sulky rather often.

Alex is a California rocker who needed a change of scenery.  She decides to move to Colorado with the hopes that college will give her the fresh start she's been looking for, but for a girl with super speed that turns out to be more of a challenge than she initially expected.  

The journey these two go on to discover themselves is true to life and relatable even with the supernatural threads woven in.  The writing is clear, concise, and easy to read. Coming in at just over two-hundred pages makes this a wonderful afternoon read and easy to devour in one or two sittings.  The story takes place in the same location as Empath, and because of that, the continuity between the characters and the timeline makes it easy to pick up directly after the first book.

My one complaint is for the pacing of the story.  Josh's story seemed less urgent and more leisurely that Jade's and the climax was a pretty mild blip of excitement. However, the villain(s) in Outsider were just as creepy and interesting to read as in Empath, some of there scenes were probably the best in the book.