Freaks - Lisa M. Forester

Freaks by Lisa M. Forester
Publisher: Create Space
Publication Date: November 28, 2013
Source/Format: Author (Thanks, Lisa!) || e-galley

[I received this book from the author. This in no way affects the thoughts expressed in my review.]

Abigail always knew that she was different, but what she didn't know was just how different. 

That was until her 16th birthday, when her parent's revealed a devastating secret that confirmed her worst fears and changed her life forever. Abigail is an Allelobrid: one of five children born as a result of their parents illegal science experiment in genetic engineering. The aim: to create a perfect human.

Yet perfection comes at a price. Forced into a life on the run, Abigail finds love, danger and an organisation that will stop at nothing to get what they want. When lives are at risk and freedom is threatened - could being perfect be enough to survive? (from Goodreads)

Quite frankly, Freaks possessed a lot of the elements that I've come to expect from books of its kind: a main character who discovers that there's something special about her that she shares with only a select group of individuals, a mission that's life or death and some twisted conspiracy to tie it all together. Forester took advantage of these familiar elements, however, and slid us into a story that's entirely her own creation. With a plot that's tightly woven (even though certain parts felt typical, or even predictable), and characters that were reasonably interesting, this book was a quick, easy read.

The story is simple enough to grasp right from the get-go. With her words, Forester presents us with the information we need in a matter-of-fact way. While I normally appreciate more complexity in my books, I surprisingly didn't mind the easy way this one read. It was a nice break from my normal reads! Plus, there were still bits that caught me off guard, which I really wasn't expecting. Overall, it's a fairly straightforward tale, but mostly in a way that feels comfortable and familiar.

I personally wish that there had been a little more character development, however. While I did get a good idea of who Abigail was, her enemies and her friends and family, it still felt very basic. It wouldn't have hurt to learn more about each person's personalities, as well as having an even deeper emotional connection with each of them. 

I liked Freaks. Familiar tropes were used, and the story was pretty basic. But the fact that I still wanted to find out what happened to everyone is testament to the story's ability to snag my interest, and hold on to it. My final verdict? Sometimes, familiar and recognizable is exactly what you need to read -- and I think that was the case, for me, with Freaks. 

This review was posted as part of the official blog tour.