Review – Havoc (Deviants, Book 2) by Jeff Sampson (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 352 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: January 24, 2012
ISBN: 978-0061992780
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Deviants series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the second book in the Deviants series by Sampson. This was originally planned as a trilogy but I wasn’t able to find info on when the third book will release. It is a well written and engaging book that puts an interesting twist on YA werewolf stories.

Emily is hoping life will return to normal, or at least what passes for normal when you have nighttime superpowers and can turn into a werewolf. That’s when the strange Shadowmen start appearing and harassing her. Emily and crew need to figure out the mystery behind their condition and what these Shadowmen are. As she tries to unravel this mystery she finds that her and her pack aren’t the only ones with strange powers at school.

This was a solid addition to the Deviants series. I love the idea behind this series. Basically these kids were genetically engineered or altered somehow resulting in them having three personalities: their normal day personality, their crazy superhero nighttime personality, and their werewolf form. Watching Emily try to merge these personalities is fascinating and interesting.

There is a bit of a love triangle here with Emily and the two other pack members; basically Emily is drawn to one boy and the other boy is drawn to Emily. That being said, this really isn’t a romance and there isn’t a ton of focus on that aspect of the story.

The book is well written and easy to read, it is hard to put down because the mystery behind Emily’s powers is so compelling. I love the creativity that goes into the story and how even Emily’s attraction to her “mate” has a scientific explanation. I absolute love the blending of science with supernatural.

Emily is an intriguing character, as are all of the characters. It is really interesting to see how the three main characters deal with their nighttime personas and with the stress of trying to supress all of this strangeness and fit in at school. Definitly a different take on the teenage werewolf type story.

The book ends well with the major plot points answered, but some huge new questions are opened up to be dealt with in the next book. This book does get a little creepy/thriller like at points because of all the Shadowmen that are lurking around; it never gets too scary but things do get a bit tense at points.

Overall I really enjoyed this story and found the mystery extremely compelling. I find the way Sampson blends science with the supernatural very intriguing. I also really enjoy watching Emily and crew deal with their split personalities and try to merge these personalities into a cohesive whole. I definitely recommend this series to YA paranormal fans out there; especially if you want to read a different type of YA werewolf book.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
– 150+ Books Reading Challenge