The Deviant Underground, (Time Bandit series; book 1), Elisabeth Roseland

The Deviant Underground, (Time Bandit series; book 1), Elisabeth Roseland
Review from jeannie zelos book reviews
I really enjoy paranormal romance and thought this sounded a real treat, something a bit different from the usual stories.
Well, it’s true it was different, but it seemed an odd mix of YA style writing with some sex thrown in. I felt for Kathryn, she’s kind of a loner and then Susan befriends her. Her boyfriend is a jerk and Susan encourgages her to drop him and date her friend Sam. That does happen after a while as she finds out the boyfreind has been cheating – then something happens between Susan and Sam (Charge – that’s Sam’s nckname) that made me uncomfortable, and made me look at the freindships differently.
The three friends carry on meeting for a while, and then Susan and Charge tell Kathryn that they too have abilities. Thats something Kathryn has always hidden – the law is strict, people with specail abilities are known as Deviants, villified, locked away for life and many people think they should be killed…so she’s terrified. Distraught, scared and denies she has any talents at first. They finally persuade her it’s safe to talk to them, and to join the network of other Deviants and her eyes are opened to the fact she’s not alone – there are many, many more like her.
Of course danger follows them, Charge mysteriously disappears when on an assignment to meet another group of Deviants, and she and Susan encounter real danger in trying to find him.
The potential for this book was great, I can see just this happening in reality, people are scared of what they don’t understand, and bigoted against anyone different. We see that already with race, religion and disability. I just felt it read really slowly though, nothing much seems to happen for ages, except for a couple of things I really didn’t like!! Charge doesn’t disappear til well over halfway into the book, and we really only hear briefly about the others with memory loss and odd things have happened. We assume its some kind of Gov project, but don’t get an answer to why they get released back. With the law as it stands I’d have thought they were just killed* shrug*. Though I liked Kathryn she was odd at times, and as for Charge and Susan, there were things they did that I really wasn’t happy about. Things friends don’t do to another friend. As I said it reads to me like a YA book, with a very simplistic plot. I’ve enjoyed many YA books, that’s not meant as a crit, but I like ones that have a bit more to the story. I felt this had lots of missed opportunities, and as for the sex, it wasn’t necessary and seemed to be thrown in for the shock value, rather than because it added to the story. ( Not that it’s particularly shocking or explicit, but it had an element that I was unhappy about – can’t say what without giving too much away)
Stars: two – sorry, this book just didn’t work for me.
ARC supplied via Netgalley.