Outshine by Nola Decker ~ Blog Tour: Review

Hey there! Welcome to my stop on Nola Decker's Outshine Blog Tour hosted by Sage's Blog Tours. Click here to follow along with the full tour schedule. 

Title: Outshine
Author: Nola Decker
Publication date: April 11th 2014 
Publisher: 7 Sparks Press
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Source: Copy for review

Purchase: Amazon | B&N

When agoraphobic Gabe and his outgoing nemesis Jessa go on a moonlit road trip to locate Gabe's missing brother, the two teens discover they are both hiding unnatural abilities: Gabe is a living lie detector and Jessa is a kick-ass powerhouse pretending to be a delicate diva.

Gabe's sole reason for searching for Watts, his overbearing younger brother, is to clear his own name: he's been framed for Watts' alleged murder. Jessa is after Watts because she is, well, after him.

They find him with Deacon, the twisted eugenicist responsible for their unusual powers. He encourages them to stay and join his "Family" where they'll be able to live openly as the genetically-modified freaks that they are. When Jessa and Gabe uncover the truth about Deacon's past - and what he wants for the future - they band together to stop him. Watts, however, might have other plans... 

 

Outshine was such a fun and entertaining story to read with likable characters, a solid plot, and excellent pacing. I love reading about characters with superhuman powers, so when I found out that's what this story was about, I knew I had to read it! There was even a mystery element with Watts's disappearance, what happened with Gabe and Watts's dad years ago, what happened with Jessa's parents years ago, and how and why they came to have their abilities. 

Gabe is a walking lie detector. Every time he hears a lie or even speaks a lie himself, he gets terrible headaches. There's always a bottle of ibuprofen in his pocket. History class is the worst for him - even just the wrong dates can send him into a tailspin. I really felt for him because he has to constantly deal with the negative effects of his ability not to mention the fact that his mom gives all of her attention to his younger brother, Watts. 

Jessa has superhuman strength and healing powers.  She decided when she was younger to hide her abilities by becoming the social queen bee of the school, which is a decision I thoroughly enjoyed - not only did it accomplish her mission but also brings a lot of comic relief to the story. I also liked her character quite a bit. She's feisty and strong. No matter what, she wouldn't give up and faced situations she found herself in head on. You gotta admire that in a female character; I know I do!  

Gabe's brother, Watts (short for Watson), has gone missing, and Jessa talks Gabe into teaming up with her to find out what's happened to him. She's convinced Watts didn't run away, and when Gabe comes to the same conclusion, he reluctantly starts working with her to find him. Though it would take a lot for them to admit this, they made a great team. A hilarious and highly effective team. 

Outshine was so easy to get into, and I didn't want it to end. In no time at all I found myself drawn into the story and flew through it in one sitting! I loved the sci-fi aspect as well as the layers of mystery that are uncovered by Jessa and Gabe. I loved reading about superhuman abilities. And most of all, I loved these characters. Outshine is a novel I can definitely see myself reading all over again.    

My Rating:

Nola Decker is the only writer in Seattle who doesn't drink coffee. She makes up for her happy and healthy childhood by writing stories in which terrible things happen to young people. She loves salted caramel anything and Fridays. 

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