Freaks by Brett Riley Book Review

I sometimes think back to appreciate Josh Trank’s Chronicle movie from 2012, which has a very similar feeling to Freaks. I wish Trank was still making movies, I think he will forever have potential. The movie was an anti-hero sort of story about teenagers who get powers that allow them to get a step up from people who have put them down for too long…and if that’s what you’re into, Freaks has a take of its own to provide you.

We are introduced to a group of four; Micah, Jamie, Gabby & Christian. First two male, first two female, if that wasn’t clear. And Christian’s a lesbian (I’m rooting for her to meet a great girl in the sequels.) The four meet up all the time as the group that has no other friends. They go over to each other’s houses for video games and pizza, often to try to decompress after being bullied ruthlessly by the trio of Gavin, Brayden and Kenneth. We are treated to each of them being relentlessly bullied. The one who takes this the worst is Micah, who seriously imagines what it would be like to be on the giving end of the bullying for a change, not the receiving.

One night, he flips through some old books his grandfather kept in the garage. Latin books about sorcery and spells. Deciding they might as well, the four gather in the garage and try out one of the prayers. And Kenneth of the clique sneaks up on them to try to mess with them. And the prayer does something to all of them, including Kenneth, that gives them powers and releases some kind of demon. 

Bully revenge stories are some of the most relatable out there, whether it’s at school (most common for the genre) or at work or out in some other part of life. At the same time, I’m also interested when the stories go into more detail about the bullies and why they became what they are. Well, at least on the revenge part, Freaks manages to deliver. It’s not obsessed with revenge – but there’s a part where some things are…enacted, and we have the familiar feeling of “this feels good…even though it kind of feels wrong” and “would I have done this if I had the powers?”

The format of this book carries third-person viewpoint shifts. We jump around from different characters, not just between the quartet or Kenneth, but the antagonist, the bullies, officers, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. This was a similar format to Gone by Michael Grant, a book I felt would’ve worked much better if it had a more smooth and digestible way of telling its story. 

The writing begins to feel repetitive past the halfway mark. Micah is so much more excited to exert revenge with not much care of what the consequences could be, and it’s not explored enough as to why he’s been hurt more than the other three. I would’ve given an extra half star if we were able to sit down with Micah and really go through it with him. Also, the writing is sometimes too matter-of-fact, about what is happening and how someone is dead. This is an instance where more time should’ve been spent with natural dialogue.

Freaks is a book that could’ve been better, but I found the self-titled freaks relatable, I enjoyed being with them as they exercised their powers, and some of the action was exciting.

My grade: 3 stars out of 5