Book Review: Pariah by Sullivan Gray

 

Book Description

What if magic existed, but humans--and most supernaturals--don’t know it?

All that’s about to change.

My school has a dark secret... ...but the one in my past might be darker.

When the other cheerleaders mentioned an initiation, I thought they were joking.

Hours later, I've somehow left two football players unconscious and I'm escaping my first varsity party with the scariest guy in school.

In one night, I went from popular to pariah. From knowing who I was to confusion about my past.

And even more confusion about my ability to take down two guys twice my size with ninja skills I didn’t know I had.

Nothing feels safe anymore, except the group of students who call themselves The Select. Right now, they are the only people I can trust-- even if they aren’t telling me everything about The Select or its elite academy.

The further down the rabbit hole I go, the more sure I am that I won't be coming back.

Who can I trust if even my own memories are lies?

My Review

Taya lost her memory at age ten because of an accident that she can't remember. She's in high school and goes to a party where she's told by some of the other cheerleaders that she has to go in the closet with a couple of high school boys as part of an initiation. I really didn't think it would be that big a deal, until it was. This book got dark, fast. It got really dark because Taya was almost raped but another boy comes to her rescue and gets her out of the party and back to his place where she meets his mother who actually works at their high school. 

But after meeting the mother and some of the other kids who come to his house, she's left with more questions than answers. There's a kind of club that they all belong to and the mother tries to invite her to it. It's all very secretive so they don't hang out at school which messes with Taya's head a little bit. But when those boys from the closet come back and try and get revenge on her for getting away, the members of the club come to her rescue time and time again. The fact that nothing is really done to stop the bully boys from making her life hell at this school had me shaking my head. The fact that Taya doesn't tell her parents what went on even though they are suspicious and are mad at her for staying out all night was just irritating. 

The story kept me reading because I was waiting for the bullies to get theirs but then this story takes a really weird turn and gets even darker. Lies, secrets and more are kind of partially revealed at the end of the story but all that did was leave more questions unanswered and we don't really get a real ending. Everything is left wide open which I hate. This really could have been a great read if we were given a real ending. 

I give this book 2 out of 5 stars.

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