I’m not normally a massive fan of science fiction but when I read the blurb I thought this sounded interesting and it was. It was a good mix of sci fi and dystopian and had an intriguing and engaging plot which kept me gripped

This book is a good mix of dystopian, fantasy, and adventure. I like that it was different and fascinating in its meanings. The author was great in the world building and describing the character development. I was pulled right into the story and found things to be easily pictured. The plot was creative and it was all in all a fun book that I really enjoyed.

Why oh why did I wait so long to read The Perfect Outcast?! I love dystopian novels and this one was no different. To be honest I would hate living in a world like this. Considering I already have low self-esteem I can see things being a lot worse in this world. Being around people who are perfect in every way would literally put you through an identity crisis. But I do like how the main character handled things in the story. Even though she was in a world where everyone was different from her she handled things very well. I can't wait to read more books by Melissa Hansen.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I was not sure what I would get when I decided to read this book. When I read the description I felt so sorry for Alina and the world that she lived in. I have to admit it did make me pause a moment and look at my life and my life when I was a teenager. She goes through a lot in her journey for she lives in where perfection and immortality is the norm. That is not true for her as she has imperfections that make her stand out from her peers and that puts so much pressure on her. I did not think this book would be as dark as it was, but that made me want to know more with each page. It was an intense read.

Thank you to the author/publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

//TW: death, murder, kidnapping, sexual assault//

~Quick Statistics~
Overall: 5/5 Stars
Plot: 4/5/5 Stars
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Characters: 5/5 Stars
Writing: 5/5 Stars
Memorability: 5/5 Stars

~Quick Review~
The Perfect Outcast is a wonderful science fiction, an absolute page turner. As I was in a huge reading slump for the past few months, I was truly surprised that I ended up loving The Perfect Outcast, as many of the books I read during reading slumps are typically not my favorite. However, this novel stood its ground and is by far one of my favorite science fiction novels. I cannot wait for the sequel to be released.

~Other Information~
Publisher: Immortal Works Publishing
Page Count: 322 pages

As is stated on the Goodreads page, the sequel, The Perfect Icon, is expected to be released in April 2021.

~Book Description (via Goodreads)~
Seventeen-year-old Alina is the only imperfect person in a perfect world. On the surface, Pria is paradise: no hunger, no pain, not even death. Pria’s all-powerful ruler provides new thrills, constant pleasure, and eternal beauty. Every smile dazzles, every party delivers, and every young adult stops aging.

Except one.

Alina longs to fit in with her beautiful peers and dreams of connecting with the one boy who has been kind to her. But her flaws stand in the way. Fed up with her blunders and blemishes, her absence of friends, and her distant guardian, Alina seeks answers.

But behind Pria’s picture-perfect facade, unrest is growing, and the secrets Alina uncovers about her past are darker—and brighter—than she ever imagined.

A mysterious birth. A corrupt scientist who creates life merely to rule it. A parallel world where dissenters are sent to die. And an innocent Alina at the center of a deadly conspiracy. Now the only imperfect person must discover the courage to free herself and those she loves before she is silenced forever.

~Characters~
The Perfect Outcast follows the story of Alina, a young girl who is living in the perfect and immortal world of Pria. Alina is a teenager who is not like the other immortals, and is trying to find her own way in her mysterious and ‘wonderful’ world. Some other characters that were involved heavily in the story were Rex, Jade, and Baylor.

I definitely felt like the characters were well thought out and well written. I found Alina to be a strong, independent, and brave girl. She faces so much throughout the story, and she could certainly be a role model to younger readers.

~Writing and Setting~
I loved that the writing focused mainly on what’s going on in Alina’s head, especially since she is far different from all of the other characters. Hansen’s writing style is simplistic yet descriptive, which fitted the flow of the story nicely.

I have to give credit to Melissa Hansen, her creation of an entirely new government function than I’ve seen previously in science fiction is fantastic. The relation and interactions between Pria and Carthem are for sure well thought out.

~Plot~
I absolutely loved the idea of this novel. As I’ve said before, it is nothing like any science fiction or dystopian novel that I’ve read before, which I loved. Personally, I often find that dystopian series are repetitive and similar, however The Perfect Outcast was not.

The flow of the story was very well done, the only problem I had was that the story was a little slow at parts. Though, in all fairness, that could have been because I’ve been in a reading slump since September (I know right, that sucks).

~Overall Review~
Overall, I really enjoyed The Perfect Outcast and it’s uniqueness in respect to its genre. I highly recommend that you read this novel if you are a fan of The Hunger Games or the Legend series.

The Perfect Outcast is the perfect read fans of Hunger Games, The Dark Winter series and dystopian novels. A well crafted dark and immersive world which pulls you in. Strong characters who all go on journeys and experience huge growth as the story progresses. Great read.

This was on okay read, but that’s all I can really say, it didn’t engage me at all, the characters felt flat and I managed to finish the book, but it’s message is unclear and nothing really stood out or was memorable, sadly not for me.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

this was a really enjoyable read, the characters were great and i really enjoyed the plot of the book. It had wonderful scifi elements

Sadly my phone which I was using to read this book screen had broken and so sadly I couldn't finish the book because it was past the archive date and I couldn't download it onto a different device. I only got a chapter or so read but the storyline was hooking, I really wished I could of finished this book.

I'm rating this a '3' because it was compelling enough that I read it in under two days. Why not higher? Well . . .

The backstory, the foundation upon which the ongoing narrative is based, was unclear and confusing. There was some kind of civil war the result of which, Samson, regarded by some as the savior, or by others, the narcissistic and vindictive leader, wins the war then creates a community called Pria. Pria is a protected city of barren immortals, born in labs, who enjoy a totally licentious and carefree life. Each individual has been designed and created by Sampson. He is surrounded by a continuous stream of lovers who are replaced on a whim. Those few individuals who desire to know more about the outside or who become suspicious of Sampson are exiled to a land of horrors outside the city limits.

Alina is not like the other citizens of Pria. She is not beautiful and leads a lonely and almost friendless existence with her guardian. Unbeknownst to her, though, she was not artificially created and her real beauty is hidden to Pria's citizens.

When Alina reaches puberty she discovers she is very different from the rest of the population. She discovers that the only reason she is even alive is that if she were to die so would the leader of the whole community, Sampson himself. She also makes the startling discovery that she was also born of a real mother and father - and not only is she immortal, but beautiful in this world.

With the help of a rebel group she embarks on a plan to leave the city but is lead into a trap where she come face to face with Sampson. During a struggle that involves a magic knife she escapes his clutches and is thrown into the natural world outside Pria. This world is populated with horrors and she is not totally out of the influence of Sampson who will soon be in pursuit.

A series of dangerous adventures ensue. She blossoms as she discovers her unrealized strengths and abilities. She even begins to make real friends, including one particular boy. She learns about loyalty and sacrifice.

While the story ends on a positive note it is obvious that this book is intended to be the first of a series.

As a whole, the story is a little contrived and uneven. The focus is almost entirely on Alina with little real ancillary character development. Also, with few exceptions, other females are treated as silly, jealous and petty. I would have expected more from a contemporary authoress.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this copy of the book. My opinions expressed here are my own.

The cover art is not that great. The summary is what got me though. I’d been itching for another dystopian tale to fill the void I’ve had. It’s hard for me to find a dystopian book lately that actually sounds good to me.

This book didn’t do it for me though. I was hopeful, but it never really got any better.

A great dystopia that brought me back to my Hunger Games obsession days! If you're looking for some hope in this dark world, then this is a great read!

Received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review. Spoilers below.

I’ll start this review off by saying that I am very picky about sci-fi dystopian stories. For some reason, I tend to only vibe with a few.

My other disclaimer is that I did not finish this book. I hate DNFing, especially when it’s a book for review, but life is too short to make yourself read things you don’t like.

From the start of the book, I was very nervous about a couple things. I could see it very easily embracing a load of girlbashing and I could it see it easily falling into the “not like other girls trope”. Unfortunately, the book did fall into both traps. I think I’m getting to the point where I’m just a little too old and YA-read to ignore those things while I’m reading.

Not all of it was bad, obviously. I really enjoyed the “perfection details” like the pink kitten and the crystal birds, and how everything in the world was polished and smooth like plastic. That was such a clear visual for me, and the pretty and twinkly aspects of the world lay in stark contrast to Alina’s feelings in it. It was great detailing.

I also really enjoyed the “brainwashing” aspect of Father Sampson’s regime. It really reminded me of “there is no war in Ba Sing Se” and it was truly creepy and effective. I thought that was a great idea, rather than going the death route.

This book also really reminded me of the Uglies series, which kind of made me think that this book felt like that 2010-2015 era of dystopian YA novels where every book was a different take on the genre. I think if it had come out then, it probably would have been quite well received.

I also really wished there were maps of Pria and Carthem because I was very lost a lot of the time. We’re given a lot of street names, distances, and building names, but I would have loved a map so I could put those in context.

A big fault for me as well was the exposition. Everything was exposition and big villain monologuing. Except when I actually needed to understand things like who is Rex? Who is Camden? Is Pria’s world based on science or magic or both? It would be okay if these were presented as mysteries, but Alina doesn’t seem to need more into, so I guess neither does the reader!

I also just didn’t get why Alina was allowed to live out in the world. Why not just put her into permanent sleep as a baby? Or send her to Carthem or prison or something? Why allow her freedom and let others know of her?

Also this line appears as an insult from the boy who’s ~different~ and ~sees past how ugly and gross Alina is~. “You are like all the other girls.” Gross!

Also, I kind of wanted the book to end with Alina in eternal sleep, and then a flash to the rest of Pria in perfection. And it would be all about how these are the kinds of sacrifices and horrors people commit for the “perfect world”. That would be so eerie and poignant. But obviously, that did not happen.

I also absolutely hated the Alina’s change when they entered Carthem.

I was really hoping this wasn’t going to be a “ugly girl becomes pretty thus giving her a sense of self worth” Story. I guess it is.

So, this one is gonna be two stars for me. I think you can just go reread the Uglies series and skip this one.

"The Perfect Outcast" is the entrance to a big universe of immortals and mortals, where the main heroine Alina is trying to find a place where she belongs. Pria is this perfect world of immortals, at least from the first glance, where no one knows any pain, hunger, thirst or illnesses. Every single person in Pria is perfectly shaped and beautiful, except Alina. However, Hansen keeps reminding the readers that perfection is not as precious as everyone makes it seem. Our imperfections are exactly what make us humans.
I have to mention that YA and sci-fi are not my favourite genres, yet this book was a fairly easy and enjoyable read for the most part. I liked the author's language and storytelling style, but some parts were a bit long-winded for my taste. On the other hand, I believe that fans of Marie Lu will find this book enjoyable.
Unfortunately, I couldn't relate to the main heroine or the story; it didn't capture me, but I am happy that I gave it a chance.