Deviation (The Sophisticates #1) by Christine Manzari

Synopsis:
Being a Sophisticate of the Program seems like it’d be a pretty sweet deal: a little genetic alteration and anyone can be smarter, faster, and stronger. It’s a dream come true. All you have to give up is your freedom. 

Cleo is a Sophisticate and she has a bright future in the Program. But she has a secret. When she gets upset, bad things happen. Explosive things. Things she can’t control. 

When her secret is discovered, she’s sent to the Academy to train in the military branch of the Program. She’s destined to be a human weapon in the war that’s been going on since Wormwood occurred nearly 30 years ago. She soon learns that although her ability is unique, there are others like her — other Sophisticates with lethal skills and odd code names like Archerfish and Mimic Octopus.

Immersed in a dangerous game of supernatural powers and dubious motives, Cleo doesn’t know who to trust. Ozzy, the annoyingly attractive cadet who has perfect aim in weapons class and deviant lips behind closed doors, begs her not to use her powers. He’s the golden boy of the Program, but can she trust him? Or will she find herself a target, caught in his crosshairs?

My Rating 

-4.5/5-

A free copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

Cleo or Clementine is are main character. She is part of the program altered to be faster, stronger, and smarter than most people. These people are called Sophisticates. Though when Clementine gets angry things explode on her and it's something she can't control. When it discovered Cleo is removed from the learning part of the program (as a Vanguard) to the military part of the program (as a mandate). While a now a mandate Cleo must learn to fight, she can't just depend on book smarts anymore.

Also Cleo discovers that her new friends -she makes as a mandate,- her, and Ozzy -the guy she is falling for- are special Sophisticates. Not only do they are possess powers and codes names they are part of a group called the Deviant Dozen. The Deviant Dozen are suppose to be the only ones with powers. Pretty cool but also slightly not for Cleo, when she can't control her own and doesn't always trust the others.

I really like all the characters in the book. Even though there is a lot like all the Deviant Dozen and some teachers, it wasn't really hard to keep them all straight. Usually with lots of characters it is so easy to get confused, not here though! 

The characters are put through all kinds of exercises and it was pretty neat to see how each character had a different personality and how they reacted. No two people really seemed to alike so it made it feel like they could almost be real people.

I loved the powers each of them has. I mean they are all really cool and that was amazing in my mind.
Like super speed, perfect aim, poison bits, seeing through things, electric shocks! It was pretty cool plus they all got code names like Archerfish, Bull Shark, Ring Tailed Cat, Tiger Moth, Malaysian Fire Ant, or at least that's what their powers are named after! Pretty cool I think.

At the ending of the book there is kind of a pretty cool twist which sets up a pretty cool idea for the second book and I want to see how that turns out, probably going to be pretty good!