Havoc by Jeff Sampson

Emily Webb thought life would return to normal after the death of the man who attacked her and her fellow “Deviants.” Or as normal as it could be, after discovering that she has nighttime superpowers . . . and she’s a werewolf. But when Emily awakes one night to find an otherworldy Shadowman watching her, she knows the danger has only just begun.

So Emily and her pack-mates set out to find the people who made them what they are, and why. But as they get closer to the truth, they realize they aren’t the only ones in town with special powers: The most popular girls in school might just have a secret of their own–and they might just have it out for Emily.

With shadowy beings stalking them, a mysterious company doing all it can to keep the truth hidden, and the secrecy of her new identity in jeopardy, life threatens to spiral out of control for Emily. Soon these dangers will come together in one terrifying confrontation that may force her to make the toughest choice of her life . . . so far.

I really enjoyed the first book in the Deviants trilogy, titled Vesper, so I was looking forward to Havoc. I sure wasn’t disappointed. :)

The story picks up pretty much right where Vesper left off. It had been a year since I’d read Vesper, so I needed to go back and refresh my memory because there isn’t a “last week on Deviants…” recap. Which is nice if you’re reading both books back to back. I get bored with too much this-is-what-happened-in-the-last-book summary.

Anyway, some readers weren’t fond of the dual-storyline-like aspect of Vesper, but I loved it. I thought it gave the reader just enough teasers to want to tear through the book to find out *how* Emily gets from point A to point B. The same style is used in Havoc, just as effectively.

Emily finds out a whole lot more about herself and others like her in this book. We knew she would, of course, based on the teasers in Vesper. But the way in which she finds out is interesting and kept me glued to the pages. She even goes so far as to doubt how she feels because she’s afraid she’s been engineered that way. Love it!

More characters are introduced, and existing characters are further explored. Emily learns more about the various personalities resulting from her shifting. We see this in other characters, too, and I enjoyed seeing how these personalities manifested. The ‘rules’ surrounding this are complex and completely fascinating.

We find out more about the Shadowmen in Havoc, and a whole new element is introduced. We only get a taste of it, though, and I am dying to find out more. Sampson is really good at whetting the reader’s appetite.

I don’t want to say too much more because I don’t want to give anything away, but I think this series is great fun and deserves more press than it’s getting. If you get a chance, pick up a copy.