The Perfect Outcast by Melissa O. Hansen – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur

The Perfect Outcast by Melissa Ott Hansen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a very engaging story about Alina, she is a teenager with all the issues that comes with it, hormones, blemishes and imperfect teeth, but she is not as normal as she seems, she lives in a place filled with perfection and being imperfect as she is, makes her stand out in a way she does not want.

We start the journey within this book at school with Alina, in her biology class and this is where we discover where the book is based, in Pria, as well as a bit about the people living there. During this lesson we discover why Pria is known for its perfection and what this means for Alina and the other residents, as well as why Alina is different. Later on in history, more about the leader of Pria is revealed, as well as the repercussions which may happen if someone speaks about him in a less than friendly manner.

It is here that we find out more about Alina and how she is ostracised by the community she lives in, how she experiences life and how this all makes her feel. It also starts to uncover the relationships she has with those she lives with and those whom she hopes to be friends with. These relationships reveal things about herself and Pria which she never expected to hear and would never have believed if she wasn’t the imperfect being she is.

When things start to go wrong for Alina, she has to discover if perfection is all it’s cracked up to be and whether it is worth paying the price demanded for it.

The journey which Alina must now go on means that she has to discover new strengths of character which she didn’t know she possessed, as well as finding the strength to become who she is meant to be, but will all of this newness overwhelm her, or will she be able to step up and stand up for herself and those around her?

Reviewed by @RoxsanneL

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