This suspenseful debut follows a group of teenage misfits in their delicious quest for revenge on those who have wronged them at their high school. When a mysterious note appears in Charlotte's mailbox inviting her to join the League of Strays, she's hopeful it will lead to making friends. What she discovers is a motley crew of loners and an alluring, manipulative ringleader named Kade. Kade convinces the group that they need one another both for friendship and to get back at the classmates and teachers who have betrayed them. But Kade has a bigger agenda. In addition to vandalizing their school and causing fights between other students, Kade's real intention is a dangerous plot that will threaten lives and force Charlotte to choose between her loyalty to the League and her own conscience.
Release Date 1st October 2012
OK so one thing I have learned not to do is read reviews on Goodreads just as I've started reading a book, cause people on there are really judgemental and a bit weird about what they find to be "disgusting".
League of Strays is about a group of misfits/outsiders that are rounded up by "alluring" (read: creepy as fuck) Kade, who seems to know everything about them. He groups them as friends but in reality he wants them to get revenge on their bullies. All of them have stories of their worst moments and they target the people that caused these. Turns out "alluring" Kade has an agenda of his own against the principal and is actually a bit of a sociopath! He's got history that no one knows about and has been stalker-y and crazy before, with an unhappy ending.
One scene in particular that a lot of Goodreaders are having a problem with is when the League set up the mandatory gay character's bully. They send a note to his team mate supposedly from a gay lover then contact the bully and fool him into thinking he's meeting a chick for sex, instead he meets his team mates and they beat him up while the League watches from afar, he ends up getting his arm broken. Now, I'm sorry, but that scene? Not disgusting. Sadly that scene could and probably does happen, some people are idiots and do think it's OK to treat gay people like crap. I'm not saying this sort of action is good, but I don't find it "disgusting", I find it believable and I don't find anything wrong with the author writing a scene like this. In fact, even worse things than this happen more often than they should. And it by no means says to me that the author is "condoning" this sort of treatment, it says to me that she's not afraid to write about stuff that (sadly) happens on a daily basis. What's wrong with that?
My one problem with this book wasn't the storyline, it intrigued me, my problem was the characters. They were supposed to be seniors in high school (So what's that? About 17ish?) and they acted about 13 or 14, they came across as pretty immature and very gullible. The fact that all 3 girls were more than happy to listen to this complete stranger just because he was "gorgeous"? Honestly, I find that a bit unbelievable.
So all being said, if you can get over the immaturity and naivety of the characters (especially the "heroine") then I think this book is a quick easy read.
Book Depository: League Of Strays
Amazon UK: League of Strays
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