TS901 by Stacey Rourke – Review

TS901
Stacey Rourke
Science Fiction, Dystopia, Romance
Ts901: Anomaly: Rise of the Rebels
Buy on Amazon

Tainted water for the good of the people. Fluoride and vitamins to sustain the health of the human race. Added ingredients to extend and elevate the quality of life. All good things, right?

Wrong.

Thia Kelly has been changed by the TS901 chemical in the world’s water supply. Now, forced into hiding with the other inflicted outcasts, she struggles to survive as her powers emerge.

The first impressions that I had of TS901 were great. After reading more than a few books that were self-published lately, I assumed that this one would have the same quality level. I took one look at the cover and sighed a long, devastated sigh.

Yes, yes, I know. I’m guilty of judging books by their covers, but I think that’s an inevitability with me.

Before we go any further, let me say that I like the writing in this book and also don’t like it. Sometimes, I don’t know what it is, but it almost feels like the book has been written by two different people.

Beyond that good first impression, we continued on in the same vein. The world seemed interesting and there were puns in the novel that seemed intentional such as “Snaky guard lashed at them both with his venomous glare.” Basically, they were both cringe-worthy and great all in one (I love puns, I’m not sorry).

Aside from some minor pet peeves about the naming conventions, we were off to the races. But before we move on from those names, it drove me nuts that the names of the two factions were the Naries (Ordinary) and the Malies (Anomaly). There were even people called the Maly Munchers (who basically want to ride some Maly python) and I cringed all the way out the door.

But once I got past my petty, petty quibbles, TS901 was pretty solid. There were interesting implementations of the mutant powers that I hadn’t seen or thought of, a few reveals that were great, and don’t even get me started on Gigi.

Gigi, sweet Gigi, was a gift from god. She was the one who truly introduced the strong x-men vibes that would stay throughout the story, but she was a joy every time she graced the page.

Between Gigi and our main character, Thia, we are handed a nicely bundled female-focused power fantasy with some interesting men added to the mix. Thia happens to be the most uninteresting of them all, but that works for this novel. It gives us more of a blank slate to put ourselves into and the other characters are quirky enough to carry us through.

The overall story has a heavy focus on prejudice, which may seem a little familiar to anyone who has watched superhero movies (or, you know, Pocahontas). It didn’t detract from the story for me, but it was unquestionably there.

In fact, the only reason that TS901 didn’t score higher was how convoluted the TS901 becomes later on. Prophecy gets added into the mix and we lose some of that fun power fantasy in order to follow the chosen one.

If I’ve piqued your interest, check out the blog tour that’s currently going on or enter to win a free copy of the book!

3/5
If you want an mutant power fantasy that’s an easy read to boot, then this is the guilty pleasure for you.

Ts901: Anomaly: Rise of the Rebels

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