Review: Powerless

Book one of The Hero Agenda

By Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs
Available June 2 from Sourcebooks Fire
Review copy

I couldn't resist reading POWERLESS.  I like Tera Lynn Childs' Greek mythology-inspired series and Tracy Deebs' romance novels as Tracy Wolff.  Plus, novels featuring superheroes are one of my favorite things.  A topic I like by authors I enjoy?  Yep, no way I could resist.

I'm glad I didn't.  POWERLESS is a propulsive read that both tells an exciting story and sets up several future plotlines for a series.  It all starts in a lab, where Kenna Swift is working late.  Kenna is powerless, but she's also immune to powers thanks to a serum her mother secretly cooked up.  Hero or villain, it doesn't matter - although Kenna can still be hurt by collateral damage.  That's why she remembers the three villains who invaded the lab looking for a friend, even though one of them thought he wiped her mind.  Kenna knows who the heroes and the villains are, but she can't help thinking that they didn't seem that evil.  So she goes snooping.

If you like stories about family secrets, people banding together to do the right thing, and creative uses of chapstick, you'll enjoy POWERLESS.  I liked that there was an interesting mix of relationships in the main group.  There's Kenna, her best friend Rebel, and her ex-boyfriend Jeremy representing the heroes.  Then Draven (who Kenna is attracted to), Dante, and Nitro representing the villains.  There are romantic, sibling, and friend relationships within the group, in addition to some tensions between people who used to be enemies.  This mix means that even though it is a larger ensemble, there's a lot to define each character and how they react to the others.

I liked that Childs and Deebs didn't spend too long building up to the heroes-are-the-villains reveal.  (In fact, the prologue basically gives it away.)  It's where the story is obviously heading, so why save it for the climax?  When we get it at the beginning of the book we get to see more of how Kenna reacts.  (To be fair, it is mostly denial at first.)

POWERLESS did feel like the beginning of a series.  There's several action scenes, but they're mostly set up for events in future books.  At the same time, I feel like Childs and Deebs still managed to tell a complete story about Kenna and her friends.  I'm definitely curious about how things will play out in the second book.

Be sure to visit on Thursday, 6/18 for an extended excerpt of POWERLESS and a jewelry giveaway.

Review: Illusive

By Emily Lloyd-Jones
Available now from Little, Brown BFYR (Hachette)
Review copy

Ciere is a great thief, and not just because of her ability to create illusions.  (She's not that good at it really.)  But her last heist of $40,000 put her in trouble with the mob, and her next heist is being eyed by the Feds.  It'll take quick thinking and good friends to get her out of this trouble.

I love books about superheroes, so ILLUSIVE had one point in its favor when I started.  I'm not big on dystopias, especially ones based on plague, so that was a point against it.  In the world of ILLUSIVE, a small percentage of people developed powers after being given the vaccine for the plague.  For some reason, the vaccine was outlawed and the formula destroyed instead of everyone trying their hardest to get superpowers.  (I mean, c'mon?  Good health and a chance of superpowers? Go for it.)  Those that are superpowered are mostly snatched up by the government.  The ones that aren't are mostly criminals who hide their abilities.  In a way, it is a similar setup to Holly Black's WHITE CAT.

ILLUSIVE switches between two points of view: Ciere and her fellow crew member Daniel, who has been captured by a very dangerous man.  They're good friends, but circumstances are pitting them against each other.  I really liked and sympathized with both characters.  Honestly, you'd think the plot would be the highlight of a book centered around a superpowered heist, but I adored the character actions.

However, that meant I was let down by the ending.  I think two characters in particular were badly served by their comrades for no reason.  Ciere leaps into danger to save someone she's known for days, while dismissing two friends from her life.  One gets a rather cutting farewell and the other is left to be a virtual slave. Characters I'd gotten to know and care about were shoved aside in favor of the new guy.

That being said, I'll be there with bells on for a sequel.  ILLUSIVE was fun, fast paced, and offered some genuinely thrilling twists.  Plus, superheroes.

Review: The Heart Does Not Grow Back (and Giveaway!)

By Fred Venturini
Available November 4 from Picador (Macmillan)
Review copy

(A version was previously published as THE SAMARITAN by Blank Slate Press.)

Dale Sampson, through a fortuitous game of Blind Man's Bluff becomes Mack Tucker's best friend.  Before that, Dale was a lonely, ignored boy.  But together, he and Mack have big dreams.  That is, until a horrific tragedy at the end of their junior year.  A tragedy that leads to Dale discovering that he can regenerate.

THE HEART DOES NOT GROW BACK begins much like a YA novel, full of young love and sports triumph.  It becomes something much more bleak, although it always retains a dark humor and eventually finds hope.  Dale is a broken, pitiable man, and I often just wanted for him to get a good therapist.  At the same time, even at his lowest point, he retained the ability to think and plan that made him once so promising.

Over the course of its pages, THE HEART DOES NOT GROW BACK takes on ethics, reality television, and domestic abuse.  But its heart is always the characters, who are all dealing with trauma in their own ways. 

I often disliked Dale.  In fact, none of the characters are written to be particularly likeable.  They're deeply flawed people.  As Dale is the protagonist, we get to know him in particular.  He's obsessive about women, has a bit of a savior complex, and is pretty confrontational.  It works because author Fred Venturini understands that these things are flaws and that Dale needs to work on them.

THE HEART DOES NOT GROW BACK is an intense reading experience.  As Dale cuts away more and more of himself, I feared the promise of the title coming true.  From coming-of-age tale, to reality TV satire and slice-of-life superhero, to nailbiter, this is a memorable book.

I have one copy to giveaway to someone with a US or Canada mailing address.

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Review: V is for Villain

By Peter Moore
Available now from Disney Hyperion
Review copy

I am a huge sucker for superhero books.  When I heard about V IS FOR VILLAIN, I knew that I had to read it.  And it definitely scratched some of my superhero itches, like a complicated relationship between the protagonist and his arch-nemesis.   At the same time, I was never quite convinced of the world.

Brad Baron lives in a world shaped by superheroes and their battles with Phaetons.  The superheroes were all created decades ago, and the newest ones are generally legacies.  Both Brad's father and brother are famous heroes.  Phaetons are created when people try to mutate their genes themselves -- it often goes wrong.  Brad has super genes, but only for intelligence.  That means he can't keep up in the Academy, which focuses on physical powers.  He gets shunted off to the A-track.  (A is for alternative.)

The Academy, and by extension the world's, focus on certain powers just never quite worked for me.  What can I say, some of my favorite superheroes are the ones without powers.  And Brad, in his rise to villainy, shows pretty thoroughly just how dangerous someone can be without physical powers.  Surely there were others before him?  Decades of people with powers, why no supervillains that aren't Phaetons?  Plus, quite a bit of worldbuilding is done through expository footnotes that quickly get boring.

At the same time, I found the characters very believable.  Brad and his friends have pretty radical ideas about what it means to be a hero -- albeit radical for their society.  They're in favor of things like bringing people to trial instead of killing them on the spot.  But Brad also has a nasty streak of entitlement.  Layla, the head of the alternative kids, may or may not be interested in Brad.  Either way, she definitely has her own agenda, which I appreciated.  I also liked Brad's meat-head hero brother, Blake.  Brad and Blake care about each other, because they're brothers, yet they deeply irritate each other as well.

I thought the characters' feelings, motivations, and relationships were terrific and wish the world had worked as well for me.  Although, since I'm talking about character, Brad came off as very average in intelligence to me.  I might have bought him as a little smarter than the other characters, but not as a super genius.  Luckily, he had other qualities to make up for it.

This tale of a boy's rise to villainy has some moments that shine, but it's a bit too didactic to give the through-the-eyes-of-the-villain premise much weight.  Superhero and dystopian fans might find things to enjoy about this novel, but I'd just check this one out from the library instead of buying it.

Review: Starling

By Sage Stossel
Available now form InkLit (Penguin Random House)
Review copy

I've always enjoyed graphic novels, but I've found that there are very few in the United States aimed at women past their teens - particularly not superhero comics.  Thus, STARLING was a bit of fresh air.  Sage Stossel is a cartoonist whose work has appeared in many publications, including The Atlantic.  I wasn't into the art at first, since it looks like magazine-cartoon style.  But it grew on me.

Amy Sturgess is Starling, a popular superheroine.  (Although she might be more popular with one of the more revealing costumes she refused, in one of the graphic novel's funniest sequences.)  She's also an employee at an ad agency, where she's on the rise despite her frequent absences due to "Irritable Bowel Syndrome."  She has to pay the bills, but she's also determined to help as many people as possible even when it affects her sleep and personal life.  (Also funny: Starling going out to fight crime in her comfy pizza-eating clothes because she can't be bothered to change.)  Unfortunately, a slimy coworker is attempting to steal Amy's accounts, using her work.

There's also a romance to go with the drama of balancing work and unpaid work.  Amy is hung up on a former boyfriend, which becomes complicated when she meets and likes his wife.  She's also meet a new guy, one who might be able to understand her life as Starling.  And to make things even more complicated, Amy's hapless younger brother is in trouble.  It's pretty standard superhero stuff, but it's nice to see it happening to a normal, not rich, not super sexualized woman.

STARLING is a charming graphic novel.  It's also the first book I've read from Penguin Random House's InkLit graphic novel imprint.  I might have to check out more of their books if they're all of this quality.  STARLING is a terrific choice for readers searching for a low-key superhero comic and for DC fans (and Marvel fans) fed up with how their favorite superheroines have been treated.

Review: Super

Sequel to POWERLESS
By Matthew Cody
Available now from Knopf (Random House)
Review copy

I love superhero stories, and POWERLESS stood out from the pack to me because of it's brutal first chapter.  Michael's whole life is flying, until he wakes up without his powers or memories, never to fly again.  That's been the fate of the children of Noble's Green for centuries.  Many of them have a superpower, but they lose it and all memory of it on their thirteenth birthday.  Then Daniel Corrigan came to town and helped the Supers find and defeat the culprit.

But something has happened, and the Supers are again losing their powers.  Temporarily, but who knows when they'll be gone forever?  Meanwhile, Daniel is showing evidence of developing powers and the grandnephew of their nemesis the Shroud has come to town.  He's obviously the number one suspect, but Daniel's worried things aren't so simple.

In addition to having a fast and fun storyline, the morality of SUPER is not black and white.  Who deserves power?  Who can decide whether or not someone deserves power?  Daniel may want to help his friends, but some of the super-powered kids aren't as nice or altruistic.  If the local bully didn't have super strength, that would be a good thing.  But would it just stop there?

I liked that there isn't much romance, since the main characters are younger teens.  (They're maybe fourteen during SUPER.)  There are hints of crushes and a quick kiss, but nothing more.  There are a lot of friendships that cross gender lines, which is nice to see.  Molly, a flyer, is one of the toughest characters and always ready to defend her friends.  And Daniel is a good protagonist for the series, since he has no powers - just the ability to think things through and use his head.

I do recommend starting with POWERLESS, since SUPER deals with the fallout from the first book.  Both tell complete stories, however.  Each book has a definite end and can stand on its own if need be.  I'd be happy to read another Noble's Green novel, but SUPER does not require a sequel.  This series is a good choice for kids who love superheroes and are looking for a good read that isn't a graphic novel.

Movie Monday: 2011 Superhero Films, Part I

2011 was a big year for superheroes, so I'm splitting this into two parts. Today I'll cover The Green Hornet, Green Lantern, and Super. Next week I'll cover the Marvel films Thor, X-Men: First Class, and Captain America: The First Avenger.

I loved The Green Hornet. I can't believe it only has 2-1/2 stars on Amazon. (I also can't believe it was directed by Michael Gondry of the almost-perfect Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the interminably awful The Science of Sleep.) Seth Rogen and Jay Chou have wonderful chemistry as Britt Reid and Kato, the two men who fight crime by pretending to be criminals. I liked that they were equals as the Green Hornet, but had difficulty working as equals to their previous relationship. I also enjoyed Cameron Diaz as Lenore Case, the love interest who ends up with neither guy because she's too smart to put up with their antics. Christoph Waltz, as villain Chudnofsky, slowly loses his mind throughout the film, providing the best comedic moments. The Green Hornet may not stand at the head of its genre, but it's a perfectly serviceable superhero movie.

I may not be qualified to speak about Green Lantern since I feel asleep for half an hour in the middle of the movie. But that says quite a bit in itself, because I have a high tolerance for terrible movies. I'll give Green Lantern credit for having one of the best lines ever uttered in a superhero film:

What do you mean? I've known you my whole life! I've seen you naked! You don't think I would recognize you because I can't see your cheekbones?

Of course, it is said by Blake Lively as Carol Ferris, ace fighter pilot and successful business woman. Blake tries her hardest, but she's not very convincing as the tough-as-nails Carol. She comes off as a bit of a marshmallow. As for the central character . . . Hal Jordan has never been my favorite Lantern. And the movie takes way too long to make Hal seem like a good candidate for the ring. As for the daddy issues everyone in the film is suffering from: Iron Man did it better.

I love superhero movies. I love black comedies. I love parodies. I love deconstruction. I love Ellen Page. Super should've been right up my alley. For a while, it was. It was over-the-top and made me squirm, but the ugliness of Frank's (Rainn Wilson) actions as the Crimson Bolt made a fair point about the likely mental state of people who decide to don a costume and fight crime with a wrench. But the violence kept going beyond my comfort zone and I found Page's psycho Libby funny at first, then extremely off-putting. Can we all agree that rape isn't funny, even when it's female-on-male? And, for the people arguing all over the internet that it wasn't rape, it was. Frank said no. That's all it takes. The actively resisting and throwing up afterward were the icing on the terrible, no good, very bad cake. So despite what I thought at the beginning, Super was very much not my thing.

(ETA: Super is considered a 2010 movie because it premiered at TIFF that September. It didn't release in the US until April 1, 2011.)

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Superhero edition!

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a meme began by Jill of Breaking the Spine.



AFTER THE GOLDEN AGE by Carrie Vaughn comes out April 12 - less than a week from now! I love superheroes and I enjoy Vaughn's work, so it's a bit of a no-brainer that I'm waiting for this one.



Coming out the same day is WAR, POLITICS, AND SUPERHEROES: Ethics and Propaganda in Comics and Film by Marc Dipaulo. This one is more expensive since it's an academic book, but it sounds cool.



On May 1, Garth Nix's new book comes out. TROUBLETWISTS is co-written with Sean Williams, another Australian author. It's not quite a superhero story, but close.

The blurb:

A spectacular new middle-grade fantasy series from NYT bestselling authors Garth Nix and Sean Williams, in which two twins find that they must act as wards against a threatening evil.

The Evil has been trying to break into our dimension and dominate the earth for centuries. Unbeknownst to most of us, there are Wardens all over the globe, who protect humanity from the Evil that asserts itself at the Portals, which are the only places through which the Evil may pass into our world.


Jaide and Jack Shield don't know that the world is under attack. They don't know that their dad and their Grandma X, who they move in with, are Wardens, or that they themselves are troubletwisters, young Wardens just coming into their powers.

ETA: I am definitely not waiting on WICKED PRETTY THINGS. Cleolinda's update on the kerfluffle will link you to all you need to know.

Review: Burning Ambition (+ Contest)

By Jonathan Bernstein
Read my interview
Available now from Razorbill
Review copy

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
-from "The Second Coming" by William Butler Yeats

BURNING AMBITION begins much quicker and with more excitement than HOTTIE. Unfortunately, the Department of Hotness has peaked (which you can read in an excerpt here). There are no supervillians in Beverley Hills and soon the friends begin fighting. Dorinda and Kellyn both fall for David. T, the boyfriend, insults Alison. So, Alison hangs up her crime fighting gear to become an intern at her favorite magazine, Jen.

At first things go well. But fifteen-year-old editor Pixie Furmanovsky is close to the edge due to her father's neglect . . . and then she gains superpowers. But the Department of Hotness is in no shape to keep her at bay - they lack the convention to stop her passionate intensity. To win the day, the young teens will have to overcome their hormones to take down the tyke tycoon, and we all know how difficult that is when you're fifteen.

Sometimes BURNING AMBITION gets anvilicious. Ignoring your friends is bad. Ignoring a single coworker is bad. Ignoring your children is bad. Torturing people to get them to date you is bad. (Okay, so the last isn't really anvilicious. But it bears repeating.) Of course, BURNING AMBITION needs a strong moral center to counter-act the running joke of pee-filled balloons.

On the other hand, BURNING AMBITION is mostly just a fun and quick read. Alison isn't a typical post-THE DARK NIGHT RETURNS superhero. She's a girl into fashion and her boyfriend, who sometimes has trouble helping her friends with their issues because she's too wrapped up in her own. Though the friends have issues, they fit well together. Unlike most books I can take the main characters fighting with each other because they take steps to be happy. As mentioned above, when upset with her boyfriend, Alison finds a job that she finds fulfilling. Yes, she wants to reconcile with him, but she doesn't just lay around moping about it. Or the fighting works because it's cartoony. Kellyn and Dorinda definitely go over the top trying to win the boy.

If you need something quick this summer, you might want to pick up HOTTIE and BURNING AMBITION. Both are good beach reads. And when you read them on the beach, no one you know will see the atrocious covers.

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I have two copies to giveaway. This is a lightning contest: first two to comment get it.