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olivialandryxo 's review for:
Not Your Backup
by C.B. Lee
3.5 stars
Over the last week, as I’ve caught up with the series, I’ve grown to love Sidekick Squad. After thoroughly enjoying Not Your Villain, I was excited for more queer superhero shenanigans. However, as much as I liked some aspects of this third installment, Not Your Backup just...wasn’t as good.
Don’t get me wrong, it was a quick, fun read that, for the most part, lived up to its predecessors. But at times, the plot felt repetitive and the pacing slow. I can’t explain the former without spoilers; as for the latter, for every exciting chapter, every rush of adrenaline, there were two more that focused solely on planning, journeying, and/or Emma’s internal conflict. (Don’t test my math. I’m probably wrong. I was just trying to get a point across.)
I don’t have the energy for an in-depth breakdown of the elements I enjoyed, but here’s a little list:
• Emma’s character arc as she figured out and came to terms with being on the aromantic and asexual spectrums.
• The casual inclusion of queerplatonic relationships. This deserves its own point solely because I’ve never seen the term or any rep in a book prior.
• Emma and Bells’ relationship. They’re adorable! He’s so supportive and they just fit so well together. I can’t even explain why I love him or them; I just do. 10/10 one of my new favorite couples.
• For a sci-fi novel, the social and political commentary was surprisingly relevant. The series went from superhero fun in the first two books to rebelling against a complexly corrupt government in this third one. Lee handled this masterfully.
• It was definitely a more minor element, but I liked slowly learning more about the world these characters live in—especially what it was like before meta-humans and the new government came to be.
Even though Not Your Backup wasn’t as much of a hit for me as the previous two were, I still enjoyed reading it. I’m eagerly anticipating the release of the final book this summer. I’d hoped it would be about Abby, and it is! Bring it on!
Representation:
• Emma, the protagonist, is Latinx and on the aromantic and asexual spectrums.
• Bells, a major side character and Emma’s boyfriend, is a black trans guy.
• Jess, another major side character, is Chinese-Vietnamese and in a sapphic relationship with Abby.
• Many other/minor side characters are queer and/or people of color.
CW: internal shame through aromantic and asexual questioning (though this is examined), some sci-fi violence (taken from the publisher’s website)
Over the last week, as I’ve caught up with the series, I’ve grown to love Sidekick Squad. After thoroughly enjoying Not Your Villain, I was excited for more queer superhero shenanigans. However, as much as I liked some aspects of this third installment, Not Your Backup just...wasn’t as good.
Don’t get me wrong, it was a quick, fun read that, for the most part, lived up to its predecessors. But at times, the plot felt repetitive and the pacing slow. I can’t explain the former without spoilers; as for the latter, for every exciting chapter, every rush of adrenaline, there were two more that focused solely on planning, journeying, and/or Emma’s internal conflict. (Don’t test my math. I’m probably wrong. I was just trying to get a point across.)
I don’t have the energy for an in-depth breakdown of the elements I enjoyed, but here’s a little list:
• Emma’s character arc as she figured out and came to terms with being on the aromantic and asexual spectrums.
• The casual inclusion of queerplatonic relationships. This deserves its own point solely because I’ve never seen the term or any rep in a book prior.
• Emma and Bells’ relationship. They’re adorable! He’s so supportive and they just fit so well together. I can’t even explain why I love him or them; I just do. 10/10 one of my new favorite couples.
• For a sci-fi novel, the social and political commentary was surprisingly relevant. The series went from superhero fun in the first two books to rebelling against a complexly corrupt government in this third one. Lee handled this masterfully.
• It was definitely a more minor element, but I liked slowly learning more about the world these characters live in—especially what it was like before meta-humans and the new government came to be.
Even though Not Your Backup wasn’t as much of a hit for me as the previous two were, I still enjoyed reading it. I’m eagerly anticipating the release of the final book this summer. I’d hoped it would be about Abby, and it is! Bring it on!
Representation:
• Emma, the protagonist, is Latinx and on the aromantic and asexual spectrums.
• Bells, a major side character and Emma’s boyfriend, is a black trans guy.
• Jess, another major side character, is Chinese-Vietnamese and in a sapphic relationship with Abby.
• Many other/minor side characters are queer and/or people of color.
CW: internal shame through aromantic and asexual questioning (though this is examined), some sci-fi violence (taken from the publisher’s website)