Still worth reading, but slightly more convoluted in a way that just makes it feel like there’s a lot going on and not all of it is tied up or examined much. We go straight into the systemic issues of being a superhero. Paperwork, legality, insurance, money, publicity/optics, etc. and this acts as a springboard to talk about the systemic inequality trans people face, which I think, just like the first book, smartly bridges these concepts. But it’s also not exactly a great hook for the meat of the story.

It does get going and there turns out to be even more action than the first, and it’s far darker and maybe a bit more “grown-up” than previous; sometimes in a jarring way. The changes make sense and do springboard naturally from some of the setup in the first book. It’s just pretty heavy for a while, before navigating back to a more hopeful place. In a lot of ways I like this story arc better.

It’s just slightly more contrived, as you situate yourself into the worldbuilding. It’s unlike most superhero stories in how bombastic it is while simultaneously being granular with the socio-economic and political body aspects of a world. Something you’d read in Vertigo… but with decidedly YA components. Very unique, I think. And I’ll certainly read another in the series, if and when that drops.