Synopsis:

Vada’s To-Do List:

- Turn 18 (check!)
- Register super name

- Order supersuit
- Attend superhero indoctrination

- Graduate high school

- Start kicking criminal tail

Vada Lawson can’t wait to be a superhero. Born into a family with special powers, she’s been training to fight criminals and villains her whole life. But her indoctrination into the underground super community is derailed when normals start breaking out in superpowers themselves.

Not trained to control their new abilities, the normals are frightened and vulnerable. Then their mutilated corpses begin turning up all over town. What the heck?

Somehow, with the help—and hindrance—of an annoying newly-minted super named Orion, Vada has to stop the chaos before it destroys her and everything she holds dear…and ruins her superhero debut.

No one ever said that being a superhero was easy…

Genre: upper YA, paranormal (?), superhero themes

Rating: 1/5 Stars
My Review (spoiler free)

I loved the concept of this book, I loved the idea of following a new superhero, a female superhero as she fights crime and discovers the reasons behind these random murders. But the execution is where it flopped for me. This book is classified as an upper YA, for reasons I agree with but find unnecessary to the story line. Repeated vulgar language and mature themes make this a book I wouldn't want 12-14 year olds reading; however, the story seems as though it is written towards an audience of that age group. It's very cliche, and I found it easy to tell what is going to happen before it happens.

Besides the concept of this book, there was some underlying issues I discovered while reading this book that I don't agree with. See the passage below for example:

“Tell me,” he urged. “I can…” ****** gasped for air between kisses. “I can make people do things. Just by telling them to.” “Is that so?” ****** bit his lip, glad to have charmed it out of her. “What kinds of things?” “Lots of things.” She smiled. “I can make them say things, give me things, do things for me…do things to me…” She licked her lips and thought about the young man from next door and how he had bent to her will just two nights ago. ****** smiled. “Someone’s been naughty.”

A certain character is gifted with the super power of persuasion and it is essentially what she says it is. Her wish is everyone else's command. I understand that she is a villain, but was it really necessary for her to, what appears in my eyes anyways as rape/unconsented sex within the first day of her having her powers. A book coming out in 2017 should not be saying that if you're a villain it's alright for you to do these things. Frankly, no book should be saying this to its readers, unintentionally or not. There is also another instance where the villain in question has college boys strip for her in the middle of the street.

Another place I found issue was the lack of POC, and the appropriation of the Romani. There is a super named Gypsy, who is described as Caucasian with auburn hair, whose super suit is described to be of that culture as well. I believe there is an abundance of better names available to give a psychic besides one that is associated with a culture she doesn't appear to be linked to.

Overall, this book had potential but fell short for me. If there was less ~ smut ~ I believe this book would be better suited for a younger audience.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book