liorallen's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
diannamorganti's review
2.0
This book was mostly enjoyable. It wasn't as "fun" and "light" as the cover would lead you to believe. It starts out that way, but dives into the moral, legal, and emotional implications in a not-particularly-believable way.
I had to force myself to finish it, because I didn't have anything else to read at home. If it weren't so short and if I'd been reading anything else, I'd have turned this one into the library unfinished.
I wouldn't say I was rewarded for my hard work by finishing either. Seems to have tried to leave on a cliffhanger for a sequel, but I doubt I'll ever look for one myself.
I had to force myself to finish it, because I didn't have anything else to read at home. If it weren't so short and if I'd been reading anything else, I'd have turned this one into the library unfinished.
I wouldn't say I was rewarded for my hard work by finishing either. Seems to have tried to leave on a cliffhanger for a sequel, but I doubt I'll ever look for one myself.
adunnells's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
martha_w's review
2.0
I was very disappointed by this book. The premise seemed interesting--five college kids wake up one morning with superpowers. Unfortunately, it read like crappy fan fiction. The dialog was never quite believable and the characters were not developed very well. To try to disguise a few week points in the book, Shwartz uses asides from the supposed author of the book. But the rest of the book never seems to be written by him.
I gave the book two stars instead of one because there were definitely some interesting ideas. They just weren't executed very well.
I gave the book two stars instead of one because there were definitely some interesting ideas. They just weren't executed very well.
chronotope's review
3.0
This book starts well and from the moment the World Trade Center is mentioned the general flow is pretty well established. There are few surprises here, and the question of what the book's heroes would do on 9/11 pulls through some mediocre prose and overdone foreshadowing.
However, at about 3/4ths through the book, something happens. The characters gain depth. As soon as you hit that, the book becomes almost impossible to put down. You now care about the once relatively shallow superheroes. The fact that you know what is to come doesn't change the fact that you now really want to know what is going to happen to them. Unfortunately, though the ending ties everything up, it feels somewhat lackluster.
The book is decent overall, however, it feels as if the characters' depth is almost an accident. However, if you like stories about Superheroes you should pick this book up.
However, at about 3/4ths through the book, something happens. The characters gain depth. As soon as you hit that, the book becomes almost impossible to put down. You now care about the once relatively shallow superheroes. The fact that you know what is to come doesn't change the fact that you now really want to know what is going to happen to them. Unfortunately, though the ending ties everything up, it feels somewhat lackluster.
The book is decent overall, however, it feels as if the characters' depth is almost an accident. However, if you like stories about Superheroes you should pick this book up.
readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition
1.0
1.5 stars
OK, I'm going to be savage here. I really didn't like this book. The writing style was average and the editorial interludes were mundane. Their only purpose was to constantly reaffirm that 'this story is real', and that the editor isn't going to explain how the main characters got their powers. Which I think is a huge cop-out. If you're going to give characters powers the possibilities are unlimited for how they could get them, but because you can't think of anything original you just decide never to explain it? That just doesn't fly with me.
Another thing that didn't fly was the vaguely sexist and racist comments and tropes that invaded the narrative from time to time. Giving the only black, female protagonist the power of invisibility just smacked of erasure to me. You could argue that it was part of a larger social commentary, but I don't think that's what the author intended.
There was also no villain in this novel, which took away any direction from the plot. None of the characters were particularly interesting, and I didn't feel any empathy towards them - to the point where *spoiler alert*
when one of them died I didn't care. The storyline was a bit of a mess from start to finish, and the 9/11 climax didn't really end up being a climax at all.
Overall, an intriguing premise which turned out to be a very disappointing read from start to finish.
OK, I'm going to be savage here. I really didn't like this book. The writing style was average and the editorial interludes were mundane. Their only purpose was to constantly reaffirm that 'this story is real', and that the editor isn't going to explain how the main characters got their powers. Which I think is a huge cop-out. If you're going to give characters powers the possibilities are unlimited for how they could get them, but because you can't think of anything original you just decide never to explain it? That just doesn't fly with me.
Another thing that didn't fly was the vaguely sexist and racist comments and tropes that invaded the narrative from time to time. Giving the only black, female protagonist the power of invisibility just smacked of erasure to me. You could argue that it was part of a larger social commentary, but I don't think that's what the author intended.
There was also no villain in this novel, which took away any direction from the plot. None of the characters were particularly interesting, and I didn't feel any empathy towards them - to the point where *spoiler alert*
when one of them died I didn't care. The storyline was a bit of a mess from start to finish, and the 9/11 climax didn't really end up being a climax at all.
Overall, an intriguing premise which turned out to be a very disappointing read from start to finish.
theartolater's review
3.0
If Heroes was done with college students and a coherent plot, it’d be Superheroes. Good, not great.
emmayvonne's review
5.0
it started off so fun, and i was really living it, but then it just started to get so depressing and sad:'(
magnetgrrl's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed some parts of this book, and not so much others. Most of the things it tries to do, I've seen done better elsewhere. I did really like the characters... at first. There were some plot points that either imploded or didn't really go anywhere that were interesting and I wish had... not imploded, or gone somewhere. If you're interested in the superhero genre and read a lot, this is something you'll be interested in. If you're interested in the superhero genre and don't read much or have limited resources there are many other things more worth reading. Not to suggest my opinion is any more valuable than that of anyone else, but check out my superhero shelf. Or check out some of the listopia lists. Personally I love Superfolks by Robert Mayer, but it falls into the deconstructing superheroes subgenre.