jrobles76's review against another edition
4.0
A really fun, quick read that satisfied my need for an alt superhero tale. The description of this being a Veronica Mars-type story are true. This is very Mars/Nancy Drew in the best way. The supporting characters will be fun to get to know.
jcarvajal23's review against another edition
5.0
I would like to be friends with this Lois Lane. She's smart, sarcastic, confident, and doesn't take any crap. It's nice to see a character like this in YA fiction and I loved her personality. This story was intriguing and interesting (virtual reality battles...yes!). I will be looking forward to the sequel.
rossakamcfreakyd's review against another edition
4.0
Lois Lane: Fallout was a very entertaining read. As someone who's had an obsession with the relationship between Lois Lane, Clark Kent, and Superman since childhood, this was one I couldn't pass up. Gwenda Bond does a great job of imagining Lois as the army brat, new kid in Metropolis who quickly gets a job working for the teen contingent of the Daily Planet. She's soon immersed in a mystery involving some kids from her high school and a high tech gaming world that has turned them into something not unlike the Borg.
While Clark Kent never makes a *physical* appearance in the story, he is there via online chats between himself and Lois. He's a bit obnoxious with his *super secret* persona, not even being willing to tell her anything about his alter ego. C'mon, Clark Kent is a farmboy in Kansas, that's all you'd have to tell her....
One of my favorite bits was how Bond brought Lois onto the chatboards where she meets the mysterious SmallvilleGuy; a run-in with a UFO (of sorts) on a long drive across Kansas on one of her family's moves. It was quite clever.
While Clark Kent never makes a *physical* appearance in the story, he is there via online chats between himself and Lois. He's a bit obnoxious with his *super secret* persona, not even being willing to tell her anything about his alter ego. C'mon, Clark Kent is a farmboy in Kansas, that's all you'd have to tell her....
One of my favorite bits was how Bond brought Lois onto the chatboards where she meets the mysterious SmallvilleGuy; a run-in with a UFO (of sorts) on a long drive across Kansas on one of her family's moves. It was quite clever.
sc104906's review against another edition
4.0
Welcome to Lois Lane before Superman. Lois is a budding newspaper reporter. When she sees injustice, she must stop it. Even at the detriment of her school career. On her first day at a new school in Metropolis, Lois notices a girl being severely bullied. After the principal does nothing to stop it, Lois decides to stop the injustice herself. With the help of the other reporters in her on her teen newspaper project, the group uncovers a weird connection between a group of classmates called the Warheads.
This is one of the best Veronica Mars readalikes I have come across. The characters are compelling and the plot is cheesey, but not annoyingly so.
This is one of the best Veronica Mars readalikes I have come across. The characters are compelling and the plot is cheesey, but not annoyingly so.
tehani's review against another edition
4.0
I wish 4.5 was a thing because I really really liked this, and the loss of a star is literally for two suspension of disbelief issues I had with the story. Love love LOVED Lois, her family and friends, thought the set up was fab and this concept is great. Highly readable!
But...
Spoilers below...
1. What sort of newspaper editor lets any story, let alone a story by a new baby reporter, go live without his approval? Surely not Perry White!
2. I really did not buy the "pretend to be assimilated" bit. It made no sense. Being part of that hive mind is NOT something that could be faked!
But otherwise, I loved this. Gimme more!
But...
Spoilers below...
1. What sort of newspaper editor lets any story, let alone a story by a new baby reporter, go live without his approval? Surely not Perry White!
2. I really did not buy the "pretend to be assimilated" bit. It made no sense. Being part of that hive mind is NOT something that could be faked!
But otherwise, I loved this. Gimme more!
jeremiahb's review against another edition
4.0
Fun, light read. Great understanding of characters who have been around 75+ years. I hope Bond writes more.
haia_929's review against another edition
4.0
This is a trimmed down version of my review, to view the full review visit The Book Ramble.
Lois Lane has been moving from army base to mary base all her life, never making roots or friends. There's one exception, her best friend, who she only knows by his screen name - "SmallvillleGuy". All her life she's been making trouble knowing she can escape it in her next move, but when the Lanes settle in Metropolis permanently Lois decides on a new plan for her life - she's going to be good, make friends, and not cause problems for her family. Everything goes wrong when she sees a girl getting bullied and her sense of justice completely takes over. With a job at the Daily Scoop, the Daily Planet's teen branch, she plans to uncover the truth behinds the bullying because something about it feels strange.
This book was so much fun, and a really interesting look into Lois as a character beyond her relationship with Superman. I thought the mystery was exciting and interesting, and while the writing wasn't amazing, I think Bond really made something amazing out of Lane, giving her much more depth than I've ever really gotten from her before.
Lois is a really strong protagonist. She has an incredible sense of right, and the way she fights for not just herself and her friends, but for anyone who has been wronged is amazing. She really embodies the ideals of Superman but she doesn't need to be an alien or a superhero to protect those ideals she's just an ordinary teenager who wants to do right. I liked how Bond really highlighted how these characteristics of her personality make her into the journalist that she would become as an adult.
The mystery of this book is both grounded in reality through the bullying and cyberbullying, but also draws on the sci-fi aspects of the comic book world that set the DC Universe apart from us. The bullying was realistic and heartbreaking to watch Anavi suffering through. The background of it - mind control and advanced technology beyond our own - made it that much more interesting to read about and delve into. It was really gripping and complex and I loved it.
There's a pretty strong cast of characters in this. Lois's coworkers at the Daily Scoop are really all pretty great. Of course the stand out is SmallvilleGuy, who we never really get to see or learn what his real name is but of course you can read into that. The pair meet on a chatroom about alien encounters - the alien Lois encountered? Totally Superman. Which was a really cute nod to their future.
Overall I thought the book was really fun. I thought Lois was well written and well developed. There was some trouble with the writing being a little repetitive and bland sometimes but in general it was quite good. All in all this book was definitely worth a read if you're a comic book fan.
Lois Lane has been moving from army base to mary base all her life, never making roots or friends. There's one exception, her best friend, who she only knows by his screen name - "SmallvillleGuy". All her life she's been making trouble knowing she can escape it in her next move, but when the Lanes settle in Metropolis permanently Lois decides on a new plan for her life - she's going to be good, make friends, and not cause problems for her family. Everything goes wrong when she sees a girl getting bullied and her sense of justice completely takes over. With a job at the Daily Scoop, the Daily Planet's teen branch, she plans to uncover the truth behinds the bullying because something about it feels strange.
This book was so much fun, and a really interesting look into Lois as a character beyond her relationship with Superman. I thought the mystery was exciting and interesting, and while the writing wasn't amazing, I think Bond really made something amazing out of Lane, giving her much more depth than I've ever really gotten from her before.
Lois is a really strong protagonist. She has an incredible sense of right, and the way she fights for not just herself and her friends, but for anyone who has been wronged is amazing. She really embodies the ideals of Superman but she doesn't need to be an alien or a superhero to protect those ideals she's just an ordinary teenager who wants to do right. I liked how Bond really highlighted how these characteristics of her personality make her into the journalist that she would become as an adult.
The mystery of this book is both grounded in reality through the bullying and cyberbullying, but also draws on the sci-fi aspects of the comic book world that set the DC Universe apart from us. The bullying was realistic and heartbreaking to watch Anavi suffering through. The background of it - mind control and advanced technology beyond our own - made it that much more interesting to read about and delve into. It was really gripping and complex and I loved it.
There's a pretty strong cast of characters in this. Lois's coworkers at the Daily Scoop are really all pretty great. Of course the stand out is SmallvilleGuy, who we never really get to see or learn what his real name is but of course you can read into that. The pair meet on a chatroom about alien encounters - the alien Lois encountered? Totally Superman. Which was a really cute nod to their future.
Overall I thought the book was really fun. I thought Lois was well written and well developed. There was some trouble with the writing being a little repetitive and bland sometimes but in general it was quite good. All in all this book was definitely worth a read if you're a comic book fan.
porge_grewe's review against another edition
3.0
A fun YA tale of Lois Lane's early years. The plot is comic booky enough to fit into DC canon (the depiction of VR is a schlocky and 90s-ish as you would want), Lois herself comes across as very likeable - Strong and determined, with enough bullheadedness and prejudice to make her a believable teen and to make her friendships feel earned. Those friendships also benefit from a strong supporting cast: some minor characters are reduced mainly to a single gimmick (looking especially at the spelling bee champion), but most have enough depth to make it feel rewarding to learn more about them and for Lois to deepen her friendship with them - All good YA fodder!
Some marks knocked off for unnecessarily purple prose at points, and in general a feeling that the prose could have benefited from tightening up. But overall, I'd recommend it, especially for younger YA readers - It is the strongest DC YA book I've read, and I will be looking up the sequels. Recommended!
Some marks knocked off for unnecessarily purple prose at points, and in general a feeling that the prose could have benefited from tightening up. But overall, I'd recommend it, especially for younger YA readers - It is the strongest DC YA book I've read, and I will be looking up the sequels. Recommended!
kaleyb25's review against another edition
4.0
Short thoughts: Strong 8/10. It was great! I think if you're at least familiar with Superman or Lois Lane as characters, you will get a kick out of this. However, even if you don't know them very well, it's a fun story with good characters and a sense of adventure you can't miss.
Longer thoughts: This was a really good Lois Lane retelling. I personally like reading about people living in a superhero story, so the concept was up my alley. I don't know her original story well enough to compare, but some of her traits I'm more familiar with are here: She's strong but can get hurt; has good intentions behind her actions even if it gets her in trouble, and kind. Notably, she felt like a teenager, and dealt with other things along with the case. A well developed main character I'm excited to read more of.
Side characters: SmallvilleGuy was adorable and caring and made my heart so happy. He doesn't show his full "superman" potential, but that might happen in later books. Reading Lois and Clark's online friendship/potential romance was super sweet and leaves me hoping for more. Her other friends grew on me as the book went on. Each one was different while good at working as a team, so seeing them help Lois and vice versa was nice.
I was expecting this to be fun and entertaining, and that's exactly what I got. It felt like a city adventure with a tiny supernatural element. The story flowed nicely and important events were paced well throughout. Some scenes could've went on for a little longer towards the end but that's more of a personal preference. The writing was easy to get into. It told info while not going overboard, and I liked Lois' voice. My only downfall was that sometimes I got distracted easily while reading; it may've been me on this, but it did affect my reading experience. However, when I did focus, I was enjoying the story itself.
Before I started this book, I was in a big reading funk since the end of August. I wasn't really in the mood for anything and it affected my reading. I'm still kinda slumpy but it's not as bad as it was like a week or two ago. This book really helped me with being excited to read, for now I want to read the rest of the series. I would recommend if you want a fun adventure-like contemporary with a good cast of characters.
Longer thoughts: This was a really good Lois Lane retelling. I personally like reading about people living in a superhero story, so the concept was up my alley. I don't know her original story well enough to compare, but some of her traits I'm more familiar with are here: She's strong but can get hurt; has good intentions behind her actions even if it gets her in trouble, and kind. Notably, she felt like a teenager, and dealt with other things along with the case. A well developed main character I'm excited to read more of.
Side characters: SmallvilleGuy was adorable and caring and made my heart so happy. He doesn't show his full "superman" potential, but that might happen in later books. Reading Lois and Clark's online friendship/potential romance was super sweet and leaves me hoping for more. Her other friends grew on me as the book went on. Each one was different while good at working as a team, so seeing them help Lois and vice versa was nice.
I was expecting this to be fun and entertaining, and that's exactly what I got. It felt like a city adventure with a tiny supernatural element. The story flowed nicely and important events were paced well throughout. Some scenes could've went on for a little longer towards the end but that's more of a personal preference. The writing was easy to get into. It told info while not going overboard, and I liked Lois' voice. My only downfall was that sometimes I got distracted easily while reading; it may've been me on this, but it did affect my reading experience. However, when I did focus, I was enjoying the story itself.
Before I started this book, I was in a big reading funk since the end of August. I wasn't really in the mood for anything and it affected my reading. I'm still kinda slumpy but it's not as bad as it was like a week or two ago. This book really helped me with being excited to read, for now I want to read the rest of the series. I would recommend if you want a fun adventure-like contemporary with a good cast of characters.