Tag: super powers

REVIEW: Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia

REVIEW: Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and DC Ink in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

One night in Atlanta, a girl and her foster mom are driving on a wet night. One minute they are talking about signing adoption papers and making their family official. The next, they are part of a horrible car accident that leaves the foster mom dead and the teen with no memories of her life before the crash.

After the accident, Raven moves to New Orleans to live with her foster mom’s sister and her daughter, Max. Max is a great friend – and being at a new school, this is a huge help. But having her “cousin” there isn’t enough to offset the weird things that happen – hearing other people’s thoughts, making the resident mean girl trip just by thinking of it.

Since Raven has no memories from before the accident, she has no way to be sure these things are new and a result of the crash. Could she have been doing these things before?

While Raven and Max try to sort out what’s going on with Raven, they are distracted and unaware that danger is lurking in the shadows and trouble they can’t even fathom is around the corner.

Review

Raven has always been my favorite character of the Teen Titans. Her powers and her back story are mysterious and fascinating. This graphic novel introduction to the character is terrific! I thoroughly enjoyed this!

DC Ink has launched three graphic novels so far this year. I enjoyed Mera: Tidebreaker, but Catwoman: Under the Moon was not a good fit for me as a reader (foul, dark and violent). I was a little concerned that the line was all going to be closer to the Catwoman story than the Mera story, but that was not the case here. This was a perfect graphic novel for me – I loved the art and the color scheme for the storytelling. I would have read a whole series of these. I hope there will be more Raven stories. This does include references to voodoo, astral projection, tarot and demons in keeping with the canon of the character. This may not be a good fit for all readers.

This is a solid introduction to the character and it also hints at the larger DC Universe. DC is restructuring and doing away with the DC Ink imprint in favor of age-rated comics and graphic novels. I’m curious to see where that goes.

I would have loved even more of this story! The author and artist will be releasing Beast Boy in 2020. I’m curious to see if Raven’s story will be part of that or if that will stand on it’s own. A fourth DC Ink graphic novel, Harley Quinn Breaking Glass, will release this fall.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Kid Normal by Greg James and Chris Smith

REVIEW: Kid Normal by Greg James and Chris Smith

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Bloomsbury Children’s Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Murphy is sick of moving. They’ve moved so often it’s not even worthwhile for Murph to make friends at each new school. But this move is particularly bad. Murph’s mom can’t even find a school to take him! All the area middle schools are full, and she’s starting to get desperate.

One day she and Murphy stumble across a building labeled “The School.” The headmaster tries to put her off like the rest, but when she begs, stating his capabilities and her belief that in the right environment Murphy could “fly,” the headmaster perks up and invites Murph to the school.

But Murph might as well be in school in a foreign country because he doesn’t understand ANYTHING going on in this school. In one class, the teacher talks about “Capes” but no one in class is wearing one. And he’d swear he saw another student FLY onto the school grounds.

It turns out The School is a training institute for kids with powers of all sorts. Only a select few will be good enough to join the Heroes Alliance. The rest will learn to hide their powers from the world.

But a science experiment gone wrong brings a new villain on the scene. And he is very interested in the kids at The School.

Review

This is a fun, quirky superhero story. It reminds me a lot of the NERDS series by Michael Buckley. With the powers and the villains and the narrator that addresses the reader, it all had a familiar feel to it.

The hero school is pretty typical for the genre. There are kids whose powers seem too lame to be useful, kids who use their powers for bullying, and teachers who do the same with their positions. It felt a little like the movie Sky High.

There were layers to the villainous portions of the book, which was fun. There’s the science-experiment-gone-wrong guy at the top, the brains behind the schemes, and then a potential traitor hinted at for a sequel.

There’s a lot of silliness that will appeal to kids, but for me I felt like sometimes the authors were trying too hard. For example, at a big reveal moment, they inserted a random story about a rabbit. Instead of it being amusing, it was annoying (for me as an adult – kids might love it). I think they instead could have cut away to a villain scene or two. That would have delayed the reveal and prolonged the tension while keeping the reader engaged in the story. As I said, kids might love it.

I loved the illustrations. They really added a nice touch to the storytelling. And there’s a great message in the book, too, that anyone can be a hero. I’d put this in the hands of third and fourth grade students; I think they would love it.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Relentless by Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs

REVIEW: Relentless by Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

After the events of Powerless, Kenna and her friends are in trouble. Rebel’s dad took her and she is acting completely out of character. Draven has  been captured and arrested. He’ll have a sham of a trial so Rex Malone can make an example of him. Kenna’s mom is still missing.

Kenna is determined to find the truth and bring down the “heroes” who have been killing villains and dealing in secrets and lies. With the revelations from Powerless – and more yet to come – her team might have a chance to make things right. Or everything could blow up in their faces.

Review

It’s hard to summarize the second book in a duology (at least, I think this is the end of this series) without giving away some of the important plot twists from book one. This story picks up just a few weeks after the end of Powerless. The characters deal with the immediate issue of their friends’ captures, but the rest of the book is devoted to dealing with the main danger of heroes run amok with mad plans for power and control.

Kenna’s team has come together nicely. There are a couple new romantic relationships (including a gay couple) in the team which increases the tension and danger as they work their plans to take down the bad guys. Everyone is at risk. And there’s no guarantee everyone will make it out of the final confrontations alive.

I liked the blurring of the lines between “hero” and “villain” in both of these books. Kenna goes from a black and white thinker to someone who sees the shades of grey. So she realizes everyone with powers has potential to use their gifts to help others or to pursue their own ends. I wonder what criteria is used in this world for powered people to be marked as villain or hero.

The ending felt a little abrupt. I thought there might be a third book to sort out all the issues the group is facing. But in the end, all of the loose ends wrap up  (even though I would have liked more back story and some blanks in history filled in). Great action packed conclusion! (Some language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs

REVIEW: Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

In a world of superheroes and super villains, Kenna is powerless. She lives and works in the hero world, though. Her mom is one of their best scientists. Her best friend’s dad is the President of the Superhero League. Even without powers, Kenna knows what side she’s on. Until that night in the lab…

Three villains break in one night when Kenna is working late. She fights back, even without powers. And the immunity serum her mom has been giving her secretly for years keeps the villains from using their powers against her.

Still, while she survives the attack, it raises a lot of questions for Kenna. What were the villains after? Why would one of them protect her? Why does her mom reference the same secret lab level the villains did and then try to pass it off as a misstatement? Is it possible that the heroes aren’t as awesome and flawless as Kenna always thought?

Maybe, if Kenna sneaks back into the lab, she can find some answers to her questions. Or maybe she will find her whole world turned upside down.

Review

I loved this superhero story! Kenna’s a great, strong character. Even without the protections others enjoy, she doesn’t back down from a fight. She reminds me of some of my favorite female characters from other stories. Even as she wrestles with the things she discovers, her first thought is doing the right thing, no matter what.

The world building is great. I feel like I only have the barest hint of the full picture of the heroes and villains in this story. So many things are yet to be revealed in book 2. I wish I could share more about the world and the story, but I’m afraid that will spoil the story for new readers. I will say I loved the set up  and the various reveals. The story is terrific.

I enjoyed the full cast of characters, not just Kenna. It’s an eclectic group – in powers and in personalities. The twists and turns of the story leaves the team in some disarray by the end. I will need the sequel, Relentless, as soon as possible! (Some language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½