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crowaii's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
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? No
4.0
katevaliant's review
4.0
This book is perfect for superhero fans looking for a fresh take that will have you rooting for the henchman instead of the heroes.
Living in a semi-virtual town means Alice gets to see the dark side of living amongst heroes and villains and just how dangerous getting caught up in their battles can be. When she gets desperate to afford college she has no choice but to join the dark side, if she can get past the producers of the show first. In a town full of superheroes, villains, and wannabes, only the best succeed.
This story has great world building. The world is so well fleshed out that it feels like its own character. In a way this story is a bit of a futuristic dystopia of what happens when the governments and rich rely on entertainment and reality shows to control the population. The society felt like something that could be featured in a Black Mirror episode. Every detail has been carefully crafted and I can see how all the slang might annoy some readers, but for me it added realism to the world. The technology is also based on current gadgets and systems already in use, which helped make the technology easy to relate to and understand right away.
Living in a semi-virtual town means Alice gets to see the dark side of living amongst heroes and villains and just how dangerous getting caught up in their battles can be. When she gets desperate to afford college she has no choice but to join the dark side, if she can get past the producers of the show first. In a town full of superheroes, villains, and wannabes, only the best succeed.
This story has great world building. The world is so well fleshed out that it feels like its own character. In a way this story is a bit of a futuristic dystopia of what happens when the governments and rich rely on entertainment and reality shows to control the population. The society felt like something that could be featured in a Black Mirror episode. Every detail has been carefully crafted and I can see how all the slang might annoy some readers, but for me it added realism to the world. The technology is also based on current gadgets and systems already in use, which helped make the technology easy to relate to and understand right away.
thistlechaser's review
5.0
I know a good review should start with an overview of the plot, the world setting, the characters, maybe the strengths and weaknesses of a book, but after a story like this one, I just want to go OH MY GOD YOU GUYS! THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD! I THOUGHT ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME, I EVEN SNEAKY-READ IT WHILE AT WORK!
Set sometime in the future, the country (world?) had advanced enough that everyone got a Universal Basic Income even if they didn't work. It wasn't enough to live a good life on, but if you had no other job, you could survive on it. So in general the population was bored, so the governments set up things like "semi-reality towns" as in semi-reality show towns -- the whole city is one big reality show, with nearly everyone either a star or trying to become one. (Other cities included things like zombie attacks to keep the population busy and focused on something.)
This story was set in Big Little City, a superhero semi reality city. A bunch of people were "capes" (heroes) or "vils" (villains), and most everyone else was working on their fame levels so they could become one or the other.
The author "evolved" language in a really fun way. While (of course) the book was written in English, a lot of the words were shortened or used in unusual ways. It was a nice touch for world building.
All that was backdrop for the story though. The main character (Alice) was one of the few people who did not want to be famous. She came to Big Little City because rent and schooling were cheaper there (since attacks by vils often happened). The story followed her life and how she came to try out to become a henchman.
Because of the setting, there were such cool twists: How do you know if the person sitting next to you is actually a superhero? It made all the relationships and interactions all the more fun.
There were only two downsides of the story for me:
1) Use of nontraditional pronouns. Nothing knocks me out of a story faster than ze/zir/whatever. As much as I loved this book, every time those pronouns came up, my eyes glazed over. Luckily there were only two minor characters who used them.
2) By my Kindle's tracking, I had 15 minutes left in the book. I was saving the last of the story so I could savor and enjoy it... and boy was I sad to find it was 15 full minutes of previews for the next book, author's notes, etc. Sad!
I really wish the next book was out already. I completely loved Alice as a main character, but all the minor ones and the world setting as well.
Set sometime in the future, the country (world?) had advanced enough that everyone got a Universal Basic Income even if they didn't work. It wasn't enough to live a good life on, but if you had no other job, you could survive on it. So in general the population was bored, so the governments set up things like "semi-reality towns" as in semi-reality show towns -- the whole city is one big reality show, with nearly everyone either a star or trying to become one. (Other cities included things like zombie attacks to keep the population busy and focused on something.)
This story was set in Big Little City, a superhero semi reality city. A bunch of people were "capes" (heroes) or "vils" (villains), and most everyone else was working on their fame levels so they could become one or the other.
The author "evolved" language in a really fun way. While (of course) the book was written in English, a lot of the words were shortened or used in unusual ways. It was a nice touch for world building.
All that was backdrop for the story though. The main character (Alice) was one of the few people who did not want to be famous. She came to Big Little City because rent and schooling were cheaper there (since attacks by vils often happened). The story followed her life and how she came to try out to become a henchman.
Because of the setting, there were such cool twists: How do you know if the person sitting next to you is actually a superhero? It made all the relationships and interactions all the more fun.
There were only two downsides of the story for me:
1) Use of nontraditional pronouns. Nothing knocks me out of a story faster than ze/zir/whatever. As much as I loved this book, every time those pronouns came up, my eyes glazed over. Luckily there were only two minor characters who used them.
2) By my Kindle's tracking, I had 15 minutes left in the book. I was saving the last of the story so I could savor and enjoy it... and boy was I sad to find it was 15 full minutes of previews for the next book, author's notes, etc. Sad!
I really wish the next book was out already. I completely loved Alice as a main character, but all the minor ones and the world setting as well.
amgeever's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. Great world building, really fun characters, and an engaging social critique of the role of technology, fame, and income inequality.
a_devine_read's review
4.0
In an alternate world, Alice lives in a town that thrives on superheroes. When she looses her job, she tries out for a position as a henchman. She has to figure out how to pay for college.
Opinion
Fun, fun, fun. I enjoyed entering this fun and exciting world but shutter to think it could happen.
I also enjoyed the almost monotone accents that the citizens (narrators) use. Truly a fun book.
Opinion
Fun, fun, fun. I enjoyed entering this fun and exciting world but shutter to think it could happen.
I also enjoyed the almost monotone accents that the citizens (narrators) use. Truly a fun book.
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