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jesslynh's review against another edition
5.0
Edit: If any of my GR friends are reading this, note the number of high reviews. Also, I personally promise you that it doesn't matter what genre you read. You'll love Velveteen
One of my favorites so far this year. It may get boring for as many times as I've said it, but remains true nonetheless. THis woman can write anything!
Velveteen is the new "Best MC ever"
One of my favorites so far this year. It may get boring for as many times as I've said it, but remains true nonetheless. THis woman can write anything!
Velveteen is the new "Best MC ever"
fryguy451's review
5.0
Marvelous!! Definitely a must read for anyone that likes good super hero stories.
tehani's review
5.0
I have become quite a fan of the superhero stories that unpack the problematic elements prevalent in comics and films of the traditional genre, and Velveteen fits this bill. Somewhat of a mashup of superheroes and child stars, the story considers the issues to do with young people being sheltered and essentially brainwashed into a conglomerate's idea of what they should be to best be part of the money-making machine. And then what happens when one of the stars steps off the merry-go-round.
McGuire's deft writing and talent for snark are underpinned by serious and complex issues, alongside rich and interesting characters who will surprise you with their depth. This was great, and fits nicely in my growing bunch of canon unpacking superhuman powers alongside Tansy Rayner Roberts' "Cookie cutter superhero", Deborah Biancotti's Bad Power, and the forthcoming Zeroes (by Biancotti, Lanagan and Westerfeld).
McGuire's deft writing and talent for snark are underpinned by serious and complex issues, alongside rich and interesting characters who will surprise you with their depth. This was great, and fits nicely in my growing bunch of canon unpacking superhuman powers alongside Tansy Rayner Roberts' "Cookie cutter superhero", Deborah Biancotti's Bad Power, and the forthcoming Zeroes (by Biancotti, Lanagan and Westerfeld).
guybrushtmp's review
5.0
A fantastic read or listen. It starts a little slow and you can tell it is produced serially but what you get in the end is book that stands up to "superhero fatigue" punches it in the face and runs away laughing. All the questions that you walk out of an avengers movie wondering are pondered in this series (who pays for all the damage? how do the non-superstrength heroes have such perfect bodies too?). It handles feminism, corporate america, the obsession with media, and most importantly our obsession with superheroes. Velveteen is the perfect "hero" in her flawed sarcastic way. I wish they would turn this series into a movie. It is a new perspective and one I for one would pay to see on the big screen.
westlinwind's review
5.0
I needed a refresh before starting the long awaited sequel. Seanan's writing is just as compelling and resonant the second time around.
terracottageek's review
5.0
Great series of stories. They are will written and very funny. This is the first book I read by by Seanan McGuire. I can't wait to dig in to more.
misssusan's review
4.0
seanan mcguire...what can't she do...
(bro this slapped, thematically it feels close to the wayward children series except focusing on superheroes where wayward does children's portal fantasies. as a person with some interest in superheroes as the Prevailing Pop Culture Mythos of Our Time i thought the commentary was great)
4 stars
(bro this slapped, thematically it feels close to the wayward children series except focusing on superheroes where wayward does children's portal fantasies. as a person with some interest in superheroes as the Prevailing Pop Culture Mythos of Our Time i thought the commentary was great)
4 stars
alexis58's review
4.0
I wavered between giving this book four or five stars. In the end, I settled on four because, no matter how much I enjoyed reading it, there were some technical issues that pulled me out of the story.
For one, a very large world was created inside the book with many different concepts. A few concepts didn’t really to seem to have a place in the story or drew away from it in some way, such as the “Seasons” characters and storyline
For another, there were times when the writing seemed a little cliché or heavy-handed. When the characters weren’t fleshed out enough to make their actions seem realistic enough.
And that was it. That was the end of all complaints that I had with this book. It was fantastic. It was funnier than I would like to admit. If there were moments when it was cheesy, it was cheesy in the best possible way. It picked at the superhero genre’s most obvious and not so obvious flaws, but it also celebrated the instances where the superhero genre excels. It takes down the superhero’s hero and replaces it with a down-to-earth human who just coincidentally has loads.
It was a satire at its finest.
For one, a very large world was created inside the book with many different concepts. A few concepts didn’t really to seem to have a place in the story or drew away from it in some way, such as the “Seasons” characters and storyline
For another, there were times when the writing seemed a little cliché or heavy-handed. When the characters weren’t fleshed out enough to make their actions seem realistic enough.
And that was it. That was the end of all complaints that I had with this book. It was fantastic. It was funnier than I would like to admit. If there were moments when it was cheesy, it was cheesy in the best possible way. It picked at the superhero genre’s most obvious and not so obvious flaws, but it also celebrated the instances where the superhero genre excels. It takes down the superhero’s hero and replaces it with a down-to-earth human who just coincidentally has loads.
It was a satire at its finest.
everencore42's review
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book is a great starting place for Velveteen! It doesn't get into the metaplot and wider world as much as the latter two books, though, so I didn't enjoy it as much as those.