Scan barcode
lolasreviews's review
3.0
This was a good read. There was some action, awesome super powers and a nicely paced story. But at the same time it never fully pulled me into the story. Even though I didn't enjoy it as much as I would've liked, there was still a lot that I did enjoy. I was in the mood for a book about superpowers and this book definitely delivered when it came to that. I liked reading about the different superpowers and what was possible with them and there's an awesome scene at the end involving superpowers. The story was also well done and progressed nicely. The book is mostly story driven with less focus on the characters.
The story follows Mat who has been in prison for years and now has a chance to get out, but things aren't that easy and eventually she ends up with the choice to go back to prison or infiltrate a group of criminals. The world is a bit of a harsh one, if you're an empowered, either you never use your power or you have to join the hero council. If you don't pick one of those options you're labeled a criminal.
There are some great scenes in this book. I liked reading about the powers and especially Mathilda's power. She can control plants, which seemed really cool. Although it did make me a bit sad how often she uses/ has to use her powers to hurt or kill plant life. Towards the ending there's this great action packed scene that turns things around and makes me curious where the story will go from there. On the other hand there were also some parts that didn't quite work for me, there's one scene that I skimmed as it was a bit gruesome. But mostly I just didn't feel as invested for the most part of the book. The start and the ending of the book were really good though.
Another one of the issues I had with this book was Mathilda's personality. For the most part I didn't find her a likeable character. She's angry and bitter a lot and often gets angry about small things. I felt like her anger caused more problems than necessary. And I did think she acted realistic, but I didn't really like reading about her and felt like she got angry a bit too often. There's a scene were her anger causes a big problem for them and it just didn't seem worth it as she was there for something more important and almost jeopardized that. The side characters mostly we don't get to know too well or they aren't nice people.
The world building is pretty minimal, we get to know what we need to to understand the story, but I would've liked to know more. That might be just me though as I like lots of world building in books. And here there was only the minimum that was necessary to follow the story. It's a bit of an alternate history type of world, as some things are the same, but there have been wars and events in the past that didn't happen in ours. I couldn't get a good grip of what that war actually was about and the empowered their role in all of this. And things like how and why the empowered exists is something we don't get an answer to either, but I think no one actually knows that. As at the end it's hinted we might figure that out later in the series.
To summarize: I would recommend this one if you're looking for a good story driven book with superpowers. I enjoyed reading this one, but the story never fully grabbed me and I wasn't as invested as I would like. But there were also some really good parts, like the start and the action filled scene at the end and I liked reading about the different superpowers. The main character Mathilda wasn't a likeable character in my opinion. She did seem realistic, I just didn't like reading about her as much. She got angry a bit too often in my opinion and about small things as well, there's even a scene in which her anger caused a problem. I also felt a bit sad about all the plants she had to hurt or kill during the story. There is minimal world building, but there is enough to follow the story. I just like to see the world come alive a bit more and here our knowledge stayed pretty limited. Mostly I did enjoy this one, it just wasn't as good as I had hoped.
The story follows Mat who has been in prison for years and now has a chance to get out, but things aren't that easy and eventually she ends up with the choice to go back to prison or infiltrate a group of criminals. The world is a bit of a harsh one, if you're an empowered, either you never use your power or you have to join the hero council. If you don't pick one of those options you're labeled a criminal.
There are some great scenes in this book. I liked reading about the powers and especially Mathilda's power. She can control plants, which seemed really cool. Although it did make me a bit sad how often she uses/ has to use her powers to hurt or kill plant life. Towards the ending there's this great action packed scene that turns things around and makes me curious where the story will go from there. On the other hand there were also some parts that didn't quite work for me, there's one scene that I skimmed as it was a bit gruesome. But mostly I just didn't feel as invested for the most part of the book. The start and the ending of the book were really good though.
Another one of the issues I had with this book was Mathilda's personality. For the most part I didn't find her a likeable character. She's angry and bitter a lot and often gets angry about small things. I felt like her anger caused more problems than necessary. And I did think she acted realistic, but I didn't really like reading about her and felt like she got angry a bit too often. There's a scene were her anger causes a big problem for them and it just didn't seem worth it as she was there for something more important and almost jeopardized that. The side characters mostly we don't get to know too well or they aren't nice people.
The world building is pretty minimal, we get to know what we need to to understand the story, but I would've liked to know more. That might be just me though as I like lots of world building in books. And here there was only the minimum that was necessary to follow the story. It's a bit of an alternate history type of world, as some things are the same, but there have been wars and events in the past that didn't happen in ours. I couldn't get a good grip of what that war actually was about and the empowered their role in all of this. And things like how and why the empowered exists is something we don't get an answer to either, but I think no one actually knows that. As at the end it's hinted we might figure that out later in the series.
To summarize: I would recommend this one if you're looking for a good story driven book with superpowers. I enjoyed reading this one, but the story never fully grabbed me and I wasn't as invested as I would like. But there were also some really good parts, like the start and the action filled scene at the end and I liked reading about the different superpowers. The main character Mathilda wasn't a likeable character in my opinion. She did seem realistic, I just didn't like reading about her as much. She got angry a bit too often in my opinion and about small things as well, there's even a scene in which her anger caused a problem. I also felt a bit sad about all the plants she had to hurt or kill during the story. There is minimal world building, but there is enough to follow the story. I just like to see the world come alive a bit more and here our knowledge stayed pretty limited. Mostly I did enjoy this one, it just wasn't as good as I had hoped.
ari_reading_'s review
4.0
Mat has worked on the wrong side of the law before, and she'll have to do it again.
But this time she's not doing it by choice, she's being a spy.
While I was never really pulled into the thrall of the story fully, I still enjoyed it.
The book is paced well with action packed scenes and an interesting magic system, however the world building was quite small and at times, non existent. Mat was an average character, she's very flawed and sometimes I was very annoyed which sucked me out of the story.
The whole going undercover thing was really cool.
However, we all flawed so I guess Mat was a very realistic character.
But this time she's not doing it by choice, she's being a spy.
While I was never really pulled into the thrall of the story fully, I still enjoyed it.
The book is paced well with action packed scenes and an interesting magic system, however the world building was quite small and at times, non existent. Mat was an average character, she's very flawed and sometimes I was very annoyed which sucked me out of the story.
The whole going undercover thing was really cool.
However, we all flawed so I guess Mat was a very realistic character.
barb4ry1's review
3.0
As some of you already know, I was raised on a healthy, well-balanced diet of comic books and cartoon movies. I'm conditioned. I'm always eager to discover new stories about people with superpowers. The Fates (read - Mihir) wanted me to start my SPFBO judging adventure with a book about empowered human beings. I'm cool with that.
Agent focuses on Mat Brands (aka Vine), an angry young woman who wants nothing more than to take care of her family and lead a normal life. Not an easy task for the empowered. Even more complicated for empowered on parole. Despite her best efforts, she ends up with the choice to go back to prison or infiltrate a group of superpowered criminals.
Mat's superpowers aren't very impressive. She is classified as a Botanical Catalyst which is a fancy way of saying she can control plants. She can't stop hearing plants in her mind. She hears them sleep. She hears them suffer and feel when they need water. As someone who loves nature and walking barefoot, I think it's a fantastic power that can enhance the sense of unity with the world around us. On the other hand, speaking with plants and growing them, no matter how fast, isn't going to impress people wowed by real, kick-ass superpowers.
That's one of the reasons why Mat turned rogue in her youth. She was too lame to join the Hero Council and too different to socialise with regular people. Her desire to belong somewhere lead her to join The Renegades - a group of innocuous villains.
Yes, we've all seen it before in YA novels. An alienated and angsty teenager with few aces up her sleeve turns rogue but remains good at heart. It's not new, but it's done well. Mat is headstrong, snarky, and fearless. I enjoyed discovering the world through her eyes, although at times I felt irritated by her explosive behaviour. Behaviour that gets her into a lot of troubles.
The first-person narrative is tricky. The reader becomes aware of the events and characters of the story through the narrator's views and knowledge. First-person POV is an imperfect witness by definition, unable to fully see and comprehend events in their entirety as they unfurl. It can make the story engaging or boring. I liked Mat's voice, but I'm afraid many potential readers may dislike her because of her sometimes immature behaviour.
Secondary characters are somewhat one-dimensional. We have a good and a bad cop (who's actually good), loving grandmother, troubled siblings, insta-hate between female team members that soon turns into friendship, and psychotic villain. All of them feel underdeveloped and slightly flat.
Mat's siblings and they're behaviour is unbelievable (especially sudden change of hearts). Mat's and Keisha insta-hate resulting in name calling grew old very fast and made for an unpleasant eye-rolling experience. Women in fiction need to stop calling each other bitches, especially if it's done million times.
The main villain, Mutter, should be terrifying. Instead, he's ridiculous. His powers are funky and dangerous; I'll give you that. Unfortunately, he's a one-dimensional bad guy who gets high on messing with people's head or pulling the wings off a fly. Call him Mr Psycho. Near the end of the book, Miss Co-Psycho joins Mr Psycho to wreak some havoc and increase the sense of danger. Very surprising. I'm still shocked.
The plot is easily accessible and easy to follow, if slightly predictable. The outcome was easy to guess from the beginning. Some clever twists and turns made up for it, though and allowed me to entertain a certain level of doubt. I saw the ending. I wasn't shocked, but I was entertained. And it's a good thing.
The writing is simple, neat and well edited. It serves the story and never gets in the way. There were two or three similes that feel a bit over the top in a juvenile way, like this one:
Overall, though, the writing is good and easy to follow.
Superpowers are the heart of any superhero story. I'm satisfied with Smith's ideas and their displays. Mat's powers shouldn't be underestimated. Give her some vines and trees, and prepare for the mayhem. There's a speedster who wasn't fast enough, a gal controlling metal and a guy controlling air currents. These powers aren't new, but I enjoyed them anyway. Well done.
In the end, I liked this book. It's not perfect. It has some flaws, weak characterisation being the main one. On the other hand, the story engaged and entertained me. I felt motivated to turn the pages, even when what I saw in my mind's eye was silly. The pacing is excellent, and some action scenes impressed me with vivid imagery. So, despite numerous eye-rolling moments, I plan to continue with the series. It's a great palate cleanser.
Additionally, take into account I'm slowly but inevitably rolling towards my forties. I'm pretty sure that younger audience will be able to identify with Mat in a more intimate way than I.
Agent focuses on Mat Brands (aka Vine), an angry young woman who wants nothing more than to take care of her family and lead a normal life. Not an easy task for the empowered. Even more complicated for empowered on parole. Despite her best efforts, she ends up with the choice to go back to prison or infiltrate a group of superpowered criminals.
Mat's superpowers aren't very impressive. She is classified as a Botanical Catalyst which is a fancy way of saying she can control plants. She can't stop hearing plants in her mind. She hears them sleep. She hears them suffer and feel when they need water. As someone who loves nature and walking barefoot, I think it's a fantastic power that can enhance the sense of unity with the world around us. On the other hand, speaking with plants and growing them, no matter how fast, isn't going to impress people wowed by real, kick-ass superpowers.
That's one of the reasons why Mat turned rogue in her youth. She was too lame to join the Hero Council and too different to socialise with regular people. Her desire to belong somewhere lead her to join The Renegades - a group of innocuous villains.
Yes, we've all seen it before in YA novels. An alienated and angsty teenager with few aces up her sleeve turns rogue but remains good at heart. It's not new, but it's done well. Mat is headstrong, snarky, and fearless. I enjoyed discovering the world through her eyes, although at times I felt irritated by her explosive behaviour. Behaviour that gets her into a lot of troubles.
The first-person narrative is tricky. The reader becomes aware of the events and characters of the story through the narrator's views and knowledge. First-person POV is an imperfect witness by definition, unable to fully see and comprehend events in their entirety as they unfurl. It can make the story engaging or boring. I liked Mat's voice, but I'm afraid many potential readers may dislike her because of her sometimes immature behaviour.
Secondary characters are somewhat one-dimensional. We have a good and a bad cop (who's actually good), loving grandmother, troubled siblings, insta-hate between female team members that soon turns into friendship, and psychotic villain. All of them feel underdeveloped and slightly flat.
Mat's siblings and they're behaviour is unbelievable (especially sudden change of hearts). Mat's and Keisha insta-hate resulting in name calling grew old very fast and made for an unpleasant eye-rolling experience. Women in fiction need to stop calling each other bitches, especially if it's done million times.
The main villain, Mutter, should be terrifying. Instead, he's ridiculous. His powers are funky and dangerous; I'll give you that. Unfortunately, he's a one-dimensional bad guy who gets high on messing with people's head or pulling the wings off a fly. Call him Mr Psycho. Near the end of the book, Miss Co-Psycho joins Mr Psycho to wreak some havoc and increase the sense of danger. Very surprising. I'm still shocked.
The plot is easily accessible and easy to follow, if slightly predictable. The outcome was easy to guess from the beginning. Some clever twists and turns made up for it, though and allowed me to entertain a certain level of doubt. I saw the ending. I wasn't shocked, but I was entertained. And it's a good thing.
The writing is simple, neat and well edited. It serves the story and never gets in the way. There were two or three similes that feel a bit over the top in a juvenile way, like this one:
I felt my anger inside me, like a volcano about to explode
Overall, though, the writing is good and easy to follow.
Superpowers are the heart of any superhero story. I'm satisfied with Smith's ideas and their displays. Mat's powers shouldn't be underestimated. Give her some vines and trees, and prepare for the mayhem. There's a speedster who wasn't fast enough, a gal controlling metal and a guy controlling air currents. These powers aren't new, but I enjoyed them anyway. Well done.
In the end, I liked this book. It's not perfect. It has some flaws, weak characterisation being the main one. On the other hand, the story engaged and entertained me. I felt motivated to turn the pages, even when what I saw in my mind's eye was silly. The pacing is excellent, and some action scenes impressed me with vivid imagery. So, despite numerous eye-rolling moments, I plan to continue with the series. It's a great palate cleanser.
Additionally, take into account I'm slowly but inevitably rolling towards my forties. I'm pretty sure that younger audience will be able to identify with Mat in a more intimate way than I.
morebookspleaseblog's review
3.0
This was a difficult review to write... I didn't love the book, but I hate it either. I didn't connect with the characters. I couldn't bring myself to care about the main character. The writing was good, the plot was interesting. The story was just okay for me. This was intriguing enough for me to continue. I look forward to reading more from this author.
see_sadie_read's review
3.0
Not bad, sort of your standard girl with superpowers gets pulled into something she doesn't want to do and then goes about kicking ass and taking names. I thought she was a little too quick to jump to the "I need to kill this guy" stage, but I also felt her conundrum.
I do, however, have to ask such YA heroines always have to be so unfailingly aggressive and unpleasant. And I'm not just talking about Mat either. All the young women who wanted to look tough were just bulldogs with spiky personalities. I swear, you'd think this was the only version of tough authors had ever heard of.
All in all, not bad, just nothing superb or stand-out about it either. It felt a little short on details, considering how long it was, but had enough action not to drag. I'd be willing to read another of the series, but I'm not racing out to buy the sequel either. A solid 3-star read.
I do, however, have to ask such YA heroines always have to be so unfailingly aggressive and unpleasant. And I'm not just talking about Mat either. All the young women who wanted to look tough were just bulldogs with spiky personalities. I swear, you'd think this was the only version of tough authors had ever heard of.
All in all, not bad, just nothing superb or stand-out about it either. It felt a little short on details, considering how long it was, but had enough action not to drag. I'd be willing to read another of the series, but I'm not racing out to buy the sequel either. A solid 3-star read.
traceyyoung's review
4.0
Really enjoyed reading this and was drawn into it straight away. It was nice to see Mat grow in maturity throughout the book and how she dealt with things. There was also enough left open at the end to make me want to go straight onto book 2 though enough closure to feel satisfied with the ending.
jennasis's review
4.0
I enjoyed the story a lot! It never dragged and kept me interested. My only gripe is all my fault. For some reason I thought this story had some romance elements and kept wondering who the love interest was/when he'd make an appearance. Turns out theres nothing of the sort in these books, which is a bummer because I thought it was going to be so interesting to see if she fell for someone in the bad guy group and the choices she would have to make about that ect. I think a little love interest would have for sure been fun to read about!
I'm SUPER interested in really slow burn romances that arent in your face, so I was excited about Mat and the cute agents interactions were written. no pushy feelings/thoughts about how hot they are ect. I was thinking "Now this is a nice change in pace" and turns out its not gonna go anywhere fun haha. Thats fine though! just threw me for a loop haha
I'm SUPER interested in really slow burn romances that arent in your face, so I was excited about Mat and the cute agents interactions were written. no pushy feelings/thoughts about how hot they are ect. I was thinking "Now this is a nice change in pace" and turns out its not gonna go anywhere fun haha. Thats fine though! just threw me for a loop haha
More...