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emsee33's review against another edition
2.0
For my review, check out: Hero Worship on All Things Urban Fantasy.
paperbackstash's review against another edition
4.0
Whether they have superpowers or not, there’s almost something magical about heroes. Marvin belongs in a small group of friends, two young adults and himself, together since childhood, now living together, supporting each other emotionally, all ‘dirties’. In this fantastical society children are tested when they display any power ability. Dirties are either sent away or receive ‘treatment’ to remove their abilities. Those who come ‘clean’ are allowed to use their powers and some will become a member of The Core, a group akin to the justice league.
The story makes an intriguing world. Being a superhero fan, I found it cool to read about people with powers. It was even cooler to find flaws, corruption, deceit and not knowing who to trust. All that glitters is not gold. All heroes are not heroes.
Even if the beginning chapters hadn’t delved into the heart of the action yet, they were my favorite since they held a genuine humor that made me laugh out loud more than once.
“He's so close that I can reach out and touch him. I actually consider doing this, but let's face it, that would be creepy."
Unfortunately the humor climbed down and disappeared as the plot progressed. There was definitely darkness later, but the ending shakes on a lighter coating again. Nothing wrong with this as I like the corruption angle and finding out what happened intensified the story and what was at stake, but it felt a bit inconsistent with the writing style.
Marvin is one reason the book soars; he’s amusing, intelligent, compassionate, a normal and tempted male teenager. His friends quirky antics and strange gifts were fun accompanists. I didn’t invest much in the core but they are backdrops anyway. The main villain is a yucky one it’s easy to dislike, and the superheroes who were corrupt beyond measure were intriguing to read about, even if we only get glimpses of them and not deep insight.
The ending is a powerful rush of bravery which leaves the closing of the book with a peaceful finish. Overall good action, creative storyline, an intriguing world, super powers, and deluded societal traits make a good story. It’s true I think the first part of the book is the strongest, but all is worth a read. Memorable.
The story makes an intriguing world. Being a superhero fan, I found it cool to read about people with powers. It was even cooler to find flaws, corruption, deceit and not knowing who to trust. All that glitters is not gold. All heroes are not heroes.
Even if the beginning chapters hadn’t delved into the heart of the action yet, they were my favorite since they held a genuine humor that made me laugh out loud more than once.
“He's so close that I can reach out and touch him. I actually consider doing this, but let's face it, that would be creepy."
Unfortunately the humor climbed down and disappeared as the plot progressed. There was definitely darkness later, but the ending shakes on a lighter coating again. Nothing wrong with this as I like the corruption angle and finding out what happened intensified the story and what was at stake, but it felt a bit inconsistent with the writing style.
Marvin is one reason the book soars; he’s amusing, intelligent, compassionate, a normal and tempted male teenager. His friends quirky antics and strange gifts were fun accompanists. I didn’t invest much in the core but they are backdrops anyway. The main villain is a yucky one it’s easy to dislike, and the superheroes who were corrupt beyond measure were intriguing to read about, even if we only get glimpses of them and not deep insight.
The ending is a powerful rush of bravery which leaves the closing of the book with a peaceful finish. Overall good action, creative storyline, an intriguing world, super powers, and deluded societal traits make a good story. It’s true I think the first part of the book is the strongest, but all is worth a read. Memorable.
kylek's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 Stars
A copy was provided through NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review
I requested this book specifically because it was about superpowers, heroes and villains. The main character is 17 going on 18 years old, so I was expecting a decent slightly mature male voice, but unfortunately that wasn't the case here.
Hero Worship is a very fast read, which is about the only thing that kept me reading, because as most of you lovely readers know by now, I have the attention span of a gnat and by the 18% mark I already wanted to drop the book and pick something else, but since it would have only taken me another hour and half to finish I figured I should just get it over with, not like I had any pressing matters to attend to anyway :P
You are probably wondering what was so bad about the book that it made me want to mark it down as a DNF. It was a multitude of certain aspects that just weren't working for me. As I already mentioned at the start of this review I was expecting a somewhat mature male pov and I didn't get it. For a person to have witnessed his father killing his mother and then ending up living in the streets because of it and dropping out of school, you would think the guy was a bit cynical and hard and tough, but he was the softest marshmallow ever and so damn gullible and naive it was sickening. Okay, maybe sickening is a bit harsh, but my point is it didn't make it any easier to read. I couldn't fathom how a person who was in the situation he was in could so completely accept what he was being told and just go on his merry way. He also had absolutely no loyalty towards his friends at first. He kept everything from them, but believed everything the strange psycho girl who made him walk through hoops said.
I should also say that I've never been a fan of the boy scout types, they are just entirely too goody-two-shoes for my liking. I'm not saying I like criminals now, but a healthy sense of distrust and paranoia goes a long way xD
The plot while mildly interesting it also wasn't anything to write home about. What it all comes down to is the book came off as too childish for my liking. Everything, from the characters, to the writing to the plot was too cookie-cutter. If you go in not expecting anything much more than a fast, generic, but entertaining superhero book then you will end up having a good time.
A copy was provided through NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review
I requested this book specifically because it was about superpowers, heroes and villains. The main character is 17 going on 18 years old, so I was expecting a decent slightly mature male voice, but unfortunately that wasn't the case here.
Hero Worship is a very fast read, which is about the only thing that kept me reading, because as most of you lovely readers know by now, I have the attention span of a gnat and by the 18% mark I already wanted to drop the book and pick something else, but since it would have only taken me another hour and half to finish I figured I should just get it over with, not like I had any pressing matters to attend to anyway :P
You are probably wondering what was so bad about the book that it made me want to mark it down as a DNF. It was a multitude of certain aspects that just weren't working for me. As I already mentioned at the start of this review I was expecting a somewhat mature male pov and I didn't get it. For a person to have witnessed his father killing his mother and then ending up living in the streets because of it and dropping out of school, you would think the guy was a bit cynical and hard and tough, but he was the softest marshmallow ever and so damn gullible and naive it was sickening. Okay, maybe sickening is a bit harsh, but my point is it didn't make it any easier to read. I couldn't fathom how a person who was in the situation he was in could so completely accept what he was being told and just go on his merry way. He also had absolutely no loyalty towards his friends at first. He kept everything from them, but believed everything the strange psycho girl who made him walk through hoops said.
I should also say that I've never been a fan of the boy scout types, they are just entirely too goody-two-shoes for my liking. I'm not saying I like criminals now, but a healthy sense of distrust and paranoia goes a long way xD
The plot while mildly interesting it also wasn't anything to write home about. What it all comes down to is the book came off as too childish for my liking. Everything, from the characters, to the writing to the plot was too cookie-cutter. If you go in not expecting anything much more than a fast, generic, but entertaining superhero book then you will end up having a good time.
emilycc's review against another edition
3.0
An extremely quick read about Marvin, a homeless teen with super powers. Unfortunately he's a "dirty," meaning it's against the law for him to use his powers. When he saves a family during a carjacking, he's offered the opportunity to try out for the Core, a group of revered superheroes who protect the city.
The author has a background in comic writing, and it shows. It's a thoughtful take on public heroism, corruption, and doing the right thing. The writing is straight forward and the dialogue and action scenes flow naturally. Overall, this is a nice surprise from a small publisher and highly recommended for reluctant readers and fans of Steelheart.
Note: there's an unexpected rape scene - not graphic, but it's pretty clear exactly what happens.
The author has a background in comic writing, and it shows. It's a thoughtful take on public heroism, corruption, and doing the right thing. The writing is straight forward and the dialogue and action scenes flow naturally. Overall, this is a nice surprise from a small publisher and highly recommended for reluctant readers and fans of Steelheart.
Note: there's an unexpected rape scene - not graphic, but it's pretty clear exactly what happens.
apollosmichioreads's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting plot that persuades me not to put the book down. A fast and satisfying read.
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