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The Vindico #1
The Vindico
The Vindico are a group of supervillains who have been fighting the League of Heroes for as long as anyone can remember. Realizing they’re not as young as they used to be, they devise a plan to kidnap a group of teenagers to take over for them when they retire—after all, how hard can it be to teach a bunch of angsty teens to be evil?
Held captive in a remote mansion, five teens train with their mentors and receive superpowers beyond their wildest dreams. Struggling to uncover the motives of the Vindico, the teens have to trust each other to plot their escape. But they quickly learn that the differences between good and evil are not as black and white as they seem, and they are left wondering whose side they should be fighting on after all . . .
With fast-paced action, punchy dialogue, and sarcastic humor, this high-stakes adventure from a talented new YA voice pulls you in from the first page.
Held captive in a remote mansion, five teens train with their mentors and receive superpowers beyond their wildest dreams. Struggling to uncover the motives of the Vindico, the teens have to trust each other to plot their escape. But they quickly learn that the differences between good and evil are not as black and white as they seem, and they are left wondering whose side they should be fighting on after all . . .
With fast-paced action, punchy dialogue, and sarcastic humor, this high-stakes adventure from a talented new YA voice pulls you in from the first page.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published June 14, 2012
70 people are currently reading
2089 people want to read
About the author
Wesley King
36 books392 followersThe author of fourteen novels and counting, Wesley King has received over twenty literary awards and seen his books published worldwide, optioned for film and television, and translated into numerous languages. King is best known for his collaboration with Kobe Bryant on the #1 New York Times Bestselling Wizenard Series, as well as the Edgar Award-winning OCDaniel, which was also a Bank Street Best Book of the Year and Silver Birch winner. The follow-up, Sara and the Search for Normal, won both the Violet Downey and Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Awards. He also co-authored the YA romantic fiction novel Hello (from here) with New York Times bestselling author Chandler Baker. His next novel, Benny on the Case, will be released in April 2025. It is a JLG Gold Selection, has a Starred Review from PW and will be released simultaneously with an audiobook from Dreamscape. His adult debut novel is going to be announced soon.
He lives on a windy seaside bluff in Western Newfoundland, Canada.
He lives on a windy seaside bluff in Western Newfoundland, Canada.
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December 1, 2020
Five teens are kidnapped by a notorious team of supervillains, to be turned into the ultimate antithesis of good.
This story takes a pretty classic concept with a twist:
Lana, is a sweet and intelligent person who secretly wishes to break free from her "good girl" image.
Sam, is a responsible and obedient kid who's used to doing what he's told.
Hayden, is a snarky but burdened teen, who had to take care of himself, after his whole life got uprooted at an early age.
Emily, is a genius who knows her way out of difficult situations, but is also saddled with her own problems.
And James, is a mostly practical but emotional guy, who's aware that he's kind of a mess, but is looking to turn his life around.
So what do these people have in common? Why their potential for evil of course!
In my personal opinion, the Vindico is a bit underrated, (although I'll be the first to admit that I'm a sucker for a good superhero/supervillain story.) I mean it's zany, camp, fast paced and has a set of pretty likeable characters. All vastly and seemingly different from each other, & each dealing with their own set of individual dilemmas, until they're eventually dragged into a much bigger problem... One that they'll have to find a way out of, together.
So if that sounds like your thing, I'd definitely check this one out.
4.4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This story takes a pretty classic concept with a twist:
Lana, is a sweet and intelligent person who secretly wishes to break free from her "good girl" image.
Sam, is a responsible and obedient kid who's used to doing what he's told.
Hayden, is a snarky but burdened teen, who had to take care of himself, after his whole life got uprooted at an early age.
Emily, is a genius who knows her way out of difficult situations, but is also saddled with her own problems.
And James, is a mostly practical but emotional guy, who's aware that he's kind of a mess, but is looking to turn his life around.
So what do these people have in common? Why their potential for evil of course!
In my personal opinion, the Vindico is a bit underrated, (although I'll be the first to admit that I'm a sucker for a good superhero/supervillain story.) I mean it's zany, camp, fast paced and has a set of pretty likeable characters. All vastly and seemingly different from each other, & each dealing with their own set of individual dilemmas, until they're eventually dragged into a much bigger problem... One that they'll have to find a way out of, together.
So if that sounds like your thing, I'd definitely check this one out.
4.4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
May 24, 2013
X-men meets the Breakfast Club? Doesn't that sound exciting or what? I was interested when I heard about The Vindico in the beginning of the year, and I was excited to finally read it when I saw it on the shelves. Unfortunately, The Vindico just didn't work for me on so many levels. The concept was fresh, but the execution was just disappointing. Perhaps it would have been better suited as a lower-middle grade novel rather than young adult with its simple writing style; the plot was fun but also unbelievably unrealistic along with the poorly fleshed out characters. The more the story progresses, the messier it becomes with the countless introductions of new minor, forgettable characters left and right, and messy fight scenes.
To be honest, I am surprised Putnam picked this one up; The Vindico was like a graphic novel that didn't translate very well into novel format. I'm disappointed that an interesting concept was turned into a very corny (borderline lame) superhero story. However, it is a fun and often humorous book--and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a younger audience (especially Marvel/DC fans.)
Story:
A group of teenagers from 13 to 17 are kidnapped to be trained as part of The Vindico, a group of evil super-villians, to fight against The League (a group of superheros.) They are given superpowers like telekinesis, telepathy, or just super strength.
The Beginning:
One of worst openings ever. The first five chapters where basically dedicated to each of the five protégées, telling how they were kidnapped at home or from school. I found it a complete drag, utterly frustrating, and unnecessary. It would've worked better if all of them just woke up in unfamiliar surroundings from the beginning for suspense.
You might as well just read the first chapter, replace the names with the other four protégées, and jump right to the sixth chapter.
A Hodgepodge of Characters (You'll Forget 90% of Them):
This novel has a severe case of too-many-characters-doing-too-many-things syndrome.
Five protégées, five villain mentors, one coordinator dude, two other children, plus a whole slew of The League people with "superhero" names--way too many people for 300 pages. Here is where I think the author bit off more than he could chew: with eleven people running around under a roof, things are bound to get messy. There's just not enough room to well-develop all of them, making every character simple and flat. I was struggling with names throughout the novel. Even the funky, "super-villain" names didn't help. As a result, many characters fade into the background.
I also had an issue with Lana and Leni, because of the two-letter difference in their names and the fact that they are frequently in the same scene, I often had to do a double-take.
The Protégées (This Word Is A Hassle To Type):
I know they are teenagers, but they are surprisingly shallow. "OH SHOOT! I GOT KIDNAPPED BY MASS MURDERS!!...wait, I get SUPERPOWERS and I can live in this fancy mansion??? NEVERMIND THE MASS MURDERS, I'M STAYING! LALALALALALA"
Emily: I like her sense of humor, but she is so stereotypical: the smart, geeky Chinese hacker. (Maybe it's because I'm Chinese that I'm being too sensitive)
Sam: The crybaby and the youngest of the group. For some reason he gets assigned to wear a suit.
Lana: The blonde harlot. (only because other words will get censored from Amazon)
James: The loser who gets dumped (and tries to beat his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend guy up, but fails miserably and faints instead) and wants to make everyone suffer with him. At one point, his mentor punches the new boyfriend out a bus window to get revenge for him--not knowing that he was in the middle of apologizing for his mistakes. It annoyed me that James was happy to see his classmate severely injured. There is no excuse for being that heartless, not even if you are a super-villain. Obviously, I dislike this guy.
Hayden: The other funny one in the group who doesn't know when to shut up. Good comic-relief though. His laid-back attitude makes him stand out but he also comes off as a stuck-up pervert. This guy proposes a game of spin-the-bottle to "get to know each other." I suspect the spin-the-bottle game kept this book from being classified as a middle-grade.
The Lamest Villains Ever (Do These Adults Even Have A Diploma?):
The only semi-memorable villain was The Torturer, because of his ridiculous name. They all have their backstories, but most were just products of being overdramatic: "THEY KICKED ME OUT! THEY DIDN'T LET ME JOIN THEIR EXCLUSIVE PARTY! OH NO, I HAVE TO GET REVENGE! KILL KILL KILL!" (if you have such violent tendencies, it's no surprise they want to kick you out. *hint hint*) I suppose King wanted to add a layer of human emotion to the villains by making them feel paternal towards the children, I saw it--but it didn't work. It was a pity that Leni, one of the villains who was plotting to redeem himself, never got the opportunity to carry out his plan.
As part of Vindico's "brilliant" plan to mentally intimidate (or to stop them from being attached to their families) the protégées, they dig up these scandalous family "secrets" and announce them in hopes of making the kids feel unloved by their families. Seriously. This guy comes out and says something like "You know your ex-girlfriend that you asked out when you were twelve? Well, she cheated on you! And your best friend knew! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA! FEEL THE BURN! MUHAHAHAHA And your parents? They didn't even care when you were missing! NYAH NYAH NYAH"
And the sad thing is, he actually think it's working. That's about the lamest excuse for intimidation I've ever heard of. The worse part, he makes five of these omg-are-you-serious "scary" announcements. Every time I wince at the corniness.
Death Is Taken So Lightly:
Maybe because the book was targeted at younger audiences that the concept of death must be glazed over, but I have issues with how death is handled. To "prove" that the villains scary, it is revealed how they killed all these superheroes. And then the superheros supposedly killed some people as well as part of a conspiracy. It is only briefly mentioned how they got killed and it basically treated as inconsequential minor events. No guilt is ever involved with the adults. I was relieved when Lana (one of the protégées) felt guilty about killing a superhero--but she was let off the hook very easily.
The death that tested my limits was when Emily was smugly told that her grandfather died of heartbreak while looking for his missing granddaughter during her "announcement." I know that the announcements was supposed to show how heartless the Vindico was, but it annoyed me that Emily look the event so lightly. I was expecting her to escape to see her grandfather (or at least attend the funeral), but she basically forgot about the whole thing after like a day. YOUR GRANDFATHER DIED WHILE SEARCHING FOR YOU, GIRL. THAT'S SERIOUS BUSINESS, NOW STOP PLAYING WITH YOUR TOYS AND DO SOMETHING.
Romance:
Lana, taking insta-love to a whole new level. "OH NO! He has such a soft, hidden side to him! I LIKE HIM! I don't care if he's acting like a stuck-up pervert! I'm going to kiss him!" There's also this poorly constructed love triangle...but only because James didn't confess his love and was too busy moping about it.
And, you don't ask for a date in the middle of a fight, just sayin'.
Structure/Writing Style:
I don't know if the third person omniscient perspective was the right way to go. I would have preferred the third person limited narrator to keep the suspense element, or even first person for each of the teens. I found the novel too juvenile, simplistic, and completely rejects the "show don't tell" mantra. "THIS HAPPENED..AND THEN THIS OTHER THING...AND THEN THIS...X IS FEELING SAD, Y IS FEELING ANGRY, B IS WORRIED...C HAS A SECRET PLOT." Even a few of those horrible adverbs sneaked in.
The narrative often felt unbearably stoic, especially between the adults because they all speak in this pseudo-evil "tone."; nobody speaks in perfect, full sentences, only cyborgs do that. Part of the reason was because the adults were used for info-dumping, turning them into talkative drones more than fleshed-out people.
Messy Fight Scenes:
Mind-control doesn't make a good fight scene. Unless it's like Inception. That's all.
Convenience:
I guess this is the problem with superheroes: they have so many cool gadgets and awesome powers that they can do anything. And because they are so "perfect," they are boring. Often, the novel reliance on gadgets annoyed me--they are superheros, they don't need guns, missiles, and RIFLES(what the heck?), that stuff is for losers. The gadgets dragged down the story with extraneously mundane descriptions: I don't want to hear how she has guns in her belt, the color of her clothes, and miscellaneous cannisters on her shoulder.
The Blur Between Good and Evil...Was Non-existent
The synopsis promised that the teens would "earn that the differences between good and evil are not as black and white as they seem" but it ended up incredibly simplistic.
I wanted to see how the conflict between good and evil will play out. But it disappointed me how black and white these kids were: they referred to the villains as "bad guys" and the superheros as "good guys." Sure the villains killed people, but the superheros aren't innocent either. They were sometimes conflicted, but pretty much got over it in a few seconds. In the end, I am not sure if The League were even the "good guys." I felt there could have been a lot more depth since morality was a major theme.
Overall, The Vindico was a major disappointment. It was like if someone took Sky High and squished it with The Incredibles and made it super corny. The fascinating concept of conspiracy, character development, and morality themes were thrown out to make room for banal writing that focused on describing clothes, gadgets, and chaotic action sequences. Perhaps the novel would've translated better as a movie, graphic novel, or even a younger middle-grade novel. But young adult novel? No.
To be honest, I am surprised Putnam picked this one up; The Vindico was like a graphic novel that didn't translate very well into novel format. I'm disappointed that an interesting concept was turned into a very corny (borderline lame) superhero story. However, it is a fun and often humorous book--and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a younger audience (especially Marvel/DC fans.)
Story:
A group of teenagers from 13 to 17 are kidnapped to be trained as part of The Vindico, a group of evil super-villians, to fight against The League (a group of superheros.) They are given superpowers like telekinesis, telepathy, or just super strength.
The Beginning:
One of worst openings ever. The first five chapters where basically dedicated to each of the five protégées, telling how they were kidnapped at home or from school. I found it a complete drag, utterly frustrating, and unnecessary. It would've worked better if all of them just woke up in unfamiliar surroundings from the beginning for suspense.
You might as well just read the first chapter, replace the names with the other four protégées, and jump right to the sixth chapter.
A Hodgepodge of Characters (You'll Forget 90% of Them):
This novel has a severe case of too-many-characters-doing-too-many-things syndrome.
Five protégées, five villain mentors, one coordinator dude, two other children, plus a whole slew of The League people with "superhero" names--way too many people for 300 pages. Here is where I think the author bit off more than he could chew: with eleven people running around under a roof, things are bound to get messy. There's just not enough room to well-develop all of them, making every character simple and flat. I was struggling with names throughout the novel. Even the funky, "super-villain" names didn't help. As a result, many characters fade into the background.
I also had an issue with Lana and Leni, because of the two-letter difference in their names and the fact that they are frequently in the same scene, I often had to do a double-take.
The Protégées (This Word Is A Hassle To Type):
I know they are teenagers, but they are surprisingly shallow. "OH SHOOT! I GOT KIDNAPPED BY MASS MURDERS!!...wait, I get SUPERPOWERS and I can live in this fancy mansion??? NEVERMIND THE MASS MURDERS, I'M STAYING! LALALALALALA"
Emily: I like her sense of humor, but she is so stereotypical: the smart, geeky Chinese hacker. (Maybe it's because I'm Chinese that I'm being too sensitive)
Sam: The crybaby and the youngest of the group. For some reason he gets assigned to wear a suit.
Lana: The blonde harlot. (only because other words will get censored from Amazon)
James: The loser who gets dumped (and tries to beat his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend guy up, but fails miserably and faints instead) and wants to make everyone suffer with him. At one point, his mentor punches the new boyfriend out a bus window to get revenge for him--not knowing that he was in the middle of apologizing for his mistakes. It annoyed me that James was happy to see his classmate severely injured. There is no excuse for being that heartless, not even if you are a super-villain. Obviously, I dislike this guy.
Hayden: The other funny one in the group who doesn't know when to shut up. Good comic-relief though. His laid-back attitude makes him stand out but he also comes off as a stuck-up pervert. This guy proposes a game of spin-the-bottle to "get to know each other." I suspect the spin-the-bottle game kept this book from being classified as a middle-grade.
The Lamest Villains Ever (Do These Adults Even Have A Diploma?):
The only semi-memorable villain was The Torturer, because of his ridiculous name. They all have their backstories, but most were just products of being overdramatic: "THEY KICKED ME OUT! THEY DIDN'T LET ME JOIN THEIR EXCLUSIVE PARTY! OH NO, I HAVE TO GET REVENGE! KILL KILL KILL!" (if you have such violent tendencies, it's no surprise they want to kick you out. *hint hint*) I suppose King wanted to add a layer of human emotion to the villains by making them feel paternal towards the children, I saw it--but it didn't work. It was a pity that Leni, one of the villains who was plotting to redeem himself, never got the opportunity to carry out his plan.
As part of Vindico's "brilliant" plan to mentally intimidate (or to stop them from being attached to their families) the protégées, they dig up these scandalous family "secrets" and announce them in hopes of making the kids feel unloved by their families. Seriously. This guy comes out and says something like "You know your ex-girlfriend that you asked out when you were twelve? Well, she cheated on you! And your best friend knew! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA! FEEL THE BURN! MUHAHAHAHA And your parents? They didn't even care when you were missing! NYAH NYAH NYAH"
And the sad thing is, he actually think it's working. That's about the lamest excuse for intimidation I've ever heard of. The worse part, he makes five of these omg-are-you-serious "scary" announcements. Every time I wince at the corniness.
Death Is Taken So Lightly:
Maybe because the book was targeted at younger audiences that the concept of death must be glazed over, but I have issues with how death is handled. To "prove" that the villains scary, it is revealed how they killed all these superheroes. And then the superheros supposedly killed some people as well as part of a conspiracy. It is only briefly mentioned how they got killed and it basically treated as inconsequential minor events. No guilt is ever involved with the adults. I was relieved when Lana (one of the protégées) felt guilty about killing a superhero--but she was let off the hook very easily.
The death that tested my limits was when Emily was smugly told that her grandfather died of heartbreak while looking for his missing granddaughter during her "announcement." I know that the announcements was supposed to show how heartless the Vindico was, but it annoyed me that Emily look the event so lightly. I was expecting her to escape to see her grandfather (or at least attend the funeral), but she basically forgot about the whole thing after like a day. YOUR GRANDFATHER DIED WHILE SEARCHING FOR YOU, GIRL. THAT'S SERIOUS BUSINESS, NOW STOP PLAYING WITH YOUR TOYS AND DO SOMETHING.
Romance:
Lana, taking insta-love to a whole new level. "OH NO! He has such a soft, hidden side to him! I LIKE HIM! I don't care if he's acting like a stuck-up pervert! I'm going to kiss him!" There's also this poorly constructed love triangle...but only because James didn't confess his love and was too busy moping about it.
And, you don't ask for a date in the middle of a fight, just sayin'.
Structure/Writing Style:
I don't know if the third person omniscient perspective was the right way to go. I would have preferred the third person limited narrator to keep the suspense element, or even first person for each of the teens. I found the novel too juvenile, simplistic, and completely rejects the "show don't tell" mantra. "THIS HAPPENED..AND THEN THIS OTHER THING...AND THEN THIS...X IS FEELING SAD, Y IS FEELING ANGRY, B IS WORRIED...C HAS A SECRET PLOT." Even a few of those horrible adverbs sneaked in.
The narrative often felt unbearably stoic, especially between the adults because they all speak in this pseudo-evil "tone."; nobody speaks in perfect, full sentences, only cyborgs do that. Part of the reason was because the adults were used for info-dumping, turning them into talkative drones more than fleshed-out people.
Messy Fight Scenes:
Mind-control doesn't make a good fight scene. Unless it's like Inception. That's all.
Convenience:
I guess this is the problem with superheroes: they have so many cool gadgets and awesome powers that they can do anything. And because they are so "perfect," they are boring. Often, the novel reliance on gadgets annoyed me--they are superheros, they don't need guns, missiles, and RIFLES(what the heck?), that stuff is for losers. The gadgets dragged down the story with extraneously mundane descriptions: I don't want to hear how she has guns in her belt, the color of her clothes, and miscellaneous cannisters on her shoulder.
The Blur Between Good and Evil...Was Non-existent
The synopsis promised that the teens would "earn that the differences between good and evil are not as black and white as they seem" but it ended up incredibly simplistic.
I wanted to see how the conflict between good and evil will play out. But it disappointed me how black and white these kids were: they referred to the villains as "bad guys" and the superheros as "good guys." Sure the villains killed people, but the superheros aren't innocent either. They were sometimes conflicted, but pretty much got over it in a few seconds. In the end, I am not sure if The League were even the "good guys." I felt there could have been a lot more depth since morality was a major theme.
Overall, The Vindico was a major disappointment. It was like if someone took Sky High and squished it with The Incredibles and made it super corny. The fascinating concept of conspiracy, character development, and morality themes were thrown out to make room for banal writing that focused on describing clothes, gadgets, and chaotic action sequences. Perhaps the novel would've translated better as a movie, graphic novel, or even a younger middle-grade novel. But young adult novel? No.
March 23, 2012
As an older reader more than a few years removed from their teenage years, I wasn't sure how a book targeting a younger demographic would appeal to me. It took one chapter for me to get hooked on this book. The storytelling is fast-paced but still allows the reader to understand and relate to the characters. The protagonists are presented realistically and honestly. They are not without flaws and they each have their own unique human qualities which allow for equal parts empathy and disdain for their behaviour. What I found most striking about this novel - and I credit the author for the skill at which this is accomplished - is the seamless blurring of the line between good and evil. You will find your self constantly second-guessing who the 'good guys' are. This aspect is what made this book stand out for me as someone who is tired of predictable 'good vs evil' storylines.
I have heard that the movie rights for this book are being picked up and that honestly makes complete sense. I could literally picture every scene as I read it and I believe this will be a hugely successful motion picture when - not if- if gets to that stage.
I highly recommend that you read this book. I read it in 4 hours because I couldn't put it down. My only complaint is that wasn't longer...
I guess I will just have to wait for the movie :)
I have heard that the movie rights for this book are being picked up and that honestly makes complete sense. I could literally picture every scene as I read it and I believe this will be a hugely successful motion picture when - not if- if gets to that stage.
I highly recommend that you read this book. I read it in 4 hours because I couldn't put it down. My only complaint is that wasn't longer...
I guess I will just have to wait for the movie :)
October 11, 2012
I have to say I have a weakness for superhero stories. Not the traditional stories, mind you - your Supermans, Spider-mans, etc. But stories about non-traditional heroes. NEW heroes. Stories like the Evil Genius series by Catherine Jinks, or like the ones included in the anthology Who Can Save Us Now?, edited by John McNally and Owen King.
The Vindico fits comfortably on the same shelf for me as those others I just mentioned. It tells the tale of a group of five teens who want more than anything to be superheroes. Some of them even worship the League of superheroes, who are (supposedly) the good guys in this story.
Instead of becoming the heroes they envisioned, however, the five are kidnapped by the Vindico, the current moniker the league of supervillains goes under. The Vindico has plans to train them as their proteges.
This is where things get interesting. The five teens are interesting characters, and each has a unique past that the Vindico members use to manipulate him/her. Also, the supervillains are not just flat, stereotypical villains. They each have their own histories, and their own vendettas, against the League of superheroes. Soon, not only are the proteges confused about who the real good guys are, but you, as the reader, are too. I guarantee you'll be rooting for the Vindico to win this war at certain points in this book. In any case, you can't help but root for the main characters, who manage to find their way through the junk they're fed from both sides and form the only alliance that makes sense to them - an alliance with each other.
This book is definitely worth checking out. Lots of humor, well-formed characters, and action-packed sequences to rival any of the traditional superheroes' comics.
The Vindico fits comfortably on the same shelf for me as those others I just mentioned. It tells the tale of a group of five teens who want more than anything to be superheroes. Some of them even worship the League of superheroes, who are (supposedly) the good guys in this story.
Instead of becoming the heroes they envisioned, however, the five are kidnapped by the Vindico, the current moniker the league of supervillains goes under. The Vindico has plans to train them as their proteges.
This is where things get interesting. The five teens are interesting characters, and each has a unique past that the Vindico members use to manipulate him/her. Also, the supervillains are not just flat, stereotypical villains. They each have their own histories, and their own vendettas, against the League of superheroes. Soon, not only are the proteges confused about who the real good guys are, but you, as the reader, are too. I guarantee you'll be rooting for the Vindico to win this war at certain points in this book. In any case, you can't help but root for the main characters, who manage to find their way through the junk they're fed from both sides and form the only alliance that makes sense to them - an alliance with each other.
This book is definitely worth checking out. Lots of humor, well-formed characters, and action-packed sequences to rival any of the traditional superheroes' comics.
January 20, 2013
A book I finished reading from the 2013 Red Maple selection titled, "The Vindico" by Wesley King. Was a fun read. The book was about 5 teens who got kidnapped by "The Vindico" and became their proteges. The proteges were chosen to become the new members of The Vindico.They were trained and given something special that The League (supposedly the good guys) are keeping a secret from the rest of the world, but the villains knew about it and hated The League. When they were ready, The Vindico made them fight against The League, but after a couple of fights. The League had a surprise of their own. The proteges after completing their training, made a decision that would change their lives. It would put their lives in danger!
The Vindico to me was a fantastic read! However, some things in the book I thought could've been done better. Some of those things were that The League wasn't well developed and the author didn't give their side of the story in a good way. In the book the members of The League weren't given a history.
The things I liked in the book were that the protagonists were well developed. If you were to compare the protagonists from the beginning of the book to the middle and end of the book. You find lots of development in them. Another thing I liked was that in the beginning of the book, the author said how the proteges' lives were and how they got kidnapped. For example, one of the proteges, Hayden, had a sad life, but he was always the joker and in a happy mood.
At the end of the day, to me it was an amzing read, but some things could've been changed. Even though, I would read this book again and recommend it!
The Vindico to me was a fantastic read! However, some things in the book I thought could've been done better. Some of those things were that The League wasn't well developed and the author didn't give their side of the story in a good way. In the book the members of The League weren't given a history.
The things I liked in the book were that the protagonists were well developed. If you were to compare the protagonists from the beginning of the book to the middle and end of the book. You find lots of development in them. Another thing I liked was that in the beginning of the book, the author said how the proteges' lives were and how they got kidnapped. For example, one of the proteges, Hayden, had a sad life, but he was always the joker and in a happy mood.
At the end of the day, to me it was an amzing read, but some things could've been changed. Even though, I would read this book again and recommend it!
dnf
April 2, 2023(Recommended by Lynn)
August 13, 2013
Sometimes a book is amazing, and it's amazing in a very deep, literary way. Several essays have been written explaining why The Great Gatsby or Frankenstein are good books, or even more recent works like Catcher in the Rye.
But sometimes a book is not very literary, and yet it still is fully amazing. The Vindico is great because it doesn't give you time to ponder what you like about it, or what devices the author is implementing, it just takes you on a wild ride with incredible characters. Sometimes the mark of a good book is one that sucks you in, makes you laugh, and most of all, makes you CARE. When you read something like Matched, and you're like, "Eh, well, that was pretty good. Very nice writing and world-building and all," it's so refreshing to read something where you adore the main characters and literally want to rip off the head of the villains whenever they hurt them. It sucks you and toys with your emotions.
Those are things you think while reading the story. Afterwords when you look back on the book, you'll find it refreshing in that,
A. No smurfette principle here. Two girls, three boys, and the girls are just as interesting and fleshed-out.
B. Yes, a love triangle, but a much more realistic one than many books (and it didn't suck up the plot).
C. The villains had decent motivation for what they were doing, but at the same time they were still clearly the villains. The League isn't evil as they would have you believe, more like politically gray morally.
Plus it was hilarious. I love Hayden with a fangirl glee that cannot be contained.
But sometimes a book is not very literary, and yet it still is fully amazing. The Vindico is great because it doesn't give you time to ponder what you like about it, or what devices the author is implementing, it just takes you on a wild ride with incredible characters. Sometimes the mark of a good book is one that sucks you in, makes you laugh, and most of all, makes you CARE. When you read something like Matched, and you're like, "Eh, well, that was pretty good. Very nice writing and world-building and all," it's so refreshing to read something where you adore the main characters and literally want to rip off the head of the villains whenever they hurt them. It sucks you and toys with your emotions.
Those are things you think while reading the story. Afterwords when you look back on the book, you'll find it refreshing in that,
A. No smurfette principle here. Two girls, three boys, and the girls are just as interesting and fleshed-out.
B. Yes, a love triangle, but a much more realistic one than many books (and it didn't suck up the plot).
C. The villains had decent motivation for what they were doing, but at the same time they were still clearly the villains. The League isn't evil as they would have you believe, more like politically gray morally.
Plus it was hilarious. I love Hayden with a fangirl glee that cannot be contained.
November 6, 2013
So,imagine that your life is going perfectly, when you suddenly get kidnapped by the most infamous organization ever. That's what happens to these five kids, who know nothing about each other, are taken by the Vindico. But things get interesting when the teens are offered super powers! (BTW: in this world, super heroes exist.) Of course, to get these powers, they have to join the villians and go against what they've been morally taught their whole lives. Now they have to decide what to do, and the clock is ticking
May 30, 2013
It was a fun and enjoyable read. I really liked the premise of the book. With superhero movies doing so well I'm surprised there aren't more books like this.
January 23, 2013
I thought that this book was totally outgoing. It had so much excitement in it. If the real world had super heroes, i would really be upset to not have powers. Emily is my favorite character because she has so much skill and intelligence. If i was Sam i would also be scared and wondering what my family is doing while i'm gone.Anyways i thought it was awesome and anyone that didn't read this book should read it because you will really love it.
Read
September 22, 2014I read this book because my friend said it was good and I wanted yo try it. In this book a group of regular kids get captured for a unique reason. They get transported to a mansion where they get trained to battle. They battle against the heros because they're mentors make them. Closer to the end they started to like battleing them. They got so much stronger as they got trained and trained! This book is a really good book to read, I think you guys should read it!
November 30, 2012
This was fun! It was also thin and silly and incomprehensible in a predictable way. Think Marvel meets X-men teen style. The characters had all the depth of most super heroes and super villains ... well, maybe more ... and I liked them a lot.
The book should have ended with a sneak preview of the next book. I expect to see the Baron's prediction come true, which is sure to be entertaining.
The book should have ended with a sneak preview of the next book. I expect to see the Baron's prediction come true, which is sure to be entertaining.
August 25, 2015
I don't know if I particularly enjoy reading about Superheroes and Super Villains, but it was definitely a good book. And I almost have to read the second one.
Read
February 28, 2019This book really made mad. The main characters were stolen from their home and made to become supervillains. I would be so mad if that was the case for me, being made to become supervillains sounds so scary. They were made to do mean things to the superheroes. I would have rebelled to. If i was made to do things to nice people I would be mad and rebel. When they rebelled against the Vindico they were doing fine. Until they found the proteges.
January 13, 2023
Read it along time ago, but an enjoyable read from what I remember.
*Edit: After reading it again it was more of a three star read instead. But nolstalgia wins, so it's still five stars. :)
*Edit: After reading it again it was more of a three star read instead. But nolstalgia wins, so it's still five stars. :)
February 15, 2021
*2.5- I read this book with very little knowledge about what it was about, and it was definitely a different read. I don't think that I would ever pick up this book normally, but it was part of a blind date with a book thing that my school library did. In theory, I would really love this book because I have read the superhero/supervillain thing in the past and really enjoyed it, but this one didn't do it for me. This was my first time reading a book from this author, so I may just not gel with Wesley King's writing style. I just found that the story fell a little flat for me. There was action, but I wasn't deeply invested in any of the action or the characters for that matter. This book did have potential. For instance, there were some moments where the main characters started to question themselves and what they had always known. These mini identity crises could have been really great, but they didn't really go anywhere and they weren't given the proper amount of time. I also don't think that the world was explained enough. I was confused in the beginning, but I had hopes that everything would eventually be explained. This did not end up happening. I just wanted more of a back story about why there were superheroes and how they actually affected the world. There was a little explanation, but not enough. I wish that some of our main characters just may have had more of a connection to the world of superhero/supervillain world. I think this would have made the characters more invested, and therefore I would have been more invested. I did like how this was a multiperspective book, and I didn't have any issues with the characters. They were fine characters, I just wanted a little more from them. There was a curse word or two, but it wasn't consistent throughout the whole book. There was also a romance, but nothing steamy or sexual happened other than a joke or two that weren't that big of a deal. I think that this book is probably more YA, but I also think that middle-grade readers on the older end of the spectrum could read this book fine. There was nothing that would be inappropriate for a reader of this age. I definitely think that this book is for some people, it just wasn't' really for me. As of now, I don't plan on picking up the next book, but I'm not going to completely write it off and say that I will never read it. Maybe at some point in the future, I will pick it up, but it's not a priority.
December 2, 2012
First of all, I would like to say a huge thank you for Goodreads for providing me with an advanced readers copy of The Vindico as part of the Giveaway program. :)
Okay, onto the review.
Ugh, I'm sorry Mr. Wesley King. :( I really wanted to enjoy this book, I'm a huge fan of stories involving people from different groups gathering, meeting by chance and becoming inseparable friends. But this book didn't do it for me. The characters were not very well developed and I couldn't really connect with them and understand their actions and motives Really, there were a lot of times in the books where I just wanted to scream at the stupidity of the characters and how unrealistic it all was.
The plot...oh man. This was a very difficult story to enjoy. The language was very simple. Oh, also, I felt as if the story was rushed at the end, like the author just suddenly wanted to finish the story without filling in plot holes and such. I didn't even feel like I wanted to understand the story near the ending chapters, I just wanted my eyes to glance over every word so I could say I finished the challenge of getting through this book.
However, with all of that said, the initial concept is still a freaking GREAT idea. The book itself was a letdown. There are so many more ugh moments I could talk about...but I want to sleep early tonight...hohoho. Anyways, final thing. I felt like if I read this during my late elementary-middle school years, (age 8-12ish) I would have enjoyed this book. EDIT: Opps. okay. I just read Lilian Cheng's review of this book. (Great review btw! I agree with it all 100%!) Yeah, the spin the bottle part doesn't mesh with the age 8-12 idea. Really, idk who would enjoy this book then. :(
Okay, onto the review.
Ugh, I'm sorry Mr. Wesley King. :( I really wanted to enjoy this book, I'm a huge fan of stories involving people from different groups gathering, meeting by chance and becoming inseparable friends. But this book didn't do it for me. The characters were not very well developed and I couldn't really connect with them and understand their actions and motives Really, there were a lot of times in the books where I just wanted to scream at the stupidity of the characters and how unrealistic it all was.
The plot...oh man. This was a very difficult story to enjoy. The language was very simple. Oh, also, I felt as if the story was rushed at the end, like the author just suddenly wanted to finish the story without filling in plot holes and such. I didn't even feel like I wanted to understand the story near the ending chapters, I just wanted my eyes to glance over every word so I could say I finished the challenge of getting through this book.
However, with all of that said, the initial concept is still a freaking GREAT idea. The book itself was a letdown. There are so many more ugh moments I could talk about...but I want to sleep early tonight...hohoho. Anyways, final thing. I felt like if I read this during my late elementary-middle school years, (age 8-12ish) I would have enjoyed this book. EDIT: Opps. okay. I just read Lilian Cheng's review of this book. (Great review btw! I agree with it all 100%!) Yeah, the spin the bottle part doesn't mesh with the age 8-12 idea. Really, idk who would enjoy this book then. :(
August 7, 2012
I'll be the first to admit that I like a good superhero/super villain yarn. I'm rather tickled by stories taken out of graphic novel format and placed in novel form that encapsulate elements of things like super powers.
That said, this book just didn't do it for me. The writing never really was compelling enough to pull me in, and I felt like we were kept at a distance from our characters, never knowing quite enough or feeling connected enough to actually care about any of them. Not to mention the plot sort of unwound for me really quickly.
I'm still unclear why the Vindico goes out of their way to kidnap kids rather than draw them in persuasively. Why, also do they build the secret base so near the home of one the kids, in a place that's bound to be on the League's list of areas to search? We don't really get a lot of the kids training, or their psychological shifts, or even a sense that they're growing up and coming into their own.
Some things in this book seemed to just put me off. Normally, I have no problem reading about nasty villains doing awful things, but somehow it just doesn't work here. A lot of the character motivations and decisions feel rather bizarre and unrelated to anything we've been told. And some stuff just really didn't fit for me. Having babyish Sam deal with arousal and infatuation emotions from some of the other boys, having Lara suddenly start finding the unpleasant and leering Hayden attractive--things like this just made me want to close the book.
I'm afraid this didn't work at all well for me. Perhaps it would appeal more to a specific YA audience.
That said, this book just didn't do it for me. The writing never really was compelling enough to pull me in, and I felt like we were kept at a distance from our characters, never knowing quite enough or feeling connected enough to actually care about any of them. Not to mention the plot sort of unwound for me really quickly.
I'm still unclear why the Vindico goes out of their way to kidnap kids rather than draw them in persuasively. Why, also do they build the secret base so near the home of one the kids, in a place that's bound to be on the League's list of areas to search? We don't really get a lot of the kids training, or their psychological shifts, or even a sense that they're growing up and coming into their own.
Some things in this book seemed to just put me off. Normally, I have no problem reading about nasty villains doing awful things, but somehow it just doesn't work here. A lot of the character motivations and decisions feel rather bizarre and unrelated to anything we've been told. And some stuff just really didn't fit for me. Having babyish Sam deal with arousal and infatuation emotions from some of the other boys, having Lara suddenly start finding the unpleasant and leering Hayden attractive--things like this just made me want to close the book.
I'm afraid this didn't work at all well for me. Perhaps it would appeal more to a specific YA audience.
February 9, 2012
This book was received free from the publisher as part of the Goodreads Advance Reader program
This book is aimed at the YA (Young Adult) audience although I found it an interesting read.
Almost like the Justice League this dystopian world has two groups of heroes / anti heroes.
Five young adults are kidnapped by individuals with great powers. They are then advised that they have been chosen to be mentored and become members of their group who are the enemies of the famed League of Heroes. They call themselves the Vindico. The Vindico is run by the Baron.
The League of Heroes fights criminals to protect humanity. Their powers were specially developed to protect humanity and they are clear that it takes a special person to join the League of Heroes
The five that have been taken are matched to their mentors and the training begins.
Along the way the Baron advises them that in fact the league of Heroes are the bad guys and the Vindico is trying to return humanity to the right path.
There is lots of action between the five and their mentors and the Baron is always trying psychological methods to bend the fives way of thinking to his.
Is the Baron right ?
Is the League of Heroes good or evil ?
Can the group escape from the Vindico and warn the League of Heroes what is happening ?
Or do the five join the Vindico in defeating the League of Heroes ?
You’ll have to read the book to find out. Entertaining
This book is aimed at the YA (Young Adult) audience although I found it an interesting read.
Almost like the Justice League this dystopian world has two groups of heroes / anti heroes.
Five young adults are kidnapped by individuals with great powers. They are then advised that they have been chosen to be mentored and become members of their group who are the enemies of the famed League of Heroes. They call themselves the Vindico. The Vindico is run by the Baron.
The League of Heroes fights criminals to protect humanity. Their powers were specially developed to protect humanity and they are clear that it takes a special person to join the League of Heroes
The five that have been taken are matched to their mentors and the training begins.
Along the way the Baron advises them that in fact the league of Heroes are the bad guys and the Vindico is trying to return humanity to the right path.
There is lots of action between the five and their mentors and the Baron is always trying psychological methods to bend the fives way of thinking to his.
Is the Baron right ?
Is the League of Heroes good or evil ?
Can the group escape from the Vindico and warn the League of Heroes what is happening ?
Or do the five join the Vindico in defeating the League of Heroes ?
You’ll have to read the book to find out. Entertaining
February 25, 2017
Meh. Kinda interesting take.
July 21, 2014
Great super villains in training + a little bit of teens wrestling with their conscience about whether they want to be villains or not. My own teen stayed up way past her own bedtime (of course she did) to finish this one and then told me that I HAD to read it. She rarely speaks to me with that much enthusiasm unless there is an iPhone or iPad involved in the conversation so I got right on it.
Wesley King does have a great sense of humour and the cast of characters he has created in his little tribe of protege villains gives everyone someone to love. Although it was a little more violent and dark than I might love a middle grade kid to read it was low on the romance scale so there is a trade off there.
He's left the door open for a sequel so I hope he is at home right now using his imagination to create some new adventures for these five kids. It was action packed with great technological detail with a smattering of mind control and something like steroids which gave the kids super powers. So much to love and lots to look forward to in book #2. Hope he hurries.
Wesley King does have a great sense of humour and the cast of characters he has created in his little tribe of protege villains gives everyone someone to love. Although it was a little more violent and dark than I might love a middle grade kid to read it was low on the romance scale so there is a trade off there.
He's left the door open for a sequel so I hope he is at home right now using his imagination to create some new adventures for these five kids. It was action packed with great technological detail with a smattering of mind control and something like steroids which gave the kids super powers. So much to love and lots to look forward to in book #2. Hope he hurries.
May 28, 2016
I am not ashamed to admit that I will forever hold a special place in my heart for superhero novels. So when I saw this book in the library, I was excited to get back to the good old days when I deeply enjoyed books like these.
But I was disappointed. This book is suited for people my age, but I felt really detached from the story line. While the 5 characters were all unique, I had a hard time differentiating the bad guys.
The villains (The 'Vindico') are a secret organisation, that hold a high antagonism for the superheroes (the League).
But the author left out the classic characteristics of a villain, and further reader this novel, the villains didn't seem so bad. The author also added in particular scenes which I thought were very irrelevant to the story, and had completely unrealistic reactions from the 5 kids.
From this book, I'm not so keen on reading the rest of the series.
But I was disappointed. This book is suited for people my age, but I felt really detached from the story line. While the 5 characters were all unique, I had a hard time differentiating the bad guys.
The villains (The 'Vindico') are a secret organisation, that hold a high antagonism for the superheroes (the League).
But the author left out the classic characteristics of a villain, and further reader this novel, the villains didn't seem so bad. The author also added in particular scenes which I thought were very irrelevant to the story, and had completely unrealistic reactions from the 5 kids.
From this book, I'm not so keen on reading the rest of the series.
August 27, 2013
I find several of the protagonist teenagers annoying, shallow distractions from the plot. It was somewhat interesting to see how the author handled a typical superhero/supervillain setup, though.
Inevitably, comparisons to another prominent supervillain-focused series must arise -- the other being H.I.V.E. That series handles supervillains much better, making all but a few of the characters self-made rather than inexplicably-powered. In the book I am currently reviewing, several of the characters both minor and major are just that, inexplicably-powered. H.I.V.E. also derives its major conflicts from infighting among the "villains", rather than this book's time-honored but overtreaded usage of superheroes as the antagonistic force.
Inevitably, comparisons to another prominent supervillain-focused series must arise -- the other being H.I.V.E. That series handles supervillains much better, making all but a few of the characters self-made rather than inexplicably-powered. In the book I am currently reviewing, several of the characters both minor and major are just that, inexplicably-powered. H.I.V.E. also derives its major conflicts from infighting among the "villains", rather than this book's time-honored but overtreaded usage of superheroes as the antagonistic force.
April 21, 2014
I found this book humorous as the 5 teens are selected into training...to be a villain? They are merely humans with no super-powers but do after wearing cool suits. Their mentors are all super-villains who are train each teen to become their protegees. I enjoyed reading about the lives and history of each teen and how they overcame the problem (not going to spoil anything here :P)
Besides these factors, I didn't love this book because the storyline was dull. I can honestly summarize the story in about 3 sentences. There wasn't any events that were too exciting or any characters that sparked my interest much. Thus, it was a mediocre, quick-read-for-fun type of book and I didn't enjoy it too much.
Besides these factors, I didn't love this book because the storyline was dull. I can honestly summarize the story in about 3 sentences. There wasn't any events that were too exciting or any characters that sparked my interest much. Thus, it was a mediocre, quick-read-for-fun type of book and I didn't enjoy it too much.
January 28, 2016
Okay, so the thing is: I'm obsessed with super powers. Heroes, villains, whatever, I just love them. This story could go ten thousand ways and be amazing but it was just a gigantic mess.
The romance couldn't have been more unnecessary if it tried, the relationships that could actually go somewhere interesting just got fucked over because the characters turned into completely different people every five minutes.
They could have ended up as superheroes or villains but all of them turned out to be back stabbing bitches with a superiority complex.
ALSO, WHAT WAS UP WITH THOSE ANNOUNCEMENTS? THAT WAS THE MOST AWKWARD THING I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED WTF
The romance couldn't have been more unnecessary if it tried, the relationships that could actually go somewhere interesting just got fucked over because the characters turned into completely different people every five minutes.
They could have ended up as superheroes or villains but all of them turned out to be back stabbing bitches with a superiority complex.
ALSO, WHAT WAS UP WITH THOSE ANNOUNCEMENTS? THAT WAS THE MOST AWKWARD THING I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED WTF
November 5, 2015
I was going to make this a three but the end really sealed the deal. It got annoying with kids switching sides every chapter, and the cheesy ending would be nice if I actually grew to like the characters. I still have no idea what Sam's background is. And that kid (Hayden probably) was consistently annoying. When even the book characters point out that he talks too much, dont you think you should turn it down? There are other books that do this plot better.
March 11, 2023
Loved reading this book, it was an interesting read with great characters and it was just so easy to devour this story! Now to read more now!
*First Read June 4th, 2012*
This was a great book, really interesting, and that the "bad guys" had important reasons for what they were doing, and that good and bad are in a grey area. And I can't wait for the sequel!
*First Read June 4th, 2012*
This was a great book, really interesting, and that the "bad guys" had important reasons for what they were doing, and that good and bad are in a grey area. And I can't wait for the sequel!
January 9, 2013
I enjoyed this book i think the author put the proper characters into the story. The chacter i liked hayden because he always knew what to say, when to say it. I found this book to be a bit less mature than other books in red maple. I liked the book other than the beginning because it was kind of hard to understand what the author was talking about. After that it became a lot more interesting.
February 22, 2015
Give me a superhero and villain book anytime; I Love books like this. This book takes the reader into another perspective not the superhero side but the dark side (the villains) . I really enjoyed this book. This book was like reading a script from a DC movie, crazy fighting scenes, cool powers and some humor . It's a sure thing that I'm going to read the next one.
October 4, 2018
It was a dnf for me, but I could have finished it. It wasn't bad, exactly, but it wasn't good, and I have a lot of other books waiting. Too many characters introduced in exactly the same way in the beginning felt cookie cutter-ish, and the writing seemed somewhat clumsy. I picked it up because it popped up on my weeding list and I wanted to give it a chance, but I think it's going to have to go.
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