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Sidekick in the City #1
Sidekick
Heroes meets Bridget Jones in this brilliant, hilarious debut novel about a girl who just wants to save the world... Bremy St James, daughter of billionaire Atticus St James, has been cut off from the family fortune and is struggling to survive in a world that no longer holds its breath every time she buys a new outfit. To make matters worse, her twin sister is keeping secrets, loan sharks are circling, and the man of her dreams – a newspaper reporter – is on assignment to bring down everyone with the last name St James. Things are certainly looking bleak for the down–and–out socialite until a good deed throws her into the path of the city's top crime–fighter, Dark Ryder. Suddenly, Bremy has a new apprentice to a superhero, and start her own crime–fighting career. Ryder has no need for a sidekick, but it turns out the city needs Bremy's help. Atticus St James is planning the crime of the century, and Bremy may be the only one able to get close enough to her father to stop him. Now all she needs to do is figure out this superhero thing in less than a month, keep her identity secret from the man who could very well be The One, and save the city from total annihilation. Well, no one ever said being a superhero would be easy...
420 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2014
4 people are currently reading
621 people want to read
About the author
Auralee Wallace
14 books1,267 followersAfter spending her formative years reading Grimms’ fairy tales and stirring up potions in the creek behind her house, Auralee Wallace knew she would grow up to be a witch. When that didn’t work out, she decided becoming a writer was the next best thing. Now, Auralee is the author of multiple novels, including the Otter Lake mystery series and The Evenfall Witches B&B mysteries. She lives in Ottawa with her husband, kids, dog, and cat.
She can be found on Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, and her website http://auraleewallace.com/.
Auralee is represented by Natalie Lakosil, Looking Glass Literary and Media.
She can be found on Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, and her website http://auraleewallace.com/.
Auralee is represented by Natalie Lakosil, Looking Glass Literary and Media.
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May 24, 2014
Also posted at Addicted2Heroines
Comic books and young adult novels.
For me, it was like someone reached into my head, pulled out my two favorite genres, and spun them into one book! Now, will this necessarily resonate with everyone?
No.
But if you do enjoy comic books (or even just the movies about them) you'll probably get a kick out of this.
Kick...get it? Sidekick?!
*snort*
Although, you should probably also know that there are no super-powered heroes in this thing. Sidekick is all about Batman-style crime fighting. Skill and gadgets, baby!
It's not a Batman rip-off, but it does seem to draw heavily on that sort of character. Dark Ryder is the female version of the Dark Knight, what with all the brooding and skulking in the shadows. And Bremy reminds me of a Dick Grayson sort of character who can't shut up to save her life.
But the book itself is neither dark nor brooding. And while Ryder might belong in a Christopher Nolan film, Bremy firmly belongs next to Adam West.
It's a pretty lighthearted look at crime fighting in tights.
Because Bremy is a tad silly sometimes.
Ok. Most of the time.
In fact, she should have been dead about a hundred times before I closed the book. But that didn't stop me from enjoying the story, because from the beginning the author set the right tone. If you get past the first page without knowing that this is a tongue-in-cheek sort of tale, then you weren't reading it right.
Suspend disbelief and go with the flow!
Maybe I'm saying this wrong.
The story isn't stupid. It's cute, fast-paced, fun, and humorous. It's a YA superhero story!
Bremy was a socialite who had a falling out with her father, and now she's living off the grid in some scummy neighborhood. When the story starts, she's being threatened by her friendly neighborhood slumlord. Her choices are to either come up with the rent, loose life and/or limb...or go to work at a place called the Pink Beaver.
Not exactly a dream job, you know?
My husband literally has nightmares about this sort of thing. It's hilarious. He'll wake up in a cold sweat mumbling something about keeping his Princesses 'Off the Pole'.
Me: You have that dream again?
Him: Yep.
Me: You gotta stop watching those stupid documentaries before you go to bed. You're a great Dad! The girls will turn out just fine, I swear.
Him: Men are scum. I don't want any of the filthy disgusting bastards to ever touch my babies.
Me: Don't worry, Hon. I'm sure the girls will get treated with the same respect and kindness that you showed to all the women you ever dated!
*smiles evilly in the dark*
Him: *quietly sobs himself to sleep*
Hoping a career at the Beaver isn't in her future, Bremy decides to go ahead and drain her finances. While she's at the bank trying to scrape together her last bit of money, a crazy group of robbers rolls through the door. Circus themed robbers. And yes, they have a scary clown.
Turns out, Bremy is quite a bit more brave than she originally thought. It doesn't really help her stop the bank robbers, though.
It seems bravery doesn't necessarily translate into skill....
And through a series of unfortunate events, she accidentally gets in the way of Dark Ryder while she was trying to apprehend the bad guys. Of course, Bremy was just trying to help, but Ryder is less than enthused with her. However, she's nothing if not persistent, and eventually ends up convincing Dark Ryder to let her 'audition' to be her Sidekick.
You get the feeling that Ryder is only letting her do this in order to keep her out of the way...
Along the way, Bremy finds a few friends that help her, and even a reporter to fall in love with. The side characters really add a lot the story, and Wallace did a good job making them funny and interesting. Bremy's father makes a good evil villain, and finding out what he did to make Bremy run was an intriguing side-story. Her twin's involvement in everything was another fun mystery, even though it wasn't really sorted out at the end.
Speaking of, the ending was a little anti-climactic, but even the main character mentions this, so I think it was meant to be that way. I don't see any other books in the works yet, but the ending begs for a sequel.
It's wasn't perfect, but for a debut novel it was pretty damn good.
And there better be a sequel!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital arc.
Comic books and young adult novels.
For me, it was like someone reached into my head, pulled out my two favorite genres, and spun them into one book! Now, will this necessarily resonate with everyone?
No.
But if you do enjoy comic books (or even just the movies about them) you'll probably get a kick out of this.
Kick...get it? Sidekick?!
*snort*
Although, you should probably also know that there are no super-powered heroes in this thing. Sidekick is all about Batman-style crime fighting. Skill and gadgets, baby!
It's not a Batman rip-off, but it does seem to draw heavily on that sort of character. Dark Ryder is the female version of the Dark Knight, what with all the brooding and skulking in the shadows. And Bremy reminds me of a Dick Grayson sort of character who can't shut up to save her life.
But the book itself is neither dark nor brooding. And while Ryder might belong in a Christopher Nolan film, Bremy firmly belongs next to Adam West.
It's a pretty lighthearted look at crime fighting in tights.
Because Bremy is a tad silly sometimes.
Ok. Most of the time.
In fact, she should have been dead about a hundred times before I closed the book. But that didn't stop me from enjoying the story, because from the beginning the author set the right tone. If you get past the first page without knowing that this is a tongue-in-cheek sort of tale, then you weren't reading it right.
Suspend disbelief and go with the flow!
Maybe I'm saying this wrong.
The story isn't stupid. It's cute, fast-paced, fun, and humorous. It's a YA superhero story!
Bremy was a socialite who had a falling out with her father, and now she's living off the grid in some scummy neighborhood. When the story starts, she's being threatened by her friendly neighborhood slumlord. Her choices are to either come up with the rent, loose life and/or limb...or go to work at a place called the Pink Beaver.
Not exactly a dream job, you know?
My husband literally has nightmares about this sort of thing. It's hilarious. He'll wake up in a cold sweat mumbling something about keeping his Princesses 'Off the Pole'.
Me: You have that dream again?
Him: Yep.
Me: You gotta stop watching those stupid documentaries before you go to bed. You're a great Dad! The girls will turn out just fine, I swear.
Him: Men are scum. I don't want any of the filthy disgusting bastards to ever touch my babies.
Me: Don't worry, Hon. I'm sure the girls will get treated with the same respect and kindness that you showed to all the women you ever dated!
*smiles evilly in the dark*
Him: *quietly sobs himself to sleep*
Hoping a career at the Beaver isn't in her future, Bremy decides to go ahead and drain her finances. While she's at the bank trying to scrape together her last bit of money, a crazy group of robbers rolls through the door. Circus themed robbers. And yes, they have a scary clown.
Turns out, Bremy is quite a bit more brave than she originally thought. It doesn't really help her stop the bank robbers, though.
It seems bravery doesn't necessarily translate into skill....
And through a series of unfortunate events, she accidentally gets in the way of Dark Ryder while she was trying to apprehend the bad guys. Of course, Bremy was just trying to help, but Ryder is less than enthused with her. However, she's nothing if not persistent, and eventually ends up convincing Dark Ryder to let her 'audition' to be her Sidekick.
You get the feeling that Ryder is only letting her do this in order to keep her out of the way...
Along the way, Bremy finds a few friends that help her, and even a reporter to fall in love with. The side characters really add a lot the story, and Wallace did a good job making them funny and interesting. Bremy's father makes a good evil villain, and finding out what he did to make Bremy run was an intriguing side-story. Her twin's involvement in everything was another fun mystery, even though it wasn't really sorted out at the end.
Speaking of, the ending was a little anti-climactic, but even the main character mentions this, so I think it was meant to be that way. I don't see any other books in the works yet, but the ending begs for a sequel.
It's wasn't perfect, but for a debut novel it was pretty damn good.
And there better be a sequel!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital arc.
June 18, 2014
3.5 stars
Arc provided by Harlequin Enterprises Australia through Netgalley
Well, the way I see it, there are two ways of looking at this story:
First one... I could just mention the fact that there's no character development, the characters in it are basic stereotypes of a lot of fantasy tropes, the world building is kept to a minimum, and then there's the fact that practically all characters are insane!
Bottom Line, this reads as a long farce... and did I mention that my sense of humour is practically undeveloped when it comes to what I see as a long combination of... crazy things?!
The thing is, I'm one of those people that after the first stand up comedy routine number, would get bored senseless with the whole thing!
This means that after having read the first pages of this, I started to get worried...
Insanity was flowing around like large elephant clouds, the main character with her crazy and at times incomprehensible grammar was getting on my nerves, and I was ready to admit that I was not this book's intended audience.
In fact, I may even have whinned *a little* to my co-blogger:
Isa, you like comic books! I have just the story for you! :)
But here's the strange thing, after a while Bremy's insane "way of being" started growing on me (a tad like a fungus).
Okay, it helped that I started seeing this in my head as a movie, or even a cartoon!
There were dashes of Sailor Moon villains, scenes "a la Batman" (first movie with Jack Nicholson), Kim Possible and so on and on...
Second one... Well this is a story inspired by comic books _Right? lol _ with a comic book feeling to it, in which the main character is a hero "wanna be".
This means that the characters are stereotyped as they normally are in these type of stories. The fact that the author managed to create an interesting story based on stereotypes, is something to give credit for.
Being a hero isn't easy, which translates into a long number of oddities and disasters just waiting to happen to our reckless and impetuous heroine!
Things that every self possessed hero must be in possession of:
• A master: That Obi-wan/rat that trains the Kun Fu Panda/or even what's the name of the Ninja Turtles sensei guy?
Yes, that exists in here, with his very zen characteristics. So, master... thing? Check!
• The nerd/geek electronic friend able to produce magic with his fingers... Check!
• The strange friend who hates her guts but is willing, from time to time, to tolerate our heroine's presence.
Yes, also here... she's also a little scary o_O
• The pose/charm/hair/OUTFIT that very girl needs in order to be a proper heroine... check, check and double check!
• The idol, that elusive person that inspires our wanna be heroine to be... greater than what she actually is... Check (hopefully in the next book there will be more Ryder... yes?)
• That attractive dude who looks remarkably like Clark Kent... except this guy's blonde! lol
This was wickedly amusing!
• Oh, and let's not forget the villain, who is much more close to Bremy than she would like...
And did I mention the twin sister who is in a wheelchair?
As you can see I decided to go with the second perspective.
It's a book that needs to be approached in a very particular way (just let yourself go with the flow), but whose imagination needs to be cheered.
I still think this would make a great tv series or movie (Hey, someone directed "My Super Ex girlfriend" and this is so much better!) for a younger audience.
As an actual book, with another editing (to rid it of some grammatical errors), some basic character development, keeping in mind, that it's always a positive thing when a story keeps some sort of equilibrium between the more insane parts and the story development, this would make an awesome story!
This means that despite its somewhat "off to a rocky start", I'll definitely be reading any follow up to this story.
Arc provided by Harlequin Enterprises Australia through Netgalley
Well, the way I see it, there are two ways of looking at this story:
First one... I could just mention the fact that there's no character development, the characters in it are basic stereotypes of a lot of fantasy tropes, the world building is kept to a minimum, and then there's the fact that practically all characters are insane!
Bottom Line, this reads as a long farce... and did I mention that my sense of humour is practically undeveloped when it comes to what I see as a long combination of... crazy things?!
The thing is, I'm one of those people that after the first stand up comedy routine number, would get bored senseless with the whole thing!
This means that after having read the first pages of this, I started to get worried...
Insanity was flowing around like large elephant clouds, the main character with her crazy and at times incomprehensible grammar was getting on my nerves, and I was ready to admit that I was not this book's intended audience.
In fact, I may even have whinned *a little* to my co-blogger:
Isa, you like comic books! I have just the story for you! :)
But here's the strange thing, after a while Bremy's insane "way of being" started growing on me (a tad like a fungus).
Okay, it helped that I started seeing this in my head as a movie, or even a cartoon!
There were dashes of Sailor Moon villains, scenes "a la Batman" (first movie with Jack Nicholson), Kim Possible and so on and on...
Second one... Well this is a story inspired by comic books _Right? lol _ with a comic book feeling to it, in which the main character is a hero "wanna be".
This means that the characters are stereotyped as they normally are in these type of stories. The fact that the author managed to create an interesting story based on stereotypes, is something to give credit for.
Being a hero isn't easy, which translates into a long number of oddities and disasters just waiting to happen to our reckless and impetuous heroine!
Things that every self possessed hero must be in possession of:
• A master: That Obi-wan/rat that trains the Kun Fu Panda/or even what's the name of the Ninja Turtles sensei guy?
Yes, that exists in here, with his very zen characteristics. So, master... thing? Check!
• The nerd/geek electronic friend able to produce magic with his fingers... Check!
• The strange friend who hates her guts but is willing, from time to time, to tolerate our heroine's presence.
Yes, also here... she's also a little scary o_O
• The pose/charm/hair/OUTFIT that very girl needs in order to be a proper heroine... check, check and double check!
• The idol, that elusive person that inspires our wanna be heroine to be... greater than what she actually is... Check (hopefully in the next book there will be more Ryder... yes?)
• That attractive dude who looks remarkably like Clark Kent... except this guy's blonde! lol
This was wickedly amusing!
• Oh, and let's not forget the villain, who is much more close to Bremy than she would like...
And did I mention the twin sister who is in a wheelchair?
As you can see I decided to go with the second perspective.
It's a book that needs to be approached in a very particular way (just let yourself go with the flow), but whose imagination needs to be cheered.
I still think this would make a great tv series or movie (Hey, someone directed "My Super Ex girlfriend" and this is so much better!) for a younger audience.
As an actual book, with another editing (to rid it of some grammatical errors), some basic character development, keeping in mind, that it's always a positive thing when a story keeps some sort of equilibrium between the more insane parts and the story development, this would make an awesome story!
This means that despite its somewhat "off to a rocky start", I'll definitely be reading any follow up to this story.
May 11, 2014
Thank you to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for providing me with a copy of SideKick in exchange for an honest review.
I think everybody at some point during their life wanted to be a superhero. What isn’t to be desired about a life that thrives on secret identities, awesome gadgets, sick-as-bro costumes and lets face it hot men? It is very rare however that you find a novel that has a woman in this role, let alone two. It is also very rare that you find a novel that is excellently written with rich characters where you are left wanting more! This is one of those ones fellow lovers of literature, and you need to snap this one up as soon as it is released!!
Wallace has created a fantastic novel with a main character who will have you in stitches! Bremy is ridiculous, but in a good way. She is also a rather pathetic superhero, but in a good way. I assure you.
Bremy is trying to get her life together. She has recently been exiled by her father and is trying to do what normal people do – get a job and move out of their shitty apartment where their toilet is near their bed. Her mob-boss landlord is hounding her for rent (in hilarious conversations I must add) but just as she is collecting the money she gets robbed. Her second attempt at paying her rent ends in hundreds of people being showered, unintentionally, with her money. Then of course there is this mysterious Dark Ryder, the vigilante who saves people, who also ends up taking Bremy under her wing, unintentionally of course as is the Bremy way.
I admire so much about Bremy, and I think this comes down to Wallace’s writing. She was able to brilliantly craft a main character that you loved to laugh at and at the same time you loved to root for. Although the romance in this one falls a bit flat, the main character and the supporting characters are amazing! Bart & Queenie for LIFE! This one needs to be a movie, at the very least a long running TV show.
Wallace’s writing is addictive and her dialogue is wittingly laugh-out-loud funny! Like actually, there were bits were I was laughing like a weirdo because I was by myself..just laughing. It happens. The whole story was fantastic! Definitely resembles a batman-esk theme, which was rather great to read!
I can’t wait to read what ever Wallace comes up with next, I’m secretly hoping it is a sequel to Sidekick.
I think everybody at some point during their life wanted to be a superhero. What isn’t to be desired about a life that thrives on secret identities, awesome gadgets, sick-as-bro costumes and lets face it hot men? It is very rare however that you find a novel that has a woman in this role, let alone two. It is also very rare that you find a novel that is excellently written with rich characters where you are left wanting more! This is one of those ones fellow lovers of literature, and you need to snap this one up as soon as it is released!!
Wallace has created a fantastic novel with a main character who will have you in stitches! Bremy is ridiculous, but in a good way. She is also a rather pathetic superhero, but in a good way. I assure you.
Bremy is trying to get her life together. She has recently been exiled by her father and is trying to do what normal people do – get a job and move out of their shitty apartment where their toilet is near their bed. Her mob-boss landlord is hounding her for rent (in hilarious conversations I must add) but just as she is collecting the money she gets robbed. Her second attempt at paying her rent ends in hundreds of people being showered, unintentionally, with her money. Then of course there is this mysterious Dark Ryder, the vigilante who saves people, who also ends up taking Bremy under her wing, unintentionally of course as is the Bremy way.
I admire so much about Bremy, and I think this comes down to Wallace’s writing. She was able to brilliantly craft a main character that you loved to laugh at and at the same time you loved to root for. Although the romance in this one falls a bit flat, the main character and the supporting characters are amazing! Bart & Queenie for LIFE! This one needs to be a movie, at the very least a long running TV show.
Wallace’s writing is addictive and her dialogue is wittingly laugh-out-loud funny! Like actually, there were bits were I was laughing like a weirdo because I was by myself..just laughing. It happens. The whole story was fantastic! Definitely resembles a batman-esk theme, which was rather great to read!
I can’t wait to read what ever Wallace comes up with next, I’m secretly hoping it is a sequel to Sidekick.
November 24, 2025
Recently disowned socialite and heiress, Bremy St. James, is facing insurmountable odds when she is just struggling to survive her new surroundings. Faced with the decision to become a bystander or to stand up for those in need, Bremy learns it's not as easy as it looks when the superhero Ryder comes to save the day. Getting involved has Bremy feeling more alive than ever before. Pushing Bremy to make the impulsive decision to train as Ryder's Sidekick...even if Ryder isn't on board. The more involved Bremy gets, the more she discovers she knows the villain personally. This quirky, comic style heroine must take on the most dastardly villain of them all, her father, in Auralee Wallace's Sidekick.
I completely enjoyed this fun, not too serious, reluctant heroine, Bremy. I loved her internal dialogues, debating her actions while she is already neck deep in trouble. Bremy personified the bumbling, awkwardness that we all experience, but still took the high road to fight even when it gets very personal.
For a fast, action-packed, comic-style adventure, check out Sidekick.
I received this ARC copy of Sidekick from Escape Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on June 1, 2014.
I completely enjoyed this fun, not too serious, reluctant heroine, Bremy. I loved her internal dialogues, debating her actions while she is already neck deep in trouble. Bremy personified the bumbling, awkwardness that we all experience, but still took the high road to fight even when it gets very personal.
For a fast, action-packed, comic-style adventure, check out Sidekick.
I received this ARC copy of Sidekick from Escape Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on June 1, 2014.
June 12, 2014
You know those party favors that you open and all kinds of confetti and streamers pop out at you? That’s what Sidekick by Auralee Wallace did when I opened page one and the frenzied, crazy and totally hysterical feel never left! Not only is this so over-the-top funny that bursts of laughter could be heard about every fourth word, but at one point I think I was actually looking for a super hero costume and was disappointed when Bremy St. James found the only one in the shop! Face it, at one point or another we ALL wanted to be a super hero, face down the bad guys, have cool gadgets, leap skyscrapers and run at super speed, wearing awesome high heeled boots, of course!
Bremy comes from money and power, she ran from it when things her father was doing were unconscionable. Struggling to make it on her own and unprepared for the real world and what it entails, Bremy becomes fascinated by a vigilante crusader for justice, Dark Ryder, the woman she wished she could be. When Bremy becomes determined to meet and apprentice under this larger than life woman, let’s just say, our Bremy is a walking, breathing one woman disaster area, in spite of her noble intentions. When she catches the eye of a young reporter, there is a tenuous romance blooming, but can she trust him? And what about her evil father? What heinous experiments is he up to now? Is her handicapped twin going to be part of his next experiment? How can she stop the all powerful Atticus St. James?
What goes on inside the brilliantly clever mind of Auralee Wallace? I believe she has written one of the best reads ever! Being inside the mind of Bremy is like being in the eye of a tornado, chaos is pinning around you and you know soon it will shift and you will be flying at a hundred miles an hour! Each scene, the world and each character adds more brilliance to this literary gem about a young woman ill prepared for reality who has only the best of intentions in her heart. In turn, heart-warming, comical and freeing, Ms. Wallace and her writing has more than connected with me, she drop kicked me into the story! Reading about Bremy will make your darkest day feel better, honest.
I received this copy from Escape Publishing in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: June 1, 2014
Publisher: Escape Publishing - Harlequin Enterprises, Australia Pty Ltd
ISBN: 9780857991591
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Print Length: 249 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Bremy comes from money and power, she ran from it when things her father was doing were unconscionable. Struggling to make it on her own and unprepared for the real world and what it entails, Bremy becomes fascinated by a vigilante crusader for justice, Dark Ryder, the woman she wished she could be. When Bremy becomes determined to meet and apprentice under this larger than life woman, let’s just say, our Bremy is a walking, breathing one woman disaster area, in spite of her noble intentions. When she catches the eye of a young reporter, there is a tenuous romance blooming, but can she trust him? And what about her evil father? What heinous experiments is he up to now? Is her handicapped twin going to be part of his next experiment? How can she stop the all powerful Atticus St. James?
What goes on inside the brilliantly clever mind of Auralee Wallace? I believe she has written one of the best reads ever! Being inside the mind of Bremy is like being in the eye of a tornado, chaos is pinning around you and you know soon it will shift and you will be flying at a hundred miles an hour! Each scene, the world and each character adds more brilliance to this literary gem about a young woman ill prepared for reality who has only the best of intentions in her heart. In turn, heart-warming, comical and freeing, Ms. Wallace and her writing has more than connected with me, she drop kicked me into the story! Reading about Bremy will make your darkest day feel better, honest.
I received this copy from Escape Publishing in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: June 1, 2014
Publisher: Escape Publishing - Harlequin Enterprises, Australia Pty Ltd
ISBN: 9780857991591
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Print Length: 249 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
June 12, 2014
rating: 4 stars
Title: Sidekick
Author: Auralee Wallace
Genre: Comics, young adult romance, romantic comedy
Heat: 1 star
Source: ARC provided by Netgalley and Bewitching Book Tours
Bremy runs away from home after finding out some scary truths. She is not sure what to do with her life, in fact she doesn’t have a plan of what to do with her new knowledge. Until she meets a superhero and decides that’s whom she wants to be. Can she become one?
The author has created a good plot in this fast-paced book, that kept me guessing and wanting more. It’s a pretty funny story that had me laughing out loud a few times. Not very believable, but I still could relate to the story. Everything is relevant, but I wish I would have more background on the characters and on the world built.
Bremy is a lovable character that I relate, connect and understand. Bremy is so real for me and I have shared some good laughs with her and her gang.
This is not a particularly fresh idea, but still cool to read about. It’s not a superhero with power kind of book, more like a superhero with gadgets, sort of like Batman.
I really like this book, it was ver addictive and not easy to put down. It has a few weakeness such as a bit anti-climatic ending and not a very descriptive world built.
I only want to say “Please give me more!” I need to know the rest. I’m certain this could not be the ending of it. I totally love this genre, comics mixed with romantic comedyand this has room to become a great series.
For a debut novel, this was amazing! Bravo, Ms. Wallace!
Title: Sidekick
Author: Auralee Wallace
Genre: Comics, young adult romance, romantic comedy
Heat: 1 star
Source: ARC provided by Netgalley and Bewitching Book Tours
Bremy runs away from home after finding out some scary truths. She is not sure what to do with her life, in fact she doesn’t have a plan of what to do with her new knowledge. Until she meets a superhero and decides that’s whom she wants to be. Can she become one?
The author has created a good plot in this fast-paced book, that kept me guessing and wanting more. It’s a pretty funny story that had me laughing out loud a few times. Not very believable, but I still could relate to the story. Everything is relevant, but I wish I would have more background on the characters and on the world built.
Bremy is a lovable character that I relate, connect and understand. Bremy is so real for me and I have shared some good laughs with her and her gang.
“… having my own Scooby Gang! Things were definitely looking up. Now, technically, I did still owe money to two psychopaths, and the person I loved more than anyone else in the world wasn’t speaking to me…”
This is not a particularly fresh idea, but still cool to read about. It’s not a superhero with power kind of book, more like a superhero with gadgets, sort of like Batman.
I really like this book, it was ver addictive and not easy to put down. It has a few weakeness such as a bit anti-climatic ending and not a very descriptive world built.
I only want to say “Please give me more!” I need to know the rest. I’m certain this could not be the ending of it. I totally love this genre, comics mixed with romantic comedyand this has room to become a great series.
For a debut novel, this was amazing! Bravo, Ms. Wallace!
December 20, 2015
When I saw Sidekick pop up on Netgalley I was instantly intrigued by the superhero inspired cover. I couldn’t resist taking a chance on Sidekick… and I’m very glad I did!
The story follows Bremy the daughter of a very rich family who has left behind her socialite partying lifestyle for independence in the big city. Living undercover and struggling to make rent Bremy needs to make money fast.
After a couple of unfortunate ‘wrong place wrong time’ run-ins with the Sultana and her performers who are committing various crimes and threatening local citizens, Bremy meets Dark Ryder the city’s famous vigilante superhero. With her money problems spiralling and her newfound taste for fighting crime Bremy embarks on a new venture to become Dark Ryder’s sidekick. Of course, this doesn’t go all that smoothly for Bremy as with no real superhero skills she has to muddle her way through some tricky situations on her determined attitude alone.
As a protagonist I really enjoyed following Bremy on her journey, she is a strong character and definitely grew over the course of the story. The book also has a whole host of other interesting characters from Bremy’s father & twin sister, to handsome reporter Pierce and bizarre neighbour Queenie.
Sidekick is a refreshing, fun read and an impressive debut. This unique story is definitely a new favourite for me, packed with action, adventure and superheroes – what’s not to like?!
*Review copy c/o Netgalley
The story follows Bremy the daughter of a very rich family who has left behind her socialite partying lifestyle for independence in the big city. Living undercover and struggling to make rent Bremy needs to make money fast.
After a couple of unfortunate ‘wrong place wrong time’ run-ins with the Sultana and her performers who are committing various crimes and threatening local citizens, Bremy meets Dark Ryder the city’s famous vigilante superhero. With her money problems spiralling and her newfound taste for fighting crime Bremy embarks on a new venture to become Dark Ryder’s sidekick. Of course, this doesn’t go all that smoothly for Bremy as with no real superhero skills she has to muddle her way through some tricky situations on her determined attitude alone.
As a protagonist I really enjoyed following Bremy on her journey, she is a strong character and definitely grew over the course of the story. The book also has a whole host of other interesting characters from Bremy’s father & twin sister, to handsome reporter Pierce and bizarre neighbour Queenie.
Sidekick is a refreshing, fun read and an impressive debut. This unique story is definitely a new favourite for me, packed with action, adventure and superheroes – what’s not to like?!
*Review copy c/o Netgalley
November 23, 2015
I got nothin'
Oh, what madcap fun this was! I'm trying to think of a comparison for you to convey the tone used. It's certainly not serious urban fantasy. The heroine was mad as a box of cheese. The love interest was nerdalicious. The hero mentor was disdainfully brilliant. The bizarre, circus freak bad guys seemed very Gotham City to me. So I'm going to have to go with Batman as the tone.
In particular, because the "superheroes" are only heroes in the sense they have trained their bodies to be the best at what they do, and their minds to be fearless. There's no scientific experiment gone wrong, or super-humanness. And that's closest to Batman too, right? I'm not too up on my comic book heroes, you'll have to forgive me. And from what I do know, they've never before been led by a former Paris Hilton-esque heiress who has seen the error of her ways, and the evil of her father's, and has decided to TAKE ON THE WORLD ONE BAD DUDE AT A TIME!
*thunderclap*
It was just... I don't even know what word I want. Awesome is so overused. Crazy is certainly accurate, but not descriptive enough. It was a crazy, hilarious, nerdy wondersauce of fantasmical amazement.
Do you need anything more?
Good. Now go buy it and enjoy!
4 Stars ★★★★
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Oh, what madcap fun this was! I'm trying to think of a comparison for you to convey the tone used. It's certainly not serious urban fantasy. The heroine was mad as a box of cheese. The love interest was nerdalicious. The hero mentor was disdainfully brilliant. The bizarre, circus freak bad guys seemed very Gotham City to me. So I'm going to have to go with Batman as the tone.
In particular, because the "superheroes" are only heroes in the sense they have trained their bodies to be the best at what they do, and their minds to be fearless. There's no scientific experiment gone wrong, or super-humanness. And that's closest to Batman too, right? I'm not too up on my comic book heroes, you'll have to forgive me. And from what I do know, they've never before been led by a former Paris Hilton-esque heiress who has seen the error of her ways, and the evil of her father's, and has decided to TAKE ON THE WORLD ONE BAD DUDE AT A TIME!
*thunderclap*
It was just... I don't even know what word I want. Awesome is so overused. Crazy is certainly accurate, but not descriptive enough. It was a crazy, hilarious, nerdy wondersauce of fantasmical amazement.
Do you need anything more?
Good. Now go buy it and enjoy!
4 Stars ★★★★
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
August 3, 2016
Sidekick defies description, the closest approximation I can come of up with is part The Dark Knight and part Scooby Doo. Brianna St. James (Bremy), yes of those St. James', has left home she's desperate to make enough money to pay rent to her Russian mobster landlord and rescue her sister from her father's evil clutches.
Meanwhile the circus has come to town and there is more to fear than just the clowns in this case. Add to the mix mind control, coming to the attention of the local superhero and a reporter who might just be the love of her life and you will get the gist of the things this socialite turned crusader has to deal with hilariously of course.
I loved this campy romp. Bremy has the heart of a lion and the luck of I Love Lucy on the chocolate conveyor belt this story was in turns touching and knee slapping sometimes simultaneously. I can't recommend it highly enough!
June 4, 2014
Auralee Wallace’s Sidekick never takes itself to seriously, and reminded me a lot of Kick-Ass, in that it is a ‘realistic’ portrayal of how someone wanting to do good, doesn’t necessarily have the power to do so. Bremy is both hilarious and endearing. She has spent most of her life as a socialite, so is very naive in the ways of the world. Despite this, she has incredible resilience, and as a reader you really root for her. She makes a pretty terrible superhero at first, but really, when faced with it, who wouldn’t unless they had been trained for years?
Read the rest of my review on NZ Booklovers .
Read the rest of my review on NZ Booklovers .
May 8, 2014
Read this review and many others on my blog For Such Love We Feel.
I received this book free from NetGalley, Harlequin Enterprises Australia and Escape Publishing as an advanced reader copy.
This was a book I was incredibly excited to read, and it absolutely did not disappoint! As promised, this novel was very reminiscent of the comic Kickass, but with even more kick ass females. At the open of Sidekick we meet Bremy St. James, a former socialite who’s given up her life of luxury because of something horrible her father has done. She is a twin, and though she loves her sister deeply Bremy has left physically disabled Jenny behind to try and start a life for them outside of their father’s grasp. Their communication is minimal because Bremy has not told Jenny about their father, and really for the first time in her life, is trying to make it on her own. She’s not having a very easy go of it, never having had a job or even really to life a finger outside of shopping with daddy’s credit cards. Bremy is out of place with no friends and no real prospects when she drains her bank account to pay rent and ends up one of many victims of a bank robbery. The Sultana and her carnival of creeps takes over the bank, guns blazing and odd talents shinning and they make quite a scene. Before making their getaway Bremy makes herself known in defense of an older woman, and though the Sultana seems to recognize her, she does nothing. The city’s lauded super hero Dark Ryder is nowhere to be found during the robbery, and as Bremy exits the bank she runs into a handsome reporter named Pierce who nearly sweeps her off her feet. Not long after this fateful incident The Sultana and her crew make another much bigger showing at a street carnival that Bremy just happens to be passing through. This time Dark Ryder shows up just as Bremy is clumsily trying to save a small child that the Sultana is dangling from a high height. It’s after Ryder saves Bremy’s life that the girl realizes she wants to be a hero herself, and that there may be a connection between her father and these villains. She bungles Ryder’s getaway from the carnival then walks for miles without shoes to find the woman at her secret lair. Bremy throws herself at Ryder’s feet and begs to be her apprentice, and the hero eventually gives her a chance. Bremy’s bumbling antics continue through her dates with Pierce and her interactions with Ryder and everyone else she comes in contact with. Ultimately the girl finds herself with knowledge of her father’s intentions and she must make a decision about whether she wants to hide and do nothing, or take a stand and be the hero she should be. Her feelings towards her father and sister come to a head as the family and she clashes with the help of her newfound friends and the author leaves us wanting to know more about Dark Ryder’s new strange sidekick.
I cannot say enough good things about this novel! It was a quick, easy read and definitely enjoyable for many reasons. I love a good book about strong female characters, especially one who finds herself with the help of friends and realizes all the things she thought were holding her back were ultimately empowering her. Bremy, though she starts out as a ‘bunny’ absolutely transforms into a tigress who uses her lack of skills to do the best she can. I would recommend this book to people, especially teens and women who enjoy comics and graphic novels and those of you who like kick ass female lead characters. This was a real girl power book, and I loved it. Sidekick is a fun little romp of a novel and I can’t wait to see what else Auralee Wallace has in store for these characters.
I received this book free from NetGalley, Harlequin Enterprises Australia and Escape Publishing as an advanced reader copy.
This was a book I was incredibly excited to read, and it absolutely did not disappoint! As promised, this novel was very reminiscent of the comic Kickass, but with even more kick ass females. At the open of Sidekick we meet Bremy St. James, a former socialite who’s given up her life of luxury because of something horrible her father has done. She is a twin, and though she loves her sister deeply Bremy has left physically disabled Jenny behind to try and start a life for them outside of their father’s grasp. Their communication is minimal because Bremy has not told Jenny about their father, and really for the first time in her life, is trying to make it on her own. She’s not having a very easy go of it, never having had a job or even really to life a finger outside of shopping with daddy’s credit cards. Bremy is out of place with no friends and no real prospects when she drains her bank account to pay rent and ends up one of many victims of a bank robbery. The Sultana and her carnival of creeps takes over the bank, guns blazing and odd talents shinning and they make quite a scene. Before making their getaway Bremy makes herself known in defense of an older woman, and though the Sultana seems to recognize her, she does nothing. The city’s lauded super hero Dark Ryder is nowhere to be found during the robbery, and as Bremy exits the bank she runs into a handsome reporter named Pierce who nearly sweeps her off her feet. Not long after this fateful incident The Sultana and her crew make another much bigger showing at a street carnival that Bremy just happens to be passing through. This time Dark Ryder shows up just as Bremy is clumsily trying to save a small child that the Sultana is dangling from a high height. It’s after Ryder saves Bremy’s life that the girl realizes she wants to be a hero herself, and that there may be a connection between her father and these villains. She bungles Ryder’s getaway from the carnival then walks for miles without shoes to find the woman at her secret lair. Bremy throws herself at Ryder’s feet and begs to be her apprentice, and the hero eventually gives her a chance. Bremy’s bumbling antics continue through her dates with Pierce and her interactions with Ryder and everyone else she comes in contact with. Ultimately the girl finds herself with knowledge of her father’s intentions and she must make a decision about whether she wants to hide and do nothing, or take a stand and be the hero she should be. Her feelings towards her father and sister come to a head as the family and she clashes with the help of her newfound friends and the author leaves us wanting to know more about Dark Ryder’s new strange sidekick.
I cannot say enough good things about this novel! It was a quick, easy read and definitely enjoyable for many reasons. I love a good book about strong female characters, especially one who finds herself with the help of friends and realizes all the things she thought were holding her back were ultimately empowering her. Bremy, though she starts out as a ‘bunny’ absolutely transforms into a tigress who uses her lack of skills to do the best she can. I would recommend this book to people, especially teens and women who enjoy comics and graphic novels and those of you who like kick ass female lead characters. This was a real girl power book, and I loved it. Sidekick is a fun little romp of a novel and I can’t wait to see what else Auralee Wallace has in store for these characters.
May 25, 2014
http://lynnsbooks.wordpress.com/2014/...
Rating: a strong 4
Just finished reading Sidekick by Auralee Wallace which I really enjoyed - it was good fun, very entertaining and basically combines a comic book type superhero style with a YA story about a young woman trying to survive in the big bad city after breaking free from her billionaire father. It has a hint of romance, a lot of bungling adventures and near mishaps told in a witty voice and fictional, Gotham-esque city setting. This is a fast paced romp told very much tongue in cheek.
At the start of the story Bremy St James finds herself in debt to her landlord. Living in what could best be described as a broom closet as opposed to an apartment she still needs to pay rent - particularly if she wants to stay in one piece. Bremy seems to have left home under a cloud which isn't immediately explained, only that she feels like she's escaped and is now trying to make her way in the world in order to set up and bring her twin sister to live with her. Taking herself off to the bank to withdraw her remaining cash Bremy finds herself in the midst of a bank robbery - by a bunch of circus performers! Now, this pretty much sets up the tone for the rest of the book. Bremy finds herself in one dire situation and then usually spirals to the next as she desperately tries to clutch at straws to retrieve the situation.
The one thing you can say for Bremy is that even though she's a bit bungling her heart is in the right place and she can't resist interfering, even in the most threatening situations, if somebody needs help. This is a good thing of course and it's refreshing to read a character who is willing to assist others in need but does of course put her in the limelight which is the last place she wants to be as she tries to remain hidden from her father.
The city has it's own superhero - the Dark Ryder. A kickass woman who swoops fearlessly into the fray and who having come to Bremy's attention becomes her unwitting mentor. Yep, Bremy, decides that becoming the Dark Ryder's sidekick is the perfect solution to all her problems - however willingness and the desire to help others might not be enough and trying to keep her identity hidden from not only her father but her would-be boyfriend, plus holding down a job in a rather seedy establishment where she already owes her boss money, not to mention having a landlord keen to find her and possibly remove her fingers also won't help. She's got a lot to juggle here not to mention becoming embroiled in a plot to save the City.
In terms of the other characters there's the journalist boyfriend (although his investigative journalism skills leave a little to be desired!), there's obviously the host of super baddies, the superhero of the City - Ryder, and the friends that Bremy eventually finds in her next door neighbour Queenie and her geeky IT friend Bart.
Anyway, I enjoyed this. It was fast paced, amusing and entertaining and a perfect set up for future novels in the same series. It probably won't be everyone's cup of tea but providing you go into the read thinking along the lines of 'comic book' and 'superheros' and also being prepared to accept that anything goes then you'll no doubt enjoy this. It's writing style is very easy to get along with and it's good fun to read a novel with a comic book feel. Anything goes and the finer detail is completely out the window - just roll with it!
I received a copy of this from Netgalley in return for a honest review. The above is my own opinion. I can't deny that this great cover was the first thing to capture my attention! Fickle but true.
Rating: a strong 4
Just finished reading Sidekick by Auralee Wallace which I really enjoyed - it was good fun, very entertaining and basically combines a comic book type superhero style with a YA story about a young woman trying to survive in the big bad city after breaking free from her billionaire father. It has a hint of romance, a lot of bungling adventures and near mishaps told in a witty voice and fictional, Gotham-esque city setting. This is a fast paced romp told very much tongue in cheek.
At the start of the story Bremy St James finds herself in debt to her landlord. Living in what could best be described as a broom closet as opposed to an apartment she still needs to pay rent - particularly if she wants to stay in one piece. Bremy seems to have left home under a cloud which isn't immediately explained, only that she feels like she's escaped and is now trying to make her way in the world in order to set up and bring her twin sister to live with her. Taking herself off to the bank to withdraw her remaining cash Bremy finds herself in the midst of a bank robbery - by a bunch of circus performers! Now, this pretty much sets up the tone for the rest of the book. Bremy finds herself in one dire situation and then usually spirals to the next as she desperately tries to clutch at straws to retrieve the situation.
The one thing you can say for Bremy is that even though she's a bit bungling her heart is in the right place and she can't resist interfering, even in the most threatening situations, if somebody needs help. This is a good thing of course and it's refreshing to read a character who is willing to assist others in need but does of course put her in the limelight which is the last place she wants to be as she tries to remain hidden from her father.
The city has it's own superhero - the Dark Ryder. A kickass woman who swoops fearlessly into the fray and who having come to Bremy's attention becomes her unwitting mentor. Yep, Bremy, decides that becoming the Dark Ryder's sidekick is the perfect solution to all her problems - however willingness and the desire to help others might not be enough and trying to keep her identity hidden from not only her father but her would-be boyfriend, plus holding down a job in a rather seedy establishment where she already owes her boss money, not to mention having a landlord keen to find her and possibly remove her fingers also won't help. She's got a lot to juggle here not to mention becoming embroiled in a plot to save the City.
In terms of the other characters there's the journalist boyfriend (although his investigative journalism skills leave a little to be desired!), there's obviously the host of super baddies, the superhero of the City - Ryder, and the friends that Bremy eventually finds in her next door neighbour Queenie and her geeky IT friend Bart.
Anyway, I enjoyed this. It was fast paced, amusing and entertaining and a perfect set up for future novels in the same series. It probably won't be everyone's cup of tea but providing you go into the read thinking along the lines of 'comic book' and 'superheros' and also being prepared to accept that anything goes then you'll no doubt enjoy this. It's writing style is very easy to get along with and it's good fun to read a novel with a comic book feel. Anything goes and the finer detail is completely out the window - just roll with it!
I received a copy of this from Netgalley in return for a honest review. The above is my own opinion. I can't deny that this great cover was the first thing to capture my attention! Fickle but true.
June 18, 2014
“What? You hand-glide into a few parties wearing a tiara and tutu and suddenly you’re labeled frivolous for life?”—Bremy
Sure, Bremy might have worn nail polish with crushed diamonds in it to match her dress for her half a million dollar sweet sixteen party, but that was years ago. She’s out from under her billionaire father’s thumb (or kicked out/ cut-off, you know: tomayto, tomahto…), but she’ll show the world that she’s not just some flaky ex-socialite living in an apartment (and, um…sleeping in a bed next to a toilet) while she tries to find ways to pay her appendage-cutting loan shark landlord that doesn’t involve showing off her “beebies.” But first she needs to fix her karma, and Superhero Dark Ryder is her way to do it. Bremy just needs to convince Ryder that she’s Superhero—ok, maybe more like Sidekick, and more of the bumbling with a heart-of-gold variety—material…
“It was clear that I had no real skills or abilities when it came to crime fighting, but I had gumption. And wasn’t gumption worth more than anything else? Why would reality TV lie?”—Bremy
Funny doesn’t even begin to describe this book! Sure, it’s a Superhero book, but this isn’t one of your dark and broody Christian Bale Batman variety. This is the kick back, grab some popcorn, and have some mindless fun variety. The book toes the line between crossing over into straight out parody, but there is still enough seriousness that I would call it a fun and entertaining story for Superhero fans with tributes to Superhero stereotypes.
Bremy is perky and a bit flaky, never one to let her impossible situation get to her, and as the narrator, she’s a fun character voice. Her thoughts are entertaining as she struggles to deal with being poor—aka making it out on her own. The poor ex-rich girl has no talents or skills but plenty of bad judgement when it comes to making do with what she has given her lack of street smarts. On the other hand, what she lacks in ability, she more than makes up for in her innate adorableness, and although finding friends may be hard as an ex-spoiled princess, one can’t help but eventually fall for her.
Well, except one person: her father, an evil, power-hungry man with questionable morals. That’s what makes Bremy even more interesting and want to make you root for her. She’s the one that walked away and chose her poor lifestyle, because she couldn’t ignore the wrongness of her father’s plans. In fact, she doesn’t stop there, if she sees injustices, she will try to right them—and often with disastrous yet entertaining results. Let’s just say she’s got a loooong way to go if she’s trying to even the score with Karma.
Side characters are hilarious and are at the extreme end of the scale, which is where it’s close to being a parody. We have the freakish and scary neighbor that would concern any Japanese horror character, the nerdy genius who could hack into anything he feels like using only his phone, the broody Superhero, the maniacal Supervillian, a heavily muscled love interest (PG romance), and more. Scientific details don’t get in the way of the story—want to implant someone with a brain-controlling gun? Just shoot them anywhere with this chip-gun. But who needs scientific details when you’re being entertained by an outrageous story, anyway?
Overall, I was hooked with the first few scenes with how silly and funny it was. The book didn’t let up, and I didn’t want to put it down until the end. This is a 5 out of 5 for me!
(Originally posted on my blog; I received a review copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
Sure, Bremy might have worn nail polish with crushed diamonds in it to match her dress for her half a million dollar sweet sixteen party, but that was years ago. She’s out from under her billionaire father’s thumb (or kicked out/ cut-off, you know: tomayto, tomahto…), but she’ll show the world that she’s not just some flaky ex-socialite living in an apartment (and, um…sleeping in a bed next to a toilet) while she tries to find ways to pay her appendage-cutting loan shark landlord that doesn’t involve showing off her “beebies.” But first she needs to fix her karma, and Superhero Dark Ryder is her way to do it. Bremy just needs to convince Ryder that she’s Superhero—ok, maybe more like Sidekick, and more of the bumbling with a heart-of-gold variety—material…
“It was clear that I had no real skills or abilities when it came to crime fighting, but I had gumption. And wasn’t gumption worth more than anything else? Why would reality TV lie?”—Bremy
Funny doesn’t even begin to describe this book! Sure, it’s a Superhero book, but this isn’t one of your dark and broody Christian Bale Batman variety. This is the kick back, grab some popcorn, and have some mindless fun variety. The book toes the line between crossing over into straight out parody, but there is still enough seriousness that I would call it a fun and entertaining story for Superhero fans with tributes to Superhero stereotypes.
Bremy is perky and a bit flaky, never one to let her impossible situation get to her, and as the narrator, she’s a fun character voice. Her thoughts are entertaining as she struggles to deal with being poor—aka making it out on her own. The poor ex-rich girl has no talents or skills but plenty of bad judgement when it comes to making do with what she has given her lack of street smarts. On the other hand, what she lacks in ability, she more than makes up for in her innate adorableness, and although finding friends may be hard as an ex-spoiled princess, one can’t help but eventually fall for her.
Well, except one person: her father, an evil, power-hungry man with questionable morals. That’s what makes Bremy even more interesting and want to make you root for her. She’s the one that walked away and chose her poor lifestyle, because she couldn’t ignore the wrongness of her father’s plans. In fact, she doesn’t stop there, if she sees injustices, she will try to right them—and often with disastrous yet entertaining results. Let’s just say she’s got a loooong way to go if she’s trying to even the score with Karma.
Side characters are hilarious and are at the extreme end of the scale, which is where it’s close to being a parody. We have the freakish and scary neighbor that would concern any Japanese horror character, the nerdy genius who could hack into anything he feels like using only his phone, the broody Superhero, the maniacal Supervillian, a heavily muscled love interest (PG romance), and more. Scientific details don’t get in the way of the story—want to implant someone with a brain-controlling gun? Just shoot them anywhere with this chip-gun. But who needs scientific details when you’re being entertained by an outrageous story, anyway?
Overall, I was hooked with the first few scenes with how silly and funny it was. The book didn’t let up, and I didn’t want to put it down until the end. This is a 5 out of 5 for me!
(Originally posted on my blog; I received a review copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
August 13, 2016
The author's bio at the front says that she writes "women's fiction". I'm not sure what the difference is between that and "chick lit" (presumably it's a class thing), but what it appears to be, from the perspective of someone who isn't a woman, is lighthearted fiction with the comedic snark dialed up, and a female first-person protagonist.
Also dialed up - way up - is the protagonist's ditz factor. I'm generally not in favour of plots that rely strongly on the characters being idiots, and this plot definitely does (not just the protagonist, either; her Clark Kent-like love interest and the whole of law enforcement in their city seem similarly afflicted). It's funny enough that I forgive that, and also the mediocre editing.
"All right" is still two words, according to all the style guides, "prophesy" is a verb, not a noun, and a comma always goes before any term of address (and doesn't go in a number of other places that this author thinks it should go). There are some misplaced apostrophes, some missing quotation marks, some small words like "to" occasionally omitted, "marque" as a mistake for "marquee" and "closest" for "closet", and a couple of question marks on the ends of sentences that aren't questions. Media vans, by the way, have satellite dishes, not satellites, on their roofs. This level of errors, about in the high 30s, is fairly average these days.
Making up for it are a few wonderful phrases and an overall fun tone. When she first meets her reporter love interest, we get this description: "He looked a little like the end result of a heated night of plastic passion between action figures." A retail worker is beautifully described as "Jabba the Clerk". And this: "Wasn't gumption worth more than anything else? Why would reality TV lie?"
Those are just a few of the snarky or comic moments scattered throughout. I'm not sure of the exact definition of a "screwball comedy," but I think this may well be one.
It's also a decent superhero novel. Because it's a superhero novel, the complete incompetence of the police, who are unable to catch, or even come close to catching, the very flashy and obvious villains, is possibly excusable as a trope, though it's a poor one in my view. The parallels between the reporter boyfriend and Clark Kent are amusing, though, and even if I was never particularly worried for the protagonist despite her theoretically desperate situation - it clearly wasn't the kind of book where she was actually going to be beaten up by her Russian mobster landlord - there's a creditable attempt at tension and escalation of circumstances.
Despite being published by Harlequin, the book doesn't focus on the romance, which is very much a subplot.
The ending, while wrapping up this book, leaves plenty of plates in the air, and if I happen to see the sequel I'll probably read it when I feel like a bit of light amusement.
I received a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley.
Also dialed up - way up - is the protagonist's ditz factor. I'm generally not in favour of plots that rely strongly on the characters being idiots, and this plot definitely does (not just the protagonist, either; her Clark Kent-like love interest and the whole of law enforcement in their city seem similarly afflicted). It's funny enough that I forgive that, and also the mediocre editing.
"All right" is still two words, according to all the style guides, "prophesy" is a verb, not a noun, and a comma always goes before any term of address (and doesn't go in a number of other places that this author thinks it should go). There are some misplaced apostrophes, some missing quotation marks, some small words like "to" occasionally omitted, "marque" as a mistake for "marquee" and "closest" for "closet", and a couple of question marks on the ends of sentences that aren't questions. Media vans, by the way, have satellite dishes, not satellites, on their roofs. This level of errors, about in the high 30s, is fairly average these days.
Making up for it are a few wonderful phrases and an overall fun tone. When she first meets her reporter love interest, we get this description: "He looked a little like the end result of a heated night of plastic passion between action figures." A retail worker is beautifully described as "Jabba the Clerk". And this: "Wasn't gumption worth more than anything else? Why would reality TV lie?"
Those are just a few of the snarky or comic moments scattered throughout. I'm not sure of the exact definition of a "screwball comedy," but I think this may well be one.
It's also a decent superhero novel. Because it's a superhero novel, the complete incompetence of the police, who are unable to catch, or even come close to catching, the very flashy and obvious villains, is possibly excusable as a trope, though it's a poor one in my view. The parallels between the reporter boyfriend and Clark Kent are amusing, though, and even if I was never particularly worried for the protagonist despite her theoretically desperate situation - it clearly wasn't the kind of book where she was actually going to be beaten up by her Russian mobster landlord - there's a creditable attempt at tension and escalation of circumstances.
Despite being published by Harlequin, the book doesn't focus on the romance, which is very much a subplot.
The ending, while wrapping up this book, leaves plenty of plates in the air, and if I happen to see the sequel I'll probably read it when I feel like a bit of light amusement.
I received a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley.
May 5, 2014
Sidekick had the makings of a really great standalone; the premise was exciting and gave me this sort of Huntress feel, while the excitement of a female sidekick rather than the usual two men in tights perked me up, but I couldn't even make it past a third and what I did read I felt extremely let down by.
Lets start first and foremost with the writing. I genuinely could not have despised the writing more, it felt wishy washy, definitely not professional and nothing at all like what I would expect from a young adult. There was a lack of world building full stop, just buildings and balloons and banks and wooden panelling, no scenery, no compass and no sense of direction, not to mention the language the characters used. For one, we have no idea how old Bremy actually is or what she looks like, so are we to assume she's around 15, because that's exactly how she sounds, while superhero of the day Dark Ryder hardly seemed like someone who spends her time fighting crime, she reminded me more of a professor who looks as if she started this crime fighting thing last week. I have no idea who, what and even why these characters exist, my cat could make up better characters than this, and I don't even have a cat yet.
I've already covered the characters a little, but honestly, I expected great things from Bremy's character; Daddy issues, a sister with a disability, an instant one sided attraction to a reporter, I mean, she had so many opportunities and she took none of them. No, instead she swung herself off huge balloons in the sky and signed herself up to working for a dodgy guy and then asking for £/$1,000; oh, did I mention she'd already lost one lot of money beforehand, oh yeah, useless I tell you.
God dammit, I was so hyped up for this book when I saw it and requested it, but now, I just can't believe I was such a fool. There was no plot, no world, no great characters and enough annoyance to drive anyone mad, the only reason I'm actually reviewing this book on the blog is because I spotlighted it a few weeks ago and feel so bad for giving such a bad book exciting notice. I'm sorry to those who's interested I perked up, but avoid this book for all it's worth. It's not worth it.
Lets start first and foremost with the writing. I genuinely could not have despised the writing more, it felt wishy washy, definitely not professional and nothing at all like what I would expect from a young adult. There was a lack of world building full stop, just buildings and balloons and banks and wooden panelling, no scenery, no compass and no sense of direction, not to mention the language the characters used. For one, we have no idea how old Bremy actually is or what she looks like, so are we to assume she's around 15, because that's exactly how she sounds, while superhero of the day Dark Ryder hardly seemed like someone who spends her time fighting crime, she reminded me more of a professor who looks as if she started this crime fighting thing last week. I have no idea who, what and even why these characters exist, my cat could make up better characters than this, and I don't even have a cat yet.
I've already covered the characters a little, but honestly, I expected great things from Bremy's character; Daddy issues, a sister with a disability, an instant one sided attraction to a reporter, I mean, she had so many opportunities and she took none of them. No, instead she swung herself off huge balloons in the sky and signed herself up to working for a dodgy guy and then asking for £/$1,000; oh, did I mention she'd already lost one lot of money beforehand, oh yeah, useless I tell you.
God dammit, I was so hyped up for this book when I saw it and requested it, but now, I just can't believe I was such a fool. There was no plot, no world, no great characters and enough annoyance to drive anyone mad, the only reason I'm actually reviewing this book on the blog is because I spotlighted it a few weeks ago and feel so bad for giving such a bad book exciting notice. I'm sorry to those who's interested I perked up, but avoid this book for all it's worth. It's not worth it.
July 18, 2014
(I got a copy of this book throuhg NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
OK for the most part, in that it provided me with a fluffy, fast, light reading, but nothing I'll remember much, I'm afraid.
I liked the basic idea of the ex-rich girl deciding to tackle on the role of a hero's sidekick: I thought it held a lot of potential for funny situations as well as superhero gadgets à la Batman. However, those situations were either not exploited enough to my liking, or too ridiculous to be actually funny. I smiled a few times, but after a while, Bremy's membership in the Too Stupid To Live club reached such epic proportions that I would just roll my eyes and wonder why anyone even bothered with her, from her shady landlord to Ryder and Bart. Smaller doses of such clueless behaviours would've been funny in my eyes; here, there were just too many for me to care enough to laugh.
The characters in general weren't fleshed out, and remained at face value level. While normally, this could work in humorous stories, at least in my own reading experience, a little depth is still somewhat needed for me to fully appreciate a cast. There wasn't much of an explanation for Queenie's involvement, for instance, and the whole thing with Jenny indeed seemed to have moved way too fast (one month?). Some elements remained unexplained, some loose ends weren't tied, making the novel seem like it's begging for a sequel. The villain's plan also felt too stale. The love interest sparked zero interest here on my part. Again, it was supposed to be funny, I know. Only it just didn't work in my case, owing to Bremy's TSTL quality and Pierce's naivety. That combo was a deadly one (not in a good nor amusing way).
Overall, this novel felt as if it was trying too hard to be funny, and in the end, it became sort of... tiring. Much to my dismay, because it's one of the genres (humour + loser heroes) I'm usually attracted to.
OK for the most part, in that it provided me with a fluffy, fast, light reading, but nothing I'll remember much, I'm afraid.
I liked the basic idea of the ex-rich girl deciding to tackle on the role of a hero's sidekick: I thought it held a lot of potential for funny situations as well as superhero gadgets à la Batman. However, those situations were either not exploited enough to my liking, or too ridiculous to be actually funny. I smiled a few times, but after a while, Bremy's membership in the Too Stupid To Live club reached such epic proportions that I would just roll my eyes and wonder why anyone even bothered with her, from her shady landlord to Ryder and Bart. Smaller doses of such clueless behaviours would've been funny in my eyes; here, there were just too many for me to care enough to laugh.
The characters in general weren't fleshed out, and remained at face value level. While normally, this could work in humorous stories, at least in my own reading experience, a little depth is still somewhat needed for me to fully appreciate a cast. There wasn't much of an explanation for Queenie's involvement, for instance, and the whole thing with Jenny indeed seemed to have moved way too fast (one month?). Some elements remained unexplained, some loose ends weren't tied, making the novel seem like it's begging for a sequel. The villain's plan also felt too stale. The love interest sparked zero interest here on my part. Again, it was supposed to be funny, I know. Only it just didn't work in my case, owing to Bremy's TSTL quality and Pierce's naivety. That combo was a deadly one (not in a good nor amusing way).
Overall, this novel felt as if it was trying too hard to be funny, and in the end, it became sort of... tiring. Much to my dismay, because it's one of the genres (humour + loser heroes) I'm usually attracted to.
June 9, 2014
ARC provided by Escape Publishing via NetGalley for an honest review.
I did find this book to be enjoyable, light hearted, but a little two dimensional. I feel that a little bit more time could have been taken to flesh out the characters in the book. There are some very interesting players on this stage that I would have liked to get to know a lot better – okay, one I wasn’t too keen on…..Bart the computer geek made me want to hurl with his “I’m such a stud, I use women” outlook on life. That is something I can live without – I didn’t find that character angle funny at all. But Queenie – OMG – hysterical. I would have like to have seen that character developed more, gotten to known what made her tick. Choden is a moderately interesting character, one that you expect to see in this type of story. Also would have like to have seen some of the story from Bremy’s sister’s POV – but the author might have been working within a certain page restriction.
The relationship between Bremy and Clark Kent wanna be Pierce had very interesting angles that could be explored more. I enjoyed the byplay with them, but found some of it to be just a little unbelievable (yes, I know –it’s a book, we are to suspend our disbelief).
The pace of the book was kept up at a pretty quick tempo, which wasn’t too bad. Might be argued that the authored could have slowed it down a little to allow you to get to know the characters. But overall it was very well written. I enjoyed the action scenes and the different mishaps and mayhem that Bremy kept finding herself getting backed into - - and thru it all, she kept up a “CAN DO” frame of mind with a lot of snark. Especially funny at the end when she is beating up a helicopter that she thinks is her dad and it turns out not to be – and she wondered why it had a shield painted on the door, hmmmm.
I would recommend this for a quick light read, it is enjoyable, easy to read and will put a smile on your face.
I did find this book to be enjoyable, light hearted, but a little two dimensional. I feel that a little bit more time could have been taken to flesh out the characters in the book. There are some very interesting players on this stage that I would have liked to get to know a lot better – okay, one I wasn’t too keen on…..Bart the computer geek made me want to hurl with his “I’m such a stud, I use women” outlook on life. That is something I can live without – I didn’t find that character angle funny at all. But Queenie – OMG – hysterical. I would have like to have seen that character developed more, gotten to known what made her tick. Choden is a moderately interesting character, one that you expect to see in this type of story. Also would have like to have seen some of the story from Bremy’s sister’s POV – but the author might have been working within a certain page restriction.
The relationship between Bremy and Clark Kent wanna be Pierce had very interesting angles that could be explored more. I enjoyed the byplay with them, but found some of it to be just a little unbelievable (yes, I know –it’s a book, we are to suspend our disbelief).
The pace of the book was kept up at a pretty quick tempo, which wasn’t too bad. Might be argued that the authored could have slowed it down a little to allow you to get to know the characters. But overall it was very well written. I enjoyed the action scenes and the different mishaps and mayhem that Bremy kept finding herself getting backed into - - and thru it all, she kept up a “CAN DO” frame of mind with a lot of snark. Especially funny at the end when she is beating up a helicopter that she thinks is her dad and it turns out not to be – and she wondered why it had a shield painted on the door, hmmmm.
I would recommend this for a quick light read, it is enjoyable, easy to read and will put a smile on your face.
May 10, 2023
Auralee Wallace has left me wondering if the writers from Buffy might write books under a pen name. Yes, it is THAT good. Right from the start, you are hooked in with Bremy's razor sharp wit, delivery of great one-liners, and the clever approach to this story. Bremy has left her life as the spoiled daughter of a rich corporate billionaire after discovering that Daddy dearest isn't so dear after all. In fact, he's pretty evil. Resolving to rectify all the bad karma her father has brought down on her life with his evil enterprise, Bremy leaves her life of wealth and comfort to start over and find a way to support the twin sister she was forced to leave behind.
Bremy approaches everything in her messed up life with a tongue in cheek attitude. She's stubborn and determined, and completely aware of how much trouble those two things can get her in. Especially when she ends up putting her life on the line to save others, and gets in the way of the city's resident superhero, Ryder. In one instant, Bremy knows how to make everything better and pretty much forces herself on a very reluctant Ryder.
Their interactions were hilarious. The way Auralee Wallace was able to convey so much of Ryder's personality without having her say much at all was really great. It all played out like a movie. I wish I could give this book ten stars, because that's really what it deserves. There wasn't a single instance where I felt pulled out of the story or bored. The action is well-paced, the villains exactly what you would expect in the comic book world (a little twisted, maybe a tad cheesy at times, but with interesting backgrounds and motives), the narrative sassy and funny...I could go on and on. But I will say that Auralee Wallace has made a fan out of me. I can't wait to see what else she has to offer.
Bremy approaches everything in her messed up life with a tongue in cheek attitude. She's stubborn and determined, and completely aware of how much trouble those two things can get her in. Especially when she ends up putting her life on the line to save others, and gets in the way of the city's resident superhero, Ryder. In one instant, Bremy knows how to make everything better and pretty much forces herself on a very reluctant Ryder.
Their interactions were hilarious. The way Auralee Wallace was able to convey so much of Ryder's personality without having her say much at all was really great. It all played out like a movie. I wish I could give this book ten stars, because that's really what it deserves. There wasn't a single instance where I felt pulled out of the story or bored. The action is well-paced, the villains exactly what you would expect in the comic book world (a little twisted, maybe a tad cheesy at times, but with interesting backgrounds and motives), the narrative sassy and funny...I could go on and on. But I will say that Auralee Wallace has made a fan out of me. I can't wait to see what else she has to offer.
July 12, 2014
There's a new author I'm watching out for in this town...
I knew I was hooked when I realized I felt involved in the story. I attribute that to the first person POV used in the story. Sidekick is right up my alley, with its (not so witty) banter, really adorkable love interest, interesting friends, fighting against crime, and crazy heroine-in-training. I love strong female characters, and while Bremy was not necessarily physically strong, heck, she does keep getting in the way of other people
What I didn't like was that Bremy was such a chatterbox. But then again, as she was told, her strength was getting in the way of other people's business. She has such a flair for dramatics. I like that even though she was just some barbie glitzy doll in her teen years, she toughened up and left her very cushy life behind. I like that she has principles, and she really wanted to do what's right.
I was caught up in the whirlwind story of Sidekick. It was definitely fast-paced, with one action after another. Before I knew it, I was done with the book, and hoping there were more to the pages, or at least a sneak peek.
The downtime was the sweet dates and phone calls between Bremy and hunky Pierce. I like how Pierce isn't your typical stoic dude who is as suave as they come. He's sort of bumbling around Bremy, and I really felt his attraction to her.
One thing I didn't like about Sidekick were some loose ends that were unaddressed or which only gave rise to more questions. I definitely hope there will be a continuation to the story, and that this will have at least three to four books more.
If you're into kick-ass funny heroines, I really recommend Sidekick for a fun afternoon :)
I knew I was hooked when I realized I felt involved in the story. I attribute that to the first person POV used in the story. Sidekick is right up my alley, with its (not so witty) banter, really adorkable love interest, interesting friends, fighting against crime, and crazy heroine-in-training. I love strong female characters, and while Bremy was not necessarily physically strong, heck, she does keep getting in the way of other people
What I didn't like was that Bremy was such a chatterbox. But then again, as she was told, her strength was getting in the way of other people's business. She has such a flair for dramatics. I like that even though she was just some barbie glitzy doll in her teen years, she toughened up and left her very cushy life behind. I like that she has principles, and she really wanted to do what's right.
I was caught up in the whirlwind story of Sidekick. It was definitely fast-paced, with one action after another. Before I knew it, I was done with the book, and hoping there were more to the pages, or at least a sneak peek.
The downtime was the sweet dates and phone calls between Bremy and hunky Pierce. I like how Pierce isn't your typical stoic dude who is as suave as they come. He's sort of bumbling around Bremy, and I really felt his attraction to her.
One thing I didn't like about Sidekick were some loose ends that were unaddressed or which only gave rise to more questions. I definitely hope there will be a continuation to the story, and that this will have at least three to four books more.
If you're into kick-ass funny heroines, I really recommend Sidekick for a fun afternoon :)
June 12, 2014
Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars
When I saw that this book was Urban Fantasy, I expected something quite serious, I definitely didn’t expect to be giggling my way through the book, Sidekick is a story where you suspend disbelief and enjoy the thrill ride you are taken on.
Our MC is Bremy St James (I am loving that name) a socialite who has been cut off from her wealthy family, now forced to fend for herself and out to save the world she joins up with a super hero named Dark Ryder. Bremy was such a fun character, brave, quirky and independent with a bit of an immature side, I absolutely loved her! Her inner dialogue was hilarious as was her awkwardness, I loved the way she went about saving her sister from their evil father, it was very engaging.
I didn’t know what to expect when I started Sidekick, something a little more serious definitely but I found it quite humorous, the interactions between the characters were written wonderfully; it was a fun read. It is the type of book where you just go with it and enjoy it for the tongue in cheek humour, witty one liners, awesome heroine and amazing side characters; there was a bit of mystery, intrigue and fascinating character back-stories that made the overall story quite entertaining.
For a debut novel, it was impressive; I enjoyed Auralee Wallace’s writing style and the comical style superhero journey we were taken on. A few things were left unresolved so I’m hoping this is the start of a new series. Special mention to the fabulous cover as well!
Thank you to Harlequin/ Escape Publishing Australia for the opportunity to read and review Sidekick.
When I saw that this book was Urban Fantasy, I expected something quite serious, I definitely didn’t expect to be giggling my way through the book, Sidekick is a story where you suspend disbelief and enjoy the thrill ride you are taken on.
Our MC is Bremy St James (I am loving that name) a socialite who has been cut off from her wealthy family, now forced to fend for herself and out to save the world she joins up with a super hero named Dark Ryder. Bremy was such a fun character, brave, quirky and independent with a bit of an immature side, I absolutely loved her! Her inner dialogue was hilarious as was her awkwardness, I loved the way she went about saving her sister from their evil father, it was very engaging.
I didn’t know what to expect when I started Sidekick, something a little more serious definitely but I found it quite humorous, the interactions between the characters were written wonderfully; it was a fun read. It is the type of book where you just go with it and enjoy it for the tongue in cheek humour, witty one liners, awesome heroine and amazing side characters; there was a bit of mystery, intrigue and fascinating character back-stories that made the overall story quite entertaining.
For a debut novel, it was impressive; I enjoyed Auralee Wallace’s writing style and the comical style superhero journey we were taken on. A few things were left unresolved so I’m hoping this is the start of a new series. Special mention to the fabulous cover as well!
Thank you to Harlequin/ Escape Publishing Australia for the opportunity to read and review Sidekick.
August 13, 2016
Superhero-isim is a lost art! Reformed villains are so popular now they have become the new norm. Sidekick brings back the “good guy”, um gal. Meet Bremy St Claire. She’s brave. She’s cute. She takes orders well from the lead hero, Knight Rider. She’s beyond reproach. Um okay, so maybe she needs a small push from time to time to act. So what if she wears the wrong shoes, has bad hair days, and seriously has no “hero gal style”. Oh and like you listen to EVERYTHING people tell you. Sure she has a past, she’s not particularly proud off and rather not discuss. But hey, that’s what’s made her the crime fighter she is today, “Bre…., um Brenda.” She has an alias. That should count for something. Right?
Sidekick is the type of story that really jumps right into the action. Bremy StClair is instantly loveable and ridiculously hilarious. Sidekick delivers without the magic, but loads of glam.
If you’re looking for a quick lighthearted contemporary comedy about a normal girl looking to save the world, starting with her rich girl gilt, then this book is for you. Caution: You will laugh while reading, so refrain from doing so in public places.
Sidekick is the type of story that really jumps right into the action. Bremy StClair is instantly loveable and ridiculously hilarious. Sidekick delivers without the magic, but loads of glam.
If you’re looking for a quick lighthearted contemporary comedy about a normal girl looking to save the world, starting with her rich girl gilt, then this book is for you. Caution: You will laugh while reading, so refrain from doing so in public places.
June 2, 2014
Pure Delight! Socialite-Without-A-Care Bremy St. James doesn’t clutter up her life with anything more trying than assessing the latest fashion or nightclub trends, until reality smacks her upside the head and she must leave that life behind – which is where the reader comes in. After a month on her own, she’s forced to admit her survival skills suck, and fate is allied against her. Then her life goes from harsh, to out-and-out bizarre. By turns funny, sweet, diabolical, and eye-popping, with a fare dose of evil sprinkled over all, the ride Auralee Wallace takes us on reads like a superhero storybook that straddles the line between fantasy and (sort of) reality. Happily, it will have you cheering and laughing all along the way. I can hardly wait for the sequel. Wait, there will be one….right? Fingers crossed.
Very well done.
A complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Very well done.
A complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
October 27, 2016
Its Novel\Comic book for Young Adults.
Comic books and young adult novels.
This book will not be for everyone but if you are one who enjoys comic books this might be what you are looking for. It has humor after all its about sidekick.
No super powers for the sidekick after all Robin didn't have have super powers just relied on his ability to kick but create objects and use his wits. Lots of Batman style crime fighting almost more Dark Knight than Batman from the 1960's but it still has the humor from those series.
The female lead is even brooding and skulking in the shadows of life. Remember to throw reality out the window other wise you will not be able to finish the book with all the crazy ways they lived in the book. When they should have died many times over.
The ending is a little disappointing but maybe I just didn't get it. The book doesn't take its self serious and nither should you as you read it.
Advance Copy from Netgalley
Comic books and young adult novels.
This book will not be for everyone but if you are one who enjoys comic books this might be what you are looking for. It has humor after all its about sidekick.
No super powers for the sidekick after all Robin didn't have have super powers just relied on his ability to kick but create objects and use his wits. Lots of Batman style crime fighting almost more Dark Knight than Batman from the 1960's but it still has the humor from those series.
The female lead is even brooding and skulking in the shadows of life. Remember to throw reality out the window other wise you will not be able to finish the book with all the crazy ways they lived in the book. When they should have died many times over.
The ending is a little disappointing but maybe I just didn't get it. The book doesn't take its self serious and nither should you as you read it.
Advance Copy from Netgalley
May 29, 2014
**I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 4.0
*My Thoughts*
I have to you ahead of time that I may babble a little bit while reviewing this book. If you want to bypass the babble, feel free!
**Full Review to be found @ Gizmos Reviews**
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
*Recvd via NetGalley 04/28/2014* Expected publication: June 1st 2014 by Escape Publishing
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 4.0
*My Thoughts*
I have to you ahead of time that I may babble a little bit while reviewing this book. If you want to bypass the babble, feel free!
**Full Review to be found @ Gizmos Reviews**
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
*Recvd via NetGalley 04/28/2014* Expected publication: June 1st 2014 by Escape Publishing
June 4, 2014
This book was hilarious. Bremy St James is a feisty young lady that never gives up. Even with all the craziness she endures and the scary/miniacle people she is involved with she never gives up. This is a fabulous message the author has given us.
No matter how crazy and how out of our comfort box we should still challenge ourselves with situations for our own personal growth no matter how outlandish the challenge in life may be.
I am truly excited to read the next St. James novel!
No matter how crazy and how out of our comfort box we should still challenge ourselves with situations for our own personal growth no matter how outlandish the challenge in life may be.
I am truly excited to read the next St. James novel!
June 19, 2014
Sidekick is the surprise book of the year. It totally took me by surprise and exceeded expectations. Bremy is funny, sassy, kick ass and never takes herself too seriously. I found side kicked to be as charming as it was hilarious.
This book is a must read for anyone who ever put on a cape as a child and pretended to be a superhero.
Sidekick is pure escapist bliss that will not disappoint.
This book is a must read for anyone who ever put on a cape as a child and pretended to be a superhero.
Sidekick is pure escapist bliss that will not disappoint.
June 19, 2014
Review to appear on readinglark.blogspot.com on June 20th.
July 20, 2014
Great read.
July 26, 2023
Originally posted on Books are Delicious!
Sidekick takes everything you love about chick lit comedies like Bridget Jones’s Diary and throws them into the superhero realm. Author, Auralee Wallace delivers laughs, action and heart in her début novel.
Bremy St. James used to be an heiress; now she sleeps beside a toilet in a tiny apartment. She left her old life behind when she discovered the truth about her corrupt billionaire father, Atticus St. James. She has to fly under the radar, sacrificing money, fame and her close relationship with her twin sister to keep her father from finding her. Amidst the circus of Bremy’s life is an actual circus of ruthless villains wreaking havoc on the city and one hero to stand against them: her name is Dark Ryder and she’s a badass. Bremy is prepared to do whatever it takes to fight alongside Ryder, particularly once she discovers that her father is planning the crime of the century. Bremy will need to suit up and train hard if she is to have any chance at stopping Atticus from unleashing his vile plan on the world.
Bremy is hilarious as the first-person narrator of this superhero tale. She’s goofy and lovable. She also has a tendency to get in Ryder’s way and fall flat on her face. She’s a modern Lucille Ball with a utility belt.
While she misses the comforts of her former life, Bremy isn’t afraid to get dirty and never feels sorry for herself. She is also incredibly brave, throwing herself into the fray without superpowers or special armor to protect herself.
Her actions are also a little naïve, but that works for Bremy. She has always been sheltered and protected and she is somewhat unprepared for the big, bad city. However, no amount of kicks in the teeth sour her good-humored optimism. She not only prevails but inspires heroics in those around her. She’s the Mary Tyler Moore of superheroes.
Male readers may have trouble investing in this girl power adventure, though with boobies and wieners mentioned in the first chapter, anyone’s inner 12-year-old boy will be entertained.
A quick-witted and action-packed narrative, Sidekick is a perfect introduction for readers of contemporary women’s fiction to superheroes. A fun, light read that will have readers hooked from first page to final sentence. The conclusion is satisfying though it does feel somewhat abrupt, leaving readers wanting more. There is room here for a sequel or possibly a series. According to the author’s website, she is working on a follow-up book now. While Sidekick holds up as a standalone novel, I look forward to reading more adventures of Bremy St. James from this talented author soon.
*Netgalley provided me with a review copy of Sidekick in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was provided.
To see more of my reviews, visit my blog Books are Delicious!
Sidekick takes everything you love about chick lit comedies like Bridget Jones’s Diary and throws them into the superhero realm. Author, Auralee Wallace delivers laughs, action and heart in her début novel.
Bremy St. James used to be an heiress; now she sleeps beside a toilet in a tiny apartment. She left her old life behind when she discovered the truth about her corrupt billionaire father, Atticus St. James. She has to fly under the radar, sacrificing money, fame and her close relationship with her twin sister to keep her father from finding her. Amidst the circus of Bremy’s life is an actual circus of ruthless villains wreaking havoc on the city and one hero to stand against them: her name is Dark Ryder and she’s a badass. Bremy is prepared to do whatever it takes to fight alongside Ryder, particularly once she discovers that her father is planning the crime of the century. Bremy will need to suit up and train hard if she is to have any chance at stopping Atticus from unleashing his vile plan on the world.
Bremy is hilarious as the first-person narrator of this superhero tale. She’s goofy and lovable. She also has a tendency to get in Ryder’s way and fall flat on her face. She’s a modern Lucille Ball with a utility belt.
While she misses the comforts of her former life, Bremy isn’t afraid to get dirty and never feels sorry for herself. She is also incredibly brave, throwing herself into the fray without superpowers or special armor to protect herself.
Her actions are also a little naïve, but that works for Bremy. She has always been sheltered and protected and she is somewhat unprepared for the big, bad city. However, no amount of kicks in the teeth sour her good-humored optimism. She not only prevails but inspires heroics in those around her. She’s the Mary Tyler Moore of superheroes.
Male readers may have trouble investing in this girl power adventure, though with boobies and wieners mentioned in the first chapter, anyone’s inner 12-year-old boy will be entertained.
A quick-witted and action-packed narrative, Sidekick is a perfect introduction for readers of contemporary women’s fiction to superheroes. A fun, light read that will have readers hooked from first page to final sentence. The conclusion is satisfying though it does feel somewhat abrupt, leaving readers wanting more. There is room here for a sequel or possibly a series. According to the author’s website, she is working on a follow-up book now. While Sidekick holds up as a standalone novel, I look forward to reading more adventures of Bremy St. James from this talented author soon.
*Netgalley provided me with a review copy of Sidekick in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was provided.
To see more of my reviews, visit my blog Books are Delicious!
June 12, 2014
3.5/5
Mon avis en Français
My English review
The synopsis of the book immediately intrigued me when I read it. I have not yet had the chance to read a lot of books about superheroes but I’m more and more attracted to them.
Bremy St James left her family and her father trying to live her own life, away from the man she hates. But behind her, she also left her twin sister who does not really understand what is happening. Unfortunately, being away from her father also means forgetting all the money he shared with her, and therefore this is the beginning of the problems. Oh yes, because in addition to it, Brianna is really unlucky and quickly owes a large amount of money to very unsavory people. However, she meets Ryder, a vigilante, during a special event and our young heroine seems determined to become her apprentice. But then she is forced to keep her identity secret to avoid her father, so he doesn’t look too closely at it, but it finally seems impossible. Oh yes because the man seems determined to release a new technology that could change the world as she knows it. We don’t know at the beginning of the story why the girl decided to leave the life she had and I admit that I was very intrigued to discover the truth. Ultimately, it is true that I was not expecting that and I was quite surprised.
It was quite interesting to follow Bremy during her adventures. This girl really has no luck and I was impressed to see the situations in which she was able to be found. She is lively, enthusiastic and above all she always tries to do the best in her life. Fortunately for her, she finds many friends who can help her, whether Bart, the geek; Ryder herself although she did not really have a choice; Queenie a nice neighbor or Pierce, the charming reporter. Although I enjoyed the last one, I was quite surprised to see his naivety. It’s pretty rare to have men like that in books, but this is really the case here. However, he does not lack of charm and it was pretty cute to see him with Brianna. Regarding the father of the girl, I let you discover for yourself how much crazy he is, but I confess that I am curious to know what exactly the twin sister of heroine will become. Yes, because my feelings are quite vague about her.
It was an interesting book, but we have several questions. I think the second book will give us some answers.
Mon avis en Français
My English review
The synopsis of the book immediately intrigued me when I read it. I have not yet had the chance to read a lot of books about superheroes but I’m more and more attracted to them.
Bremy St James left her family and her father trying to live her own life, away from the man she hates. But behind her, she also left her twin sister who does not really understand what is happening. Unfortunately, being away from her father also means forgetting all the money he shared with her, and therefore this is the beginning of the problems. Oh yes, because in addition to it, Brianna is really unlucky and quickly owes a large amount of money to very unsavory people. However, she meets Ryder, a vigilante, during a special event and our young heroine seems determined to become her apprentice. But then she is forced to keep her identity secret to avoid her father, so he doesn’t look too closely at it, but it finally seems impossible. Oh yes because the man seems determined to release a new technology that could change the world as she knows it. We don’t know at the beginning of the story why the girl decided to leave the life she had and I admit that I was very intrigued to discover the truth. Ultimately, it is true that I was not expecting that and I was quite surprised.
It was quite interesting to follow Bremy during her adventures. This girl really has no luck and I was impressed to see the situations in which she was able to be found. She is lively, enthusiastic and above all she always tries to do the best in her life. Fortunately for her, she finds many friends who can help her, whether Bart, the geek; Ryder herself although she did not really have a choice; Queenie a nice neighbor or Pierce, the charming reporter. Although I enjoyed the last one, I was quite surprised to see his naivety. It’s pretty rare to have men like that in books, but this is really the case here. However, he does not lack of charm and it was pretty cute to see him with Brianna. Regarding the father of the girl, I let you discover for yourself how much crazy he is, but I confess that I am curious to know what exactly the twin sister of heroine will become. Yes, because my feelings are quite vague about her.
It was an interesting book, but we have several questions. I think the second book will give us some answers.
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