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Refraction
Max Jackson is your typical teenage boy, concentrating on his classes at school and being accepted into a good university after graduation. There’s just the small matter of the bomb in his basement, one Max and his fellow members of the “Injustice League” plan to use to level their city’s unethical government. Too bad superhero Crush Goodman puts a stop to their plans. Max understands why Crush would steal the League’s doomsday device, but why is Crush following him around and acting like they’re friends? When the reprehensible Doctor Decay butts his head into Max’s business, Max has to figure out how to save the city he’s always worked to destroy—with or without Crush’s help.
52 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2016
4 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Hayden Scott
3 books2 followersHayden Scott grew up, very reluctantly, on a farm in the middle of nowhere. She spent her time climbing trees and playing in the dirt until the day she discovered books, at which point she holed up inside her imagination and never came out again. She prefers to believe the whole phrase is, “Jack of all trades, master of none, certainly better than master of one,” because it makes her feel better about being interested in almost everything. She would definitely have time to study all those things, if only she didn’t need to sleep.
Hayden likes magic, adventure, romance, and puns. She has no idea where she is going but hopes that writing stories will make the journey more interesting.
Hayden likes magic, adventure, romance, and puns. She has no idea where she is going but hopes that writing stories will make the journey more interesting.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 26, 2016
The fact that villains are flawed is not exactly a secret. But in this story the author has taken that a step further, and developed a situation where superheroes have flaws as well. As a result, the world she builds is one full of ethical conundrums, universal truths suddenly questioned, and a group of people - or rather superhumans - who are bitterly divided along the lines of good versus evil. In this world, superheroes exist without the benefit of a secret identity and supervillains are the ones fighting the good fight and trying to protect “the people” against corrupt officials out to take advantage of them. This upside-down morality (as compared with traditional superhero-dom) is very much in line with today’s world where “the government” does not always act in the best interests of the majority they supposedly represent, and where corrupt politicians at all levels throw a spanner in the works of anyone trying to decide what is right and what is wrong. Max’s mother explains the need for supervillains very succinctly, right before the final confrontation: “Our society has been conditioned to believe being tracked and controlled and powerless is normal. We offer more than that.”
Max is a pretty typical teenager, well, except for the supervillain bit. His mother is the typical “professor in the throes of invention” when she works on her doomsday device in the basement, and a great fighter when facing the superheroes who are trying to stop them from activating the bomb. Max also has a lot to worry about - he has to keep his identity secret if he wants a college education since colleges don’t like supervillains among their attendees. And then there is Crush, a boy his age who happens to be a superhero and his constant adversary, except in school, where they are both just boys.
Max’s struggle to make sense of the world has happened – he knows that the city council is corrupt and why he and his mother are fighting them. What is less clear to Max is why Crush annoys him above and beyond being his archenemy, and how to make him see the error of his ways. This story tells the tale of the two boys growing up a little as they begin to make their own decisions and devise their own rules. Aside from being great fun and very tongue-in-cheek, this adventure has a beautiful message about the importance of not believing everything you are told, and about the need to figure out your own values.
If you like superheroes and want to see what happens when they have to deal with today’s reality, if the perspective of a teenager on world events sounds interesting, and if you’re looking for an entertaining read with a thought-provoking message, then you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by Harmony Ink Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Max is a pretty typical teenager, well, except for the supervillain bit. His mother is the typical “professor in the throes of invention” when she works on her doomsday device in the basement, and a great fighter when facing the superheroes who are trying to stop them from activating the bomb. Max also has a lot to worry about - he has to keep his identity secret if he wants a college education since colleges don’t like supervillains among their attendees. And then there is Crush, a boy his age who happens to be a superhero and his constant adversary, except in school, where they are both just boys.
Max’s struggle to make sense of the world has happened – he knows that the city council is corrupt and why he and his mother are fighting them. What is less clear to Max is why Crush annoys him above and beyond being his archenemy, and how to make him see the error of his ways. This story tells the tale of the two boys growing up a little as they begin to make their own decisions and devise their own rules. Aside from being great fun and very tongue-in-cheek, this adventure has a beautiful message about the importance of not believing everything you are told, and about the need to figure out your own values.
If you like superheroes and want to see what happens when they have to deal with today’s reality, if the perspective of a teenager on world events sounds interesting, and if you’re looking for an entertaining read with a thought-provoking message, then you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by Harmony Ink Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
August 5, 2017
A cute YA story with likable characters. It's a pity that it's so short.
October 2, 2016
Whatever's going on here looks fun.
Merged review:
Short and super cute
3.5 stars!
This was such fun! I was giggling throughout!
You guys, there was a curly haired AA mom & son supervillain team! Like where has this been all of my life?!
I really enjoyed this but I wish the author lingered more on the development of the relationship between Crush & Max, especially since Crush even approaching Max was so out of the left field for Max.
In short, this would have been better if longer and with some actual world building.
Would I recommend this? Yes!
Would I continue in this series? Yes! Especially if there's more Max & Crush goodness to be found!
Merged review:
Short and super cute
3.5 stars!
This was such fun! I was giggling throughout!
You guys, there was a curly haired AA mom & son supervillain team! Like where has this been all of my life?!
I really enjoyed this but I wish the author lingered more on the development of the relationship between Crush & Max, especially since Crush even approaching Max was so out of the left field for Max.
In short, this would have been better if longer and with some actual world building.
Would I recommend this? Yes!
Would I continue in this series? Yes! Especially if there's more Max & Crush goodness to be found!
April 25, 2018
A quick and delightful read. Excessively hilarious on occasion. An all around good time.
January 19, 2020
3.5 stars
April 13, 2022
Delightful, but pretty short. Love how our villainous protagonist
November 8, 2016
This title was originally reviewed for Prism Book Alliance®
I want to see this story as a graphic novel. Not just because it would make a kick as graphic novel (it is super hero vs villain after all) but also because the visual would help fill in the blanks that the scene jumps left out.
For complete Review see http://www.prismbookalliance.com/?p=4...
March 31, 2016
Book – Refraction
Author – Hayden Scott
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages - 52
Movie Potential – ★★★★★ (Think Sky High, but better)
Ease of reading – very easy to read
Would I read it again – YES!
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
This was amazing! It was such a fantastic Young Adult story, with plenty of character development, a kick-ass plot and and still suitable for all ages.
It has action.
It has drama.
It has teen romance.
Oh, and it has a really AWESOME cover!
There were Superheroes. Supervillains. Super complicated romantic entanglements and lots and lots of cheese-tastic goodies. Think classic Comic books, geek fuelled, high octane, ridiculous superhero vs supervillain drama, with a dash of young adult hormones.
We have a strong, independent, African American supervillain of a lead character in Max, who is all kinds of snark, opinions, hormones and more. Then we have the blonde, perfect superhero Crush, who lives up to his name in more ways than one. Together, as Max and Crush, they're awkward teens, trying to bridge the gap between popular and unpopular, with developing new feelings for each other. As Dynaman (who can fly!) and The Crush (with great powers of strength), they're highly invested Arch Enemies.
In this, you get a superhero you can be proud of and a supervillain you wish you were brave enough to be! What more could you ask for?
~
Favourite Quote
“Max felt a grin bust out of his face. “This was great. We should go home, though!”
“Okay, just let me grab my–Max!” screamed Crush as Max pushed him off the building.
“Don't worry,” Max shouted, “I'll catch you!” and dived off the roof after him.”
Author – Hayden Scott
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages - 52
Movie Potential – ★★★★★ (Think Sky High, but better)
Ease of reading – very easy to read
Would I read it again – YES!
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
This was amazing! It was such a fantastic Young Adult story, with plenty of character development, a kick-ass plot and and still suitable for all ages.
It has action.
It has drama.
It has teen romance.
Oh, and it has a really AWESOME cover!
There were Superheroes. Supervillains. Super complicated romantic entanglements and lots and lots of cheese-tastic goodies. Think classic Comic books, geek fuelled, high octane, ridiculous superhero vs supervillain drama, with a dash of young adult hormones.
We have a strong, independent, African American supervillain of a lead character in Max, who is all kinds of snark, opinions, hormones and more. Then we have the blonde, perfect superhero Crush, who lives up to his name in more ways than one. Together, as Max and Crush, they're awkward teens, trying to bridge the gap between popular and unpopular, with developing new feelings for each other. As Dynaman (who can fly!) and The Crush (with great powers of strength), they're highly invested Arch Enemies.
In this, you get a superhero you can be proud of and a supervillain you wish you were brave enough to be! What more could you ask for?
~
Favourite Quote
“Max felt a grin bust out of his face. “This was great. We should go home, though!”
“Okay, just let me grab my–Max!” screamed Crush as Max pushed him off the building.
“Don't worry,” Max shouted, “I'll catch you!” and dived off the roof after him.”
June 5, 2018
3/5 stars
I really loved how this looked at morality and the reasons behind becoming a hero/villain, I get really tired of always watching and reading things where the hero is all good and justified while the villain is super evil and don't really have any backstory or drive beyond being evil. Reading from the point of view of a supervillain felt great, honestly. It makes me want to do a blogpost on my favourite media on my favourite villains and vigilantes (Megamind and Jason Todd would 100% be on that list, and Captain Cold from the Flash TV show).
This would've been great as a longer book. More development of the romance, more of a look at the world, things like that that I felt were underdeveloped. However, this really holds up, and I'm glad I finally read it!
I really loved how this looked at morality and the reasons behind becoming a hero/villain, I get really tired of always watching and reading things where the hero is all good and justified while the villain is super evil and don't really have any backstory or drive beyond being evil. Reading from the point of view of a supervillain felt great, honestly. It makes me want to do a blogpost on my favourite media on my favourite villains and vigilantes (Megamind and Jason Todd would 100% be on that list, and Captain Cold from the Flash TV show).
This would've been great as a longer book. More development of the romance, more of a look at the world, things like that that I felt were underdeveloped. However, this really holds up, and I'm glad I finally read it!
April 6, 2016
A quick, fun read. If you've read any M/M fanfiction, you've probably read similar stories, although this was still fairly fresh and clever. I wish the author had motivated Crush's interest in Max a little better (or at all, really), but the romance was as sweet and awkward as I could have hoped.
June 21, 2016
This was weird but in a very good way. Loved the mc, Max, and the cover is great. It caught my attention. And I love reading books about minority mc. My only quibble is that I wish this had been longer.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews