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Super Powereds #2
Super Powereds Year 2
Despite having their secret revealed, the residents of Melbrook Hall return to Lander University for another year in the Hero Certification Program. Good thing the focus of this year is teamwork, because with their origins known they'll have to lean on each other more than ever. Now finally sophomores, their curriculum expands, allowing them to train in the majors that Heroes specialize in. The new classes will test their minds, bodies, and determination in ways never anticipated. In a year filled with the unveiling of secrets, unexpected entanglements, and, of course, super-powered battles, who will be left standing is anyone's guess. Because if all that weren't enough, more light is being shed on last year's kidnapping attempt, and the results point at something far bigger than mere rogue educators. Something that isn't even close to being over with.
Audio CD
First published November 7, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 467 reviews
August 3, 2016
You know...I think I've enjoyed every book I've read by Drew Hayes. I snapped this one up as soon as it came out (at Audible). I also plan to do that with Year Three (if at all possible and assuming I'm alive and solvent of course).
We follow our Powereds who have become Supers into their next year at college and face the trials, tribulations and even bigotry that must be faced.
I like it and I recommend it.
We follow our Powereds who have become Supers into their next year at college and face the trials, tribulations and even bigotry that must be faced.
I like it and I recommend it.
October 20, 2019
This is a fantastic read! And it’s deceptive: it is very light, easy to read and full of humour. But it’s also really psychologically astute and the characters all have great depth and development. I can not recommend this series highly enough.
May 22, 2018
WORSE THAN THE FIRST
I checked the publication date on this series to see if it was maybe a work the author did long before his NPCs series, but no, both book 1 of super powereds and book 1 of NPCs came out in the same year. I was prompted to do this because this second volume is somehow even worse than year 1. Some questions from the first novel were answered ( identity of Chad and Vince's Dads, who arranged the kidnapping attempt, Nick's Master Plan, Alice's parents, etc ) but the answers were so much more disappointing than I could ever have imagined. Almost every revelation in this novel is just a massive gaping plot hole. It's totally inexcusable considering how many pages it took to reach them.
A bad plot can be saved by good characters, but there's no heroes here.
All the major characters actually get LESS interesting in this volume as any of the personalities they started the series with have eroded away completely until they're either Good Boy(TM) or Good Girl(TM). Almost all of the female characters have interchangeable dialogue, especially the minor ones ( Angela, Julia, Stella, Sasha, Violet all sound exactly the same and it's infuriating given they used to be different people ) but the major one's personalities all start drifting together too. Alice, Camille, and Sasha all have similar rage reactions at some point in the book despite us being told repeatedly they have totally different temperaments and so should REACT TO TRAUMA DIFFERENTLY. Nope, in the author's mind there's only one way people deal with grief and rage if they're ladies. There's also this through-line of women thirsting mightily over men that are indifferent about them which was kind of funny when it was just Julia in the first book. Now it's half the female cast ( Angela, Siren chick, Camile, Sasha, Alice ). You guys remember college right? How very hot girls would be like 'GOSH I WISH SOME SOCIALLY AWKWARD NERDY BOY WOULD SLEEP WITH ME' but all the socially awkward nerdy boys were like 'Nah I gotta do my studies and lift weights sorry ladies I'm not even a little interested in pussy.' Yup, that's how I remember college too. Ridiculous unrealistic obvious pandering is obvious. Of course other classics, like Spiderman, also have multiple girls chasing Peter but he usually initiates/reciprocates and they often have some sort of connection or common interest ( neighbors, science friends, journalism buds, her dad is the crime boss Pete has to take down, ) which makes it feel more real. In this book it's just chicks worshipping these guys and it's pretty gross.
Nick's master plan turns out to be totally idiotic and the dark plot he was alluding to have the entire time ends up not even existing, a super disappointing let down and no pay off for all the Anime-Style paragraphs of stroking Nick gives himself about his own brilliance during the series.
Alex, Shane, Thomas and Chad remain the same character in different outfits. Vince goes from boring to aggravating as all of his rivals are disposed of in the early chapters ( because fuck tension ) and any potential new rivalries are neutered before they even develop. Perhaps I could forgive no one challenging Vince if not for how many pages are dedicated to different characters pining over how ~special~ Vince is. I'll decide if he's special, don't keep telling me, that's bad writing. I adored Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, the kid who led the Steelheart series, Deku from BNHA, and almost all of the Marvel leads. I have NO PROBLEM with good, pure, strong boy leads who save the world. However, just show me instead of having Thomas, Nick, Mary, Alice, Camile, Dean Blaine, all the professors, and everyone else breathlessly telling me over and over and over and over again how great Vince is. Good god. The only interesting thing he does in the entire book is bomb a math test. Seriously, that's the BEST PLOT LINE in the entire book. It's established, there's tension, multiple approaches are taken, there's an nifty plot twist that takes advantage of them being superheroes, and a concise resolution. It's the only story line in this trainwreck of a series that's had three satisfying acts.
Rich, the 'I trapped a cat in it's own mind. Not sure if it worked.' guy from book 1, is the only character who grew more complex instead of regressing. I'm guessing that's just an unintentional side effect of him basically being Starscreamed now that the author's other least favorite character ( Michael ) is gone. Although I enjoy Rich he feels too much like a real person and is far too interesting to exist in this universe of cardboard cut-outs. He will be flattened too in book three, mark my words. Will could have been interesting except his story just disappears after a few scenes, so like, it was totally pointless.
Mr.Numbers and Mr.Transport, the only adult characters we cared about and our introduction into the universe, basically disappear for this volume which is shame because as I said they're the only adult characters with any appeal.
The world-building makes the world less sensical rather than more in this series. Vince's dad is basically Osama bin Laden and despite living in civilization this entire time Vince has never seen an image of him. Also, the law won't let them use a telepath without a warrant, but the student's memories are erased when they fail out of the program, which is way more invasive and makes way less sense. He tries to write it in so there's clean up teams and everything but you'd basically have to destroy every single polaroid that every single person took at all the huge rager parties all of the students attended, plus any cards and letters sent home and love notes and records of study groups and....
I say polaroid because despite this being published in 2014 I can't remember for sure if anyone uses a computer or has a cell phone. This is weird because this is a book about teenagers. Teenagers are addicted to their phones, always on them, and very concerned with online image management. Eve nif they can't have them in school ( which would be a dumb rule as it would mark anyone in the Hero program after the first week ), they'd use them during breaks.
Is this a period piece? Is it set in like the 70s? If so there needs to be more cues. Mentions of presidents, or music styles, popular films or fashions, the fact that a bunch of kids are low key freaking out they have a black student in their classes, something. I don't think it's set in the 1970s because there was that gay token characters that was Nick's girlfriend's pal in book 1 and no one seemed to have any reaction, but then again it could just be the author's total misunderstanding of living with oppression and prejudice.
Oh, and it's not like anyone would seek out a failed student and reignite a relationship with evidence right? This policy essentially turns Lander into a factory for churning out super villains.
BACK TO THE PREJUDICE THING.
We were promised lots of tension from the reveal in the last book. Our previously powered friends were outed. X-Men and Generator Rex, both series that address uncontrollable abilities and the fallout of them, are two of my favorite superhero franchises of all time and I was SOOOO excited to finally see him address the ideas he introduced in book one.
Nope.
We don't have time to actually have any of their classmates react negatively to this bombshell that they're from a pariah social group. For one, that would be too much tension for this book and god knows we don't want that. For two, it would take away from pages spent pining over Vince and/or alcohol. ( Seriously, notice how many scenes in which booze is adoring described or central to the interactions even when it doesn't make any sense to that specific character. Halfway through the novel I was beginning to think that author had a problem, and I went to a party college. Many drank a little but the kids that talked about booze this much are now alcoholics having their mid-life crisis. Also, friend just informed me that in third book instead of getting cool jobs that would work well with their powers they all work in a bar, which only deepens my suspicions. )
Sure, the characters talk about how oppression exists, but it never actually happens to anyone. Sasha breaks up with Vince but gets over it pretty quick, and since it turned out she didn't break up with him because he was a former powered but instead because Vince lied to her that's not oppression. Also, everyone else yells at her, because you know if there is a loathed social caste it's because of that one in ten person being a jerk, not the majority holding ignorant beliefs, right?
Michael was a bigot but he had no redeeming qualities and now he's gone. Rich is bigoted against humans, but Rich is portrayed an idiotic punching bag the entire novel... WHICH ISN'T THE WAY PREJUDICE AFFECTS PEOPLE. Handsome, articulate, charming, popular people can be bigoted as hell, and a lot of the time they're in power, that's what makes it such a challenge. If grown-ass adults freaked over little black girls walking to a school with little white kids in the 1960s to the point of the national guard needing to be called in or we're evicting perfectly pleasant trans people from the military because their crotchs aren't what we want them to be, what makes you think everyone is going to super chill with Vince and Nick who have caused multiple lethal accidents in their histories and could kill dozens of people as an oopsie? Also everyone's really okay with Alex and Mary even though people today flip out if you unlock their phone to glance at it without permission and Mary and Alex and basically always snooping in people's brains but for some reason everyone's just like 'cool man go ahead and root around in my deepest personal feelings no prob'.
Look, it's a fantasy book. If you don't want oppression as part of your universe just like you don't want to follow the rules of physics, that's fine! But if you DO include prejudice as a plot line, don't minimize it or make it seem like no big deal. Even if you're of the dominant race/gender/religion in your area, surely you can find a moment you were rejected and explore those feelings to make something sincere. Something real. Dig into those sensations of isolation and exclusion, of being treated less, truly use them. This handling of the idea, where we say the character is oppressed but then have literally everyone in their class come over to Alice's summer home for a week-long bender, or to the on-campus party they're prominent guests at, or all the Freshmen still attend the River Trip despite Mary Chaperoning, or everyone coming to their karaoke event, or... you get the picture.
Never do they feel any backlash for their status so it might as well not even exist. If that's the way the author thinks prejudice works no wonder he made Stella the women's studies major a blubbering idiot in the first volume. He truly doesn't get it, and it's really disappointing he wrote gnomes and orcs with more realistic trials than his humans. it's not even like it's that hard to do in the superhero genre, even if your leads are male and white. Look at all the crap Peter Parker goes through because of his small size and the whole poverty thing. In the cinematic universe, he's also straining against the pressure of his age and perceived age discrimination. Hell, being ugly is enough of a thing even ( Though of course our entire cast is gorgeous, because again, we wouldn't want tension so only baddies are unattractive. )
I don't usually do hate reads. I read the first one because I liked NPCs. I read the second one because all of my lingering good will had not been burned through yet. Now it has. I will not read the third or fourth volume, ever. This series fails on all levels. As a superhero story, there's not enough superhero stuff happening. As a college or slice of life story, the characters are too weak to carry it or make us care about their relationships. As a world building or setting novel it's garbage because what the author tells us and what actually happens don't align at all and the universe itself is incoherent. It's too dry to be a cartoony comedy and it's too shallow to be a drama. The mysteries suck and are riddled with plot holes. it's just a bad, bad novel and you'd be better off listening or reading just about anything else by a published author. Two terrible novels in a row have really wilted the blossoming trust I had with this author after his three good NPC books. I'm wondering if they were good at all or if I just wasn't listening closely. This novel is so inept it's making me doubt merit of the previous work I've read by the author.
The only reason I don't give it 1 star is because there were some good sentence level jokes scattered here and there that made me chuckle.
I checked the publication date on this series to see if it was maybe a work the author did long before his NPCs series, but no, both book 1 of super powereds and book 1 of NPCs came out in the same year. I was prompted to do this because this second volume is somehow even worse than year 1. Some questions from the first novel were answered ( identity of Chad and Vince's Dads, who arranged the kidnapping attempt, Nick's Master Plan, Alice's parents, etc ) but the answers were so much more disappointing than I could ever have imagined. Almost every revelation in this novel is just a massive gaping plot hole. It's totally inexcusable considering how many pages it took to reach them.
A bad plot can be saved by good characters, but there's no heroes here.
All the major characters actually get LESS interesting in this volume as any of the personalities they started the series with have eroded away completely until they're either Good Boy(TM) or Good Girl(TM). Almost all of the female characters have interchangeable dialogue, especially the minor ones ( Angela, Julia, Stella, Sasha, Violet all sound exactly the same and it's infuriating given they used to be different people ) but the major one's personalities all start drifting together too. Alice, Camille, and Sasha all have similar rage reactions at some point in the book despite us being told repeatedly they have totally different temperaments and so should REACT TO TRAUMA DIFFERENTLY. Nope, in the author's mind there's only one way people deal with grief and rage if they're ladies. There's also this through-line of women thirsting mightily over men that are indifferent about them which was kind of funny when it was just Julia in the first book. Now it's half the female cast ( Angela, Siren chick, Camile, Sasha, Alice ). You guys remember college right? How very hot girls would be like 'GOSH I WISH SOME SOCIALLY AWKWARD NERDY BOY WOULD SLEEP WITH ME' but all the socially awkward nerdy boys were like 'Nah I gotta do my studies and lift weights sorry ladies I'm not even a little interested in pussy.' Yup, that's how I remember college too. Ridiculous unrealistic obvious pandering is obvious. Of course other classics, like Spiderman, also have multiple girls chasing Peter but he usually initiates/reciprocates and they often have some sort of connection or common interest ( neighbors, science friends, journalism buds, her dad is the crime boss Pete has to take down, ) which makes it feel more real. In this book it's just chicks worshipping these guys and it's pretty gross.
Nick's master plan turns out to be totally idiotic and the dark plot he was alluding to have the entire time ends up not even existing, a super disappointing let down and no pay off for all the Anime-Style paragraphs of stroking Nick gives himself about his own brilliance during the series.
Alex, Shane, Thomas and Chad remain the same character in different outfits. Vince goes from boring to aggravating as all of his rivals are disposed of in the early chapters ( because fuck tension ) and any potential new rivalries are neutered before they even develop. Perhaps I could forgive no one challenging Vince if not for how many pages are dedicated to different characters pining over how ~special~ Vince is. I'll decide if he's special, don't keep telling me, that's bad writing. I adored Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, the kid who led the Steelheart series, Deku from BNHA, and almost all of the Marvel leads. I have NO PROBLEM with good, pure, strong boy leads who save the world. However, just show me instead of having Thomas, Nick, Mary, Alice, Camile, Dean Blaine, all the professors, and everyone else breathlessly telling me over and over and over and over again how great Vince is. Good god. The only interesting thing he does in the entire book is bomb a math test. Seriously, that's the BEST PLOT LINE in the entire book. It's established, there's tension, multiple approaches are taken, there's an nifty plot twist that takes advantage of them being superheroes, and a concise resolution. It's the only story line in this trainwreck of a series that's had three satisfying acts.
Rich, the 'I trapped a cat in it's own mind. Not sure if it worked.' guy from book 1, is the only character who grew more complex instead of regressing. I'm guessing that's just an unintentional side effect of him basically being Starscreamed now that the author's other least favorite character ( Michael ) is gone. Although I enjoy Rich he feels too much like a real person and is far too interesting to exist in this universe of cardboard cut-outs. He will be flattened too in book three, mark my words. Will could have been interesting except his story just disappears after a few scenes, so like, it was totally pointless.
Mr.Numbers and Mr.Transport, the only adult characters we cared about and our introduction into the universe, basically disappear for this volume which is shame because as I said they're the only adult characters with any appeal.
The world-building makes the world less sensical rather than more in this series. Vince's dad is basically Osama bin Laden and despite living in civilization this entire time Vince has never seen an image of him. Also, the law won't let them use a telepath without a warrant, but the student's memories are erased when they fail out of the program, which is way more invasive and makes way less sense. He tries to write it in so there's clean up teams and everything but you'd basically have to destroy every single polaroid that every single person took at all the huge rager parties all of the students attended, plus any cards and letters sent home and love notes and records of study groups and....
I say polaroid because despite this being published in 2014 I can't remember for sure if anyone uses a computer or has a cell phone. This is weird because this is a book about teenagers. Teenagers are addicted to their phones, always on them, and very concerned with online image management. Eve nif they can't have them in school ( which would be a dumb rule as it would mark anyone in the Hero program after the first week ), they'd use them during breaks.
Is this a period piece? Is it set in like the 70s? If so there needs to be more cues. Mentions of presidents, or music styles, popular films or fashions, the fact that a bunch of kids are low key freaking out they have a black student in their classes, something. I don't think it's set in the 1970s because there was that gay token characters that was Nick's girlfriend's pal in book 1 and no one seemed to have any reaction, but then again it could just be the author's total misunderstanding of living with oppression and prejudice.
Oh, and it's not like anyone would seek out a failed student and reignite a relationship with evidence right? This policy essentially turns Lander into a factory for churning out super villains.
BACK TO THE PREJUDICE THING.
We were promised lots of tension from the reveal in the last book. Our previously powered friends were outed. X-Men and Generator Rex, both series that address uncontrollable abilities and the fallout of them, are two of my favorite superhero franchises of all time and I was SOOOO excited to finally see him address the ideas he introduced in book one.
Nope.
We don't have time to actually have any of their classmates react negatively to this bombshell that they're from a pariah social group. For one, that would be too much tension for this book and god knows we don't want that. For two, it would take away from pages spent pining over Vince and/or alcohol. ( Seriously, notice how many scenes in which booze is adoring described or central to the interactions even when it doesn't make any sense to that specific character. Halfway through the novel I was beginning to think that author had a problem, and I went to a party college. Many drank a little but the kids that talked about booze this much are now alcoholics having their mid-life crisis. Also, friend just informed me that in third book instead of getting cool jobs that would work well with their powers they all work in a bar, which only deepens my suspicions. )
Sure, the characters talk about how oppression exists, but it never actually happens to anyone. Sasha breaks up with Vince but gets over it pretty quick, and since it turned out she didn't break up with him because he was a former powered but instead because Vince lied to her that's not oppression. Also, everyone else yells at her, because you know if there is a loathed social caste it's because of that one in ten person being a jerk, not the majority holding ignorant beliefs, right?
Michael was a bigot but he had no redeeming qualities and now he's gone. Rich is bigoted against humans, but Rich is portrayed an idiotic punching bag the entire novel... WHICH ISN'T THE WAY PREJUDICE AFFECTS PEOPLE. Handsome, articulate, charming, popular people can be bigoted as hell, and a lot of the time they're in power, that's what makes it such a challenge. If grown-ass adults freaked over little black girls walking to a school with little white kids in the 1960s to the point of the national guard needing to be called in or we're evicting perfectly pleasant trans people from the military because their crotchs aren't what we want them to be, what makes you think everyone is going to super chill with Vince and Nick who have caused multiple lethal accidents in their histories and could kill dozens of people as an oopsie? Also everyone's really okay with Alex and Mary even though people today flip out if you unlock their phone to glance at it without permission and Mary and Alex and basically always snooping in people's brains but for some reason everyone's just like 'cool man go ahead and root around in my deepest personal feelings no prob'.
Look, it's a fantasy book. If you don't want oppression as part of your universe just like you don't want to follow the rules of physics, that's fine! But if you DO include prejudice as a plot line, don't minimize it or make it seem like no big deal. Even if you're of the dominant race/gender/religion in your area, surely you can find a moment you were rejected and explore those feelings to make something sincere. Something real. Dig into those sensations of isolation and exclusion, of being treated less, truly use them. This handling of the idea, where we say the character is oppressed but then have literally everyone in their class come over to Alice's summer home for a week-long bender, or to the on-campus party they're prominent guests at, or all the Freshmen still attend the River Trip despite Mary Chaperoning, or everyone coming to their karaoke event, or... you get the picture.
Never do they feel any backlash for their status so it might as well not even exist. If that's the way the author thinks prejudice works no wonder he made Stella the women's studies major a blubbering idiot in the first volume. He truly doesn't get it, and it's really disappointing he wrote gnomes and orcs with more realistic trials than his humans. it's not even like it's that hard to do in the superhero genre, even if your leads are male and white. Look at all the crap Peter Parker goes through because of his small size and the whole poverty thing. In the cinematic universe, he's also straining against the pressure of his age and perceived age discrimination. Hell, being ugly is enough of a thing even ( Though of course our entire cast is gorgeous, because again, we wouldn't want tension so only baddies are unattractive. )
I don't usually do hate reads. I read the first one because I liked NPCs. I read the second one because all of my lingering good will had not been burned through yet. Now it has. I will not read the third or fourth volume, ever. This series fails on all levels. As a superhero story, there's not enough superhero stuff happening. As a college or slice of life story, the characters are too weak to carry it or make us care about their relationships. As a world building or setting novel it's garbage because what the author tells us and what actually happens don't align at all and the universe itself is incoherent. It's too dry to be a cartoony comedy and it's too shallow to be a drama. The mysteries suck and are riddled with plot holes. it's just a bad, bad novel and you'd be better off listening or reading just about anything else by a published author. Two terrible novels in a row have really wilted the blossoming trust I had with this author after his three good NPC books. I'm wondering if they were good at all or if I just wasn't listening closely. This novel is so inept it's making me doubt merit of the previous work I've read by the author.
The only reason I don't give it 1 star is because there were some good sentence level jokes scattered here and there that made me chuckle.
April 18, 2014
Damn. Now I am gonna go into withdraws. The shakes are already starting.
I have been searching a long time for brilliant super hero books and I found them with Drew Hayes Super Powereds. These are brilliant and fun. The characters are deep and fleshed out, yet we only see a tantalizing bit of what makes each of them tick. That is because EVERYONE'S motivations and goals are in question.
Who is really cut out to be a hero? Who is learning to be a hero for the right reasons? Who is at Lander University for the wrong reasons?
There are some real mover and shaker beings behind the scenes, and in this, the second book of a wonderful series, we start to see their shadows looming over everything we believe to be real.
I want to know so very much more about this world of superheroes, its history and its extent, its shadowy corporations and its elite heroes. The reason I want to know more is because on every level, its characters are brilliant and very human drama unfolds from their every movement.
I am going to go out on a limb as say that Nick Campbell deserves his own series, and despite the events at the end of this story, he is far from out of the picture.
Awesome job, Drew. Give us more!
I have been searching a long time for brilliant super hero books and I found them with Drew Hayes Super Powereds. These are brilliant and fun. The characters are deep and fleshed out, yet we only see a tantalizing bit of what makes each of them tick. That is because EVERYONE'S motivations and goals are in question.
Who is really cut out to be a hero? Who is learning to be a hero for the right reasons? Who is at Lander University for the wrong reasons?
There are some real mover and shaker beings behind the scenes, and in this, the second book of a wonderful series, we start to see their shadows looming over everything we believe to be real.
I want to know so very much more about this world of superheroes, its history and its extent, its shadowy corporations and its elite heroes. The reason I want to know more is because on every level, its characters are brilliant and very human drama unfolds from their every movement.
I am going to go out on a limb as say that Nick Campbell deserves his own series, and despite the events at the end of this story, he is far from out of the picture.
Awesome job, Drew. Give us more!
April 13, 2021
I really am enjoying this series. The author does a great job with character development. I love all the different superhero powers. I really enjoy watching the different characters evolve as they learn their powers and new powers emerge. It is an enjoyable and entertaining listen. The only thing that is annoying is the terrible language. I feel like it was worse in the first book, but still there in this one. I get it that these are college students and their initial response is to drop the f bomb; that doesn't make it any better. Foul language is just rude, ugly and show a lack of being able to express yourself in other ways, which is really sad.
The characters are really well done; I love each one and their different personalities and powers. I have enjoyed as each of them have grown and evolved into themselves. They each have their own flaws and strengths are all better together than apart. They watch out for each other. It has really been fun following them through the years. I'm looking forward to the next one.
The narrator has been good, although I have enjoyed this time around better than the first book. I took some advice from other reviews to listen at 1.5 speed; it was definitely better.
The characters are really well done; I love each one and their different personalities and powers. I have enjoyed as each of them have grown and evolved into themselves. They each have their own flaws and strengths are all better together than apart. They watch out for each other. It has really been fun following them through the years. I'm looking forward to the next one.
The narrator has been good, although I have enjoyed this time around better than the first book. I took some advice from other reviews to listen at 1.5 speed; it was definitely better.
April 23, 2025
I binged this book.
Was it extremely cringy? Yes. Did I read some of the negative reviews about book one and find myself agreeing with them more and more? Yes. However, it is such an easy book to listen to.
It is quite similar to book one: this one is just more centered on team work which actually created a lot of group dynamics which I am always a sucker for!
Nick really had his time to shine as we all know he’s great at manipulating people - spotting their strengths and weaknesses.
I think, because I listened to these back to back in such a short amount of time, it kind of feels just like one looooong story.
And when I say long, I mean 1,350+ pages.
As I tend to listen to it whilst doing other things or late at night when I have insomnia, it doesn’t matter as much that the plot feels repetitive or stagnant.
However, I do have to say: there is so much telling and not showing.
Plus, the amount of times the author will say something, and then repeat it overtly just to make sure you get the point, is annoying and getting more so as I notice it more and more (yes, I have already finished book 3).
Finally, the hormones of teenagers ughhhh.
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Was it extremely cringy? Yes. Did I read some of the negative reviews about book one and find myself agreeing with them more and more? Yes. However, it is such an easy book to listen to.
It is quite similar to book one: this one is just more centered on team work which actually created a lot of group dynamics which I am always a sucker for!
Nick really had his time to shine as we all know he’s great at manipulating people - spotting their strengths and weaknesses.
I think, because I listened to these back to back in such a short amount of time, it kind of feels just like one looooong story.
And when I say long, I mean 1,350+ pages.
As I tend to listen to it whilst doing other things or late at night when I have insomnia, it doesn’t matter as much that the plot feels repetitive or stagnant.
However, I do have to say: there is so much telling and not showing.
Plus, the amount of times the author will say something, and then repeat it overtly just to make sure you get the point, is annoying and getting more so as I notice it more and more (yes, I have already finished book 3).
Finally, the hormones of teenagers ughhhh.
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July 17, 2020
Rating 5.0 stars
Re-read April 2019. This is my favorite book out of the series. Original review below.
I loved this book. Sometimes I overthink my ratings and try to justify what I feel with what I think, or vice versa. Rating this book 5 stars does not mean I think this is a great literary work of art. Sometimes I rate books on their quality, and sometimes I rate them on how how much I like them. Those two are are not always the same. I have the same opinion about movies. I can appreciate a movie like Schindler's list as being a great work of art. However, I am much more likely to watch Die Hard for the 20th time because of how much I like it. A movie like Shawshank redemption would be the best of both worlds. This book absolutely falls into the the "Die Hard" category. It is not a great work of art, but I loved it. I listened to the audiobook (which is 31 hours long) and I finished it in only 5 days (which is more than 6 hours of listening each day). Once I realized that, my rating was a no brainer.
I was surprised at how much I loved this book. I really liked the first book but there were things that I thought could make it better. For the most part, everything I was hoping the author would change from the first book was addressed in this book. It was like the author read my review from the first book and decided to make changes based on that review (wouldn't that be awesome if something like that could actually happen).
There are many reasons that I liked this book so much better than the first one. I was very comfortable with all the characters that I liked from the first book. I thought they were kind of simplistic in the first book, but I still liked them. In this book, there was more depth of the characters. We find out more about each characters back story and the motivations that made them the way the are. This did not make the characters complex or anything, but it did add just enough of a different dimension to make me more interested. The first book was fun, this was fun and interesting.
Secondly, the Powers were expanded. I felt in the first book that there was not enough explanation about the power. Mainly with Vince, and Alice's powers. I had suspicions in the first book the extent of each person's powers and how they worked, but it was not addressed as in depth as I would have wanted. My suspicions were correct, and while this book still did not go into great detail again with how each power worked, there was more than in the first book.
Thirdly, the story. The first book was mainly about a bunch of kids with superpowers going to College and learning how to be heroes. For the most part that is all that happened. The kids went to training, the went to parties and they went to class. Rinse and repeat. There wasn't anything grand or complex with the story. While this was a fun read, I would not call it a great read. This book however, immediately had more substance in the fact that everyone now knows that the group of Nick, Alice, Roy, Mary, and Vince used to be "powered". They have to deal with the prejudice of being different. The have to deal with their friends, who they lied to all year. They also have to deal with the people that are no longer their friends, as well as the people who didn't like them in the first place. Again, this part of the story isn't too in depth but it does add much more dimension to the story. Also, there is more to the overall story and not just what is going on at the college. We find out more about Vince's dad, about why Mary was kidnapped and why (though not completely).
The training in this book was more about team work instead of individual training. This involved more of a strategic aspect than the first book as well, which again added another dimensional layer to the story. Each person builds on his own power and has a specific role in the team. I think Nick was at the same time the most interesting character, as well as the one I least understood. In my opinion I could not understand his motivation for being at the College. He is one of the only characters I felt did not grow at all with his powers or his skill. His non superpowered skill was so amazing that I was left to wonder why he started in the program to begin with and what he expected to get out of his time there.
Again, I loved this book and I am planning on starting the next audiobook right away.
Re-read April 2019. This is my favorite book out of the series. Original review below.
I loved this book. Sometimes I overthink my ratings and try to justify what I feel with what I think, or vice versa. Rating this book 5 stars does not mean I think this is a great literary work of art. Sometimes I rate books on their quality, and sometimes I rate them on how how much I like them. Those two are are not always the same. I have the same opinion about movies. I can appreciate a movie like Schindler's list as being a great work of art. However, I am much more likely to watch Die Hard for the 20th time because of how much I like it. A movie like Shawshank redemption would be the best of both worlds. This book absolutely falls into the the "Die Hard" category. It is not a great work of art, but I loved it. I listened to the audiobook (which is 31 hours long) and I finished it in only 5 days (which is more than 6 hours of listening each day). Once I realized that, my rating was a no brainer.
I was surprised at how much I loved this book. I really liked the first book but there were things that I thought could make it better. For the most part, everything I was hoping the author would change from the first book was addressed in this book. It was like the author read my review from the first book and decided to make changes based on that review (wouldn't that be awesome if something like that could actually happen).
There are many reasons that I liked this book so much better than the first one. I was very comfortable with all the characters that I liked from the first book. I thought they were kind of simplistic in the first book, but I still liked them. In this book, there was more depth of the characters. We find out more about each characters back story and the motivations that made them the way the are. This did not make the characters complex or anything, but it did add just enough of a different dimension to make me more interested. The first book was fun, this was fun and interesting.
Secondly, the Powers were expanded. I felt in the first book that there was not enough explanation about the power. Mainly with Vince, and Alice's powers. I had suspicions in the first book the extent of each person's powers and how they worked, but it was not addressed as in depth as I would have wanted. My suspicions were correct, and while this book still did not go into great detail again with how each power worked, there was more than in the first book.
Thirdly, the story. The first book was mainly about a bunch of kids with superpowers going to College and learning how to be heroes. For the most part that is all that happened. The kids went to training, the went to parties and they went to class. Rinse and repeat. There wasn't anything grand or complex with the story. While this was a fun read, I would not call it a great read. This book however, immediately had more substance in the fact that everyone now knows that the group of Nick, Alice, Roy, Mary, and Vince used to be "powered". They have to deal with the prejudice of being different. The have to deal with their friends, who they lied to all year. They also have to deal with the people that are no longer their friends, as well as the people who didn't like them in the first place. Again, this part of the story isn't too in depth but it does add much more dimension to the story. Also, there is more to the overall story and not just what is going on at the college. We find out more about Vince's dad, about why Mary was kidnapped and why (though not completely).
The training in this book was more about team work instead of individual training. This involved more of a strategic aspect than the first book as well, which again added another dimensional layer to the story. Each person builds on his own power and has a specific role in the team. I think Nick was at the same time the most interesting character, as well as the one I least understood. In my opinion I could not understand his motivation for being at the College. He is one of the only characters I felt did not grow at all with his powers or his skill. His non superpowered skill was so amazing that I was left to wonder why he started in the program to begin with and what he expected to get out of his time there.
Again, I loved this book and I am planning on starting the next audiobook right away.
March 4, 2018
SUCH a fabulous series.
I was at the edge of my seat for so much of the book.
I love the characters so much. I swear this series just works so well for me.
Part of the reason I love sci-fi and fantasy stories so much is that you can then put every other genre into those stories. This book is an excellent example of that. It doesn't incorporate EVERY single genre, but it has a beautiful blend of different genres, as well as light and dark.
I enjoyed this book much more than the last, but I suspect that primarily has to do with the fact that I know the characters better. I tend to find that when I reread a series, I love it puts my thoughts into perspective as to which books I prefer.
In this book, they also focus on the challenges that the characters need to complete, and this was one of my favourite parts. I'm now able to understand people who yell at the tv while watching sports better. During those challenges, I wanted to shout and cheer. Even on the re-read, I felt giddy reading those scenes.
I highly recommend this book to everyone.
Read 2016
Re-read 2017
I was at the edge of my seat for so much of the book.
I love the characters so much. I swear this series just works so well for me.
Part of the reason I love sci-fi and fantasy stories so much is that you can then put every other genre into those stories. This book is an excellent example of that. It doesn't incorporate EVERY single genre, but it has a beautiful blend of different genres, as well as light and dark.
I enjoyed this book much more than the last, but I suspect that primarily has to do with the fact that I know the characters better. I tend to find that when I reread a series, I love it puts my thoughts into perspective as to which books I prefer.
In this book, they also focus on the challenges that the characters need to complete, and this was one of my favourite parts. I'm now able to understand people who yell at the tv while watching sports better. During those challenges, I wanted to shout and cheer. Even on the re-read, I felt giddy reading those scenes.
I highly recommend this book to everyone.
Read 2016
Re-read 2017
December 23, 2022
Our main characters are in Year 2 of college and their Hero Certification program. This year for the kids it is all about team work while trying to preserve their spot to make it through to the fourth year. Their secret as powered is exposed and they have to work doubly hard to preserve friendships and ignore those who don't think they are good enough.
I think I'm most surprised by Hershel and Roy. Glad Hershel approached Dad and found out Hershel needs to work out and get himself into shape in order for Roy to progress. Are these two going to combine into one person one of these days. It's sad they can't forgive their father and have a relationship but he did abandon them for a different lifestyle. I'm not surprised about Nick but I do think he'll be back for Year 3. I know Nick does things for all the right reasons, but I think his lack of trust in his team mates, his refusing to reveal his true self most of the time, contributes to some of their problems. But he is a teenager? Or is he just posing as one? Never quite sure about that. Disappointed in Camille hiding her true abilities from Vince. How will he feel when he does find out? Vince is way too forgiving of Rich and Nick. I would probably feel betrayed by their actions and take longer to get over them. Alice and Mary are learning to be team players, plus learning how to use their abilities. The rest of the sub characters and the adults all have something to hide, some more than others, which feeds into not only the lessons, but their lives. Looking forward to Year 3.
I think I'm most surprised by Hershel and Roy. Glad Hershel approached Dad and found out Hershel needs to work out and get himself into shape in order for Roy to progress. Are these two going to combine into one person one of these days. It's sad they can't forgive their father and have a relationship but he did abandon them for a different lifestyle. I'm not surprised about Nick but I do think he'll be back for Year 3. I know Nick does things for all the right reasons, but I think his lack of trust in his team mates, his refusing to reveal his true self most of the time, contributes to some of their problems. But he is a teenager? Or is he just posing as one? Never quite sure about that. Disappointed in Camille hiding her true abilities from Vince. How will he feel when he does find out? Vince is way too forgiving of Rich and Nick. I would probably feel betrayed by their actions and take longer to get over them. Alice and Mary are learning to be team players, plus learning how to use their abilities. The rest of the sub characters and the adults all have something to hide, some more than others, which feeds into not only the lessons, but their lives. Looking forward to Year 3.
April 8, 2018
I listened to the he audio and so first off I'd like to say this narrator is spectacular! One of the best I've ever had the pleasure to listen to.
Drew Hayes writes characters that you will love, you can relate to, and you watch grow. This is not a common thing in books today. Far too many books have characters that are overly flawed and that you can't stand and that never grow over multiple books.
The stories grow with the characters and you wait on the edge of your seat to see what will happen next. Read these books. I wish I'd had these books when I was younger I think they will open a whole new world of reading to younger people and they are well written enough to draw anyone of any age. From his NPC series for fantasy geeks, his Fred the Vqmpire Accountant books for Horror geeks, and this series for the superhero geeks he has something for anyone to love.
Drew Hayes writes characters that you will love, you can relate to, and you watch grow. This is not a common thing in books today. Far too many books have characters that are overly flawed and that you can't stand and that never grow over multiple books.
The stories grow with the characters and you wait on the edge of your seat to see what will happen next. Read these books. I wish I'd had these books when I was younger I think they will open a whole new world of reading to younger people and they are well written enough to draw anyone of any age. From his NPC series for fantasy geeks, his Fred the Vqmpire Accountant books for Horror geeks, and this series for the superhero geeks he has something for anyone to love.
December 2, 2021
Reading this book is akin to a Real Housewives binge, it may be poorly lit and badly scripted, but you HAVE to watch the next episode. That being said. I do think Mr. Hayes made significant improvements between Book 1 and 2 👏
I am starting to truly enjoy the characters and hope the next book is the one that makes me fall in love. The first and second dates were alright, so I’m letting Mr. Hayes take me on a third before I figure out if I like it.
The good
-Characters were much more fleshed out
-MC was sidelined by his much more interesting (though sometimes annoying) best friend
-Less sexism
-Some gay rep
The bad
-One of the main women characters is completely defined by her crush on a guy. Almost to the exclusion of all else
-The MC
-Would love just a bit more action
Starting book 3 now. God help me
I am starting to truly enjoy the characters and hope the next book is the one that makes me fall in love. The first and second dates were alright, so I’m letting Mr. Hayes take me on a third before I figure out if I like it.
The good
-Characters were much more fleshed out
-MC was sidelined by his much more interesting (though sometimes annoying) best friend
-Less sexism
-Some gay rep
The bad
-One of the main women characters is completely defined by her crush on a guy. Almost to the exclusion of all else
-The MC
-Would love just a bit more action
Starting book 3 now. God help me
February 25, 2021
4.5/5
SUPER POWEREDS: YEAR TWO is a book that I immediately picked up after the first volume of the series. I very much enjoyed the adventures of the Landers academy students and was interested in picking up the story after they successfully fought off their first supervillain. In this case, they have been exposed as ex-Powereds and it's interesting that this isn't the all-consuming issue that I expected it to be. Most of their friends eventually roll with it and the ones who can't are people who feel betrayed by their unwillingness to share it. We also get a lot more manipulation and plotting by Nick, who in another life would have made a very successful supervillain. I actually liked this one more than the original but I also feel like the formatting issues have remained the same, sadly. It's just distracting.
SUPER POWEREDS: YEAR TWO is a book that I immediately picked up after the first volume of the series. I very much enjoyed the adventures of the Landers academy students and was interested in picking up the story after they successfully fought off their first supervillain. In this case, they have been exposed as ex-Powereds and it's interesting that this isn't the all-consuming issue that I expected it to be. Most of their friends eventually roll with it and the ones who can't are people who feel betrayed by their unwillingness to share it. We also get a lot more manipulation and plotting by Nick, who in another life would have made a very successful supervillain. I actually liked this one more than the original but I also feel like the formatting issues have remained the same, sadly. It's just distracting.
October 20, 2018
My annoyance for Vince just grows more and more each chapter. The day he kills off that character is the day I'll finally give his book/s 5 stars. It's unrealistic poor character development. He basically overdid it just to prove a point. Very amateur.
March 11, 2018
It was good, just like the last book.
Once again, Hayes does a decent job of telling a tale about 5 college kids with powers going through a semi-normal school year, on top of dealing with some bits of drama affecting them from the outside world.
One of my biggest reasons for not giving this story 5 stars is the fact that the drama between characters never *quite* got me. Hayes cuts a lot of situations short in this story, whether its the emotional development of a character, a relationship development between characters, or even fight scenes. He always does a good job and creates interesting situations, but for most situations I feel like he pulls punches. Things get resolved a bit too quickly, people fall in love or make up without much interaction needing to take place. It makes things feel more shallow than they might otherwise.
This likely comes from the sheer size of the 'cast' he is trying to cover ground for, as well as for the time he dedicates for somewhat stupid stuff I talk about below. I understand rushing things for side characters, but the main crew should be given more time for readers to really *care* about whats happening to them and what predicaments they're going through.
Hayes also suffers from a couple *major* issues throughout the novel as well. The biggest being sheer amount of excess verbiage he uses to describe some scenarios as part of the narration, which end up needlessly dragging out MANY portions of the story and obfuscating relatively simply ideas.
And no, as an audio book listener, I'm not just talking about the crazy amount of 'he said' and 'she said's I have to tune out the whole time.
One example would be from Hershel training, in which Hayes decides that instead of saying something along the lines of, "Hershel was sweating more than he ever thought possible", he goes on a long diatribe of something like, 'To say Hershel was sweating a lot would be doing an injustice to the situation...blah blah... not only was he coated in sweat like a layer on his skin, but he was constantly perspiring so that the sweat ran down his skin so that it was incessantly being replaced by fresh sweat... etc etc."
It took over 30 seconds for the narrator to tell us that basically Hershel was sweating a lot. Things like this throughout the whole book took away (minor) from the overall experience, as that time could've been cut out and thus been less boring, or even used to add more detail to character interactions.
Another issue Hayes subjected the reader to, especially towards the end of the book, was making odd premonition-type pieces of narration in the middle of critical moments in the story. If someone is fighting, he would suddenly go into detail about how 'X person' couldn't have known this in the moment, but when they looked back they would 'blah blah' and it affect them for months to come. He did this multiple times throughout the story, sometimes nearly back-to-back with each other. Sometimes he'd use this to explain how or why something worked out the way it did, but most of the time it just came off as random insights into what someone would think in the future. Readers can insinuate for themselves that, yes, getting beaten in a way that you hadn't expected would off course lead to the character dwelling on it into the future. We don't need this information each time Hayes unless it affects the main characters or the story as a whole.
And every time Hayes writes anything, whether in regards to the issues above or parts of the normal story, he is overly wordy and uses far too many roundabout methods of articulating very simple descriptions. I appreciate authors being creative with their writing and their ideas, but making an effort to describe a very simple idea in a needlessly complex manner can really take the wind out of a reader's sails when done too frequently.
TLDR; Hayes writes another fun year to the Powered's story, adding a couple new twists and turns. Despite being a bit annoying with his wordy descriptions and pointless analogies in some situations, he does a good job entertaining his audience with a huge story. He could definitely spend more time focusing on more meaningful drama and character interactions, as well as describing fights better, rather than dragging out somewhat pointless conversations a bit too much. However his attention to descriptors when narrating scenes really helps reader's picture what's going on.
Fun read.
Once again, Hayes does a decent job of telling a tale about 5 college kids with powers going through a semi-normal school year, on top of dealing with some bits of drama affecting them from the outside world.
One of my biggest reasons for not giving this story 5 stars is the fact that the drama between characters never *quite* got me. Hayes cuts a lot of situations short in this story, whether its the emotional development of a character, a relationship development between characters, or even fight scenes. He always does a good job and creates interesting situations, but for most situations I feel like he pulls punches. Things get resolved a bit too quickly, people fall in love or make up without much interaction needing to take place. It makes things feel more shallow than they might otherwise.
This likely comes from the sheer size of the 'cast' he is trying to cover ground for, as well as for the time he dedicates for somewhat stupid stuff I talk about below. I understand rushing things for side characters, but the main crew should be given more time for readers to really *care* about whats happening to them and what predicaments they're going through.
Hayes also suffers from a couple *major* issues throughout the novel as well. The biggest being sheer amount of excess verbiage he uses to describe some scenarios as part of the narration, which end up needlessly dragging out MANY portions of the story and obfuscating relatively simply ideas.
And no, as an audio book listener, I'm not just talking about the crazy amount of 'he said' and 'she said's I have to tune out the whole time.
One example would be from Hershel training, in which Hayes decides that instead of saying something along the lines of, "Hershel was sweating more than he ever thought possible", he goes on a long diatribe of something like, 'To say Hershel was sweating a lot would be doing an injustice to the situation...blah blah... not only was he coated in sweat like a layer on his skin, but he was constantly perspiring so that the sweat ran down his skin so that it was incessantly being replaced by fresh sweat... etc etc."
It took over 30 seconds for the narrator to tell us that basically Hershel was sweating a lot. Things like this throughout the whole book took away (minor) from the overall experience, as that time could've been cut out and thus been less boring, or even used to add more detail to character interactions.
Another issue Hayes subjected the reader to, especially towards the end of the book, was making odd premonition-type pieces of narration in the middle of critical moments in the story. If someone is fighting, he would suddenly go into detail about how 'X person' couldn't have known this in the moment, but when they looked back they would 'blah blah' and it affect them for months to come. He did this multiple times throughout the story, sometimes nearly back-to-back with each other. Sometimes he'd use this to explain how or why something worked out the way it did, but most of the time it just came off as random insights into what someone would think in the future. Readers can insinuate for themselves that, yes, getting beaten in a way that you hadn't expected would off course lead to the character dwelling on it into the future. We don't need this information each time Hayes unless it affects the main characters or the story as a whole.
And every time Hayes writes anything, whether in regards to the issues above or parts of the normal story, he is overly wordy and uses far too many roundabout methods of articulating very simple descriptions. I appreciate authors being creative with their writing and their ideas, but making an effort to describe a very simple idea in a needlessly complex manner can really take the wind out of a reader's sails when done too frequently.
TLDR; Hayes writes another fun year to the Powered's story, adding a couple new twists and turns. Despite being a bit annoying with his wordy descriptions and pointless analogies in some situations, he does a good job entertaining his audience with a huge story. He could definitely spend more time focusing on more meaningful drama and character interactions, as well as describing fights better, rather than dragging out somewhat pointless conversations a bit too much. However his attention to descriptors when narrating scenes really helps reader's picture what's going on.
Fun read.
March 20, 2023
Absolutely fantastic! Easily my favorite book so far this year.
June 21, 2019
This book suffered pretty much all the same standard issues as the first book but going into it expecting that, it didn't bother me nearly as much. I already liked the characters and the world so that helped me ignore and enjoy. It's a fun, light-hearted read with a fun concept, an interesting cast and a story that moves it along. Totally worth the time if, as a reader, you can get over the mistakes Drew Hayes seems to think are below fixing but if you are a perfectionist then it may really not be your book.
Also I am still impressed with Kyle McCarley as a narrator for this series. There is such a huge cast of voices and he really does an amazing job not doubling up hardly ever. I was a bit hesitant at first but McCarley has been winning me over one hour at a time. I am quite impressed.
Also I am still impressed with Kyle McCarley as a narrator for this series. There is such a huge cast of voices and he really does an amazing job not doubling up hardly ever. I was a bit hesitant at first but McCarley has been winning me over one hour at a time. I am quite impressed.
February 8, 2024
WOW! That was good
The second book is Damn good. If you're looking ahead to see if it's worth starting the series, I give an enthusiastic YES!
UPDATE 5 years later:
This series isn't as good as I remember it. That's not to say it's bad... although there are some assaults on the English language. ...and a few plot holes.
If you are in a dark place. If your heart can't take any more negativity. If you are sick to death of Grimdark, everybody dies, no use in trying books than this is a fine antidote.
If on the other hand you you can't stand soap opera, shmaltz, sitcom versions of nerd culture, or writing that is tediously over verbose, you might not like this.
I really needed it back in 2019. I'm rereading it now and I can see why I liked it... but I'm not as impressed this time around.
If you still love Buffy & Firefly this might kindle some of the same feelings.
The second book is Damn good. If you're looking ahead to see if it's worth starting the series, I give an enthusiastic YES!
UPDATE 5 years later:
This series isn't as good as I remember it. That's not to say it's bad... although there are some assaults on the English language. ...and a few plot holes.
If you are in a dark place. If your heart can't take any more negativity. If you are sick to death of Grimdark, everybody dies, no use in trying books than this is a fine antidote.
If on the other hand you you can't stand soap opera, shmaltz, sitcom versions of nerd culture, or writing that is tediously over verbose, you might not like this.
I really needed it back in 2019. I'm rereading it now and I can see why I liked it... but I'm not as impressed this time around.
If you still love Buffy & Firefly this might kindle some of the same feelings.
July 4, 2017
This book flowed much better than the first. High-pace, developing characters, and a few laughs along the way made for very entertaining reading. However, one of the main protagonists is showing so little character development that sympathy for the character is hard to feel. Plus, often Hayes tries to be overly witty with descriptive metaphors, similes, etc, that either do not make any sense or fall very flat and show immaturity in writing that has been edited out of his more recent books. This may come from the way the book was initially written and published on the internet. In other words, there's a bit of word vomit.
If you're looking for other Hayes books, Fred the Vampire series is amazing as well as Pears and Perils. And the Superpowered spinoff Corpies is really incredible.
If you're looking for other Hayes books, Fred the Vampire series is amazing as well as Pears and Perils. And the Superpowered spinoff Corpies is really incredible.
February 11, 2020
Re-read 11-2-2020
Still just as good. Now just noticing more detail than I did before.
---------------------------------------------------
Year 2 is just as good if not better.
The secrets of the Melbrook students is out and things are not all well. The HCP is swarming with rumours of what happened last year and the former Powered students are forced to confront friends and enemies as they enter the new year. A year focused on specializing and teamwork. Not an easy task when half the student population is out to get them.
Drew Hayes did it again. Year 2 is one of the best books I've read this year. The characters keep gaining more depth, as little by little the word expands and slowly historie is unveiled.
In short full marks on: Characters, Story and Writing.
Still just as good. Now just noticing more detail than I did before.
---------------------------------------------------
Year 2 is just as good if not better.
The secrets of the Melbrook students is out and things are not all well. The HCP is swarming with rumours of what happened last year and the former Powered students are forced to confront friends and enemies as they enter the new year. A year focused on specializing and teamwork. Not an easy task when half the student population is out to get them.
Drew Hayes did it again. Year 2 is one of the best books I've read this year. The characters keep gaining more depth, as little by little the word expands and slowly historie is unveiled.
In short full marks on: Characters, Story and Writing.
February 25, 2022
I dropped the book after reading about a third of it.
I like the premise.
I like the characters, even if they aren't quite as developed as they should have been at this point.
But the pacing is just as slow as the pacing of the first book and nothing truly important seems to have happened so far.
I like the premise.
I like the characters, even if they aren't quite as developed as they should have been at this point.
But the pacing is just as slow as the pacing of the first book and nothing truly important seems to have happened so far.
July 5, 2017
4.5 stars.
I got completely invested in this book...
I got completely invested in this book...
October 30, 2024
What a roller coaster! I love the power of friendship.
November 14, 2025
my most favorite ever. favorite book of favorite series oh wowwwwwww
January 1, 2023
I've been in a bit of a reading slump. I keep reading things because I'm supposed to, and not necessarily because I want to. I picked this up because I knew it would be fluffy. This is not a book that is going to make you grow as a person - it is pure popcorn entertainment. I know, shocking! I'm allowed to have fun while I read?! It cured my book blues for sure.
I liked this even more than the first one. I laughed out loud a couple of times just from the little things the characters did; now that I've spent SIXTY HOURS listening to their antics, it's like we have inside jokes.
My favorite character is still Nick and after THAT ENDING I have to know what is going to become of him. I'll probably cruise over to the next 30-hour audiobook soon, but I want to give myself a short break to forget the author's writing quirks that drive me absolutely bonkers.
I liked this even more than the first one. I laughed out loud a couple of times just from the little things the characters did; now that I've spent SIXTY HOURS listening to their antics, it's like we have inside jokes.
My favorite character is still Nick and after THAT ENDING I have to know what is going to become of him. I'll probably cruise over to the next 30-hour audiobook soon, but I want to give myself a short break to forget the author's writing quirks that drive me absolutely bonkers.
July 20, 2022
★★★★★
_____________
wow, I was entertained during all this book, and flabbergasted in lots of moments, great!
May 23, 2024
10/10. I really enjoyed this book from the first page to the last. It takes the greatness of the second half of book one and keeps it going.
August 12, 2022
Liked it even better than the first, now that I know the characters 3.75 stars
February 21, 2018
The Melbrook crew has been outed as former powereds, but they've come back for Sophomore year. Things are different now. They've lost some friends. They've strengthened other friendships. Sophomore year lets them stretch out and learn about their powers and about the kinds of things they need to know to be heroes.
I really like the first book. I loved the second book.
I have some quibbles. The story expanded to give us glimpses of many of the students outside of Melbrook, as well as many of the teachers/adults around them. It made the story a little more sprawling and a little less focused. But I loved all of the characters, so learning more about them was great, but it was a little hard to keep up with all of them. Especially the ones who just pop up to remind you they still exist.
That's even harder when you're doing it as an audiobook. It's harder (impossible) to look back to remind yourself who someone is and how they fit in.
Story-line, several things moved in directions I liked. I haven't decided how I feel about the ending, but the set-up for the next round has me very excited.
I really like the first book. I loved the second book.
I have some quibbles. The story expanded to give us glimpses of many of the students outside of Melbrook, as well as many of the teachers/adults around them. It made the story a little more sprawling and a little less focused. But I loved all of the characters, so learning more about them was great, but it was a little hard to keep up with all of them. Especially the ones who just pop up to remind you they still exist.
That's even harder when you're doing it as an audiobook. It's harder (impossible) to look back to remind yourself who someone is and how they fit in.
Story-line, several things moved in directions I liked. I haven't decided how I feel about the ending, but the set-up for the next round has me very excited.
July 21, 2024
I cannot express to you how much this series means to me. I simultaneously love and hate that Drew Hayes is an independent publisher. I love being able to support one of my favorite artists directly but hate that he doesn't get the clout he deserves. This series in particular plays freely in my head on a daily basis. The characters are fantastic. The plot is intricate and twisty. The setting is familiar but also magical. It's just all the things I want in a story. I wish more people would read these because THEY ARE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED! I would also recommend literally ANY of Drew Hayes other series. His little publishing company also works with other independent authors. PLEASE READ THESE BOOKS!
January 29, 2018
Year 2 is just as good if not better.
The secrets of the Melbrook students is out and things are not all well. The HCP is swarming with rumours of what happened last year and the former Powered students are forced to confront friends and enemies as they enter the new year. A year focused on specializing and teamwork. Not an easy task when half the student population is out to get them.
Drew Hayes did it again. Year 2 is one of the best books I've read this year. The characters keep gaining more depth, as little by little the word expands and slowly historie is unveiled.
In short full marks on: Characters, Story and Writing.
The secrets of the Melbrook students is out and things are not all well. The HCP is swarming with rumours of what happened last year and the former Powered students are forced to confront friends and enemies as they enter the new year. A year focused on specializing and teamwork. Not an easy task when half the student population is out to get them.
Drew Hayes did it again. Year 2 is one of the best books I've read this year. The characters keep gaining more depth, as little by little the word expands and slowly historie is unveiled.
In short full marks on: Characters, Story and Writing.
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