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Luca Wexler has grown up in a world where superheroes are a staple of the nightly news. At seventeen years old, with eight years of hero training, a scrappy attitude, and a mountain of sass - he figures that's everything he needs to make it big as The Avalon Knight. (Behind his dad's back.)
Even though his trainer keeps him on the streets of San Francisco to break up muggings or the occasional burglary, he somehow gets thrust into a supervillain crisis! (Okay, he might have accidentally-on-purpose thrust himself into it.) A genius hacker and social media celebrity - known only as The Gentleman - is behind a network of blackmail, extortion, exploitation, and whole lot of secret plans for The City. But seeing as how America's A-List superheroes are all MIA, Luca's the only one who can do anything about it.
He's used to picking fights with bigger guys (he's smol but mighty), but as the situation turns deadly, Luca begins to get the feeling that he might (absolutely) be in over his head.
Even though his trainer keeps him on the streets of San Francisco to break up muggings or the occasional burglary, he somehow gets thrust into a supervillain crisis! (Okay, he might have accidentally-on-purpose thrust himself into it.) A genius hacker and social media celebrity - known only as The Gentleman - is behind a network of blackmail, extortion, exploitation, and whole lot of secret plans for The City. But seeing as how America's A-List superheroes are all MIA, Luca's the only one who can do anything about it.
He's used to picking fights with bigger guys (he's smol but mighty), but as the situation turns deadly, Luca begins to get the feeling that he might (absolutely) be in over his head.
428 pages, Paperback
Published October 8, 2021
15 people are currently reading
407 people want to read
About the author
N.T. Herrgott
1 book33 followersN.T. HERRGOTT is a faun who has been part of too many fandoms, drinks too much coffee, avoids too many phone calls, and writes too many words. The latter inevitably end up in a ‘removed sections’ folder on his computer, where he promises himself they will work their way into a sequel.
When not writing fiction, he is a YouTube video-essay writer, photographer, graphic designer, bad player of video games, tree connoisseur, cute animal tweeter, and — most importantly — an avid daydreamer.
When not writing fiction, he is a YouTube video-essay writer, photographer, graphic designer, bad player of video games, tree connoisseur, cute animal tweeter, and — most importantly — an avid daydreamer.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 4, 2022
I really, really wanted to like this book. I'm a huge fan of James Somerton's YouTube channel, which the author writes for. Plus, who doesn't love a transmasc bisexual superhero? But oh boy, this wasn't great. Spoilers incoming.
The only thing really good thing about this book is Luca. I really liked Luca. He's got a strong character voice, he's well developed, and he breathes life into a story that's otherwise not great. He doesn't really change or grow at all through out the story, but he's entertaining to read about at least.
My major takeaway is that this book desperately needed an editor. The pacing is off, there are dropped plot points all over the place (), information is casually mentioned like it's come up before when it hasn't (), there are weird time skips, important scenes are described to us instead of shown (), there are basic technical mistakes (), and oh my god the ellipses. I almost stopped reading because of the ellipses and dashes alone. They are gratuitous and extremely distracting. Genuinely, if you just took out like 90% of the f***ing ellipses, I would've given this three stars.
There were also some choice moments that really bothered me. The "hey fellow kids" energy was particularly strong in one moment where "clapemoji" was literally written out in dialog. There's also the time when Also, we find out that
Also, the politics. They're very Tumblr-esque. Between this and the other glaring technical inaccuracies, my assumption is that the author knows very little about the tech space, despite choosing to write a book with tech as a central motif.
The final nail in the coffin for me was when
Clearly I could go on. But TL;DR: the protagonist is great. It's unfortunate that he's trapped in a story that makes very little sense and which should've been about half as long as it is.
The only thing really good thing about this book is Luca. I really liked Luca. He's got a strong character voice, he's well developed, and he breathes life into a story that's otherwise not great. He doesn't really change or grow at all through out the story, but he's entertaining to read about at least.
My major takeaway is that this book desperately needed an editor. The pacing is off, there are dropped plot points all over the place (), information is casually mentioned like it's come up before when it hasn't (), there are weird time skips, important scenes are described to us instead of shown (), there are basic technical mistakes (), and oh my god the ellipses. I almost stopped reading because of the ellipses and dashes alone. They are gratuitous and extremely distracting. Genuinely, if you just took out like 90% of the f***ing ellipses, I would've given this three stars.
There were also some choice moments that really bothered me. The "hey fellow kids" energy was particularly strong in one moment where "clapemoji" was literally written out in dialog. There's also the time when Also, we find out that
Also, the politics. They're very Tumblr-esque. Between this and the other glaring technical inaccuracies, my assumption is that the author knows very little about the tech space, despite choosing to write a book with tech as a central motif.
The final nail in the coffin for me was when
Clearly I could go on. But TL;DR: the protagonist is great. It's unfortunate that he's trapped in a story that makes very little sense and which should've been about half as long as it is.
October 10, 2021
I received a free copy of the book to give an honest review. Just letting you know before you read this
(~￣³￣)~
I have a bit of a thing with fiction books these days- I can't read them. I burnt myself on reading fiction when I was younger and now I can't finish fiction books, or so I thought...Until I started this book. Which I managed to finish in one sitting. Like the old days.
I also happen to have a bit of a thing with most trans representation. It always feels too straight and too #masc for me to be able to relate to.
At this point of my life, I am done with sad queer stories where characters do nothing but suffer- Their queerness is only valid if they are suffering, because, apparently, we can't have good lives. This book isn't like that, and it had me crying at times at the spark of recognition of finally having a trans character I could relate to (which is always nice and I really wish I could send it to younger me) but is also...just doing fine on life.
On Luca Wexler I feel seen, like truly seen in a character for the first time. Because many of the experiences Luca goes through, I went through. It doesn’t feel stereotypical, but rather accurate- I have had the same conversations as Luca has with other characters, I have been in those scenarios, I know what they feel like, I know what it is like to be trans at 17 and struggle with the “Should I tell them about that?”, not knowing if men who were attracted to me were attracted to me as a guy but rather as a masculine girl they felt was like one of the boys but didn’t belong to the boy’s group. And if it wasn’t me directly, it has been other trans people I know. That’s very hard to find. Trans representation that is actually like what it is to be trans and not what people think it is like.
...Well, except the whole vigil thing. Which, let’s talk about that for a while since it’s a very cool concept and...almost underground world? The way that world works is very fascinating to read, especially from Luca’s perspective, who is the son of a retired vigil and is secretly being trained by his dad’s friend ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Anyway, trans superheroes are very cool.
But not only is Luca cool, the antagonist also is very cool. You know those antagonists you have mixed feelings on? Not because you look at them and think they look cool but completely disagree with their morals, no, more because you look at them and you find yourself agreeing with what they have to say? And you are like, yeah, well, I agree with them but not with their ways- But then you think about it and you are okay with those ways, but then not, but then you are again and you keep repeating this cycle of not knowing where you lie? That’s exactly the Gentleman.
That is exactly, the Gentleman.
Because, honestly, who wouldn’t agree with a tumblr sexy man ranting about gentrification in San Francisco? And one that uses kaomojis? Somebody who is painted as the villain by all those people you disagree with? (◕‿◕)
I also think it is very interesting to explore figures like the Gentleman and what they mean to us, this idealization of people who are still alive, turning them into pop culture idols you see on stickers and shirts instead of people we listen to but...that’s like a whole different thing and I’m not going to turn this entire thing into a long essay.
There are many interesting characters and concepts in this world that I can’t wait to read more about what’s gonna happen in the future to Luca but especially, the world after the Gentleman’s actions.
But also, this is a book I feel young trans people need to read. Luca's transness isn't what defines him but is still an important part of his life and his experiences. Luca shows that we can have trans characters that aren't suffering all the time because they are trans and oh, the old "stuck in the wrong body" narrative and it's always depressing and they are always crying.
Because that is wrong, we don't have to be sad and suffering all the time to be valid- Trans characters can be more, and should be more than suffering, because trans people are more than suffering. We can be anything we want.
We can even be heroes.
(~￣³￣)~
I have a bit of a thing with fiction books these days- I can't read them. I burnt myself on reading fiction when I was younger and now I can't finish fiction books, or so I thought...Until I started this book. Which I managed to finish in one sitting. Like the old days.
I also happen to have a bit of a thing with most trans representation. It always feels too straight and too #masc for me to be able to relate to.
At this point of my life, I am done with sad queer stories where characters do nothing but suffer- Their queerness is only valid if they are suffering, because, apparently, we can't have good lives. This book isn't like that, and it had me crying at times at the spark of recognition of finally having a trans character I could relate to (which is always nice and I really wish I could send it to younger me) but is also...just doing fine on life.
On Luca Wexler I feel seen, like truly seen in a character for the first time. Because many of the experiences Luca goes through, I went through. It doesn’t feel stereotypical, but rather accurate- I have had the same conversations as Luca has with other characters, I have been in those scenarios, I know what they feel like, I know what it is like to be trans at 17 and struggle with the “Should I tell them about that?”, not knowing if men who were attracted to me were attracted to me as a guy but rather as a masculine girl they felt was like one of the boys but didn’t belong to the boy’s group. And if it wasn’t me directly, it has been other trans people I know. That’s very hard to find. Trans representation that is actually like what it is to be trans and not what people think it is like.
...Well, except the whole vigil thing. Which, let’s talk about that for a while since it’s a very cool concept and...almost underground world? The way that world works is very fascinating to read, especially from Luca’s perspective, who is the son of a retired vigil and is secretly being trained by his dad’s friend ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Anyway, trans superheroes are very cool.
But not only is Luca cool, the antagonist also is very cool. You know those antagonists you have mixed feelings on? Not because you look at them and think they look cool but completely disagree with their morals, no, more because you look at them and you find yourself agreeing with what they have to say? And you are like, yeah, well, I agree with them but not with their ways- But then you think about it and you are okay with those ways, but then not, but then you are again and you keep repeating this cycle of not knowing where you lie? That’s exactly the Gentleman.
That is exactly, the Gentleman.
Because, honestly, who wouldn’t agree with a tumblr sexy man ranting about gentrification in San Francisco? And one that uses kaomojis? Somebody who is painted as the villain by all those people you disagree with? (◕‿◕)
I also think it is very interesting to explore figures like the Gentleman and what they mean to us, this idealization of people who are still alive, turning them into pop culture idols you see on stickers and shirts instead of people we listen to but...that’s like a whole different thing and I’m not going to turn this entire thing into a long essay.
There are many interesting characters and concepts in this world that I can’t wait to read more about what’s gonna happen in the future to Luca but especially, the world after the Gentleman’s actions.
But also, this is a book I feel young trans people need to read. Luca's transness isn't what defines him but is still an important part of his life and his experiences. Luca shows that we can have trans characters that aren't suffering all the time because they are trans and oh, the old "stuck in the wrong body" narrative and it's always depressing and they are always crying.
Because that is wrong, we don't have to be sad and suffering all the time to be valid- Trans characters can be more, and should be more than suffering, because trans people are more than suffering. We can be anything we want.
We can even be heroes.
November 23, 2018
I took some debating, where originally I had this rated as a two star because I rounded down from 2.5, but it deserves more than that.
The premise of this book immediately had me interested; vigilante superheroes, cyber sleuthing and hacking villains, and a diverse cast that has a transgender superhero. In a city where superheros are the norm, of course there will be teenagers who are exploring vigilante work and trying to become heroes as well. The fact that the main character is transgender I find so important, because I've never seen that done before. While I couldn't connect with the character personally, I can only imagine the people this could reach and the representation they could find from having a strong character.
My main issue with this book, and this is taking in to consideration a first time novel, is that the story was a bit meandering. While directed to young adults, it felt like there was too much time spent exploring the high school aspect of the character, rather than exploring the superhero side of the character. It made the pacing not only a bit slow, but it felt a bit jumbled; almost as though we could have had two entirely different stories going on in the same novel. A bit more focus would have gone a long way, for me personally. But it still touched on some fun plot points, and I did enjoy it - it just needed more direction. And, again, for me personally, more action. I could have done without any school interactions whatsoever, and had just a badass superhero the whole time and I would have been perfectly content. But that's not a fair thing to review on, I'm just imagining what I want in a book in the future now.
Finally, my real issue with the book, that has absolutely nothing to do with plot, or story, or even really writing style. I'm going to preface this with saying I am not an English major - I just really like reading. I write reviews for fun, and I don't mind finding the occasional typo or spelling mistake. Shit happens, and the fact that someone is writing anything that can be published in impressive enough for me to overlook most mistakes. But this was riddled with mistakes - and they really started to irk me. I wanted to find myself a red pen, and circle every time 'loose' was written instead of lose. I counted how many ellipses were on one page at a given time, and I think I got up to fifteen at one point. I just wish more editing had gone in to the story, because finding so many mistakes, and generally obvious ones, were really jarring to me and that also made me lose focus while reading it. Had the writing been a little more edited, and solidly put together, all of my concerns about the book would have gone away. The story behind it, and the idea of it were ones that I desperately wanted to love.
As well, so as to not discourage anyone from reading it, because ultimately it was a fun, enjoyable book; I was not the target audience for it. Young adults will be plenty more forgiving that I am, they'll be able to relate more to it, and in some cases they'll find the representation they themselves need. And just for that alone, I hope to see more work by Herrgott, and I hope to see this reach more people. But maybe after a red pen hits in a few more times...
The premise of this book immediately had me interested; vigilante superheroes, cyber sleuthing and hacking villains, and a diverse cast that has a transgender superhero. In a city where superheros are the norm, of course there will be teenagers who are exploring vigilante work and trying to become heroes as well. The fact that the main character is transgender I find so important, because I've never seen that done before. While I couldn't connect with the character personally, I can only imagine the people this could reach and the representation they could find from having a strong character.
My main issue with this book, and this is taking in to consideration a first time novel, is that the story was a bit meandering. While directed to young adults, it felt like there was too much time spent exploring the high school aspect of the character, rather than exploring the superhero side of the character. It made the pacing not only a bit slow, but it felt a bit jumbled; almost as though we could have had two entirely different stories going on in the same novel. A bit more focus would have gone a long way, for me personally. But it still touched on some fun plot points, and I did enjoy it - it just needed more direction. And, again, for me personally, more action. I could have done without any school interactions whatsoever, and had just a badass superhero the whole time and I would have been perfectly content. But that's not a fair thing to review on, I'm just imagining what I want in a book in the future now.
Finally, my real issue with the book, that has absolutely nothing to do with plot, or story, or even really writing style. I'm going to preface this with saying I am not an English major - I just really like reading. I write reviews for fun, and I don't mind finding the occasional typo or spelling mistake. Shit happens, and the fact that someone is writing anything that can be published in impressive enough for me to overlook most mistakes. But this was riddled with mistakes - and they really started to irk me. I wanted to find myself a red pen, and circle every time 'loose' was written instead of lose. I counted how many ellipses were on one page at a given time, and I think I got up to fifteen at one point. I just wish more editing had gone in to the story, because finding so many mistakes, and generally obvious ones, were really jarring to me and that also made me lose focus while reading it. Had the writing been a little more edited, and solidly put together, all of my concerns about the book would have gone away. The story behind it, and the idea of it were ones that I desperately wanted to love.
As well, so as to not discourage anyone from reading it, because ultimately it was a fun, enjoyable book; I was not the target audience for it. Young adults will be plenty more forgiving that I am, they'll be able to relate more to it, and in some cases they'll find the representation they themselves need. And just for that alone, I hope to see more work by Herrgott, and I hope to see this reach more people. But maybe after a red pen hits in a few more times...
January 7, 2022
An amazing amount of real estate/gentrification talk in this YA super hero romp but, surprisingly, I didn't totally hate that. The fact that real estate schemes are classic Lex Luthor might have something to do with the not-hating.
But this isn't all old comic book tropes re-skinned. Herrgott has created something really interesting and fresh with Luca and the world of the Avalon Knight. First off, active, supportive adults! After a short lifetime's worth of YA novels where the adults are either dead and gone or actively antagonistic, it's nice to have not just one parental figure, but multiple supportive adults surrounding (and loving) our young Luca, whether they completely understand his actions or not. For that matter, active and supportive friends too! Yes, books where the loner with no friends finds found-family are nice, but walking into an established world where our viewpoint character already has these complex, overlapping layers of support is just Nice, refreshing, hopeful, you know? Luca is trans, and where it would be so easy to use that to isolate him from his father, adoptive uncle, or best friend, Herrgott goes the other way and it's beautiful.
That said, if nice, easy, and low stakes are what you're looking for, look elsewhere. Gentleman's Club is action packed from opening to ending as Luca cannonballs through vigilante scrapes, teenaged shenanigans, and a whole lot of coffee. He fights, he falls, he gets back up, and then he mouths off, and we love him for it even as he takes the road more difficult almost every time.
Written as the obvious opener to a series, but a complete story in its own right, Gentleman's Club is in some ways an ode to classic comic books, but it also looks forward. It stares directly at the complexities of today, social, cultural, and economic, and doesn't flinch. There is heart here, and steel, and an author who definitely has something to share with the world.
But this isn't all old comic book tropes re-skinned. Herrgott has created something really interesting and fresh with Luca and the world of the Avalon Knight. First off, active, supportive adults! After a short lifetime's worth of YA novels where the adults are either dead and gone or actively antagonistic, it's nice to have not just one parental figure, but multiple supportive adults surrounding (and loving) our young Luca, whether they completely understand his actions or not. For that matter, active and supportive friends too! Yes, books where the loner with no friends finds found-family are nice, but walking into an established world where our viewpoint character already has these complex, overlapping layers of support is just Nice, refreshing, hopeful, you know? Luca is trans, and where it would be so easy to use that to isolate him from his father, adoptive uncle, or best friend, Herrgott goes the other way and it's beautiful.
That said, if nice, easy, and low stakes are what you're looking for, look elsewhere. Gentleman's Club is action packed from opening to ending as Luca cannonballs through vigilante scrapes, teenaged shenanigans, and a whole lot of coffee. He fights, he falls, he gets back up, and then he mouths off, and we love him for it even as he takes the road more difficult almost every time.
Written as the obvious opener to a series, but a complete story in its own right, Gentleman's Club is in some ways an ode to classic comic books, but it also looks forward. It stares directly at the complexities of today, social, cultural, and economic, and doesn't flinch. There is heart here, and steel, and an author who definitely has something to share with the world.
December 8, 2021
DNF, not sure of percentage, but didn't get very far. Typos early on turned me off, but the whole idea of a seventeen-year-old contemplating a night out playing beer pong was an even stronger negative. Still, it might appeal to that demographic, if they're into sociological examinations of gender along with their tequila shots. Definitely not for me. Sample only; way over-priced for debut author.
Read
May 22, 2022DNF
I could not really get hooked in. Poor characterization. The writing doesn’t pop. It’s one non sequitur after another.
I could not really get hooked in. Poor characterization. The writing doesn’t pop. It’s one non sequitur after another.
January 1, 2019
Avalon Knight: Gentleman’s Club is an interesting piece of fiction. Almost as if it were created in a lab. The experiment? Creating the novel most likely to cause mass coronaries among Fox News viewers.
Luca, our hero, is a pansexual, transgender teenager. Our villain is hell bent on destroying American capitalism (and makes some sound arguments). The novel opens with an information dump prologue disguised as an episode of The Rachel Maddow Show. The whole story takes place in the Liberal bastion of San Francisco. And our main character’s best friend is a politically woke Afro-American girl that refuses to straighten her hair.
It’s not all politics in Avalon Knight: Gentleman’s Club though. In fact, it’s mostly not. The majority of the novel follows Luca as he attempts to balance a social life, with his training to become a real life superhero. There’s a lot of action peppered throughout the book; with a smattering of teen angst; some honest to god emotional scenes that pull at your heart strings; and plenty of smart, witty dialogue.
My only real criticism of the novel is that it’s too long, in my opinion. There are certain sections, especially when Luca is on patrol at night, that could have done with a red pen. And Luca has a lot of friends (both superheroes, and regular teenagers), the sheer number of which can become hard to keep track of. Neither of these things are a deal breaker though, and I absolutely recommend Avalon Knight to anyone who wants to read a good, exciting book. But maybe don’t gift it to any Alex Jones watching family members. The epilogue might do them in.
Luca, our hero, is a pansexual, transgender teenager. Our villain is hell bent on destroying American capitalism (and makes some sound arguments). The novel opens with an information dump prologue disguised as an episode of The Rachel Maddow Show. The whole story takes place in the Liberal bastion of San Francisco. And our main character’s best friend is a politically woke Afro-American girl that refuses to straighten her hair.
It’s not all politics in Avalon Knight: Gentleman’s Club though. In fact, it’s mostly not. The majority of the novel follows Luca as he attempts to balance a social life, with his training to become a real life superhero. There’s a lot of action peppered throughout the book; with a smattering of teen angst; some honest to god emotional scenes that pull at your heart strings; and plenty of smart, witty dialogue.
My only real criticism of the novel is that it’s too long, in my opinion. There are certain sections, especially when Luca is on patrol at night, that could have done with a red pen. And Luca has a lot of friends (both superheroes, and regular teenagers), the sheer number of which can become hard to keep track of. Neither of these things are a deal breaker though, and I absolutely recommend Avalon Knight to anyone who wants to read a good, exciting book. But maybe don’t gift it to any Alex Jones watching family members. The epilogue might do them in.
March 2, 2023
It took me a while to click with this, but it ended up being pretty solid. I bought it when it was on sale promoted through James Somerton's YouTube channel. I don't read a ton of self published stuff, but when I do I am used to editing problems the pop up. Your mileage may vary here.
Once I understood the world, I had fun with it and burned through it in a couple days. I like Luca, and will pick up the next one when it comes out. What follows are some of places the story stumbled with me.
As other have pointed out the story felt somewhat unfocused and I got hung up trying to understand the world. It took me longer than I'd like to admit before I understood whether or not Luca had superpowers or even if they actually existed. Answer: Late in the story Luca is in high school, has a decently large friend group, but because they are introduced so rapidly, it was hard to keep them straight, and then some of them drop out almost entirely.
There's one romantic moment, that seemed like it was going to go somewhere, but then the thread and character dropped almost entirely out of the story. I get it, there are bigger things going on, but it felt a missed opportunity and am left to see if it gets picked up in the next book.
Once I understood the world, I had fun with it and burned through it in a couple days. I like Luca, and will pick up the next one when it comes out. What follows are some of places the story stumbled with me.
As other have pointed out the story felt somewhat unfocused and I got hung up trying to understand the world. It took me longer than I'd like to admit before I understood whether or not Luca had superpowers or even if they actually existed. Answer: Late in the story Luca is in high school, has a decently large friend group, but because they are introduced so rapidly, it was hard to keep them straight, and then some of them drop out almost entirely.
There's one romantic moment, that seemed like it was going to go somewhere, but then the thread and character dropped almost entirely out of the story. I get it, there are bigger things going on, but it felt a missed opportunity and am left to see if it gets picked up in the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2021
*Note* I got an advance pdf copy in exchange for a goodreads review, so some details may be changed from the pdf to a physical copy.
This was a very good book! It’s a ya adjacent book about a 17 year old c-list superhero named Luca who’s juggling school, a social life, and superhero stuff. I’m not going to explain more because I don’t want to spoil it, but it’s very good.
My favorite scenes were the dialogue chapters. They’re always real, and tense. There was one scene near the end between Luca and the villain that had me at the edge of my seat.
This is a perfect homage to comic books and superhero movies. There’s even a scene after the acknowledgments labeled as a post credit scene that perfectly sets up book 2, and I’m already excited.
There was a major twist at the end of the book. It was very good, but I feel like it could have been better set up, but this is nitpicking, and it isn’t bad enough to lose a star.
The last thing I want to talk about is how cool this was to read. There are a few text exchanges, and they looked really good. Also, there are several uwu faces in the book (it makes when you read it) that always shocked me with how good they looked.
This was a great book, and I’d highly recommend it to superhero fans and YA fans. Please buy this book
This was a very good book! It’s a ya adjacent book about a 17 year old c-list superhero named Luca who’s juggling school, a social life, and superhero stuff. I’m not going to explain more because I don’t want to spoil it, but it’s very good.
My favorite scenes were the dialogue chapters. They’re always real, and tense. There was one scene near the end between Luca and the villain that had me at the edge of my seat.
This is a perfect homage to comic books and superhero movies. There’s even a scene after the acknowledgments labeled as a post credit scene that perfectly sets up book 2, and I’m already excited.
There was a major twist at the end of the book. It was very good, but I feel like it could have been better set up, but this is nitpicking, and it isn’t bad enough to lose a star.
The last thing I want to talk about is how cool this was to read. There are a few text exchanges, and they looked really good. Also, there are several uwu faces in the book (it makes when you read it) that always shocked me with how good they looked.
This was a great book, and I’d highly recommend it to superhero fans and YA fans. Please buy this book
July 20, 2023
I enjoyed the book quite a bit. The main character was fun, I enjoyed living in his head during the ride and the way being trans was a part of him but not the entirety of his focus and thoughts. He had regular teenage concerns (school, relationships, parents) and touched here and there on things that were unique to trans kids (being "stealth", safety of being out publicly, a poor relationship with family members who aren't supportive or accepting).
The plot was interesting, the fight scenes were entertaining. The author did a great job of explaining what the goal was with any hacking or computer-centric scenes without getting into the weeds of it, which is good because I'm not sure how much they know about that particular topic.
The main issues I had were related to the numerous typos (kindle edition, I tagged and reported content errors where I could) and some weird perspective shifts. At one point Luca (protagonist) was doing something in one room while describing what was happening in another room as if he was in both, there were a few places where the "this thing will happen later" was a little heavy handed, but overall I'm excited to read the next book in the series.
The plot was interesting, the fight scenes were entertaining. The author did a great job of explaining what the goal was with any hacking or computer-centric scenes without getting into the weeds of it, which is good because I'm not sure how much they know about that particular topic.
The main issues I had were related to the numerous typos (kindle edition, I tagged and reported content errors where I could) and some weird perspective shifts. At one point Luca (protagonist) was doing something in one room while describing what was happening in another room as if he was in both, there were a few places where the "this thing will happen later" was a little heavy handed, but overall I'm excited to read the next book in the series.
October 10, 2021
I read a lot for work so have a hard time finishing books- not this one. A fun read from start to finish, with a good mystery and engaging characters. Apart from Luca, I particularly liked Emily and Rook, two classmates of Luca's who help him in very different ways. The author has clearly set out to make the cast really diverse, imo successfully, without it being an identity safari.
A YA novel where adults are not completely useless, but don't have all the answers either. Luca is a 17yo who makes realistic 17yo mistakes, to his detriment and our delight as he gets himself into sticky situations.
It's in first person, and Luca is usually a reliable narrator, which can make it a bit confusing when he isn't. It's not on the level of Gaiman or Pratchett, but rather reminds me of early Butcher. A promising debut and I'm looking foward to more parts in the series.
Full disclosure: I was given an advance copy by the author in exchange for this honest review.
A YA novel where adults are not completely useless, but don't have all the answers either. Luca is a 17yo who makes realistic 17yo mistakes, to his detriment and our delight as he gets himself into sticky situations.
It's in first person, and Luca is usually a reliable narrator, which can make it a bit confusing when he isn't. It's not on the level of Gaiman or Pratchett, but rather reminds me of early Butcher. A promising debut and I'm looking foward to more parts in the series.
Full disclosure: I was given an advance copy by the author in exchange for this honest review.
February 26, 2022
AHHHH!!!! OMG yes, someone wrote a book about superheroes, and decided that being human about the things that happen in the book was not only OK but also allowed. Let me grab a glass of water because I have never been so happy to read about superheroes and not feel like I had to sit through r/menwritingwomen before. 10/10 I love this book. I am going to make a review on my Youtube channel about it.
January 29, 2023
I thought this book was pretty good. I liked the original development of the characters as the superheroes. I like that the main character is a trans male because you don't see that that often. I thought the rest had a potential of being an even bigger series so this is a good start. I did find that the story got a little off track or maybe off balance through part of the book but overall it was an enjoyable read.
March 18, 2024
DELIGHTFUL
I didn’t expect to like this one as much as I did, but it is truly a well-written and exciting novel with a hero that constantly informed and entertained me. Crossing my fingers there will be a sequel!
I didn’t expect to like this one as much as I did, but it is truly a well-written and exciting novel with a hero that constantly informed and entertained me. Crossing my fingers there will be a sequel!
December 4, 2021
*Dnf at 54%*
February 1, 2022
Amazing!!! This is an excellent queer superhero book, where's the second novel, I need it!!!
I don't even mind the typos in the text.
I don't even mind the typos in the text.
November 26, 2023
On the edge of my seat, omg. I think I was the target audience for this book (mostly), and I love all the vigils that appear in this book.
March 10, 2023
I had an insane amount of fun with this book. Seriously, a bi transmasc who enjoys fast-paced and self-aware superhero stories' dream.
Were there a few typos here and there? Yes. But the rest of the book was so good I didn't care.
Was I worried that I was going to find the "cool teen superhero comicz" style writing annoying? Yes. Did it actually ever turn into a problem for me? No.
If you can enjoy that kind of thing you may really enjoy this.
As for story and characters, I found the main character interesting and appealing. I love when trans guys get to just be... themselves. And be bi messes who checks out people, and are also popular and cool. The entire cast was pretty good, and the more major characters all have something interesting about them. I really enjoyed the antagonist as well.
And most importantly, this book made me so excited about reading again that I stayed up really late and finished the book in a day and a morning (among other things I had to do). I do not regret reading this book at all, and I just want more.
Thanks to the author for writing something I didn't entirely know I needed to read!
Tldr; if superhero adventures with a queer protag sounds fun to you and you don't mind some medium amounts of silly, you may end up binging this.
Were there a few typos here and there? Yes. But the rest of the book was so good I didn't care.
Was I worried that I was going to find the "cool teen superhero comicz" style writing annoying? Yes. Did it actually ever turn into a problem for me? No.
If you can enjoy that kind of thing you may really enjoy this.
As for story and characters, I found the main character interesting and appealing. I love when trans guys get to just be... themselves. And be bi messes who checks out people, and are also popular and cool. The entire cast was pretty good, and the more major characters all have something interesting about them. I really enjoyed the antagonist as well.
And most importantly, this book made me so excited about reading again that I stayed up really late and finished the book in a day and a morning (among other things I had to do). I do not regret reading this book at all, and I just want more.
Thanks to the author for writing something I didn't entirely know I needed to read!
Tldr; if superhero adventures with a queer protag sounds fun to you and you don't mind some medium amounts of silly, you may end up binging this.
October 2, 2024
Fun, exciting, diverse, action packed, excellent good, a solid YA book that taps into some important social issues without forgetting to be entertaining
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