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Liquid Onyx #1
Nova's Got Nerve
A group of British superheroes. The origin story of a gay anti-hero. Two secret agencies. Two slow burn love stories. Magical supervillains. Very weird people. Snarky superheroes. Unfairly attractive secret agents. In which absolutely no one saves New York.Also, there's a duck.
614 pages, Paperback
First published June 14, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
February 1, 2024
This was such an enjoyable fun read, my first from this author and it won't be my last. I look forward to the rest of the series!
September 5, 2023
There's a warning in the forward with some content warnings, and it notes "there is no HFN or HEA." I picked this up as part of a romance promo, and IN MY OPINION it's not a romance if it doesn't have an HFN or HEA. There are 3 books in this series out (so far) and I haven't read book 3 yet, but it ALSO states to HFN or HEA in the foreword - so unless there's another book that DOES end happily, this really isn't a romance. It's sci-fi with heavy romance plotlines. Romantic sci-fi? Regardless, it's still awesome - just be warned it's NOT an HEA romance.
OH MY GOSH, I laughed so hard reading this book. It's got a similar quirky sort of snark like Alice Winters, C. Rochelle, or Louisa Masters (in her Hidden Species/Dragons/Demon-in-Law series). The first chapter or two is a LOT of exposition (which Rex totally admits, even!) and I came thiiiiis close to DNFing in the first few pages. I am SO glad I decided to stick it out, because wow.
I love Rex. He's a total disaster and a mess and clearly ADHD - oh my gosh, the tangents and sidetracking! He'll be saying or doing something, then it cuts to a flashback of a similar situation. In one case, the flashback went off on its own side tangent, and I had to flip back a few pages to see what we were even talking about that started the flashback/side rant. As an ADHD individual myself, I followed the flow totally fine, but some folks may be annoyed by this format.
Also, if you don't love just utter nonsense, don't bother reading this book. There are several instances of people telling Rex (rather fondly, usually) that he is deeply weird. At one point someone asked "What even are you?" I snort-laughed in a most indelicate manner so many times reading this book, and highly recommend if you want something that will make you laugh but also completely and totally wreck your heart and soul. Sometimes at the same time. Eh, whaddaya gonna do? (Read the next book immediately, that's what!)
This is the first book in the Liquid Onyx series, and the series must be read in order.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are unbiased and my own.
Like this review?
Check out more of my reviews on my blog, Elley the Book Otter
OH MY GOSH, I laughed so hard reading this book. It's got a similar quirky sort of snark like Alice Winters, C. Rochelle, or Louisa Masters (in her Hidden Species/Dragons/Demon-in-Law series). The first chapter or two is a LOT of exposition (which Rex totally admits, even!) and I came thiiiiis close to DNFing in the first few pages. I am SO glad I decided to stick it out, because wow.
I love Rex. He's a total disaster and a mess and clearly ADHD - oh my gosh, the tangents and sidetracking! He'll be saying or doing something, then it cuts to a flashback of a similar situation. In one case, the flashback went off on its own side tangent, and I had to flip back a few pages to see what we were even talking about that started the flashback/side rant. As an ADHD individual myself, I followed the flow totally fine, but some folks may be annoyed by this format.
Also, if you don't love just utter nonsense, don't bother reading this book. There are several instances of people telling Rex (rather fondly, usually) that he is deeply weird. At one point someone asked "What even are you?" I snort-laughed in a most indelicate manner so many times reading this book, and highly recommend if you want something that will make you laugh but also completely and totally wreck your heart and soul. Sometimes at the same time. Eh, whaddaya gonna do? (Read the next book immediately, that's what!)
This is the first book in the Liquid Onyx series, and the series must be read in order.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are unbiased and my own.
Like this review?
Check out more of my reviews on my blog, Elley the Book Otter
July 27, 2022
A Joyfully Jay review.
4 stars
This is the first book in the Liquid Onyx series, which has both superheroes and supervillains (though the only supervillain in this book is Rex’s dead father), government agencies and agents, as well as witches and magic. It’s an interesting mix that isn’t fully explored in this book, which is 90% exposition and character building, 5% plot, and 5% world building. It’s a 500 page look into Rex’s life, rather than being a book about being a superhero, which means you’re going to get an earful (eyeful) of everything Rexley Xander Nova is.
Rex is the manic pixie dream boy of everyone’s dreams (or nightmares). He’s an elfin, beautiful twink with constant foot-in-mouth disease. He’s kooky and quirky, whimsical and wacky. He’s the best friend in the world, the smartest person in the room, the sparkliest snowflake in the blizzard, and the star of every show. I think readers will either be charmed by him, or very, very tired of him — and since the book is entirely from his POV, there is even time for both.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
4 stars
This is the first book in the Liquid Onyx series, which has both superheroes and supervillains (though the only supervillain in this book is Rex’s dead father), government agencies and agents, as well as witches and magic. It’s an interesting mix that isn’t fully explored in this book, which is 90% exposition and character building, 5% plot, and 5% world building. It’s a 500 page look into Rex’s life, rather than being a book about being a superhero, which means you’re going to get an earful (eyeful) of everything Rexley Xander Nova is.
Rex is the manic pixie dream boy of everyone’s dreams (or nightmares). He’s an elfin, beautiful twink with constant foot-in-mouth disease. He’s kooky and quirky, whimsical and wacky. He’s the best friend in the world, the smartest person in the room, the sparkliest snowflake in the blizzard, and the star of every show. I think readers will either be charmed by him, or very, very tired of him — and since the book is entirely from his POV, there is even time for both.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
January 18, 2024
FOCUSED MORE ON BEING SILLY THAN MAKING SENSE
This was admittedly a very arduous read, and since I don’t want my hardship to be in vain, I’d like to spare anyone the befuddlement (and betrayal, lol) I felt in trying to get through this unbelievably lengthy but quite plotless book. If, like me, you signed up for this because of 2 things: “MM Romance” & “Superheroes”, then I’ll save you the trouble of having any expectations crushed by telling you upfront that despite what it says on the tin:
1.) This is not a romance.
2.) This is not really a superhero novel—or rather, it couldn’t feel farther from one.
For a book to be considered a romance, there has to be, well… romance. You’ll be disappointed to wait for any of that here. At best, you’ll get mentions of love interests and vaguely romantic inclinations in scattered snippets and tiny trickles, but it’s nowhere near the main focus at all—if anything, any “romance” included feels purely incidental and happenstance. Another must-have of any romance for it to be classified as romance is, of course, the HEA, or at least, a HFN. You won’t get those here either.
“Superhero” is usually synonymous to “action”, “super powers”, “crime-fighting” and “(epic or not-so-epic) battles”, “amazing worlds”, etc. and the mere mention of the word “superhero” automatically conjures up awe-inspiring, fast-paced, exciting scenes and just, well… superheroing in general. Again, I hate to burst your bubble, but there’s scarcely any of that here too, I’m afraid, apart from few and far between skimmed-over allusions to off-page supposed “superheroing”.
The story focuses more on the MC, who despite being a “superhero”, talks more about randomly normal if not exaggeratedly weird and unbelievable things (that mostly have nothing to do with superheroing).
More accurate tags to prepare you for what to expect from this book would be:
1.) Young Adult (Pre-Teen even)
2.) (Hard-sell) Comedy (So, So Hard & Unrelenting)
3.) (Main Character) Autobiography
4.) Absobloodylutely No Plot
I’m all for some good humour and frivolity, more so in mature, dark, or heavily-themed stories because it’s necessary to balance out the mood and give the audiences a breather; otherwise they’ll tire of being stuck in the same mode constantly for the duration of a hundred or so pages. But a balanced narrative isn’t one of this book’s strong points. What we do get is almost nothing but very forced and very aggressive attempts at comedy, non-stop (like, literally every other sentence, barring the scant emo parts) for a good 90% of this 500-page book; it was the only thing that seemed to matter to the MC and almost all the characters: to make a joke out of everyone and everything (and themselves). The MC tirelessly goes out of their way to insert humour and make fun of anything within—and even way beyond—reach, as often as absurdly possible, which in turn greatly robbed this already flimsily erected world of its serious tone and credibility. I was actually thrilled when I saw the “British Author” tag, and I anticipated more of the good ol’ Brits’ brilliant brand of dry humour – more deadpan sarcasm and witticism, which would have maintained the sophistication even in the midst of hilarity; but I was surprised to get a never-ending deluge of slapstick comedy and (somewhat screwball) hammed-up buffoonery instead (a first in a British-authored work for me, I do believe), where the silliness was always dialled up to 100 with both young adults and full-grown adults acting out like petulant hyperactive preteen girls at every turn, being OTT stupid or ridiculous just to set it up for the MC to exploit the scene for yet more laughs. Even dangerous life-threatening situations and disrespecting elders are treated in a flippantly jocund manner for the sake of coming off as “cool and edgy” – and what generation touts bullying and shaming innocent people—elders included—for kicks as a hip thing to do? Hm. Certainly not the generation I’m from. Which is why most of the attempts at humour fell flat for me; it just made me very uncomfortable. I can laugh at teens or even adults being idiots and goofing around in situations that warrant it, sure; but antagonising people for quietly doing their thing and not harming anyone—worst yet, insulting them for being different and something you don’t approve of? I can’t speak for everyone, but bullying others or being an obnoxious arsewipe of a human being with superiority complex issues is not something I find funny or even the slightest bit amusing; I was raised better than that. (His behaviour definitely didn’t win Rex any brownie points from me.)
If I were to sum it up: The book starts with a huge exposition dump, and just when you think the story will finally move forward once that’s out of the way, well… it doesn’t. Instead, it unduly focuses (rather obsessively) on introducing literally every single person and thing in the MC’s life, including friends of friends of friends, down to friends of enemies of friends, and even random people and animals in their town along with things they do even if it’s totally irrelevant to the non-existent plot, eulogising his mother figure or aunt and every single female to a fanatically feministic degree, humiliating and degrading his father figure and uncle for the meanest, pettiest reasons, and just overall forcing you to listen to every single one of the MC’s random whims even if it has no bearing whatsoever on the story—usually just to pursue another avenue to try and be funny some more… and that’s pretty much how it goes on, rinse and repeat ad infinitum. Again, I love good humour as much as the next person, but there’s a reason why slapstick is the lowest form of comedy and is most popularly employed in Saturday kiddie cartoons.
That would have been well and good if there was at least a story, right? While the author clearly wanted to have a different approach to conventional novels, everything else was forgotten in the process. The first chapters of a book are vital because they’re supposed to establish very important points such as:
1.) Why should we care about the MC or his story (to establish empathy or relatability)?
2.) What is the MC’s motivation (aka: the plot)?
3.) The inciting action (that which sets the story in motion).
A gruelling 5 chapters in and none of those were within sight! The MC just wants to be a superhero, not because he wants to right some wrongs or help the world or create a better legacy, nope. Sure, those come with the package, but it’s not why he wants to do it, no. More than anything, he only wants to be officially initiated into superherodom because he’s bored and doesn’t want to be left out—ah, because being left out of the loop would be end-of-the-world dreadful indeed. So the desire to be with his posse and get with what they’re doing is basically his biggest problem and this book’s sole answer to points 1, 2, & 3. Valid? Sure. But still cringe-worthily juvenile. Do I, as a full-grown adult, empathise with his motivation? Er… I’d be worried if I did. Because I’m not 12 years old anymore and any responsible grown-arse adult should know that the world does not revolve only around them. Rex isn’t even passionate about superheroing or saving the world or even just kicking bad guy arse - at least, those would have been more relatable. No, he’s dying to become a government lackey just for the heck of joining a government agency because that’s what everyone else around him has done and expects him to do. He doesn’t even talk about his powers at all; not how you’d expect a real person who has grown up with freakish powers would be expected to. No real superhero-related struggles growing up, no super power-related angst, which are practically hallmarks of all superhero origin stories, nope. All we get is: Once upon a time I got powers by accident and it kinda sucks but not really because I’m powerful as feck even if I don’t really know how to use it despite my life-long “training”—okay, let’s talk about something else now; it doesn’t matter if it’s important as long as it’s funny, oh oh! better yet, let’s join forces with my witch aunt to belittle and bully my uncle for the gazillionth time because that never gets old, right?
So, yeah. The book is 500 pages long, not because it’s a complicated story or that it was woven intricately, no. Basically a good 75% or more of those 500 pages is just painfully self-indulgent, gratuitous and off-tangent word vomit and jokes repeatedly milked to death for all its worth, all presented in the form of a diary of a little girl with a bad case of main character syndrome. Not a romance; not about superheroes or superheroing; not even a story about a good person, technically. Honestly, had this not been an ARC read, I would have dropped it after the first few pages because it’s not a fun feeling to be at the mercy of endless and utterly random, smugly self-righteous, immature and inconsequential drivel. (To be fair, I sincerely gave it a chance, but I really couldn’t empathise with Rex or any of the characters at all. I did kind of like Damon North, and maybe if the romance angle was given more emphasis, I would have found something more substantial to anchor on to, but sadly, that’s not the case). Anyway, I might not have liked this because I’m not the target audience, but I reckon there are young adults or pre-teens out there (people of the same generation as the MC, maybe?) who will probably find Rex’s diary-slash-autobiography more relatable and interesting.
This was admittedly a very arduous read, and since I don’t want my hardship to be in vain, I’d like to spare anyone the befuddlement (and betrayal, lol) I felt in trying to get through this unbelievably lengthy but quite plotless book. If, like me, you signed up for this because of 2 things: “MM Romance” & “Superheroes”, then I’ll save you the trouble of having any expectations crushed by telling you upfront that despite what it says on the tin:
1.) This is not a romance.
2.) This is not really a superhero novel—or rather, it couldn’t feel farther from one.
For a book to be considered a romance, there has to be, well… romance. You’ll be disappointed to wait for any of that here. At best, you’ll get mentions of love interests and vaguely romantic inclinations in scattered snippets and tiny trickles, but it’s nowhere near the main focus at all—if anything, any “romance” included feels purely incidental and happenstance. Another must-have of any romance for it to be classified as romance is, of course, the HEA, or at least, a HFN. You won’t get those here either.
“Superhero” is usually synonymous to “action”, “super powers”, “crime-fighting” and “(epic or not-so-epic) battles”, “amazing worlds”, etc. and the mere mention of the word “superhero” automatically conjures up awe-inspiring, fast-paced, exciting scenes and just, well… superheroing in general. Again, I hate to burst your bubble, but there’s scarcely any of that here too, I’m afraid, apart from few and far between skimmed-over allusions to off-page supposed “superheroing”.
The story focuses more on the MC, who despite being a “superhero”, talks more about randomly normal if not exaggeratedly weird and unbelievable things (that mostly have nothing to do with superheroing).
More accurate tags to prepare you for what to expect from this book would be:
1.) Young Adult (Pre-Teen even)
2.) (Hard-sell) Comedy (So, So Hard & Unrelenting)
3.) (Main Character) Autobiography
4.) Absobloodylutely No Plot
I’m all for some good humour and frivolity, more so in mature, dark, or heavily-themed stories because it’s necessary to balance out the mood and give the audiences a breather; otherwise they’ll tire of being stuck in the same mode constantly for the duration of a hundred or so pages. But a balanced narrative isn’t one of this book’s strong points. What we do get is almost nothing but very forced and very aggressive attempts at comedy, non-stop (like, literally every other sentence, barring the scant emo parts) for a good 90% of this 500-page book; it was the only thing that seemed to matter to the MC and almost all the characters: to make a joke out of everyone and everything (and themselves). The MC tirelessly goes out of their way to insert humour and make fun of anything within—and even way beyond—reach, as often as absurdly possible, which in turn greatly robbed this already flimsily erected world of its serious tone and credibility. I was actually thrilled when I saw the “British Author” tag, and I anticipated more of the good ol’ Brits’ brilliant brand of dry humour – more deadpan sarcasm and witticism, which would have maintained the sophistication even in the midst of hilarity; but I was surprised to get a never-ending deluge of slapstick comedy and (somewhat screwball) hammed-up buffoonery instead (a first in a British-authored work for me, I do believe), where the silliness was always dialled up to 100 with both young adults and full-grown adults acting out like petulant hyperactive preteen girls at every turn, being OTT stupid or ridiculous just to set it up for the MC to exploit the scene for yet more laughs. Even dangerous life-threatening situations and disrespecting elders are treated in a flippantly jocund manner for the sake of coming off as “cool and edgy” – and what generation touts bullying and shaming innocent people—elders included—for kicks as a hip thing to do? Hm. Certainly not the generation I’m from. Which is why most of the attempts at humour fell flat for me; it just made me very uncomfortable. I can laugh at teens or even adults being idiots and goofing around in situations that warrant it, sure; but antagonising people for quietly doing their thing and not harming anyone—worst yet, insulting them for being different and something you don’t approve of? I can’t speak for everyone, but bullying others or being an obnoxious arsewipe of a human being with superiority complex issues is not something I find funny or even the slightest bit amusing; I was raised better than that. (His behaviour definitely didn’t win Rex any brownie points from me.)
If I were to sum it up: The book starts with a huge exposition dump, and just when you think the story will finally move forward once that’s out of the way, well… it doesn’t. Instead, it unduly focuses (rather obsessively) on introducing literally every single person and thing in the MC’s life, including friends of friends of friends, down to friends of enemies of friends, and even random people and animals in their town along with things they do even if it’s totally irrelevant to the non-existent plot, eulogising his mother figure or aunt and every single female to a fanatically feministic degree, humiliating and degrading his father figure and uncle for the meanest, pettiest reasons, and just overall forcing you to listen to every single one of the MC’s random whims even if it has no bearing whatsoever on the story—usually just to pursue another avenue to try and be funny some more… and that’s pretty much how it goes on, rinse and repeat ad infinitum. Again, I love good humour as much as the next person, but there’s a reason why slapstick is the lowest form of comedy and is most popularly employed in Saturday kiddie cartoons.
That would have been well and good if there was at least a story, right? While the author clearly wanted to have a different approach to conventional novels, everything else was forgotten in the process. The first chapters of a book are vital because they’re supposed to establish very important points such as:
1.) Why should we care about the MC or his story (to establish empathy or relatability)?
2.) What is the MC’s motivation (aka: the plot)?
3.) The inciting action (that which sets the story in motion).
A gruelling 5 chapters in and none of those were within sight! The MC just wants to be a superhero, not because he wants to right some wrongs or help the world or create a better legacy, nope. Sure, those come with the package, but it’s not why he wants to do it, no. More than anything, he only wants to be officially initiated into superherodom because he’s bored and doesn’t want to be left out—ah, because being left out of the loop would be end-of-the-world dreadful indeed. So the desire to be with his posse and get with what they’re doing is basically his biggest problem and this book’s sole answer to points 1, 2, & 3. Valid? Sure. But still cringe-worthily juvenile. Do I, as a full-grown adult, empathise with his motivation? Er… I’d be worried if I did. Because I’m not 12 years old anymore and any responsible grown-arse adult should know that the world does not revolve only around them. Rex isn’t even passionate about superheroing or saving the world or even just kicking bad guy arse - at least, those would have been more relatable. No, he’s dying to become a government lackey just for the heck of joining a government agency because that’s what everyone else around him has done and expects him to do. He doesn’t even talk about his powers at all; not how you’d expect a real person who has grown up with freakish powers would be expected to. No real superhero-related struggles growing up, no super power-related angst, which are practically hallmarks of all superhero origin stories, nope. All we get is: Once upon a time I got powers by accident and it kinda sucks but not really because I’m powerful as feck even if I don’t really know how to use it despite my life-long “training”—okay, let’s talk about something else now; it doesn’t matter if it’s important as long as it’s funny, oh oh! better yet, let’s join forces with my witch aunt to belittle and bully my uncle for the gazillionth time because that never gets old, right?
So, yeah. The book is 500 pages long, not because it’s a complicated story or that it was woven intricately, no. Basically a good 75% or more of those 500 pages is just painfully self-indulgent, gratuitous and off-tangent word vomit and jokes repeatedly milked to death for all its worth, all presented in the form of a diary of a little girl with a bad case of main character syndrome. Not a romance; not about superheroes or superheroing; not even a story about a good person, technically. Honestly, had this not been an ARC read, I would have dropped it after the first few pages because it’s not a fun feeling to be at the mercy of endless and utterly random, smugly self-righteous, immature and inconsequential drivel. (To be fair, I sincerely gave it a chance, but I really couldn’t empathise with Rex or any of the characters at all. I did kind of like Damon North, and maybe if the romance angle was given more emphasis, I would have found something more substantial to anchor on to, but sadly, that’s not the case). Anyway, I might not have liked this because I’m not the target audience, but I reckon there are young adults or pre-teens out there (people of the same generation as the MC, maybe?) who will probably find Rex’s diary-slash-autobiography more relatable and interesting.
December 29, 2024
Novas Got Nerve is the first book in the Liquid Onyx series. This is the story of Rexley Nova. I loved learning all about Rex and his found family. I'm not sure if this is really a love story because it doesn't have a HFN or HEA and I feel that is necessary for a romance. The story is still amazing and I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to read the next book and see what happens next. I would definitely recommend this book.
Read
May 22, 2023Well....I wanted to love this book. Instead, I can say I liked it, but not much more. Dex's internal monologue is a bit annoying. Things happen but aren't explained. Transitions from past to present. The writing style is a bit fan-fic, rather than published author, but not terrible. Overall, I almost gave up on the book a few times, but forged my way through to the finish. Not sure if I'm going to be able to read the second book, but we'll see.
June 10, 2022
Personally I did not care for the flow of this book and decided to DNF around 100-150 pages. It feels very choppy with a lot of initial information in the first 50 or so pages with not much going on in that time.
August 20, 2022
I DNF, read 50% of this book and gave up. I couldn’t get past Nova’s monologue. It had interesting characters and some great quotes but it just wasn’t enough. I will retry it at some point. Just not right now.
Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads.
Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads.
April 28, 2024
This is book one of the Liquid Onyx series and the main character is Rex (Rexley) Xander Nova, who was experimented upon by his own father Dr Alexander Nova with a substance called Liquid Onyx, changing him into one of the first superhumans in the world. Now he lives in the small seaside town of Colbie with the friends he has grown up with, all of whom have been affected in the same way and whose parents all work for FISA, the Forces of Investigation and Security Agency. His three friends Caleb Moon, Mei Zhao and Tate Bishop, are also survivors of Liquid Onyx and Rex’s father’s sick experiments. When they turned eighteen, they all joined the FISA and work for the SSS (Secret Superhero Service) unit as junior agents, but Rex was raised by his uncle Roux, the youngest Roux brother, and Lady Mars, a witch, and Roux refused to allow Rex to join FISA.
Rex’s father worked for Obsidian Inc, a supervillain organisation, as a renowned scientist who they allowed to play and push the boundaries of power and supremacy, with no morals to hold him back. His uncle Roux followed his older brother into Obsidian Inc and became an assassin for them, until Alex went mad after experimenting upon himself and went on a killing spree, When Alex killed Rex’s mother, Roux asked FISA if he could join them and has worked with them ever since. Rex’s mother contacted FISA and she and Rex were put in a safe house, protected by two agents, but Alex killed her and then the agents, who were the parents of Damon North. Damon’s own powers were triggered by his parents being killed in front of him and he was the one who managed to kill Rex’s father, stopping his evil spree. Damon was left at the FISA HQ and supposedly raised by his godfather, Rex’s uncle Maddox, he oldest of the three Roux brothers, who joined FISA at eighteen and was never really around. Damon basically raised himself at the base and went out into Danger City as a superhero form the age of ten, becoming known as Polaris.
Now at age twenty, Rex is determined to be able to join his childhood friends in Danger City and be part of the fight against evil with FISA. Roux has worries about Rex’s own superpower, the ability to destroy whole cities just with his mind! Rex has all of his friends and their parents come to bring an intervention on his behalf, to force Roux to finally allow him to join FISA as a junior agent, with Mei making them all write speeches, but it is a lot easier than he expected. Rex doesn’t like thinking of using his own power, as it is so dangerous, but he has been taught how to fight and protect himself since he was about six, like his friends and relies on daggers as his main weapon. Rex is paired with Damon, someone he hasn’t seen since that terrible night with his father and he isn’t sure how to react to him. When they all go to see their favourite band playing in the park at Danger City, accompanied by family, everything changes for Rex as the largest group of Mages anyone has seen starts attacking innocents with fire and acid. This is his first ever experience like this, instead of just protecting civilians in the city from criminals and the mafia and he hasn’t even started his real training as yet, not having a mask or disguise like his friends.
Lady Mars tells him to stay where he is, as the rest all go towards the mages and try to stop them Rex uses his knives to kill mages that come near him, to protect those people in danger, but is stopped from killing another as magic is used against him by the mage and only Damon’s appearance saves him. He is left helping with the injured and dying, and has to get Lady Mars to help with one young woman who has been cursed by one of the mages. It was nothing like he expected, but he has no problems with his own actions and finds he has to speak to a FISA psychiatrist, who wants to question him about his parents and the attack! Not something he wants to talk about. His weird and wonderful brain has his mouth spouting out odd sentences at the strangest of times and when the attack stopped and others joined him, he fell over, right at Damon’s feet, twice! Making a silly comment about how great his nostrils were, as his attraction to Damon catches him unaware! That messes with his total dependence on Caleb and his older brother Jamie, who is the one person who always got him. Will he ignore the connection he has with Jamie, for Damon? I hope not, as they are definitely getting closer towards a romance. A great light-hearted look at a group of kids who were forced into a life as superheroes and all those not quite so lucky and still in the hands of Obsidian Inc. Lots of crazy inner ruminations as Rex shows us his life and those of his friends, as well as those adults in his sphere. A kind of weird storyline and a long read, but it makes sense, the more you get to know them all and what they have gone through.
I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Rex’s father worked for Obsidian Inc, a supervillain organisation, as a renowned scientist who they allowed to play and push the boundaries of power and supremacy, with no morals to hold him back. His uncle Roux followed his older brother into Obsidian Inc and became an assassin for them, until Alex went mad after experimenting upon himself and went on a killing spree, When Alex killed Rex’s mother, Roux asked FISA if he could join them and has worked with them ever since. Rex’s mother contacted FISA and she and Rex were put in a safe house, protected by two agents, but Alex killed her and then the agents, who were the parents of Damon North. Damon’s own powers were triggered by his parents being killed in front of him and he was the one who managed to kill Rex’s father, stopping his evil spree. Damon was left at the FISA HQ and supposedly raised by his godfather, Rex’s uncle Maddox, he oldest of the three Roux brothers, who joined FISA at eighteen and was never really around. Damon basically raised himself at the base and went out into Danger City as a superhero form the age of ten, becoming known as Polaris.
Now at age twenty, Rex is determined to be able to join his childhood friends in Danger City and be part of the fight against evil with FISA. Roux has worries about Rex’s own superpower, the ability to destroy whole cities just with his mind! Rex has all of his friends and their parents come to bring an intervention on his behalf, to force Roux to finally allow him to join FISA as a junior agent, with Mei making them all write speeches, but it is a lot easier than he expected. Rex doesn’t like thinking of using his own power, as it is so dangerous, but he has been taught how to fight and protect himself since he was about six, like his friends and relies on daggers as his main weapon. Rex is paired with Damon, someone he hasn’t seen since that terrible night with his father and he isn’t sure how to react to him. When they all go to see their favourite band playing in the park at Danger City, accompanied by family, everything changes for Rex as the largest group of Mages anyone has seen starts attacking innocents with fire and acid. This is his first ever experience like this, instead of just protecting civilians in the city from criminals and the mafia and he hasn’t even started his real training as yet, not having a mask or disguise like his friends.
Lady Mars tells him to stay where he is, as the rest all go towards the mages and try to stop them Rex uses his knives to kill mages that come near him, to protect those people in danger, but is stopped from killing another as magic is used against him by the mage and only Damon’s appearance saves him. He is left helping with the injured and dying, and has to get Lady Mars to help with one young woman who has been cursed by one of the mages. It was nothing like he expected, but he has no problems with his own actions and finds he has to speak to a FISA psychiatrist, who wants to question him about his parents and the attack! Not something he wants to talk about. His weird and wonderful brain has his mouth spouting out odd sentences at the strangest of times and when the attack stopped and others joined him, he fell over, right at Damon’s feet, twice! Making a silly comment about how great his nostrils were, as his attraction to Damon catches him unaware! That messes with his total dependence on Caleb and his older brother Jamie, who is the one person who always got him. Will he ignore the connection he has with Jamie, for Damon? I hope not, as they are definitely getting closer towards a romance. A great light-hearted look at a group of kids who were forced into a life as superheroes and all those not quite so lucky and still in the hands of Obsidian Inc. Lots of crazy inner ruminations as Rex shows us his life and those of his friends, as well as those adults in his sphere. A kind of weird storyline and a long read, but it makes sense, the more you get to know them all and what they have gone through.
I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
March 31, 2023
Novas Got Nerve is a m/m superhero book told from the first person POV of twenty-year-old Rexley Nova, a manic pixie of a twink with superpowers, a bunch of superpowered friends and family, an infamous supervillain father, and a whole lot of trauma. Superheroes stories are one of my favourites subgenres in the m/m world – they tend towards humour, action, and quirky characters. Love for the Cold-Blooded, or The Part-Time Evil Minion’s Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero by Alex Gabriel is one of my favourite books of all-time and I was hoping for a similar vibe with this book.
Novas Got Nerve delivered on the elements I was looking for… eventually. For the first third of the book, I wasn’t sure. The book starts with huge amounts of exposition, flashbacks, flashbacks within flashbacks, extraneous scenes that aren’t critical to the moment, and very little action. Very little. Like, for the first three or four chapters nothing happens. Along with all this, there is quite a bit of humorous dialogue. And while the dialogue is funny, the voices aren’t all that well differentiated initially, the bits went on too long, and well, like I said, I wasn’t sure. I think a ruthless editor would have made all the difference to the beginning of the book.
But then the book started to pick up, things started happening, and I got much more engaged. The book is still heavy on exposition and interior monologuing and it is more about character than anything else. But as the book progressed, the characters that had been a little one-note started to be fleshed out. More substance started to emerge as did some darker elements. And there are dark elements here; several of the characters have some serious trauma. I became increasingly invested in the characters and by the time I finished the book I wanted more. I also enjoyed the humour a lot more once more complexity came into play. In the first part of the book, the humour felt a little forced and unrelenting. In the second part of the book, the humour occurred alongside more serious moments and real hits of emotion. It felt much more in balance, with the funny and the serious playing off each other in a way that made the humour shine brighter.
In terms of the romance, this book is a slooow burn with a potential love triangle brewing. On one side is Nova’s best friend’s older brother, Jamie. Jamie is solid, dependable, warm, and has always given Nova a sense of safety and security like no one else. On the other side is Damon, a high-profile superhero who shares in Nova’s traumatic past. Damon is all danger and chemistry, and they dance around each other constantly until not even they know if they’re going to kiss or take each other out. We’ll series where things go as the series progresses but I’m 100% tossing in with Team!Jamie.
So. There’s some great characters, the beginnings of an interesting plot arc to span several books, and writing that gets stronger as the book goes on. Despite the bumpy start, this book is a definite win for me. The issues I had with some aspects of the writing were far outweighed by my enjoyment of Nova and crew. This is a world I want more of and characters I want more of and I am eagerly awaiting the next in the series.
Note: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Novas Got Nerve delivered on the elements I was looking for… eventually. For the first third of the book, I wasn’t sure. The book starts with huge amounts of exposition, flashbacks, flashbacks within flashbacks, extraneous scenes that aren’t critical to the moment, and very little action. Very little. Like, for the first three or four chapters nothing happens. Along with all this, there is quite a bit of humorous dialogue. And while the dialogue is funny, the voices aren’t all that well differentiated initially, the bits went on too long, and well, like I said, I wasn’t sure. I think a ruthless editor would have made all the difference to the beginning of the book.
But then the book started to pick up, things started happening, and I got much more engaged. The book is still heavy on exposition and interior monologuing and it is more about character than anything else. But as the book progressed, the characters that had been a little one-note started to be fleshed out. More substance started to emerge as did some darker elements. And there are dark elements here; several of the characters have some serious trauma. I became increasingly invested in the characters and by the time I finished the book I wanted more. I also enjoyed the humour a lot more once more complexity came into play. In the first part of the book, the humour felt a little forced and unrelenting. In the second part of the book, the humour occurred alongside more serious moments and real hits of emotion. It felt much more in balance, with the funny and the serious playing off each other in a way that made the humour shine brighter.
In terms of the romance, this book is a slooow burn with a potential love triangle brewing. On one side is Nova’s best friend’s older brother, Jamie. Jamie is solid, dependable, warm, and has always given Nova a sense of safety and security like no one else. On the other side is Damon, a high-profile superhero who shares in Nova’s traumatic past. Damon is all danger and chemistry, and they dance around each other constantly until not even they know if they’re going to kiss or take each other out. We’ll series where things go as the series progresses but I’m 100% tossing in with Team!Jamie.
So. There’s some great characters, the beginnings of an interesting plot arc to span several books, and writing that gets stronger as the book goes on. Despite the bumpy start, this book is a definite win for me. The issues I had with some aspects of the writing were far outweighed by my enjoyment of Nova and crew. This is a world I want more of and characters I want more of and I am eagerly awaiting the next in the series.
Note: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
January 22, 2023
Thank you Booksirens for the free advance reader copy of this book. I am leaving this review completely voluntary.
Solid 3.75 Stars
I truthfully do not even know where to star with this book. It was a character driven fever dream with not as much plot as I normally want from a book. I truthfully had a very hard time getting into this book in the beginning, I came very close within the first couple chapters of DNFing it. I am however very glad that I did not. The writing style for me is what brought this down to a 3.75 rather than a high 4.
I am used to being within the main characters head but this took that to the next level and I think that may hit too close to home for me 🤣 Rex our main character is completely neurotic and seems to have adhd brain. He can be thinking one thing then all of a sudden we have that squirrel moment and are launching into a story that goes on multiple pages before finally tuning back into whoever or whatever he was originally talking to or about.
The side characters are extremely well thought out and incredibly fleshed out. We get a lot about these people from Rex's many swirling thoughts and memories. His family is absolutely insane in the best way. Many of them I would read full books on because you grow to love them.
There are themes of romance in this too. Rex seems to be completely oblivious of his friends affections. He is even more oblivious of his own feelings about him. The way he takes about him makes it very clear to the reader that he has at bare minimum a crush on him and at max is full blown completely in love with him. But he doesn't pursue this instead pursuing but not really pursuing but for sure pursuing the attraction he feels for Damon instead.
The world building in this was pretty good also. You really learn about what brought these supers into existence and the state the city is in due to that. Something that was both there while sort of lacking is the way the powers and magic work. You get a glimpse into the magic aspect from the mages and a little from Lady Mars explanations. The powers, you get glimpses of from the friends are really only talked about in the heat of battle. Damon is the one who I feel you learn more about in terms of powers. Rex, however, you learn very little about in terms of powers. That did leave me wanting more. It made me curious enough that I would gladly read the future books in this eventual series.
Solid 3.75 Stars
I truthfully do not even know where to star with this book. It was a character driven fever dream with not as much plot as I normally want from a book. I truthfully had a very hard time getting into this book in the beginning, I came very close within the first couple chapters of DNFing it. I am however very glad that I did not. The writing style for me is what brought this down to a 3.75 rather than a high 4.
I am used to being within the main characters head but this took that to the next level and I think that may hit too close to home for me 🤣 Rex our main character is completely neurotic and seems to have adhd brain. He can be thinking one thing then all of a sudden we have that squirrel moment and are launching into a story that goes on multiple pages before finally tuning back into whoever or whatever he was originally talking to or about.
The side characters are extremely well thought out and incredibly fleshed out. We get a lot about these people from Rex's many swirling thoughts and memories. His family is absolutely insane in the best way. Many of them I would read full books on because you grow to love them.
There are themes of romance in this too. Rex seems to be completely oblivious of his friends affections. He is even more oblivious of his own feelings about him. The way he takes about him makes it very clear to the reader that he has at bare minimum a crush on him and at max is full blown completely in love with him. But he doesn't pursue this instead pursuing but not really pursuing but for sure pursuing the attraction he feels for Damon instead.
The world building in this was pretty good also. You really learn about what brought these supers into existence and the state the city is in due to that. Something that was both there while sort of lacking is the way the powers and magic work. You get a glimpse into the magic aspect from the mages and a little from Lady Mars explanations. The powers, you get glimpses of from the friends are really only talked about in the heat of battle. Damon is the one who I feel you learn more about in terms of powers. Rex, however, you learn very little about in terms of powers. That did leave me wanting more. It made me curious enough that I would gladly read the future books in this eventual series.
April 10, 2024
This book was an interesting ride to say the least. I would give it a solid 3.8 to a 4.0 tops. Nova is a gay character that is kidnapped and tortured by his father when he was little. His father pumped him and other children with a solution called Liquid Onyx. It begins a long and terrible journey trying to figure out his trauma his father inflicted and dealing with being different overall. He has his Uncle Roux and Lady Mars to look after him. Both individuals are quirky in their own way. Though that is very questionable most of the time how they take care of him. Nova eventually becomes a Superhero for a secret spy governmental agency, FISA. However, his introduction was more of a smack in the face to a brick wall. He goes to a concert and everyone is being attacked by murderous mages. While trying to figure out why the mages are attacking, he has to deal with the possibility of two romantic relationships.
Nova has two love interests Jamie Moon and Damon North. I was very disappointed that there was not more of a development between Nova and either of those two characters. Personally I think Jamie would be more suited with Jamie than Damon. He has a very complicated relationship to both. This is without the romance being in the equation. I will say to each their own.
I found this book very difficult to get through in the beginning. The first chapter alone was going to give me a headache. The. Sentences. Went. Like. This. I am very unsure if this was a typo of some sort, or a trying to give us a feel for how the character was going to be as a whole. Once I did get past the first chapter it did get better. I really wanted the story to progress as I continued to read. Nova as a character is a complete chaos gremlin. He could either be in the moment talking to another character, then unexpectedly he would be going down memory lane and be there for at least 10-15 pages at a time. I was able to follow the story once I understood Nova’s thought pattern. I loved getting to know the character’s through Nova’s eyes, and how his relationships with them had formed. I think he is very emotionally mature internally, but like any stubborn person he does not like being told he is wrong.
Overall, I not one to quit a series once I’ve started it so I will continue on with the other books. I just hoping their is more cohesiveness the time flow of the story.
Nova has two love interests Jamie Moon and Damon North. I was very disappointed that there was not more of a development between Nova and either of those two characters. Personally I think Jamie would be more suited with Jamie than Damon. He has a very complicated relationship to both. This is without the romance being in the equation. I will say to each their own.
I found this book very difficult to get through in the beginning. The first chapter alone was going to give me a headache. The. Sentences. Went. Like. This. I am very unsure if this was a typo of some sort, or a trying to give us a feel for how the character was going to be as a whole. Once I did get past the first chapter it did get better. I really wanted the story to progress as I continued to read. Nova as a character is a complete chaos gremlin. He could either be in the moment talking to another character, then unexpectedly he would be going down memory lane and be there for at least 10-15 pages at a time. I was able to follow the story once I understood Nova’s thought pattern. I loved getting to know the character’s through Nova’s eyes, and how his relationships with them had formed. I think he is very emotionally mature internally, but like any stubborn person he does not like being told he is wrong.
Overall, I not one to quit a series once I’ve started it so I will continue on with the other books. I just hoping their is more cohesiveness the time flow of the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2025
Novas Got Nerve, the first book in the Liquid Onyx series by B.L. Jones, is a story that has caught my attention on a number of occasions. I am always looking for new superhero stories to read, and my recent amazing luck with superhero romance increased my curiosity. I will be honest, however, and say that I kept putting this off because the preview of the book had me uncertain. It was only when I read Pillow Biting, a short story from the author in the Too Many Beds anthology, that I decided to dive into the series.
Pillow Biting was a short story that followed two characters who play important roles throughout the Liquid Onyx series. My enjoyment of them in the short story, plus the interesting introduction to the world, meant I had high hopes. Unfortunately, the uncertainty I felt with the preview of the book continued. In fact, it grew to the point where I struggled to keep reading. The book was filled with far too many information dumps – ninety-nine percent of which were not relevant. Each time a character was introduced or something new happened, the narrative fell down a rabbit hole of related stories. In some of these cases, mentioning these details once was not enough and elements would be reiterated later. It all made the story to feel like an unnecessary long ramble, a stream of consciousness I was not invested in. I understand it was to show the mindset of the main character, but it took away from the main storyline. I enjoyed the way superheroes and magic were mixed in this, but I never came to enjoy it in the way I had hoped because the story never seemed to go anywhere. It was more focused on making characters seem interesting (which, for me, did not work as everyone felt too over the top) and being funny (again, did not work for me) than on following the plot.
While I understand this is the first book in the series and it needed to introduce everything, I feel it lost the focus too much to engage me. Due to this, the interest I had in following the characters from Pillow Biting has decreased as my desire to read two more stories with this style of narrative to get my answers does not appeal.
Pillow Biting was a short story that followed two characters who play important roles throughout the Liquid Onyx series. My enjoyment of them in the short story, plus the interesting introduction to the world, meant I had high hopes. Unfortunately, the uncertainty I felt with the preview of the book continued. In fact, it grew to the point where I struggled to keep reading. The book was filled with far too many information dumps – ninety-nine percent of which were not relevant. Each time a character was introduced or something new happened, the narrative fell down a rabbit hole of related stories. In some of these cases, mentioning these details once was not enough and elements would be reiterated later. It all made the story to feel like an unnecessary long ramble, a stream of consciousness I was not invested in. I understand it was to show the mindset of the main character, but it took away from the main storyline. I enjoyed the way superheroes and magic were mixed in this, but I never came to enjoy it in the way I had hoped because the story never seemed to go anywhere. It was more focused on making characters seem interesting (which, for me, did not work as everyone felt too over the top) and being funny (again, did not work for me) than on following the plot.
While I understand this is the first book in the series and it needed to introduce everything, I feel it lost the focus too much to engage me. Due to this, the interest I had in following the characters from Pillow Biting has decreased as my desire to read two more stories with this style of narrative to get my answers does not appeal.
April 24, 2023
A Threat, A Promise, A Plea, A Curse
I Need More Than 5 Stars for Novas Got Nerve!!!!!
‘Roux taught me to never show fear in front of people who could use it to hurt me. Lady Mars taught me to make like a mountain when I’m afraid. Neither of them had to tell me to be strong, or brave, because I saw it in them, the bravery and the strength, and I wanted it for myself. But to be strong, you can’t run away from things just because they’re hard. And to be brave, you can’t hide from things just because they’re scary.’
My review of BL Jones’ Novas Got Nerve begins with me sharing that I highlighted 110 passages in this book, (and I could have highlight more, but I am a lady with of restraint) because it was that AMAZING!
Every time I disturbed my pets as I laughed out loud, I highlighted. Every time a statement made or feeling expressed, felt monumental, I highlighted. Every time I thought, I have to share how special these words are with the author, I highlighted. None of my highlights were for negative reasons. All 110 are because this book was FABULOUS!
A quirky MM Seaside Town/Urban Superhero fantasy lover? Then you MUST, MUST, MUST read Rexley Nova’s tale! From the age of 5, Rex survived the upbringing by his questionably sane Uncle Roux and the similarly bizarre magic user Lady Mars. Rex and his group of tight knit friends, all of whom as children were injected by a chemical named Liquid Onyx by Rex’s diabolical and now dead father, are now young adults who must choose the path of superhero or villain.
Through hysterical and deadly antics, this group of friends and extended family members are so dysfunctional, that they create their own loyal, strange, and mentally unstable clan of crazy. I don’t know what this says about me, but I want to be a part of the Nova world.
I will place Novas Got Nerve as on of my top 10 reads, ever. I said it. Fight me.
I Need More Than 5 Stars for Novas Got Nerve!!!!!
‘Roux taught me to never show fear in front of people who could use it to hurt me. Lady Mars taught me to make like a mountain when I’m afraid. Neither of them had to tell me to be strong, or brave, because I saw it in them, the bravery and the strength, and I wanted it for myself. But to be strong, you can’t run away from things just because they’re hard. And to be brave, you can’t hide from things just because they’re scary.’
My review of BL Jones’ Novas Got Nerve begins with me sharing that I highlighted 110 passages in this book, (and I could have highlight more, but I am a lady with of restraint) because it was that AMAZING!
Every time I disturbed my pets as I laughed out loud, I highlighted. Every time a statement made or feeling expressed, felt monumental, I highlighted. Every time I thought, I have to share how special these words are with the author, I highlighted. None of my highlights were for negative reasons. All 110 are because this book was FABULOUS!
A quirky MM Seaside Town/Urban Superhero fantasy lover? Then you MUST, MUST, MUST read Rexley Nova’s tale! From the age of 5, Rex survived the upbringing by his questionably sane Uncle Roux and the similarly bizarre magic user Lady Mars. Rex and his group of tight knit friends, all of whom as children were injected by a chemical named Liquid Onyx by Rex’s diabolical and now dead father, are now young adults who must choose the path of superhero or villain.
Through hysterical and deadly antics, this group of friends and extended family members are so dysfunctional, that they create their own loyal, strange, and mentally unstable clan of crazy. I don’t know what this says about me, but I want to be a part of the Nova world.
I will place Novas Got Nerve as on of my top 10 reads, ever. I said it. Fight me.
April 2, 2025
This is the opening book for a fantastic series, following a group of unlkely superheroes who, as usually happens, came about as the result of a science experiment gone wrong. As we travel with them on a rollercoaster journey we are guided, at least in book 1, by Rexley Nova. Orphaned by the father who created him and the mother his father killed and losing his best friend on the same night, since Rex was taken in by family and Damon taken who knew where, Rex has had an unusual childhood. A very unusual childhood but I have to say that if I had Lady Mars and Roux as my guardians I would love every minute of it.
You see this story, and I think it will follow through the series, is very much about our superheroes but it is also about friendship, family and love - in all its forms. This group, who could be considered misfits, fit perfectly with one another, they all have found family and they all benefit from it enormously, even when a nice night out at a concert as part of a family reunion, throws everything up into the air and unveils a very sinister plot.
I don't think a romance/found family/ enemies to lovers/ superhero book has ever made me laugh as much as this one. Some of it was little giggles, other times it was full on laughter. As much as Rex, his family and friends, take their responsibilities very seriously they are also a mad bunch and through the eyes of our guide, Rex, we not only have an intimate time getting to know inside his head but getting to know about them all. What starts as a fairly laid back story soon becomes an edge of the seat ride with action all over the place and yet still with Rex and his wonderful sense of sarcasm and take on the world.
See the role of and world that superheroes live in as you have never done before. Prepare for something quite extraordinary and know that you will be hooked once you have started. I am, book 2 is currently being read and the rest are waiting for me, I love it!
You see this story, and I think it will follow through the series, is very much about our superheroes but it is also about friendship, family and love - in all its forms. This group, who could be considered misfits, fit perfectly with one another, they all have found family and they all benefit from it enormously, even when a nice night out at a concert as part of a family reunion, throws everything up into the air and unveils a very sinister plot.
I don't think a romance/found family/ enemies to lovers/ superhero book has ever made me laugh as much as this one. Some of it was little giggles, other times it was full on laughter. As much as Rex, his family and friends, take their responsibilities very seriously they are also a mad bunch and through the eyes of our guide, Rex, we not only have an intimate time getting to know inside his head but getting to know about them all. What starts as a fairly laid back story soon becomes an edge of the seat ride with action all over the place and yet still with Rex and his wonderful sense of sarcasm and take on the world.
See the role of and world that superheroes live in as you have never done before. Prepare for something quite extraordinary and know that you will be hooked once you have started. I am, book 2 is currently being read and the rest are waiting for me, I love it!
June 17, 2022
Rex's whole life changed when he was four years old. His dad was a mad scientist who developed a superpower chemical called Liquid Onyx. The problem was that adult test subjects either died or had extreme levels of mental instability. Rex's dad then kidnapped a bunch of children and injected them with Liquid Onyx including his son. The kids survived and the kids under 5 didn't go insane. His dad even injected himself and went full insane supervillian with the ability to blow things up with his mind. Rex went to live with his uncle Roux, a paranoid secret agent type and their friend Lady Mars, an eccentric witch. Rex was always intellectual and couldn't relate well to other kids. Another boy, Caleb was curious about him and declared himself to be Rex's friend. Rex didn't believe him until Caleb saved Rex's life. Caleb and his other friends Mei and Tate were also victims of his father and had superpower abilities. Mei could freeze anything, Caleb was an empath, Tate creates shields with his minds and Rex shares his dad's destructive superpower. Now his friends have grown-up they have joined the secret superhero squad division of FISA, a secret governmental agency. Rex wants to join them and help people but his uncle is against it. He and his friends plan to convince his uncle to let him join FISA and with some help the plan works. Now Rex has to adjust to life as a governmental agent and a superhero. He loves working with his friends but the agency head is someone that Rex doesn't trust. Rex is also having problems with Damon, the first publically know superhero. Damon's parents were killed by Rex's dad and Damon killed his dad. Damon saved him.
I really enjoyed this book with its quirky characters. Rex is an unusual hero but he does care for his friends even if he really doesn't want to. Rex is determined not to be like his father but people won't easily forget where he comes from. I received a copy of this story and this is my honest review.
I really enjoyed this book with its quirky characters. Rex is an unusual hero but he does care for his friends even if he really doesn't want to. Rex is determined not to be like his father but people won't easily forget where he comes from. I received a copy of this story and this is my honest review.
January 23, 2025
** 3.5 Stars **
Liquid Onyx . . .
Rexley Xander Nova has an odd family consisting of his Uncle Roux and someone named Lady Mars who is not actually related to him. She is kind of “eccentric” and thought of as being a witch… which she actually is. And Rex describes himself as the “dramatic result of a science experiment gone very right or very wrong, depending on who you ask”. He has superpowers, as do most of his friends, since his mad scientist father, Dr Alexander Nova, created a chemical named Liquid Onyx. The early tests on adults resulted in death. But somehow mistaking a 14-year-old for an adult, his injection resulted in mental and physical sickness -- which, to his father, was a sign of progress. So he kidnapped more kids, including his own young son in the experiments. When he ultimately tried injecting himself, he went insane (although one might successfully argue he was already insane before the injection). Eventually, when Rex is old enough, he becomes a Superhero with the others fighting killer Mages and other evil groups that threaten society. This is the start of his unusual life. You won’t find a whole lot of “normal”, but the story is clever and fun at times despite it also being annoying and unusual in brief spurts. Not my favorite, but not the worst either.
Liquid Onyx . . .
Rexley Xander Nova has an odd family consisting of his Uncle Roux and someone named Lady Mars who is not actually related to him. She is kind of “eccentric” and thought of as being a witch… which she actually is. And Rex describes himself as the “dramatic result of a science experiment gone very right or very wrong, depending on who you ask”. He has superpowers, as do most of his friends, since his mad scientist father, Dr Alexander Nova, created a chemical named Liquid Onyx. The early tests on adults resulted in death. But somehow mistaking a 14-year-old for an adult, his injection resulted in mental and physical sickness -- which, to his father, was a sign of progress. So he kidnapped more kids, including his own young son in the experiments. When he ultimately tried injecting himself, he went insane (although one might successfully argue he was already insane before the injection). Eventually, when Rex is old enough, he becomes a Superhero with the others fighting killer Mages and other evil groups that threaten society. This is the start of his unusual life. You won’t find a whole lot of “normal”, but the story is clever and fun at times despite it also being annoying and unusual in brief spurts. Not my favorite, but not the worst either.
July 3, 2022
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Review Copy of this book.
I was taken with this story from the very beginning. It's a mix of absolutely hilarious with some more serious notes. The story breaks the 4th wall completely, with Rex narrating his story. I thought the flashbacks were worked in well. This was a good setup for the series, plenty of introduction of characters but not overload on information. I thought Rex had a good bit of angst and humor, completely reasonable given his background and family (when you're dad was a supervillain and the uncle that raised you is a bit on the crazy side, you're allowed some major angst).
I'm interested to see where this is going to go in future books. I hope the humor keeps up (not an easy task) and that we get to see more character development. But this was a really solid first book.
I was taken with this story from the very beginning. It's a mix of absolutely hilarious with some more serious notes. The story breaks the 4th wall completely, with Rex narrating his story. I thought the flashbacks were worked in well. This was a good setup for the series, plenty of introduction of characters but not overload on information. I thought Rex had a good bit of angst and humor, completely reasonable given his background and family (when you're dad was a supervillain and the uncle that raised you is a bit on the crazy side, you're allowed some major angst).
I'm interested to see where this is going to go in future books. I hope the humor keeps up (not an easy task) and that we get to see more character development. But this was a really solid first book.
February 5, 2025
This book is absolutely bonkers—in the best possible way. If you love chaotic, ridiculous humor, over-the-top action, and characters who have no business being superheroes but somehow pull it off, Nova’s Got Nerve is for you.
BL Jones has an incredible imagination, throwing together British superheroes, melodramatic mages, snarky secret agents, and an awkward, anxious protagonist who somehow manages to save the day (or at least survive it). Rexley Nova’s origin story is full of absurd situations, nonsense dialogues, and pure comedic gold. I laughed out loud so many times, and the sheer ridiculousness of it all just made me love it more.
Rex’s journey is as heartfelt as it is hilarious, and I can’t wait to see where his story goes next—especially when it comes to his love life. Whoever he ends up with, I just hope he survives long enough to figure it out! I’m definitely grabbing the next book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
BL Jones has an incredible imagination, throwing together British superheroes, melodramatic mages, snarky secret agents, and an awkward, anxious protagonist who somehow manages to save the day (or at least survive it). Rexley Nova’s origin story is full of absurd situations, nonsense dialogues, and pure comedic gold. I laughed out loud so many times, and the sheer ridiculousness of it all just made me love it more.
Rex’s journey is as heartfelt as it is hilarious, and I can’t wait to see where his story goes next—especially when it comes to his love life. Whoever he ends up with, I just hope he survives long enough to figure it out! I’m definitely grabbing the next book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 16, 2022
Fantasy, Friendship, Just all kinds of Fun
This was the perfect way to end my days
I honestly looked forward to reading this in the evenings to unwind
From Rex's beginning rambles to the closing, not really a cliffhanger - I want more - #teamIDKyet
I was transported
I laughed so hard at this motley group of superheroes
I loved how they formed their own family, how they had each other's backs
The way we as readers saw the events through Rex - the kid is so sweet, loveable, and at times slightly out there
This is a full-length novel that sets the foundation for the series which
I highly recommend
For those who enjoy the lighter side
Plenty of humor
Emotional upheavals - not really angsty
A diverse cast of characters - we get to meet them and learn who they are or were through Rex's perspective - which at times can be pretty amusing
Plenty of action
All wrapped up in a new and fresh storyline
I look forward to spending more evenings with them
This was the perfect way to end my days
I honestly looked forward to reading this in the evenings to unwind
From Rex's beginning rambles to the closing, not really a cliffhanger - I want more - #teamIDKyet
I was transported
I laughed so hard at this motley group of superheroes
I loved how they formed their own family, how they had each other's backs
The way we as readers saw the events through Rex - the kid is so sweet, loveable, and at times slightly out there
This is a full-length novel that sets the foundation for the series which
I highly recommend
For those who enjoy the lighter side
Plenty of humor
Emotional upheavals - not really angsty
A diverse cast of characters - we get to meet them and learn who they are or were through Rex's perspective - which at times can be pretty amusing
Plenty of action
All wrapped up in a new and fresh storyline
I look forward to spending more evenings with them
April 11, 2024
Let me start off by saying I Love Rexley! Being a little ADD myself, I could totally relate to his personality and his ability to hop around in conversations.
All of the main characters are so much fun to be around, and even though it was a long, involved plot, I was never bored! And an injection that started it all years ago. One that turns your blood black.
You'll laugh every time Lady Mars is in a scene, sigh with the residents of Colbie when all the family members are home, and rejoice when romance succeeds in bringing heroes together. Plus some sadness when family members struggle with each other.
I'd love to see the story board(s) B.L. must have used to keep the action flowing and the tension taunt.
Be prepared for some feats of bravery and intense training sessions as well as some much needed 'down time'.
Thanks to GRR for this ARC. I'm eagerly anticipating the release of the next book in the series.
All of the main characters are so much fun to be around, and even though it was a long, involved plot, I was never bored! And an injection that started it all years ago. One that turns your blood black.
You'll laugh every time Lady Mars is in a scene, sigh with the residents of Colbie when all the family members are home, and rejoice when romance succeeds in bringing heroes together. Plus some sadness when family members struggle with each other.
I'd love to see the story board(s) B.L. must have used to keep the action flowing and the tension taunt.
Be prepared for some feats of bravery and intense training sessions as well as some much needed 'down time'.
Thanks to GRR for this ARC. I'm eagerly anticipating the release of the next book in the series.
June 16, 2022
This is the story of Rex and Damon. I must admit when I got this book, the cover immediately drew me in. I thought it was going to be a quick short read, wow was I wrong. This is the debut novel of B. L. Jones and also the 1st in the series. A great, fun and funny beginning to the series.
I personally loved all the info that was provided on the characters and absolutely fell more in love with them and Rex's "weirdness" because of that. I found them original and unique and so much fun. It is written wonderfully for a debut novel, the characters well developed and I loved the length, but then again I adore extra long stories.
I greatly enjoyed the storyline and I can't wait to see where the story goes and what the author makes of it. Definitely recommended.
I received this book as an Arc and I am voluntarily reviewing it.
I personally loved all the info that was provided on the characters and absolutely fell more in love with them and Rex's "weirdness" because of that. I found them original and unique and so much fun. It is written wonderfully for a debut novel, the characters well developed and I loved the length, but then again I adore extra long stories.
I greatly enjoyed the storyline and I can't wait to see where the story goes and what the author makes of it. Definitely recommended.
I received this book as an Arc and I am voluntarily reviewing it.
June 18, 2022
With mages, superheroes and secret agents, Novas Got Nerve tells the story of Rexley Nova. At the age of four, his father used him as part of an experiment which gave him super powers. Now at the age of twenty, Rex is ready to do more with his life and join the Secret Superhero Security team. He and several of his friends join, throwing them into fights with everything and everyone. Rex also finds an interest in another superhero, Damon.
This was a unique story which had some thrilling aspects. Some of the conversations turned into witty, amusing interplays. A lot of information was provided on the characters, giving you a glimpse into how they grew into who they are. It is as if they become your close friends. The plot was intriguing and since this is the first story in the series, it will be fun to see how it evolves. I look forward to reading the next one.
This was a unique story which had some thrilling aspects. Some of the conversations turned into witty, amusing interplays. A lot of information was provided on the characters, giving you a glimpse into how they grew into who they are. It is as if they become your close friends. The plot was intriguing and since this is the first story in the series, it will be fun to see how it evolves. I look forward to reading the next one.
May 1, 2023
Omg, so I generally love books about superheroes and getting a good look into their world.
But this one.... OMG. The banter, the SNARK, just the absolute hilarious insanity that is the MC Rex. It was just amazing.
Also left off at an excellent point that was not quite a cliffhanger, but almost one enough that I can't wait to get the next book and see what happens next.
There were a few parts, especially in the beginning that made it harder to get through, specifically all the memory flashbacks and internal monologuing that Rex does sometimes, BUT the majority of them are needed to flesh out the background characters and help you get to know them.
So despite a few parts being a little slow (totally push through them, it's worth it), this was.a fabulous and overall hilarious book and I definitely recommend that anyone who like.the MM superhero genre read it!
But this one.... OMG. The banter, the SNARK, just the absolute hilarious insanity that is the MC Rex. It was just amazing.
Also left off at an excellent point that was not quite a cliffhanger, but almost one enough that I can't wait to get the next book and see what happens next.
There were a few parts, especially in the beginning that made it harder to get through, specifically all the memory flashbacks and internal monologuing that Rex does sometimes, BUT the majority of them are needed to flesh out the background characters and help you get to know them.
So despite a few parts being a little slow (totally push through them, it's worth it), this was.a fabulous and overall hilarious book and I definitely recommend that anyone who like.the MM superhero genre read it!
June 18, 2023
I was going to do a proper book review of Novas Got Nerve. But after a lengthy and detailed internal monologue realised that was never gonna happen.
You see this book holds up a mirror - not physically as I am not an eighteen year old, blonde, gay guy with superhero powers - but metaphorically. I get Rexley. I have lived for much longer so have schooled my inappropriate social commentary into silence which is seen as crippling shyness, but when I do make the effort, I am totally able to make a Rexley worthy mess up.
I love Jamie to bits, he is my favourite character and I could snuggle him all night.
Roux is the best because I understand what it is to be a shit-hot professional but on some days you can barely cling onto being a member of the human race.
Lady Mars is a complete boss. The rest of the cast as seen through Rexley's eyes are awesome.
Go read it now.
June 16, 2022
This was a bit of a head scratcher with the characters seeming to go off in different directions at times. There is a lot of self-decryption and a bit of a holier than thou feeling at times. I guess that would fit as they were super humans.
There was a bit of an info dump at the beginning which the narrator more or less apologized for. There were bursts of brilliance followed by way too much filler at times that kept things from having a nice organic flow to it. It seemed to be trying too hard to be different and in trying to have that type of writing style fell short of it’s intent.
It was a little all over the place for me to say that I want to learn more.
I received an ARC and I am leaving an honest review.
There was a bit of an info dump at the beginning which the narrator more or less apologized for. There were bursts of brilliance followed by way too much filler at times that kept things from having a nice organic flow to it. It seemed to be trying too hard to be different and in trying to have that type of writing style fell short of it’s intent.
It was a little all over the place for me to say that I want to learn more.
I received an ARC and I am leaving an honest review.
June 18, 2022
This is a hard one to review. I really wanted to love it. It had family, superheroes, MM romance, and quirky characters, and an intriguing sounding plot. But it fell a little flat. The book opens with Rex Nova giving us, the reader a lot of background in a quirky way and sets the tone for the entire story. I’m not sure if it’s because this is the first book in a series and it’s setting up the overall plot, but I found this story lacking in action. It’s almost as if it was act one rather than a complete novel. I liked the concept of the book and I can see where it could be really good, but it didn’t quite get there. I can see this appealing if you really enjoy superhero novels and/or really slow burns as it was it just didn’t quite work for me.
September 18, 2023
If you like funny, snarky dialogue from conflicted snarky characters then you will love this book. Rexly (love this name) had a horrible father who injected all kinds of people, including Rex with Liquid Onyx and made the ones who survived into super heroes. Obviously Rex feels a bit conflicted about this which is probably where his snarky treatment of the world comes from in order to cope. Marvelous world building by BL Jones but I do think that if an editor went through it and cut about one eighth of it out then it would actually be a stronger book. I am anxious to find out what happens next which is definitely a sign of a good book for me.
I got a copy of this book from GRR and this is my honest review.
I got a copy of this book from GRR and this is my honest review.
June 16, 2022
The book’s blurb promises a “painfully bizarre origin story” and delivers on that promise in some really rewarding ways. The characters are fascinating, the world they inhabit is memorable and interesting, and there’s a lot going on— it can be hard to keep up, but it does feel, in this book, like there’s some serious momentum building, and that future stories will really benefit from the groundwork laid here (this is the part where I note that I’m really hoping there will be future stories— I’d like to see more of what the author’s started here). Overall, an enjoyable read.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
June 18, 2023
What a way to start a new series - I'm hooked! Jones did an excellent job of bringing both characters and setting to life, and I loved Rex from the start. This is definitely very character driven - focusing on Rex, his life, and adventures. I would love to know him irl as a friend, he has such a fun, unique personality. Although the book starts a little slow, once the pace quickens it stays moving at a good pace, and keeps you interested. There are some dark moments - not everything is sunshine and roses in Rex's world, but there are funny moments to balance it out. I look forward to seeing where the series goes next, and spending more time with Rex and friends.
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