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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
The final book in this arc of the San Francisco set Heroine series is narrated in first person by exuberantly foulmouthed Bea Tanaka, younger sister to Evie, who with Aveda Jupiter are local superheroes fighting to free The City from its demon portal problem.
Bea has been bouncing from one pursuit to another, her relationships lasting even less time. It doesn’t help that her deadbeat dad turns up after years away, just in time to upset everyone. Now Bea is convinced that her life will be perfect if she becomes a superheroine with Evie and Aveda, and is furious when they point out that she seems to follow every new shiny idea without ever settling to one.
On the other hand, she is smart, determined, and her ability to vaguely influence thoughts does come in handy, especially after some creepy gigantic demon things suddenly start stomping threateningly at a local beach park. Bea is admitted as a superheroine trainee at the same time as her powers begin to ramp up exponentially . . . and she gets a hint that Evie’s and her mother, dead since Bea was twelve, might actually be caught in some demon dimension, and is trying to reach her!
I loved Bea’s voice, but what I really enjoyed were her awesome friends, beginning with her bestie Sam, with whom she has been competing academically since they were kids. Sam is super good-looking, and also bounces from one relationship to another, which is one of the reasons their friendship is so strong.
But what happens when the old competition develops a spark of you-know-what? Bea’s other bestie, Leah, calls it like it is, highly entertained when Bea stops her ears and claims no way.
Interspersed between these high octane scenes of relationship discovery are intense scenes dealing with the fallout of abandonment. Meanwhile the stakes keep rising, weird stuff keeps happening until the usual hilarious and yet tense climax, bringing this first arc to a close.
I liked this book best of the three. The emotional tension line was as involving as the magical one, and I found Bea’s voice the most fun of the three books. At the end readers are promised more from these delightful characters in a series that is diversity friendly, featuring Asian superheroines.
Copy provided by NetGalley
Bea has been bouncing from one pursuit to another, her relationships lasting even less time. It doesn’t help that her deadbeat dad turns up after years away, just in time to upset everyone. Now Bea is convinced that her life will be perfect if she becomes a superheroine with Evie and Aveda, and is furious when they point out that she seems to follow every new shiny idea without ever settling to one.
On the other hand, she is smart, determined, and her ability to vaguely influence thoughts does come in handy, especially after some creepy gigantic demon things suddenly start stomping threateningly at a local beach park. Bea is admitted as a superheroine trainee at the same time as her powers begin to ramp up exponentially . . . and she gets a hint that Evie’s and her mother, dead since Bea was twelve, might actually be caught in some demon dimension, and is trying to reach her!
I loved Bea’s voice, but what I really enjoyed were her awesome friends, beginning with her bestie Sam, with whom she has been competing academically since they were kids. Sam is super good-looking, and also bounces from one relationship to another, which is one of the reasons their friendship is so strong.
But what happens when the old competition develops a spark of you-know-what? Bea’s other bestie, Leah, calls it like it is, highly entertained when Bea stops her ears and claims no way.
Interspersed between these high octane scenes of relationship discovery are intense scenes dealing with the fallout of abandonment. Meanwhile the stakes keep rising, weird stuff keeps happening until the usual hilarious and yet tense climax, bringing this first arc to a close.
I liked this book best of the three. The emotional tension line was as involving as the magical one, and I found Bea’s voice the most fun of the three books. At the end readers are promised more from these delightful characters in a series that is diversity friendly, featuring Asian superheroines.
Copy provided by NetGalley
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved Bea's story. It felt really true to my experiences. I understand her constant feeling of not being good enough.
I usually post my review first, for readers who want to avoid spoilers, but I just couldn’t! I have to squee over that interview, because OH MY GOSH!! There’s going to be MORE in the Heroine world! It’s the absolute best news when you’re surprised when a beloved series gets more installments! I don’t have to say goodbye to Evie, Annie and Bea. (Or SCOTT, as Ms Kuhn pointed out!) There was so much goodness in this interview, but that big news is definitely my favorite! (Also, me and Evie are Hogwarts house sisters!)
Don’t get me wrong, I went into my read of Heroine’s Journey fully expecting it was the final book in the series. The idea it was the end was my mindset was when I read, and going into it thinking it was over really made me look at it harder. Even looking extra critically, I still thought it was the strongest book in the series, and my favorite. I wasn’t sure what to expect, jumping into Bea’s head, when throughout the first two books she was so angry all the time. Although, I also kind of trusted it because Annie was so awful in book one, yet I loved her so much in book two. Sarah Kuhn is great at redeeming characters, which is exactly what she did with Bea (at least for this reader).
I’ll even go so far as to say, Bea is my favorite POV so far. I loved how impulsive she can be, and I love how she doesn’t hold anything in and get all angsty, which is how one would expect her to act. She doesn’t. If she’s pissed, she tells you (in a very long winded way) just what you did wrong. She was refreshing. She’s what drove my love for her close friendships with Leah and Sam, because that was a solid friendship all the way ’round.
And speaking of Sam! Talk about Hot Nerd! I mean, Scott is my love, but I sure wouldn’t turn my nose up at Sam. I adored how sweet and gentle he was while Bea was spazzing out. He’s a darling and I loved him and his charming smoldering self!
Basically, I loved Heroine’s Journey! And again, it’s not over! I get more Bea, more Sam, and more Scott! I’m still sitting over here doing a happy dance. Maybe you guys reading this can catch up and we can all enjoy the next three together! It is so worth it!
Thank you to DAW, and Sarah Kuhn, for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Like this review? Read more like it on Birdie Bookworm!
Don’t get me wrong, I went into my read of Heroine’s Journey fully expecting it was the final book in the series. The idea it was the end was my mindset was when I read, and going into it thinking it was over really made me look at it harder. Even looking extra critically, I still thought it was the strongest book in the series, and my favorite. I wasn’t sure what to expect, jumping into Bea’s head, when throughout the first two books she was so angry all the time. Although, I also kind of trusted it because Annie was so awful in book one, yet I loved her so much in book two. Sarah Kuhn is great at redeeming characters, which is exactly what she did with Bea (at least for this reader).
I’ll even go so far as to say, Bea is my favorite POV so far. I loved how impulsive she can be, and I love how she doesn’t hold anything in and get all angsty, which is how one would expect her to act. She doesn’t. If she’s pissed, she tells you (in a very long winded way) just what you did wrong. She was refreshing. She’s what drove my love for her close friendships with Leah and Sam, because that was a solid friendship all the way ’round.
And speaking of Sam! Talk about Hot Nerd! I mean, Scott is my love, but I sure wouldn’t turn my nose up at Sam. I adored how sweet and gentle he was while Bea was spazzing out. He’s a darling and I loved him and his charming smoldering self!
Basically, I loved Heroine’s Journey! And again, it’s not over! I get more Bea, more Sam, and more Scott! I’m still sitting over here doing a happy dance. Maybe you guys reading this can catch up and we can all enjoy the next three together! It is so worth it!
Thank you to DAW, and Sarah Kuhn, for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Like this review? Read more like it on Birdie Bookworm!
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay, not perfect, but big energetic fun.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
NOW THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!! THIS IS THE KIND OF STORY I EXPECTED DURING THE FIRST BOOK. A CUTE ROMANCE, ACTION PACKED, MADE SENSE. (lol honestly some of what was happening in regards to the demon portals in the first two books was very confusing). I loved Bea and Sam to death.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Having a hard time being emp thetic with the narrator.
According to the search function on overdrive, the book only uses the phrase "beaucoup fromage" eleven times. It feels like a lot more.
Other than that, I liked this book, for the same reasons I liked the first two. It's interesting getting inside of the different characters' minds, and Bea thinks so differently than Evie and Aveda, giving her such a distinctive voice.
There are a lot of tertiary characters, who can be a little easy to mix up, but they're just tertiary characters anyway so it's not a big deal. Like, I mostly just remember that Lucy says "darling" a lot but not how she fits in to everything.
As a younger sibling, I could relate to this feeling of always being "Evie's younger sister", and trying to forge bonds with other people in the Superhero Business without always being related to that way. Sarah Kuhn's definitely got at least one sibling.
A fun, light read, that passes the Bechdel test on every page, centers a diverse group of POC, especially from Asian diasporas, and centers queer characters, without it being heavy-handedly About Women/POC/Queerness.
Other than that, I liked this book, for the same reasons I liked the first two. It's interesting getting inside of the different characters' minds, and Bea thinks so differently than Evie and Aveda, giving her such a distinctive voice.
There are a lot of tertiary characters, who can be a little easy to mix up, but they're just tertiary characters anyway so it's not a big deal. Like, I mostly just remember that Lucy says "darling" a lot but not how she fits in to everything.
As a younger sibling, I could relate to this feeling of always being "Evie's younger sister", and trying to forge bonds with other people in the Superhero Business without always being related to that way. Sarah Kuhn's definitely got at least one sibling.
A fun, light read, that passes the Bechdel test on every page, centers a diverse group of POC, especially from Asian diasporas, and centers queer characters, without it being heavy-handedly About Women/POC/Queerness.