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izumisano's review against another edition
4.0
I kinda love the whole normal daughter desperately trying to get out of her parents' shadow. This type of idea has been explored before, but I don't think as one-on-one as it does in this book. It kind of made me think of that old Disney movie Sky High (but he develops powers in the end). Although Carrie never has any material needs, the fact that she has no identity of her own drives her to leave her family behind. I'm sure kids of celebrity parents probably go through a similar complex, especially if they don't have any talents. The world shakes it head in shame as the child from such a talented family has nothing to offer the world other than the mundane.
Overall I enjoyed this book. I was able to guess who the villain was early on, but it was still fun to see it develop. I'm scared to try the sequel, but I don't know what's good for me, so I'll try it anyways.
Overall I enjoyed this book. I was able to guess who the villain was early on, but it was still fun to see it develop. I'm scared to try the sequel, but I don't know what's good for me, so I'll try it anyways.
gaderianne's review against another edition
2.0
If your parents were the most famous super heroes of all time...if your parents were part of a fearsome and never beaten super hero foursome called The Olympiad.....if your parents had to constantly fore-go family time to save the world....and if you had absolutely no super powers then I guess you might turn into a whiny, selfish, whiny, self-pitying, whiny, parent hating (did I mention whiny) adult...or in other words, Ceila West, the main character of this book.
The premise of this book was good. It’s about what the daughter of superheros (who are unmasked by the way) does with her life? Well it turns out she becomes a terrorist along side of “The Destructor” as a teenager (and whines about how her parents hate her), goes away to college after her parents cover up the crime (and whines when it comes out in the press), becomes a forensic accountant (and whines about how she is put on a case just because of her connections), gets kidnapped on at least a weekly basis (four times within the plot of this book alone), gets involved with the wrong kind of guy, and...you got it...whines. I liked the premise of this book, but I could not stand the heroine. Give me spunk, give me strength, give me devil may care, give me the “next generator of superheroes!” Please, just don’t give me any more Ceila West.
The premise of this book was good. It’s about what the daughter of superheros (who are unmasked by the way) does with her life? Well it turns out she becomes a terrorist along side of “The Destructor” as a teenager (and whines about how her parents hate her), goes away to college after her parents cover up the crime (and whines when it comes out in the press), becomes a forensic accountant (and whines about how she is put on a case just because of her connections), gets kidnapped on at least a weekly basis (four times within the plot of this book alone), gets involved with the wrong kind of guy, and...you got it...whines. I liked the premise of this book, but I could not stand the heroine. Give me spunk, give me strength, give me devil may care, give me the “next generator of superheroes!” Please, just don’t give me any more Ceila West.
jdrummond's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent read that I found at the right time. It was an enjoyable change of pace, and while not overly complex in plot, it was well written and paced to be thoroughly satisfying.
cgm42's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
paradoxically's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not the biggest fan of superheroes, mainly because I think their costumes are ridiculous (which, considering what the characters wear in some of the other books I enjoy reading, doesn't make all that much sense, but go figure) and they just strike me as rather absurd overall. Still, there was something about After the Golden Age that I latched onto and enjoyed greatly.
The book is about Celia, who is (unfortunately) the daughter of two famous superheroes. She has no powers of her own, which caused her a lot of grief when she was younger, though she's much better about it at the start of the book (this is good because I don't think I'd be able to deal with all of the whining--it was bad enough reading the flashbacks). It's less about superheroes and more about Celia finding herself as a person, dealing with her dark past, and accepting the people around her.
Celia is a decent main character. She did some (very) stupid things when she was younger, but she keeps trying to make up for it and all she wants is to live her very normal life with very little in the way of bumps. Unfortunately things don't go exactly as planned, her life pretty much blows up around her, and she gets kidnapped like half a dozen times. I kid you not. It was great seeing her rather blase about the entire kidnapping scenario, but at the same time it's a bit disheartening that she's always in so much trouble and she can't even get herself out of the messes.
The relationship she has with her parents is very rocky, to say the least, but it's nice to see both sides of the party try to reconcile with one another, even if it's more one step forward and two steps back than anything else. Her parents are a bit flat. Her mother cries a lot and is sort of super mediator mom between Celia and her father, and her father can't seem to talk to her without wanting to smash things, which grows a bit old.
The pacing is pretty good, and I did enjoy reading the book from start to finish. I wasn't very happy about the last chapter, but mostly that was because it was one of those exposition, "and this is what happens to everyone a few years later" sort of deals. Makes me yawn in general. The plot itself was rather predictable. Even if you might not know exactly what is going on, you can at least predict the general storyline and who is the bad guy and that bad stuff is going down. The romance on the other hand... well, I liked the main couple. You could see hints that the book was leaning towards them from the beginning, but when they do get together, it was somewhat of a rush, which was a bit of a letdown. That and the guy wasn't nearly as fleshed out (except for some small glimpses) as I would like. Ah well. 3 stars.
The book is about Celia, who is (unfortunately) the daughter of two famous superheroes. She has no powers of her own, which caused her a lot of grief when she was younger, though she's much better about it at the start of the book (this is good because I don't think I'd be able to deal with all of the whining--it was bad enough reading the flashbacks). It's less about superheroes and more about Celia finding herself as a person, dealing with her dark past, and accepting the people around her.
Celia is a decent main character. She did some (very) stupid things when she was younger, but she keeps trying to make up for it and all she wants is to live her very normal life with very little in the way of bumps. Unfortunately things don't go exactly as planned, her life pretty much blows up around her, and she gets kidnapped like half a dozen times. I kid you not. It was great seeing her rather blase about the entire kidnapping scenario, but at the same time it's a bit disheartening that she's always in so much trouble and she can't even get herself out of the messes.
The relationship she has with her parents is very rocky, to say the least, but it's nice to see both sides of the party try to reconcile with one another, even if it's more one step forward and two steps back than anything else. Her parents are a bit flat. Her mother cries a lot and is sort of super mediator mom between Celia and her father, and her father can't seem to talk to her without wanting to smash things, which grows a bit old.
The pacing is pretty good, and I did enjoy reading the book from start to finish. I wasn't very happy about the last chapter, but mostly that was because it was one of those exposition, "and this is what happens to everyone a few years later" sort of deals. Makes me yawn in general. The plot itself was rather predictable. Even if you might not know exactly what is going on, you can at least predict the general storyline and who is the bad guy and that bad stuff is going down. The romance on the other hand... well, I liked the main couple. You could see hints that the book was leaning towards them from the beginning, but when they do get together, it was somewhat of a rush, which was a bit of a letdown. That and the guy wasn't nearly as fleshed out (except for some small glimpses) as I would like. Ah well. 3 stars.
canadajanes's review against another edition
4.0
Not amazing literature, a great camping read. Definitely what I needed to read this weekend (only took me two days).
glitterbomb47's review against another edition
4.0
The mundane daughter of superheroes struggles to find her own place in the world. And possibly love. I enjoyed this one quite a lot!
tyrshand's review against another edition
5.0
THIS was the incredibly satisfying read I've been looking for lately!
The plot is that Celia West is the completely un-superpowered daughter of the city's most famous superheroes, yet discovers that she can still do a lot of good with her life. So, simple seeming plot, but the relationships are so well done, the characters are lovable, and the question of who we are -- nature or nurture -- is fascinating.
One of the things that sets this book apart, I think, is that it is pretty much a "coming of age novel" -- but not for teens. Celia is a grown woman. She's finished college, she's been living on her a while... But, like many of us, she's still finding her place in the world and still discovering who she is. Those children and teen coming of age books make it feel like you reach this integral point of your life and then you're grown up and you understand it all. This, it shows that it's a much more complicated process that might not click for a while... We've got so many issues and there's baggage we carry. We get beyond it eventually, though. (and save the world)
The plot is that Celia West is the completely un-superpowered daughter of the city's most famous superheroes, yet discovers that she can still do a lot of good with her life. So, simple seeming plot, but the relationships are so well done, the characters are lovable, and the question of who we are -- nature or nurture -- is fascinating.
One of the things that sets this book apart, I think, is that it is pretty much a "coming of age novel" -- but not for teens. Celia is a grown woman. She's finished college, she's been living on her a while... But, like many of us, she's still finding her place in the world and still discovering who she is. Those children and teen coming of age books make it feel like you reach this integral point of your life and then you're grown up and you understand it all. This, it shows that it's a much more complicated process that might not click for a while... We've got so many issues and there's baggage we carry. We get beyond it eventually, though. (and save the world)
jaymeks's review against another edition
2.0
I thought the book was just ok... There were a lot of cliches, in my opinion, that the author was trying to avoid, but fell into anyhow.
I felt it was more a TV show mystery than a well developed story. I had the ending pegged well before the last few pages, and wasn't impressed with the choices of the characters.
I guess my problem is I went into this expecting something much more super hero related; something dark and mysterious, not another police show knockoff.
There were strengths though, but not enough to overcome the issues I had with the book.
With all that said, it has a badass cover.
I felt it was more a TV show mystery than a well developed story. I had the ending pegged well before the last few pages, and wasn't impressed with the choices of the characters.
I guess my problem is I went into this expecting something much more super hero related; something dark and mysterious, not another police show knockoff.
There were strengths though, but not enough to overcome the issues I had with the book.
With all that said, it has a badass cover.
apatrick's review against another edition
5.0
I read this almost in one setting (short break for dinner with in-laws). It's great. Reminded me a little of Soon I will be Invincible. Protagonist is the daughter of two superheros, but has no powers herself. It's a non-comic-book comic book if that makes any sense at all.