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ellelainey's review
5.0
Book – Hearts of Darkness
Author – Andrea Speed
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 200
Cover – Gorgeous! And perfect for the story!
POV – 3rd person, one character POV
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – LGBT, Superhero/Supervillain, Comics, Romance, Crime
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
I was instantly hooked by the first line:
“Not for the first time, Kaede wondered what would happen if he decided to burn everything down. Just set it all on fire.”
After that, it only got better. I was instantly captivated by Kaede and, from the moment we met Ash, he was by far the most interesting character I've read in a while. Kaede is a complicated mix of an only child seeking a father figure, a young man who is fiercely independent and capable but that others misjudge based on his looks and age, as well as the added confusion of being a super villain's son and trying to find his niche in the world. On the flip side, Ash is an emotionless superrobot-human-superkiller-supersoldier. On top of all of that, he's highly intelligent, super aware and sensitive to Kaede while being completely unaware of the simplest, most basic human emotional concepts.
When it comes to the plot, I don't want to say much, because there's nothing I can really say without giving everything away. All I will say is that is was awesome, with a brilliant ending and some amazing superhero-supervillain twists and turns.
The attention to detail given to the superheroes and supervillains – from names, abilities and their inventions etc – was incredibly well done and pure genius, really. I loved the kind of detail that was given to Dr Terror, even though he wasn't a character that we got to see on page. We saw him in e-mails, through Kaede's thoughts and feelings, as well as exploring his inventive side through all of his gadgets.
I loved that, as well as individual superheroes and supervillains, there were actual conglomerates of them. The Brotherhood of the Red Dagger, The Black Hand, etc, who all took part in various aspects of the plot that actually came together in the end.
I definitely want to see these characters again in another story, somewhere down the line.
~
Favourite Quote
“The boy acknowledged that with a curt nod and then took a few steps forward before stopping again. He showed his hands – slender, long-fingered, a pianist's hands – to let Kaede know they were empty. Or at least appeared that way. Kaede thought the kid had a spray of freckles across his ghostly skin, but after a moment he realized it was just a sprinkling of blood.”
“If this man was telling the truth – and why would he lie? – he was so dangerous it would actually be difficult to quantify. He'd be the equivalent of a trained shark with Ebola-tipped missiles in a launcher on its head.”
Author – Andrea Speed
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 200
Cover – Gorgeous! And perfect for the story!
POV – 3rd person, one character POV
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – LGBT, Superhero/Supervillain, Comics, Romance, Crime
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
I was instantly hooked by the first line:
“Not for the first time, Kaede wondered what would happen if he decided to burn everything down. Just set it all on fire.”
After that, it only got better. I was instantly captivated by Kaede and, from the moment we met Ash, he was by far the most interesting character I've read in a while. Kaede is a complicated mix of an only child seeking a father figure, a young man who is fiercely independent and capable but that others misjudge based on his looks and age, as well as the added confusion of being a super villain's son and trying to find his niche in the world. On the flip side, Ash is an emotionless superrobot-human-superkiller-supersoldier. On top of all of that, he's highly intelligent, super aware and sensitive to Kaede while being completely unaware of the simplest, most basic human emotional concepts.
When it comes to the plot, I don't want to say much, because there's nothing I can really say without giving everything away. All I will say is that is was awesome, with a brilliant ending and some amazing superhero-supervillain twists and turns.
The attention to detail given to the superheroes and supervillains – from names, abilities and their inventions etc – was incredibly well done and pure genius, really. I loved the kind of detail that was given to Dr Terror, even though he wasn't a character that we got to see on page. We saw him in e-mails, through Kaede's thoughts and feelings, as well as exploring his inventive side through all of his gadgets.
I loved that, as well as individual superheroes and supervillains, there were actual conglomerates of them. The Brotherhood of the Red Dagger, The Black Hand, etc, who all took part in various aspects of the plot that actually came together in the end.
I definitely want to see these characters again in another story, somewhere down the line.
~
Favourite Quote
“The boy acknowledged that with a curt nod and then took a few steps forward before stopping again. He showed his hands – slender, long-fingered, a pianist's hands – to let Kaede know they were empty. Or at least appeared that way. Kaede thought the kid had a spray of freckles across his ghostly skin, but after a moment he realized it was just a sprinkling of blood.”
“If this man was telling the truth – and why would he lie? – he was so dangerous it would actually be difficult to quantify. He'd be the equivalent of a trained shark with Ebola-tipped missiles in a launcher on its head.”
sivolia's review
4.0
When I read the description it reminded me of a Wattpad story but it is definitly better than that. Obviously not a literally masterpiece that makes you question society but it`s a nice read when you just want something fun and light to read.
I loved how the love parts and the supervillain-story parts went to together and nothing seemed forced. The relationship feels honest and real and it´s not put into spotlight as much as I expected to but it´s another part of the story like everything else which I really liked.
The story is just something different and I really enjoyed that. Might even be up for a re-read in a bit of time.
I loved how the love parts and the supervillain-story parts went to together and nothing seemed forced. The relationship feels honest and real and it´s not put into spotlight as much as I expected to but it´s another part of the story like everything else which I really liked.
The story is just something different and I really enjoyed that. Might even be up for a re-read in a bit of time.
readbyryan's review
Fiction - Young Adult. Trade Paperback. Found online. Did not finish.
the_novel_approach's review
4.0
3.5 Stars ~ This was a nice superhero read. There’s action, good characters, and a smidgen of a love story. Also, I really liked Dark Justice because he reminded me of my favorite action hero, even though he was kind of a pain in the ass for most the story (which also seems accurate concerning my favorite action hero).
One of the best aspects of the novel was Kaede himself. Kaede’s father, Doctor Terror, is a supervillain and legitimately insane, so Kaede spends most of his life training for oddball catastrophic scenarios, learning innovative and cutting-edge technologies, practicing how to be an entitled dick to everyone, and moving from city to city—because no place is safe for a supervillain’s son. If Kaede isn’t the target of some nefarious plot to get even with his father, then he’s surrounded by sycophants who are desperate to get on his old man’s good side. It’s safe to say he doesn’t have any real friends. Possibly the most concerning aspect of Kaede’s upbringing is that he isn’t even sure if Doctor Terror is his real father, or if he’s just a clone of him. If that doesn’t describe their family’s dysfunction in a nutshell, I don’t know what does.
Despite all that, I think Kaede has turned out rather well. Sure, he doesn’t seem to have a problem killing people, but they are mostly bad guys, or good guys who are really bad guys. That’s a theme I encountered many times in this book, that being good is about more than what color leotard you wear. It’s about the content of your character and your actions.
What gets the plot rolling is when Kaede finds himself under attack—again. And again, it’s people who want to get even with his father. But does Doctor Terror come down to help keep his son safe? No. Instead he sends a genetically engineered and possibly mentally damaged thug, and some cryptic and mostly unhelpful emails. Because that’s parenting at its finest.
Kaede has sort of a resigned but semi-Zen attitude regarding his father, so I was a bit surprised when he took the bait. From that data, I can only conclude Kaede is a bit like the old man, in that he constantly seeks a mental challenge. There was also the matter of Kaede having a crush on his new bodyguard, Ash. Although his father’s call to adventure was a great way for Kaede to impress his new date with his supervillain skills, I’m not sure I was completely buying their romance. But that’s okay. They’re both a bit screwy, so I guess it works.
My biggest problem with the novel was the pacing. Yes, it was fast in parts—you’d expect that with a superhero novel—so there wasn’t a whole lot of time for touchy feely stuff, which I didn’t have a problem with. However, the way the scenes ended and began made the entire story read slightly stilted to me. Instead of organizing the scenes around an action sequence, there were awkward passages of summary in between them. These passages weren’t like normal breaks in action, where the reader can take a breather and maybe get to know the characters better, but were more like laundry lists of what the character was doing: brushed teeth, went to bed, had breakfast, etc. And some of the super intense action scenes had no build up, which gave me reader whiplash.
Overall, it was a fine book. Kaede was fairly interesting, and I really liked Dark Justice. I don’t have time for boy scouts, and DJ didn’t disappoint me.
Reviewed by Ben for The Novel Approach Reviews
One of the best aspects of the novel was Kaede himself. Kaede’s father, Doctor Terror, is a supervillain and legitimately insane, so Kaede spends most of his life training for oddball catastrophic scenarios, learning innovative and cutting-edge technologies, practicing how to be an entitled dick to everyone, and moving from city to city—because no place is safe for a supervillain’s son. If Kaede isn’t the target of some nefarious plot to get even with his father, then he’s surrounded by sycophants who are desperate to get on his old man’s good side. It’s safe to say he doesn’t have any real friends. Possibly the most concerning aspect of Kaede’s upbringing is that he isn’t even sure if Doctor Terror is his real father, or if he’s just a clone of him. If that doesn’t describe their family’s dysfunction in a nutshell, I don’t know what does.
Despite all that, I think Kaede has turned out rather well. Sure, he doesn’t seem to have a problem killing people, but they are mostly bad guys, or good guys who are really bad guys. That’s a theme I encountered many times in this book, that being good is about more than what color leotard you wear. It’s about the content of your character and your actions.
What gets the plot rolling is when Kaede finds himself under attack—again. And again, it’s people who want to get even with his father. But does Doctor Terror come down to help keep his son safe? No. Instead he sends a genetically engineered and possibly mentally damaged thug, and some cryptic and mostly unhelpful emails. Because that’s parenting at its finest.
Kaede has sort of a resigned but semi-Zen attitude regarding his father, so I was a bit surprised when he took the bait. From that data, I can only conclude Kaede is a bit like the old man, in that he constantly seeks a mental challenge. There was also the matter of Kaede having a crush on his new bodyguard, Ash. Although his father’s call to adventure was a great way for Kaede to impress his new date with his supervillain skills, I’m not sure I was completely buying their romance. But that’s okay. They’re both a bit screwy, so I guess it works.
My biggest problem with the novel was the pacing. Yes, it was fast in parts—you’d expect that with a superhero novel—so there wasn’t a whole lot of time for touchy feely stuff, which I didn’t have a problem with. However, the way the scenes ended and began made the entire story read slightly stilted to me. Instead of organizing the scenes around an action sequence, there were awkward passages of summary in between them. These passages weren’t like normal breaks in action, where the reader can take a breather and maybe get to know the characters better, but were more like laundry lists of what the character was doing: brushed teeth, went to bed, had breakfast, etc. And some of the super intense action scenes had no build up, which gave me reader whiplash.
Overall, it was a fine book. Kaede was fairly interesting, and I really liked Dark Justice. I don’t have time for boy scouts, and DJ didn’t disappoint me.
Reviewed by Ben for The Novel Approach Reviews
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