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bydandii's review
4.0
It isn't often that I think we a sequel is superior to it's predecessor. This is one of those times.
New Mutant-esque teen power discovery without becoming trite or descending to lowest YA common denominator.
New Mutant-esque teen power discovery without becoming trite or descending to lowest YA common denominator.
merrinish's review
4.0
I quite liked this, actually??? It's been so long since I read the first I wasn't sure if I was going to remember a thing about it, but it turned out not to have mattered. I love the backside of superheroing and coming of age tales.
samantha_randolph's review
2.0
"Anna has grown up in a family of superheroes. Her dad is a powerful telepath, her grandparents are infamous, and her mother is the city's most prestigious businesswoman. With all that legacy to live up to, Anna chooses not to tell them about her own power, tracking. Instead, her and her friends who have more defensive powers put on masks and try to take on the city's bad guys. Celia, Anna's mother, spends her time when she isn't doing business keeping tabs on all possible heroes, but thinks Anna is just a normal girl. When a powerful villain arises, mother and daughter will find they have a lot more to learn about each other than they know." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=44537
avidan's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
aggie24's review
3.0
I picked this one up semi-randomly at the library during the last-day-open-before-the-library-closes-because-of-corona rush. All of the half-empty shelves scared me so I didn't look at this closely enough to realize that it was the second book in a series. Fortunately I didn't feel like there were any holes in my background knowledge or like I jumped into the middle of the story.
Celia is a middle-aged business woman in commerce city. Her parents were superheroes and she grew up immersed in the world that came along with it. Being superhuman is genetic, the result of a lab experiment gone wrong many years ago, and Celia is carefully watching her daughters, Anna and Bethy, to see if they exhibit super powers themselves.
Anna has a power: she knows the location of everyone she knows. But she doesn't want to tell her parents - although it's hard when your father is telepathic - instead struggling along with her superhuman friends to find her identity and how to be a successful vigilante. Until suddenly she is up against way more than she was prepared for.
This is a story of personal struggles, of emotions and dilemmas instead of just fire-fights and shoot-outs. Although there is certainly action as well. It's well-told, if a little slow, and a different look at the superhero world. I enjoyed it.
Content: a smattering of swearing, about 5 instances of the f-word. A mother hopes her daughter is not sneaking out to be a stripper (she isn't).
Celia is a middle-aged business woman in commerce city. Her parents were superheroes and she grew up immersed in the world that came along with it. Being superhuman is genetic, the result of a lab experiment gone wrong many years ago, and Celia is carefully watching her daughters, Anna and Bethy, to see if they exhibit super powers themselves.
Anna has a power: she knows the location of everyone she knows. But she doesn't want to tell her parents - although it's hard when your father is telepathic - instead struggling along with her superhuman friends to find her identity and how to be a successful vigilante. Until suddenly she is up against way more than she was prepared for.
This is a story of personal struggles, of emotions and dilemmas instead of just fire-fights and shoot-outs. Although there is certainly action as well. It's well-told, if a little slow, and a different look at the superhero world. I enjoyed it.
Content: a smattering of swearing, about 5 instances of the f-word. A mother hopes her daughter is not sneaking out to be a stripper (she isn't).
middlekmissie's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-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
4.0
delz's review
4.0
Dreams of the Golden Age is a sequel that takes place 20 years later. Celia and Arthur have two teenage daughters of their own and Celia is running West Corp. Celia has spent years watching her daughters for any sign of superpowers, but just like any typical teenagers they keep plenty of secrets from their parents. Anna the eldest daughter has plenty of secrets along with 4 of her friends. The beginning is a little slow with all the secret keeping, but eventually the action begins and it's just so much fun. I really hope Carrie Vaughn keeps this one going.
chaoticmissadventures's review
3.0
Still a great read, with good writing, interesting characters and fun superhero feats.
I did like the first one better.
This one was a bit too much teen angst for me, and not enough humor- combining the kids trying to find themselves with Celia's overwhelming problems made it more of a downer.
It was nice to see where Celia and Arthur ended up!
I did like the first one better.
This one was a bit too much teen angst for me, and not enough humor- combining the kids trying to find themselves with Celia's overwhelming problems made it more of a downer.
It was nice to see where Celia and Arthur ended up!
wealhtheow's review
3.0
Decades ago, an accident in a research lab led to a whole cohort of people getting superpowers. Some became villains, some became heroes, but altogether, they changed Commerce City. In [b: After the Golden Age|8665134|After the Golden Age (Golden Age, #1)|Carrie Vaughn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1428323791s/8665134.jpg|13536680], the child of two of these heroes had to come to terms with her own place in the world after years of kidnappings and near-brushes with adventure. Now, the grandchildren of these superpowered people are coming of age, and some of them have acquired powers of their own.
I enjoyed this. Both the would-be-superhero teens and their parents get narrative focus and accomplish parts of the plot, and altogether it means this otherwise lightweight story has some lovely bits about family and growing up and creating identity. I grew impatient with the amount of hiding super-identities that was required for the plot to work, but by the end all is revealed in various satisfyingly dramatic ways.
I enjoyed this. Both the would-be-superhero teens and their parents get narrative focus and accomplish parts of the plot, and altogether it means this otherwise lightweight story has some lovely bits about family and growing up and creating identity. I grew impatient with the amount of hiding super-identities that was required for the plot to work, but by the end all is revealed in various satisfyingly dramatic ways.