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crimsonfloyd's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
3.75
trackofwords's review
4.0
I'd give this 3.5 for my personal taste, but 4 for its intended audience.
For Tempus and Triage, otherwise known as Eva and Christopher, life as trainee X-Men isn’t quite what they expected. When they set out together in the X-Copter for their first solo flight, their delight at simply getting out of the school and away from their instructors quickly fades when they receive an SOS call from Sabretooth of all people. What they think will be a straightforward pickup, and a good opportunity to give their powers a quick workout, ends up becoming a battle that tests them beyond what they could have expected.
While not exactly a Young Adult novel (Eva and Christopher come across as young, but they’re in their early 20s rather than their teens), this definitely leans a little more towards that end of the fiction spectrum. Harris’ writing is clear, straightforward and to the point, with little extraneous detail or description, and alongside the ‘coming of age’ angle and the protagonists’ somewhat insular worldviews this lends proceedings a pace and perspective that should definitely suit younger readers. That’s not to say this will only appeal to a younger audience however, but the great thing about Aconyte’s growing range of Marvel novels is that there should be something for everyone! For anyone looking for a fun and relatively light tale of lesser-known X-Men finding their place within the team, this is definitely worth checking out.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2020/11/18/liberty-justice-for-all-carrie-harris/
For Tempus and Triage, otherwise known as Eva and Christopher, life as trainee X-Men isn’t quite what they expected. When they set out together in the X-Copter for their first solo flight, their delight at simply getting out of the school and away from their instructors quickly fades when they receive an SOS call from Sabretooth of all people. What they think will be a straightforward pickup, and a good opportunity to give their powers a quick workout, ends up becoming a battle that tests them beyond what they could have expected.
While not exactly a Young Adult novel (Eva and Christopher come across as young, but they’re in their early 20s rather than their teens), this definitely leans a little more towards that end of the fiction spectrum. Harris’ writing is clear, straightforward and to the point, with little extraneous detail or description, and alongside the ‘coming of age’ angle and the protagonists’ somewhat insular worldviews this lends proceedings a pace and perspective that should definitely suit younger readers. That’s not to say this will only appeal to a younger audience however, but the great thing about Aconyte’s growing range of Marvel novels is that there should be something for everyone! For anyone looking for a fun and relatively light tale of lesser-known X-Men finding their place within the team, this is definitely worth checking out.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2020/11/18/liberty-justice-for-all-carrie-harris/
sunseas's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
melniksuzuki's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
blisterfeld's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
ksmarsden's review
3.0
Eva and Christopher are X-Men-in-training, impatient to get into the real world. But when a training exercise goes astray, they are about to be tested for real.
I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first X-Men novel by Carrie Harris, and the first X-Men story in a new set of Marvel novels by various authors.
I thought this book was good at starting a new story following Eva and Christopher, but its does benefit from familiarity with the X-Men COMIC world.
I've watched all of the films, which helped with the supporting characters; but I was lost as to what timeline it was.
The characters keep referring back to this big event, where they got pulled into this different plane, and it had a huge impact on their lives... it was kinda frustrating to not know what happened.
Anyways, this story follows Eva (Tempus), an Australian girl who can create time bubbles that freeze her enemies.
Her current roommate at Xavier's Institute is a teenage Jean Grey who has been thrown out of her own timeline.
It also follows Christopher (Triage), an American lad who can heal himself and others. Despite being very useful, Christopher often bemoans not having a flashier gift.
The two of them are the most driven in the group (some of the trainees are still pratting around), so they team up together when it's time to start flying practise.
During this first flight, they come across a mutant's request for help. Feeling very keen to take off the training wheels, and arguing that they could help quicker than reporting back to base first - they go to help a certain Sabretooth.
This was a fun story about Eva and Christopher trying to find their feet, as they get to use their powers in real-life situations. They learn their limits, and try to conquer their fears as they fight in an uncontrolled arena for the first time.
I liked the character of Sabretooth, after only knowing him briefly in the films. I thought he was fun, and he came across as confident in himself and his abilities. He's not afraid to scare people, and takes joy in this. But you also get the feeling that he's taking the trainees under his wing and will do anything to keep them safe.
I thought the writing was light and easy to follow. Once the story moves away from the Xavier's Institute it comes alive on its own, not being hampered by a massive backstory of X-Men expectations.
The not-so-good.
As I said before, I think I would have enjoyed this more if I'd read what preceded this story.
My only other issue is that I found it all quite slow and repetitive.
Our main characters are constantly spinning their wheels, first at the Institute; and then at the Museum.
I thought the story was very drawn out in places, and could easily have been compressed. I couldn't help thinking that some parts would have suited being a nice visual comic or film, rather than a novel.
Overall, this was OK, but I'm not interested in reading the rest of the series.
Maybe I'll give the comics a try.
I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first X-Men novel by Carrie Harris, and the first X-Men story in a new set of Marvel novels by various authors.
I thought this book was good at starting a new story following Eva and Christopher, but its does benefit from familiarity with the X-Men COMIC world.
I've watched all of the films, which helped with the supporting characters; but I was lost as to what timeline it was.
The characters keep referring back to this big event, where they got pulled into this different plane, and it had a huge impact on their lives... it was kinda frustrating to not know what happened.
Anyways, this story follows Eva (Tempus), an Australian girl who can create time bubbles that freeze her enemies.
Her current roommate at Xavier's Institute is a teenage Jean Grey who has been thrown out of her own timeline.
It also follows Christopher (Triage), an American lad who can heal himself and others. Despite being very useful, Christopher often bemoans not having a flashier gift.
The two of them are the most driven in the group (some of the trainees are still pratting around), so they team up together when it's time to start flying practise.
During this first flight, they come across a mutant's request for help. Feeling very keen to take off the training wheels, and arguing that they could help quicker than reporting back to base first - they go to help a certain Sabretooth.
This was a fun story about Eva and Christopher trying to find their feet, as they get to use their powers in real-life situations. They learn their limits, and try to conquer their fears as they fight in an uncontrolled arena for the first time.
I liked the character of Sabretooth, after only knowing him briefly in the films. I thought he was fun, and he came across as confident in himself and his abilities. He's not afraid to scare people, and takes joy in this. But you also get the feeling that he's taking the trainees under his wing and will do anything to keep them safe.
I thought the writing was light and easy to follow. Once the story moves away from the Xavier's Institute it comes alive on its own, not being hampered by a massive backstory of X-Men expectations.
The not-so-good.
As I said before, I think I would have enjoyed this more if I'd read what preceded this story.
My only other issue is that I found it all quite slow and repetitive.
Our main characters are constantly spinning their wheels, first at the Institute; and then at the Museum.
I thought the story was very drawn out in places, and could easily have been compressed. I couldn't help thinking that some parts would have suited being a nice visual comic or film, rather than a novel.
Overall, this was OK, but I'm not interested in reading the rest of the series.
Maybe I'll give the comics a try.
mailorderbride's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
3.0
When the latest Spiderman film was released, a colleague and I took a group of teens to the cinema. Three of our crew were true blue Marvel fans and knew the ins-and-outs of all the storylines and debated the fates, flaws and fantastic adventures of their favourites. I admit I was super confused, so when this book was released for advance reading, I scooped up the chance to see what all the hype was about. (Totally realise Spiderman isn’t an official X-man).
In the new-but-old Charles Xavier Institute the latest mutant recruits hone their skills. The students have recently survived a quick and distressing trip to Limbo where their fate depended on the frankly unhinged whims of the evil Dormammu. This sorcerer put the frighteners on all of the new mutants, even the magically gifted X-Institute teacher Illyana. Two of the students, Tempus and Triage fare better than the others on the gruelling coaching sessions and are rewarded with a solo training flight to Chicago on a tetchy X-copter. They are bursting with excitement and try their newfound confidence by broaching protocol and answering a distress call from the roguish Sabretooth, and he’s not alone.
The action fires off quickly, Sabretooth is guarding a mysterious mutant-hating politician. There are sentinels baying for their blood and it seems the Natural History museum exhibits have come to life. Tempus and Triage find their super skills tested to destruction, but most of all, they must come to terms with some very human dilemmas. Can they trust the vicious Sabretooth? When they lose contact with the X-copter they need to rely on street sense and form some pretty unusual partnerships in order to see off danger and make it safely back to school.
I could tell that this was definitely a fan’s book, so I swotted up on my X-knowledge, bought a comic that explained Eva and Christopher’s (Tempus and Triage) backstory and set myself up for a film marathon. I was glad I did. All X-men have a disturbing past that makes their fantastic present relatable. Knowing this takes off the schmaltzy overtones of their heroic endings and their drive toward making good. However, Liberty and Justice for All (a quote from the USA Pledge of Allegiance known by every schoolchild in America) can be appreciated without any extra research, but hey, I’m a librarian and relish any chance to hit the books.
The character of Christopher Muse was my fave. He’s a self-deprecating steampunk black kid who dresses up to keep out of trouble, and away from the cops. His quest to understand his mutation goes through the stages of denial, anger and acceptance. He grows throughout the novel and gradually discovers his powers are more than he anticipated. The struggle for Triage (he’s a healer) is real. Through the application of his abilities and the sensibilities of his human nature, he drives himself forward to hone his capacity as a healer in a unique and supreme way.
The characterisations from Carrie Harris are fab. She describes herself as first and foremost a fan and this rings through. Sure, she puts the poor mutants through their paces, but they earn their stripes and make it through stronger, tougher and, ironically, a bit softer. This is a story of mutants who are, above all, humans. And what’s not to like about that?
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