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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
I saw other reviewers compare this book to Veronica Mars and think that's a perfect comparison. Great characters, inventive plot, and nonstop action made this a fun read.
3.7
A 2017/2018 OBOB read.
I have to admit, this book grew on me. As irritating and insufferable as the narrator is, she's clearly Lois Lane and she's not out to make her readers comfortable. It really helps picturing book as a cartoon. I felt things just clicked into place (as far as overblown characters and questionable family dinner realism) when I did that.
Gwenda Bond is extremely inconsistent as an author. Her sentences jump from excellent or clever into painfully overbaked without warning. Her characters sometimes leave me with more questions than answers, and her Lois Lane just does not stop. That said, I thought her inclusion of that Kansas boy was very well done, and the best scenes in the book were the interactions between Lois and ..uh... him.
Bond balanced the plot neatly as well. It was exactly the sort of nefarious goings-on that a student reporter could realistically go after and still supply the story with enough tension to drive rapid page-turning. So well done with that, although I think some audiences may have wanted bigger, badder and more dangerous.
If you are a fan of the Lois Lane character, this book might be for you. If you are a reader that cringes at socially awkward situations and occasional poor writing, this one might not be a good choice.
A 2017/2018 OBOB read.
I have to admit, this book grew on me. As irritating and insufferable as the narrator is, she's clearly Lois Lane and she's not out to make her readers comfortable. It really helps picturing book as a cartoon. I felt things just clicked into place (as far as overblown characters and questionable family dinner realism) when I did that.
Gwenda Bond is extremely inconsistent as an author. Her sentences jump from excellent or clever into painfully overbaked without warning. Her characters sometimes leave me with more questions than answers, and her Lois Lane just does not stop. That said, I thought her inclusion of that Kansas boy was very well done, and the best scenes in the book were the interactions between Lois and ..uh... him.
Bond balanced the plot neatly as well. It was exactly the sort of nefarious goings-on that a student reporter could realistically go after and still supply the story with enough tension to drive rapid page-turning. So well done with that, although I think some audiences may have wanted bigger, badder and more dangerous.
If you are a fan of the Lois Lane character, this book might be for you. If you are a reader that cringes at socially awkward situations and occasional poor writing, this one might not be a good choice.
I kept my expectations low in reading this book, and they were far exceeded! Gwenda Bond has created a teenage Lois Lane who has all the characteristics one would expect: She's ballsy, snarky, and rebellious, but also intelligent, compassionate, and qualified.
It would have been way too easy to write a teenage Lois who was annoying and not worthy of her place in the Superman mythology. It is easy for Lois to smell out a story, but she struggles with everything your typical teen does: fitting in, making friends, finding a way to survive the gauntlet of high school. It's important that even though she excels at journalism, she is still human, still a girl, still trying to find her place.
This Lois is who Chloe Sullivan was trying to be in season 1 of Smallville. This Lois is the teenager who grows up to be the Lois Lane of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. This is a modern Lois, ready to fight for her home — The Daily Planet.
It would have been way too easy to write a teenage Lois who was annoying and not worthy of her place in the Superman mythology. It is easy for Lois to smell out a story, but she struggles with everything your typical teen does: fitting in, making friends, finding a way to survive the gauntlet of high school. It's important that even though she excels at journalism, she is still human, still a girl, still trying to find her place.
This Lois is who Chloe Sullivan was trying to be in season 1 of Smallville. This Lois is the teenager who grows up to be the Lois Lane of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. This is a modern Lois, ready to fight for her home — The Daily Planet.
Bond's teen Lois Lane is brilliant. Smart, generous, empathetic--and so like her stubborn dad she'd growl at me for saying so. :) FALLOUT is fast and engaging with all sorts of fun Easter eggs for Superman fans. I particularly appreciate that Lane isn't afraid to be vulnerable (eventually) or ask for help or stand up for herself (sometimes harder to do than stand up for others). All the characters feel very human, with complications and good intentions and hurtful actions--like people we could meet IRL. (Except maybe the slimy principal, but sadly that's probably me being naive.) I'd say FALLOUT is more than straightforward adventure, it's a model for teen girls everywhere.
I wanted to love this book, I really did. Lois Lane in high school??? With high tech gadgets and a passion for reporting?? Sign me up! But this is definitely a passive YA novel. Not a lot of interesting story-telling happening, the characters are EXTREMELY one-dimensional, and Lois as a narrator is incredibly lacking in personality and voice. I had to force myself to finish this book. The concept is a bit ill-explained, and the descriptions of characters and settings leave a lot to be desired. With that being said, I'm not giving up on this series yet. Mostly because I already have the other two books in my possession. The story did get interesting, after TWO HUNDRED pages of exposition. So maybe the next book will be an ultra cool extension of the action and intrigue that were in the final ten pages. Fingers crossed.
Superman was my first superhero but when I heard about a series that puts Lois Lane, teen sleuth journalist, at its forefront--I'm In!
I've never read the comics but my memories of Lois Lane in her televised visual counterparts (Smallville, Adventures of Lois and Clark) fit in with this being her feisty start in Metropolis. Head canon accepted. I also appreciate that SmallvilleGuy communicates and collaborates with her in secure chat networks.
Also the Nerdfighter shout out when talking about school cafeteria cliques
I've never read the comics but my memories of Lois Lane in her televised visual counterparts (Smallville, Adventures of Lois and Clark) fit in with this being her feisty start in Metropolis. Head canon accepted. I also appreciate that SmallvilleGuy communicates and collaborates with her in secure chat networks.
Also the Nerdfighter shout out when talking about school cafeteria cliques
Military brats don't usually go to 10 schools in 10 years....just sayin'. Research how often military families move before saying such things, plz.
Other than that pet peeve, it's a cute story, entertaining and well written. I like that it's not an "end of the world" mystery like so many books...the stakes are big, but they aren't going to end the world. So many YA books now days seem to focus on such massive issues that you wonder how things can escalate in future books!
Other than that pet peeve, it's a cute story, entertaining and well written. I like that it's not an "end of the world" mystery like so many books...the stakes are big, but they aren't going to end the world. So many YA books now days seem to focus on such massive issues that you wonder how things can escalate in future books!
A solid 3.5 stars. It's a light and fun teen detective story with plenty of little Superman universe details and foreshadowing. Lois Lane is always a fun character to read/watch and the high school version of her is no exception.
ETA: upon rereading, i'm rounding that 3.5 up instead of down because this series makes me happy, dangit, and i can't wait to reread the other two.
ETA: upon rereading, i'm rounding that 3.5 up instead of down because this series makes me happy, dangit, and i can't wait to reread the other two.
Taking a cue from the successful show Smallville, this YA novel features a teenage Lois Lane seeing out to make her mark on Metropolis for the first time. She's got an after-school job working for a student newspaper, and a yen to figure out why the principal of her new school seems to look the other easy when it comes to teen bullying.
Lois Lane has been one of my favorite fictional heroines for a long time. (She and Nancy Drew have graced many a fridge of mine, in the form of book/comic cover magnets. What can I say? I clearly look up to nosy women.)
This book did a great job of building a young-Lois character that felt three-dimensional and relatable while still satisfying fans' expectations of who Lois Lane should be. And the plot was surprisingly immersive; I found it hard to put down. I wish this were already a long-established series so I'd have several more to read now, but I'm definitely looking forward to #2.
Lois Lane has been one of my favorite fictional heroines for a long time. (She and Nancy Drew have graced many a fridge of mine, in the form of book/comic cover magnets. What can I say? I clearly look up to nosy women.)
This book did a great job of building a young-Lois character that felt three-dimensional and relatable while still satisfying fans' expectations of who Lois Lane should be. And the plot was surprisingly immersive; I found it hard to put down. I wish this were already a long-established series so I'd have several more to read now, but I'm definitely looking forward to #2.
This is now my favorite Lois Lane.
The Lois from Superman:TAS set the bar pretty high, but yeah. This one is my favorite. She's smart, savvy, headstrong, determined - all the good adjectives! The Nellie Bly allusion is very apt. I can't wait to see what she gets into next!
(The "SmallvilleGuy" stuff, by the by, is just delightful, and a clever way to bring Clark into the story without having him be actually present. I also loved the numerous small touches... "TheInventor", is it? *cackle*)
The Lois from Superman:TAS set the bar pretty high, but yeah. This one is my favorite. She's smart, savvy, headstrong, determined - all the good adjectives! The Nellie Bly allusion is very apt. I can't wait to see what she gets into next!
(The "SmallvilleGuy" stuff, by the by, is just delightful, and a clever way to bring Clark into the story without having him be actually present. I also loved the numerous small touches... "TheInventor", is it? *cackle*)