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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
I went into this book optimistic. I like the author's youtube show, and I like the premise. However, I was extremely disappointed by this book. There are two major problems in it for me. Once, that a man whose popular youtube show is literally a show critiquing movies for their cliches could write a novel filled so utterly with trite tropes. I can't count how many times there were inspiring speeches, one-liners like "You couldn't possibly imagine how long I've waited for this", and young-hero-commits-daring-action scenes littered throughout the book. I really think that the author was trying to subvert a lot of the tropes with his twists and turns throughout, but he wasn't able to see how his very basic premise was about as stereotypical as could be. Also, he needs to completely retract his criticism of the Triwizard Tournament, because he ripped it off. There's some real irony to be had there.
Second, there are nearly no female characters of note. The only major female character is the main character's mother, and since I want this review to be spoiler free I can't tell you what happens there, just know that I was seriously not impressed by her storyline- it only existed for the main character's growth, just like so many women in so much media only exist for the man's character arc. There were so many male characters I genuinely couldn't tell several of them apart, but I can list the female characters on one hand: Mom, the teacher, a girl named Penelope who was a fleeting love interest...and that's all I've got. Meanwhile, there are seven boys on Philip's team, there's the bad guy, there's the old former bad guy, there's Philip's dad...there are probably fifteen prominent male characters (and one black character, mentioned very offhandedly). Honestly, at that point, don't just give us some people of color and women to be diverse, do it so I can remember who the characters are!
This book read like a B-movie script that got rejected by every major studio. All in all, I'd say that The Ables was Sky High, but much, much worse.
Second, there are nearly no female characters of note. The only major female character is the main character's mother, and since I want this review to be spoiler free I can't tell you what happens there, just know that I was seriously not impressed by her storyline- it only existed for the main character's growth, just like so many women in so much media only exist for the man's character arc. There were so many male characters I genuinely couldn't tell several of them apart, but I can list the female characters on one hand: Mom, the teacher, a girl named Penelope who was a fleeting love interest...and that's all I've got. Meanwhile, there are seven boys on Philip's team, there's the bad guy, there's the old former bad guy, there's Philip's dad...there are probably fifteen prominent male characters (and one black character, mentioned very offhandedly). Honestly, at that point, don't just give us some people of color and women to be diverse, do it so I can remember who the characters are!
This book read like a B-movie script that got rejected by every major studio. All in all, I'd say that The Ables was Sky High, but much, much worse.
This was really fun! Superheroes figuring out their powers is always going to be a trope that makes me want to pick up a book. This book puts a unique spin on that by having a cast of characters all with different disabilities, including the protagonist who is blind. I think this is the only book I've read that is told from the perspective of a blind person. I found the whole thing fascinating and even though the plot was quite predictable, I still enjoyed the book quite a bit.
3.5 out of 5 stars
This book is such a delightful treat, and I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook because why WOULDN'T you want to listen to a book narrated by the author who is also the voice of Cinema Sins?! And by the way, if you're not subscribed to Cinema Sins on YouTube - you're mussing out. I really liked the concept of this book, and the fact that the author wanted to tell a story about superhero kids with disabilities. I got through it very quickly, and enjoyed the story as well as the humor. However, at its core, the plot of The Ables is a pretty typical underdog story which I found to be very predictable. Maybe I read too many books and watch too many movies about superheroes, but there wasn't much that really surprised me about this book. Still, I really enjoyed it, and I can recommend it to anyone who likes superpowers and is looking for a light quick read.
This book is such a delightful treat, and I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook because why WOULDN'T you want to listen to a book narrated by the author who is also the voice of Cinema Sins?! And by the way, if you're not subscribed to Cinema Sins on YouTube - you're mussing out. I really liked the concept of this book, and the fact that the author wanted to tell a story about superhero kids with disabilities. I got through it very quickly, and enjoyed the story as well as the humor. However, at its core, the plot of The Ables is a pretty typical underdog story which I found to be very predictable. Maybe I read too many books and watch too many movies about superheroes, but there wasn't much that really surprised me about this book. Still, I really enjoyed it, and I can recommend it to anyone who likes superpowers and is looking for a light quick read.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
slow-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
i started listening to this audiobook with very low expectations because it didnt seem something up my alley, the superheroes. but i was very surprised by it.
i may add that i dont like how donny's disability was treated, i felt like it was treated with a bit of hidden ableism in my opinion.
i really loved the boyhood of the book, the simple boys being kids, but also heroes.
i shall continue with the series
i may add that i dont like how donny's disability was treated, i felt like it was treated with a bit of hidden ableism in my opinion.
i really loved the boyhood of the book, the simple boys being kids, but also heroes.
i shall continue with the series
2.5 stars
tl;dr: Weakly written both in general and with the characters, very beginner mistakes that should have easily been caught during editing, cliche tropes used fairly often, quite often predictable plot points, and a seemingly misunderstanding/lack of research of the world of disabled people.
--
This review is coming from someone who is a fan of the author's work on Cinema Sins, so there will be some bias, and unfortunately, that's why my score is so low.
Coming into this book, I expected something far more sophisticated and more eloquently written. Given his previous works, general cleverness, and the description of the book, I went in with somewhat high expectations. This book read rather weak. At first I thought it was because of the age demographic it was aimed at, perhaps much younger, like late elementary or early middle school, but the more and more I read, the more I learned that it wasn't just that. This is Scott's first novel, and that's how it read like, like someone who had never written a story before.
There were quite a few beginner-like mistakes throughout this novel, it read more like a second draft than anything else. A lot of the details and descriptions came from dialogue, something I just find distracting. It could have been a lot stronger with less of a reliance on verbal communication. The way things were worded a few times felt awkward, there was part of a sentence randomly bolded (page 255 [paperback], very obviously serving no purpose, it was just a mistake), a misplaced section title (page 264 [paperback]), and some character moments felt odd/wrong/or forgotten.
As an example, toward the end of the book...
"Chad turned on his invisibility as soon as we closed the gate behind us. Slapping a hand on each of our shoulders, he turned Henry and me invisible too." It seemed like an honest mistake though, but also something one would catch during the editing process.
While the writing was quite distracting from the story, it wasn't the only problem. Another big chunk seemed to be the disabled children themselves. As another reviewer on here pointed out, schools don't general separate all disabled children from other classes. Some of those kids would have been accepted just fine in the normal classrooms.
The biggest problem I had, however, was with the main character Phillip. A few issues arise with the author's take on blindness, something that could've been easily solved with some research. Given that he was blind since birth, he'll experience things very different from the other blind character, James, who had sight for several years before he lost it in an accident. There were smaller moments, like Phillip would have difficulty in opening his eyes, however there were some mentions of him opening and closing his eyes. People born blind have little use of the muscles involving their eyes and eye lids, so they typically keep their eyes closed.
However, the main problem with Phillip's sight came a bit later. I know that there was one line of possible explanation to avoid this issue, however, given that it was said more in passing and only /after/ this had been going on for a while, and also aimed at something slightly different, I can't buy it. I feel like it should have been more explicitly stated.
There were some good moments though, to not sound all negative. I did like the fact that the book was written about disabled people, I wish he touched a bit more on that with them, it could have been more developed, but it was a start. There were some nice character moments and interactions. (I liked Ms. Crouch's character!) Again, I feel like they could have been deeper and more meaningful, but that just goes back to this feeling like an early draft. I liked the premise, I think it showed promise and if the author were to ever revise this, I think he could really make this a good book.
Like almost every story, there were cliche moments, like the prophecy felt awkward, some plot points were obvious, etc. (Though that being said, more females in the book would have been nice. There were only three, one of which took the back-burner, and the other two were barely seen/involved at all.) I think Scott could have tried to take a more creative route if he just took the time to brainstorm. As I've reiterated a lot, this book felt rushed and incomplete. Probably he was too excited to release it, and while I can't blame him, I've felt that before for my own projects, sometimes you have to hang back and take your time, else it could really hurt the project, like I feel this did.
Another note of just awkwardness was with the character Bentley. His power of intelligence was interesting, but how it was presented and perceived by the other characters just made me feel uneasy. I tried to remind myself that the characters are 12 and could be impressed by the things Bentley thought of or did, but the constant patting on the back about his speeches or ideas felt really forced and, well, awkward. Even when other characters said rather average, at best, speeches, there was always "oohs" and "ahhs" from the other characters. In general it would be fine, but it happened so often that it was just too much for me.
As an aside, since I'm an artist, I of course have to comment on the cover - fantastic! I love it a lot and it sounds out very well. The font for the title is a great choice too. The design of the whole cover is really well done, though the font for the summary on the back fell a little flat for me, I nevertheless really like it! :) Props to the designer.
Perhaps if a new edition is made, it would be nice to learn more about the world of these superheros and how things work and such as far as politics go. Some things were touched on, but more detail might have made me feel more immersed. (A thing I am curious about though, if there are children who have yet to reach the proper informing age, how did the SuperSims work? Unless they used that one powerful memory-altering guy, as I'm sure the children would notice their parents, and possibly any older siblings/relatives, leaving them for a while, the sounds of screams and explosions, etc. Haha.)
The ending wasn't too bad, I wish there could have been things expanded with it, but it was probably one of the more stronger sections of the book. I have to say though, it is a little funny, though breaking the mood, to have a "The End" placed in the book. I would have removed that, I think it would have made the ending stronger, helped the final words linger in the mind rather than cut them off abruptly.
All in all, in the current state and quality the book is in, I would hesitate to recommend it. I think it most of the more jarring mistakes were fixed and things were more spruced up, it could yield a much better score.
Jeremy Scott, if you're reading this, it's not all negative, despite me mostly only addressing the negative, and hopefully you'll take this criticism and grow from it. It wasn't an easy decision to mark this as 2 vs 3 stars given my 2.5 score, mainly because I do like your content and you do seem like a good guy. I think this novel has promise and it would be nice to see you revise it one day. I hope you don't get discouraged and continue writing and creating content :)
tl;dr: Weakly written both in general and with the characters, very beginner mistakes that should have easily been caught during editing, cliche tropes used fairly often, quite often predictable plot points, and a seemingly misunderstanding/lack of research of the world of disabled people.
--
This review is coming from someone who is a fan of the author's work on Cinema Sins, so there will be some bias, and unfortunately, that's why my score is so low.
Coming into this book, I expected something far more sophisticated and more eloquently written. Given his previous works, general cleverness, and the description of the book, I went in with somewhat high expectations. This book read rather weak. At first I thought it was because of the age demographic it was aimed at, perhaps much younger, like late elementary or early middle school, but the more and more I read, the more I learned that it wasn't just that. This is Scott's first novel, and that's how it read like, like someone who had never written a story before.
There were quite a few beginner-like mistakes throughout this novel, it read more like a second draft than anything else. A lot of the details and descriptions came from dialogue, something I just find distracting. It could have been a lot stronger with less of a reliance on verbal communication. The way things were worded a few times felt awkward, there was part of a sentence randomly bolded (page 255 [paperback], very obviously serving no purpose, it was just a mistake), a misplaced section title (page 264 [paperback]), and some character moments felt odd/wrong/or forgotten.
As an example, toward the end of the book...
Spoiler
with Chad, he was described as having two arms instead of one."Chad turned on his invisibility as soon as we closed the gate behind us. Slapping a hand on each of our shoulders, he turned Henry and me invisible too."
While the writing was quite distracting from the story, it wasn't the only problem. Another big chunk seemed to be the disabled children themselves. As another reviewer on here pointed out, schools don't general separate all disabled children from other classes. Some of those kids would have been accepted just fine in the normal classrooms.
The biggest problem I had, however, was with the main character Phillip. A few issues arise with the author's take on blindness, something that could've been easily solved with some research. Given that he was blind since birth, he'll experience things very different from the other blind character, James, who had sight for several years before he lost it in an accident. There were smaller moments, like Phillip would have difficulty in opening his eyes, however there were some mentions of him opening and closing his eyes. People born blind have little use of the muscles involving their eyes and eye lids, so they typically keep their eyes closed.
However, the main problem with Phillip's sight came a bit later.
Spoiler
Henry's mental ability to project images in his mind is fine, but Phillip being able to analyze and understand what he sees is another problem entirely. Phillip has no reference of colors, he shouldn't know what color is what. Phillip has never seen any object, so he shouldn't be able to recognize them. (He could deduce for a spare few, like a cup, or a dog, but, as an example from the book, he was able to recognize dinosaurs, something highly unlikely.) The fact that he can so clearly identify things despite being blind from birth is ludicrous. He can certainly learn, but that's just it, it's something that has to be taught to him. It's like someone who has been deaf all their life can suddenly speak English once they can hear. That's just not how it works.Spoiler
When they were in the library, looking into what Finch was trying to steal, they come upon the 'Archives', a sign of which Phillip was able to read. A few paragraphs later, it's told that Henry's abilities allowed him to be able to read, which is how I justified the earlier "sight" problem, but I feel it wasn't addressed well enough to entirely excuse the issue.There were some good moments though, to not sound all negative. I did like the fact that the book was written about disabled people, I wish he touched a bit more on that with them, it could have been more developed, but it was a start. There were some nice character moments and interactions. (I liked Ms. Crouch's character!) Again, I feel like they could have been deeper and more meaningful, but that just goes back to this feeling like an early draft. I liked the premise, I think it showed promise and if the author were to ever revise this, I think he could really make this a good book.
Like almost every story, there were cliche moments, like the prophecy felt awkward, some plot points were obvious, etc.
Spoiler
The mother dying was a bit annoying since that's typically the "character driving" moment that always happens in heroic tales. Someone has to die, typically the mother/female love interest, in order for the hero to make their quest/complete their task/advance the plot.Another note of just awkwardness was with the character Bentley. His power of intelligence was interesting, but how it was presented and perceived by the other characters just made me feel uneasy. I tried to remind myself that the characters are 12 and could be impressed by the things Bentley thought of or did, but the constant patting on the back about his speeches or ideas felt really forced and, well, awkward. Even when other characters said rather average, at best, speeches, there was always "oohs" and "ahhs" from the other characters. In general it would be fine, but it happened so often that it was just too much for me.
As an aside, since I'm an artist, I of course have to comment on the cover - fantastic! I love it a lot and it sounds out very well. The font for the title is a great choice too. The design of the whole cover is really well done, though the font for the summary on the back fell a little flat for me, I nevertheless really like it! :) Props to the designer.
Perhaps if a new edition is made, it would be nice to learn more about the world of these superheros and how things work and such as far as politics go. Some things were touched on, but more detail might have made me feel more immersed. (A thing I am curious about though, if there are children who have yet to reach the proper informing age, how did the SuperSims work? Unless they used that one powerful memory-altering guy, as I'm sure the children would notice their parents, and possibly any older siblings/relatives, leaving them for a while, the sounds of screams and explosions, etc. Haha.)
The ending wasn't too bad, I wish there could have been things expanded with it, but it was probably one of the more stronger sections of the book.
Spoiler
Phillip mentioned having been essentially traumatized by the incident, it would've been nice if that was touched on a tad more, but I understand that the last chapter was a more closing chapter, wrapping things up quickly and in a neat little bow.All in all, in the current state and quality the book is in, I would hesitate to recommend it. I think it most of the more jarring mistakes were fixed and things were more spruced up, it could yield a much better score.
Jeremy Scott, if you're reading this, it's not all negative, despite me mostly only addressing the negative, and hopefully you'll take this criticism and grow from it. It wasn't an easy decision to mark this as 2 vs 3 stars given my 2.5 score, mainly because I do like your content and you do seem like a good guy. I think this novel has promise and it would be nice to see you revise it one day. I hope you don't get discouraged and continue writing and creating content :)
I really enjoyed this book. I just liked that the main characters weren't your usual able bodied characters. The main character is blind and watching the group of friends figure out ways to get around their disabilities was really cool. It wasn't a perfect book at all. There were things that never got explained, a lot of the book was telling instead of showing, etc. but overall I really enjoyed it. A little sadder than what I wanted going in, but worth the read. Still debating on continuing the series.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I picked up this book, I was really excited to read it. Like most, I bought this book as a fan of the CinemaSins YouTube channel after reading the blurb and being quite excited for the plot.
I still think that the premise- a group of disabled supers battling with the limitations of their supernatural abilities caused by their born disabilities is a fascinating concept. However, in the case of this book, it was really poorly executed.
The plot holes in this book are so common that it's actually quite laughable. The plot escapes some quite interesting setbacks with too easy workarounds (the main character, who is blind, overcomes this setback by receiving telekinetic images from his friend, feels like a bit of a cop out to me!!). Well and truly, it just bothered me. Suffice to say, I will not be continuing the series (sorry, Jeremy...)
I still think that the premise- a group of disabled supers battling with the limitations of their supernatural abilities caused by their born disabilities is a fascinating concept. However, in the case of this book, it was really poorly executed.
The plot holes in this book are so common that it's actually quite laughable. The plot escapes some quite interesting setbacks with too easy workarounds (the main character, who is blind, overcomes this setback by receiving telekinetic images from his friend, feels like a bit of a cop out to me!!). Well and truly, it just bothered me. Suffice to say, I will not be continuing the series (sorry, Jeremy...)
I enjoyed this boo throughly. I hope it gets made into an movie or TV series. I thought the concept of heroes with disabilities was appropriately handled and that the author did an excellent job making the story relevant to an able bodied audience. I like the focus not on what they couldn’t do but on what they could when they worked together. Overall, an excellent piece of fiction that I would recommend to any super hero fan.