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A review by thebakersbooks
Unsung Heroine by Sarah Kuhn
4.0
3.5/5 stars — a cute novella full of Buffy-style humor and supernatural butt-kicking
Unsung Heroine is billed as a bridge between the Heroine Complex trilogy and an upcoming trilogy in the same world that will also be written by Sarah Kuhn. I'd like to emphasize the 'bridge' aspect, because I attempted to use this novella as an entry point into the series in anticipation of the new trilogy with very mixed results. (That was my bad; I did my best to keep my initial disorientation with the characters/canon from influencing my review.) My point: if you read the Heroine Complex novels and enjoyed them, you'll probably love Unsung Heroine!
For me, the style—a voicy, bouncy main character who loves frilly fashion, karaoke, and cool knives in equal measure and weathers all kinds of slapstick supernatural attacks—felt a bit old hat. Anyone familiar with Buffy the Vampire Slayer will draw that comparison right away, and while I loved the cast full of characters of color and the f/f romantic side plot, it was difficult not to see Lucy Valdez as Buffy lite.(It also felt odd that the eventual sexual encounter between Lucy and Rose was so explicit. The rest of the novella felt like something that could've aired on prime time TV in terms of its intended audience, so I was a bit blindsided by the sudden detour into erotica. Again, this may not have been such a surprise to people who've read the main series, so it didn't count against my rating.)
However, the aspects of the novella I enjoyed outnumbered those I didn't. As I mentioned, it was lovely to have a cast with lots of POC, particularly ones who were given space to discuss, in some cases, the obstacles they've faced as society has tried to slot them into familiar stereotypes. I'm also a big fan of snarky, extroverted protagonists who brawl with supernatural creatures; Unsung Heroine had a few of those, and Lucy was their queen. Lucy was excellent for many reasons, not least because she mentioned that she didn't believe in women tearing each other down out of jealousy.(She was also multidimensional in both lighthearted and serious ways—her addiction to British murder mysteries was hilariously relatable, and her fear of commitment and emotional vulnerability added a welcome serious note to the story.)
Long story short, I wasn't blown away by Unsung Heroine, but that was partially my fault for thinking I could leap into the middle of a series and catch up as I read. What I did enjoy was Sarah Kuhn's talent for blending quirky humor and real emotional depth into a fun, action-heavy story. I'm looking forward to picking up more of her books...starting at the beginning, this time!
* I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. **
Unsung Heroine is billed as a bridge between the Heroine Complex trilogy and an upcoming trilogy in the same world that will also be written by Sarah Kuhn. I'd like to emphasize the 'bridge' aspect, because I attempted to use this novella as an entry point into the series in anticipation of the new trilogy with very mixed results. (That was my bad; I did my best to keep my initial disorientation with the characters/canon from influencing my review.) My point: if you read the Heroine Complex novels and enjoyed them, you'll probably love Unsung Heroine!
For me, the style—a voicy, bouncy main character who loves frilly fashion, karaoke, and cool knives in equal measure and weathers all kinds of slapstick supernatural attacks—felt a bit old hat. Anyone familiar with Buffy the Vampire Slayer will draw that comparison right away, and while I loved the cast full of characters of color and the f/f romantic side plot, it was difficult not to see Lucy Valdez as Buffy lite.
However, the aspects of the novella I enjoyed outnumbered those I didn't. As I mentioned, it was lovely to have a cast with lots of POC, particularly ones who were given space to discuss, in some cases, the obstacles they've faced as society has tried to slot them into familiar stereotypes. I'm also a big fan of snarky, extroverted protagonists who brawl with supernatural creatures; Unsung Heroine had a few of those, and Lucy was their queen. Lucy was excellent for many reasons, not least because she mentioned that she didn't believe in women tearing each other down out of jealousy.(She was also multidimensional in both lighthearted and serious ways—her addiction to British murder mysteries was hilariously relatable, and her fear of commitment and emotional vulnerability added a welcome serious note to the story.)
Long story short, I wasn't blown away by Unsung Heroine, but that was partially my fault for thinking I could leap into the middle of a series and catch up as I read. What I did enjoy was Sarah Kuhn's talent for blending quirky humor and real emotional depth into a fun, action-heavy story. I'm looking forward to picking up more of her books...starting at the beginning, this time!
* I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. **