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A review by nuevecuervos
Heroine Worship by Sarah Kuhn
4.0
Heroine Complex was one of my favorite books last year; I met the author at a signing, went home and read it, and was moved to message the author and let her know that it was fucking fantastic. I even sent a copy to my mother unbidden; she's a huge fan of light urban fantasy/paranormal romance, which I thought might be sidealong enough to this story for her to enjoy. We'll pretend she did (I keep hoping I'll send her something to read that she'll enjoy. I keep being wrong.)(no really, that's relevant. but moving on).
So, imagine my delight when I discovered that a sequel was not just on its way but freshly released in plenty of time time to take on my cross-country conference field trip, because omg perfect plane food. The first was told from Evie's point of view, this one on the other hand from Annie/Aveda's PoV, a bucket of fucked-up with the best of intentions. Kuhn did a magnificent job in Heroine Complex of making Annie/Aveda sympathetic and human, even if she was a misguided diva bitch, so I was still excited about it.
Here, then, we see Annie claiming to have learned her lesson and moving on to be Aveda 2.0: Awesome Superhero and Now A Truly Awesome Friend, Too, trying to keep Evie's wedding perfect while constantly being shit upon by luck, as well as the truly, deeply, annoying AF Maisy and her blogfollowers (all of whom I want to slap constantly). She bulls ahead while honestly trying to keep Evie at the forefront, is loud and angry and deeply insecure as she is wont to be which leads her to failing occasionally, and of course, there's some demonic shit trying to take over San Francisco that must be stopped. And Scott, dear sweet baby jeebus, who is so beautiful and fantastic, and who just wants Annie as she is, if Annie herself could just come to terms with the many facets of her personality.
In the end, I identified deeply with Annie where I wouldn't have expected to, from her saying one thing to Scott while feeling an entirely different thing because she's trying to maintain the "calm, immovable badass who doesn't need feelings like normal people" (raise your glass, girl; I feel that so hard), and her insistence that internal Annie is too soft and mushy to be trusted, to her feeling that her parents are eternally dissatisfied with everything she does, wishing she were better and more dutiful like her cousin Sophie, and finding out that her parents love her just the way she is, too. Granted, they don't understand her so well, but they love her just the same.
They mystery itself is of course steeped in Bridezillas and wedding wank fantasy culture, and it was great to be wrapped up in a group of women and their hangers-on (as opposed to vice-versa); the side characters are wonderful, any and all of whom I would gladly plunk down $10 for a book of their own. Thank you yet again for bringing us all of the diverse characters we would have wanted to see in literature from the jump.
I'm just saying that as soon as I have internet again, I'mma send the author another love letter over this book, in the totally utmost non-creepy way. :D Uh and mom, I'm not sending you this one, but it's the thought that counts and hopefully you love me even though you hate my book selections for you, right? right.
So, imagine my delight when I discovered that a sequel was not just on its way but freshly released in plenty of time time to take on my cross-country conference field trip, because omg perfect plane food. The first was told from Evie's point of view, this one on the other hand from Annie/Aveda's PoV, a bucket of fucked-up with the best of intentions. Kuhn did a magnificent job in Heroine Complex of making Annie/Aveda sympathetic and human, even if she was a misguided diva bitch, so I was still excited about it.
Here, then, we see Annie claiming to have learned her lesson and moving on to be Aveda 2.0: Awesome Superhero and Now A Truly Awesome Friend, Too, trying to keep Evie's wedding perfect while constantly being shit upon by luck, as well as the truly, deeply, annoying AF Maisy and her blogfollowers (all of whom I want to slap constantly). She bulls ahead while honestly trying to keep Evie at the forefront, is loud and angry and deeply insecure as she is wont to be which leads her to failing occasionally, and of course, there's some demonic shit trying to take over San Francisco that must be stopped. And Scott, dear sweet baby jeebus, who is so beautiful and fantastic, and who just wants Annie as she is, if Annie herself could just come to terms with the many facets of her personality.
In the end, I identified deeply with Annie where I wouldn't have expected to, from her saying one thing to Scott while feeling an entirely different thing because she's trying to maintain the "calm, immovable badass who doesn't need feelings like normal people" (raise your glass, girl; I feel that so hard), and her insistence that internal Annie is too soft and mushy to be trusted, to her feeling that her parents are eternally dissatisfied with everything she does, wishing she were better and more dutiful like her cousin Sophie, and finding out that her parents love her just the way she is, too. Granted, they don't understand her so well, but they love her just the same.
They mystery itself is of course steeped in Bridezillas and wedding wank fantasy culture, and it was great to be wrapped up in a group of women and their hangers-on (as opposed to vice-versa); the side characters are wonderful, any and all of whom I would gladly plunk down $10 for a book of their own. Thank you yet again for bringing us all of the diverse characters we would have wanted to see in literature from the jump.
I'm just saying that as soon as I have internet again, I'mma send the author another love letter over this book, in the totally utmost non-creepy way. :D Uh and mom, I'm not sending you this one, but it's the thought that counts and hopefully you love me even though you hate my book selections for you, right? right.