A review by laguerrelewis
We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I want to start out this review saying I was really rooting for this book. The premise was so interesting, and I love to see superhero stories told by people of color. That said, this fell pretty flat with me. Mike Chen admits in the acknowledgements that this was originally a short story he revamped to be novel length, and I think I would’ve liked it better in it’s original format. Ultimately it comes down to good ideas that sputter out without much behind them. The action is a bit hard to follow. The mystery of the story doesn’t last very long, and the few questions left up in the air are pretty easy to predict. The characters are good, but their development is rushed, and I felt like I never actually got to know them beyond some surface level information. I was constantly questioning what audience this book is for—it read like the lower end of YA, but some of the subjects were more adult than I’d expect. It doesn’t really deliver on the “Superhero” or “Mystery” aspects. I don’t want to hate on Chen, but this was not for me.
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